2008 Woodie Awards
Wrestlers give record performance at open
Dan Doverspike
Issue date: 11/20/07 Section: Sports
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With more than 300 wrestlers and no scoring system to identify the top participants, Saturday's Concordia Open seemed to be an event where the Warhawk wrestlers could get lost in the shuffle. But thanks to a few top three finishes, the 'Hawks emerged as a wrestling team to be reckoned with.
Sophomore Austin Bautista, a returning national qualifier and currently ranked No. 10 in the nation in Division III, won the 141-pound weight division with an impressive 5-0 record. On his way to the championship, Bautista upset the third ranked wrestler in the nation.
"Although I don't pay much attention to the rankings at this point in the season, it felt good beating the third-ranked wrestler. He was just a guy I needed to beat," Bautista said. "This weekend gave me and our team a lot of confidence, but we are not satisfied. We have to focus on working hard and getting better everyday."
Sean Evans, a junior transfer, excelled in his first competition as a heavyweight. When Evans first transferred to UW-Whitewater, he weighed 220 pounds and was asked to make weight for the 197-pound division.
"After he lost all that weight, we started to see what he was doing in practice and started to wonder how he would fare against the heavyweights," said Head Coach Tim Fader.
Fader received an answer on Saturday when Evans beat the No. 1 seed from Loras College en route to placing second in the heavyweight division.
"I didn't really know what to expect because I had never competed against heavyweights before," Evans said. "But, after this weekend I have confidence in myself and after seeing how everyone else on the team performed, we have big expectations."
Jon Schmidt, also a junior, placed second in his weight division as well, competing at 197 pounds. Sophomore David Casper finished third in the 184-pound division.
Freshman Alex Dahl had another impressive outing in the 133-pound weight division. After gaining attention with his performance at last week's Point Invite, Dahl placed third in his division.
"His early season success is not too surprising," Fader said. "He has a lot of fight in him, and he is very intense. I can't wait until we have a home meet because I think our crowd is going to be excited to watch him, as they should be."
Overall, the Warhawks had 12 wrestlers place, which set a new team record for the meet. However, the 'Hawks won't have a long time to rest, as they host UW-Parkside on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.
Sophomore Austin Bautista, a returning national qualifier and currently ranked No. 10 in the nation in Division III, won the 141-pound weight division with an impressive 5-0 record. On his way to the championship, Bautista upset the third ranked wrestler in the nation.
"Although I don't pay much attention to the rankings at this point in the season, it felt good beating the third-ranked wrestler. He was just a guy I needed to beat," Bautista said. "This weekend gave me and our team a lot of confidence, but we are not satisfied. We have to focus on working hard and getting better everyday."
Sean Evans, a junior transfer, excelled in his first competition as a heavyweight. When Evans first transferred to UW-Whitewater, he weighed 220 pounds and was asked to make weight for the 197-pound division.
"After he lost all that weight, we started to see what he was doing in practice and started to wonder how he would fare against the heavyweights," said Head Coach Tim Fader.
Fader received an answer on Saturday when Evans beat the No. 1 seed from Loras College en route to placing second in the heavyweight division.
"I didn't really know what to expect because I had never competed against heavyweights before," Evans said. "But, after this weekend I have confidence in myself and after seeing how everyone else on the team performed, we have big expectations."
Jon Schmidt, also a junior, placed second in his weight division as well, competing at 197 pounds. Sophomore David Casper finished third in the 184-pound division.
Freshman Alex Dahl had another impressive outing in the 133-pound weight division. After gaining attention with his performance at last week's Point Invite, Dahl placed third in his division.
"His early season success is not too surprising," Fader said. "He has a lot of fight in him, and he is very intense. I can't wait until we have a home meet because I think our crowd is going to be excited to watch him, as they should be."
Overall, the Warhawks had 12 wrestlers place, which set a new team record for the meet. However, the 'Hawks won't have a long time to rest, as they host UW-Parkside on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.
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