La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse wrestling team is set to compete at the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Upper Midwest Regional Friday-Saturday, February 25-26 in McPhee Physical Education Center at UW-Eau Claire. Action starts at 11 a.m. Friday, February 25 and continues at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 26.
Ten wrestlers will represent UWL in the regional championships. Competing for the Eagles will be
Brandon Murphy (125-pounds),
Sawyer Sarbacker (133),
Tyler Shackle (141),
Jake Mandt (149),
Nolan Hertel (157),
Seth Brossard (165),
Isaac Gust (174),
Kalyn Jahn (184),
Marcus Orlandoni (197) and
Ben Kawczynski (285).
At the 2020 NCAA III Upper Midwest Regional, Sarbacker placed third at 125-pounds.
The 2021 regional was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
Eight of UWL's 10 wrestlers competing at this year's regional meet placed at the 2022 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships as the Eagles captured their sixth straight title at UW-Oshkosh. Hertel (18-3 on the season), Brossard (17-2) and Kawczynski (22-5) each won titles at the league championships while Jahn (14-4) placed second. Shackle (11-5) and Orlandoni (21-11) finished third at the WIAC Championships with Mandt (15-11) and Gust (17-9) fourth. Murphy (9-12) placed sixth at the conference meet while Sarbacker (8-5) did not compete.
Hertel and Brossard are currently ranked sixth and Kawczynski ninth in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III.
UWL won its sixth straight WIAC Championship.
A total of 18 teams will be competing in the regional, including all six from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Joining UWL from the league are UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater. Other teams in the regional include Augsburg (Minn.), Aurora University (Ill.), Carthage College (Wis.), University of Chicago (Ill.), Concordia-Moorhead College (Minn.), Concordia University Wisconsin, Elmhurst College (Ill.), Lakeland University (Wis.), Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.), Pacific University (Ore.), Saint John's University (Minn.), and Wheaton College (Ill.).
Thirty wrestlers, the top-three finishers in each of the 10 weight classes at the Upper Midwest Regional, advance to the 2022 NCAA Division III Championships scheduled for March 11-12 at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
A total of six regionals will be held this weekend, including the NCAA Central Regional at Adrian College (Mich.), the Lower Midwest Regional at Loras College (Iowa), the Northeast Regional at Springfield College (Mass.), the Mideast Regional at Elizabethtown College (Pa.) and Southeast Regional at Lycoming College (Pa.). The Upper Midwest Regional, Central Regional, Lower Midwest and Southeast Regional will take place February 25-26 while the Mideast Regional and Northeast Regional will be held February 26-27.
UWL enters the Upper Midwest Regional ranked ninth in the NWCA Division III Poll released February 18 while Augsburg (Minn.) is ranked sixth, UW-Oshkosh 12th, UW-Eau Claire 16th, UW-Stevens Point and Chicago (Ill.) tied for 18th, Elmhurst (Ill.) 21st and UW-Whitewater 23rd. A total of 27 wrestlers competing in this week's Upper Midwest Regional are ranked in the NWCA.
