The Warhawk wrestling team is preparing for its battle this weekend at the NCAA Championships in La Crosse.

The team will travel to the place where current ’Hawks head coach Tim Fader guided the Eagles to seven straight WIAC Championships from 1998-2004.
After the ’Hawks won their first WIAC Championship in over 20 years, 125-pound freshman Grant Sutter said expectations are high.

“Obviously the goal is to walk away as a national champ,” Sutter said. “If we can get national champions in more than one, and All-Americans in all six of us that’d be great.”

The ’Hawks wrestlers competing in the tournament include:  Sutter, 133-pound junior Jake Frederickson, 149-pound junior Cade Sarbacker,   184-pound senior David Dwyer, 197-pound senior Adam Latella and senior heavyweight Corey Anderson. Frederickson was chosen as the ’Hawks wildcard.

Fader said the ’Hawks will have a challenge keeping up with teams like No. 1 ranked Wartburg because they have a full 10-man lineup.

“I feel really good about our six,” Fader said. “I think they’re all point-scorers at the NCAAs and I think they’re comfortable beating anybody in the country.”

Of the 170 wrestlers left competing in Division-III, only a few will get a chance to be on the podium, but Fader said he thinks it’s obvious the team wants to come back with six national champions.

“We’re going into the tournament to win it,” Fader said. “We’re going to take our six and wrestle until they tell us to stop.”

Latella said he hopes the ’Hawks wrestle well enough to finish in the top four and bring a team trophy back to Whitewater.

“Nothing’s a guarantee,” Latella said. “Our guys just have to go out and perform, and everything will take care of itself.”

The ’Hawks have gotten a lot of positive support from bench players in practice, Sutter said.

“They really have a positive attitude about everything,” Sutter said.  “That’s making it really easy for us to get excited about the tournament.”