UW-L Finishes Second at NCAA III Championships; Chelf and Laurent Win National Titles

For Immediate Release: Saturday, March 8, 2008

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – The UW-La Crosse wrestling team finished second at the NCAA Division III Championships Saturday night at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. The Eagles totaled 100.0 team points while Wartburg (Iowa) won the national title with 147.0. Augsburg College (Minn.) placed third (87.0) followed by Coe College (Iowa) fourth (78.0) and Delaware Valley College (Pa.) fifth (64.0). A total of 53 teams scored in the meet.

It is UW-L's third second-place finish in school history (2001, 2006). The Eagles have now recorded 14 top-10 finishes at the NCAA III Championships, including eight in the top-four.

"I'm real proud of the team," said second-year head coach Dave Malecek. "They wrestled great all weekend and this was a total team effort. Everyone scored points for us and that's what it takes. We've built a really solid foundation here and I can't say enough about the assistant coaches who put all the time and effort in as well as the senior class. It's going to be hard to replace the seniors."

UW-L senior Josh Chelf (174-pounds) and sophomore Dan Laurent (285) both won NCAA III Championships Saturday night. Chelf, who was selected the 2008 Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet, captured his second consecutive title with a win by major decision (13-2) over Tyler Jentz of Coe (Iowa). Chelf, who went 4-0 in this year's tournament, becomes the second wrestler in school history to win two national titles, joining Ryan Allen (285-pound titles in 2004, 2005, 2006). Chelf is also the third wrestler in UW-L history to earn four career All-America awards, joining Allen and Jason Lulloff. Along with winning the national championship in 2007 and 2008, Chelf placed third in 2006 and sixth in 2005.

"I think I was peaking at the right time this weekend," said Chelf. "I felt good the whole time and really wrestled my style. I feel blessed to be on this team and we had guys step up." Chelf advanced to Saturday's final with a win by major decision (11-1) over Brandon MacWhinnie of Stevens Institute of Technlogy (N.J.) in the semifinals.

Chelf finishes 40-3 on the year and 153-24 in his career, ranking second in school history in wins. The Eagles have finished no lower than fourth at the national meet in Chelf's four years at UW-L. "We've had such a great team in my time at UW-L," says Chelf. "It's been everything and more. The hard work we all have rubs off on everyone else and I think the success of the program will be here for a long time."

Laurent, seeded-eighth in the tournament, earned a win by decision (7-5) over third-seed Brian Borchers of Wartburg (Iowa) in the championship match. It is his first career All-America honor and Laurent becomes the third heavyweight wrestler in school history to win the national title (Allen, Jason Ott). Making his second career appearance at the NCAA III Championships, Laurent advanced to the final after a win by fall (6:25) over fifth-seed Ryan Bowers of Heidelberg (Ohio) in the semifinals.

"I knew it was anyone's meet to win," said Laurent. "Seeds don't matter and I just used my skills and techniques this weekend. I think the big thing for me was my confidence was getting better and I thought I made it this far and I shouldn't wrestle any different."

Laurent ends the season at 25-12 and improves to 53-19 in his career.

Senior Jordan Kolinski finished fourth at 133-pounds Saturday for the Eagles, falling by decision (3-2) to top-seed Adam Johnson of North Central (Ill.) in the third-place match. Kolinski, seeded-fifth for the championships, opened competition Saturday with a win by major decision (22-8) over Zac Bartlett of Luther (Iowa). He then defeated sixth-seed Nichalos Nothern of Cornell (Iowa) by decision (7-5 in overtime) before the loss to Johnson. Kolinski finishes the season at 21-5 and his career at 60-19. Kolinski earned his third career All-Ameria honor in 2008 after placing sixth in 2007 and seventh in 2005.

Senior Tim Palmer and junior Josh Zabel both finished fifth Saturday afternoon. Palmer, seeded first at 165-pounds, placed fifth after winning by fall (3:27) over third-seed Gino Russo of Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) in the fifth-place match. Palmer lost his first two matches on the day, falling by major decision (15-7) to fourth-seed Benjamin Hoover of Maranatha Baptist (Wis.) in the semifinals before losing by decision (7-2) to fifth-seed Shaheim Bradshaw of SUNY-Brockport in the consolation bracket. Palmer earns his second career All-America honor after placing third in 2007. He finishes the year at 41-5 and 130-30 in his UW-L career, ranking fourth in victories.

Zabel, the fourth seed at 184-pounds, captured fifth-place with a win by major decision (12-3) over Bryan Lenhardt of Johnson & Wales (R.I.). Zabel lost a pair of one-point decisions in his first two matches Saturday. He lost to number-one seed Romeo Djoumessi of Wartburg (Iowa) in the semifinals (5-4) before falling to seventh-seed Robert Gotreau of Augsburg (Minn.) in the consolation bracket (3-2). Zabel earns his first career All-America finish with his fifth-place showing Saturday. He ends the year at 38-8 overall and currently ranks 15th in career wins at UW-L with a mark of 93-36.

Freshman Matt Mauseth (149) finished sixth Saturday for UW-L, falling by major decision (14-5) to fifth-seed Jeff Kastel of Elmhurst (Ill.) in the fifth-place match. Mauseth, unseeded in this year's tournament, won by fall (6:41) over fourth-seed Paul LeBlanc of SUNY-Cortland is his first match Saturday before losing by decision (2-0) to second-seed Willy Holst of Augsburg (Minn.). Mauseth, who earned his first career All-America recognition, finishes the year at 22-9.