No. 1 Wartburg holds team lead,
All-Americans crowned at
2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships

March 7, 2008
Mark Adkins, Wartburg College sports information director
Joshua Schroeder, IIAC Director of Information

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa . . . Top-ranked Wartburg College holds a 22-point lead in the team chase at the conclusion of the first day of action at the 2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Knights, fueled by six semifinalists, ended the day with 19 wins in 22 attempts. Fast-charging Wisconsin-La Crosse stands second with 55.5 points and four semifinalists. Championship co-host Coe College also has four semifinalists and stands in a tie for fourth with Delaware Valley College at 44 points, while defending national champion Augsburg College is third at 45 with three semifinalists.

Along individual lines, it was a tough day and night for seeded wrestlers. Only the 184-pound weight class held true to form with each of the top four seeds making the final four on the championship side. The 141-pound weight class top seeds took a big hit with two unseeded individuals, Augsburg’s Jason Adams and Coe’s Niles Mercer, getting into the final four with top-seeded Mike Bonora of Rhode Island College and fourth-seeded Stephen Hult of New York University. In each of the remaining eight weight classes, at least one five-or-higher seed is in the hunt for individual national championship honors. The only top seed to fall during day one was Oneonta State heavyweight Trevor Hiffa, who was toppled by Luke Panizzi of York (Pa.) in the first round by a 4-3 margin.

All three returning national champions – David Morgan of King’s (Pa.) at 133 pounds, Josh Chelf of UW-La Crosse at 174, and Wartburg’s T.J. Miller at 197 – are still in the hunt for repeat titles.

The other highlight of Friday’s first day was the determination of top eight in each weight class—those that earned the coveted title of All-American. Wartburg, with all of its nine qualifiers receiving honors, led the parade followed by UW-La Crosse with six and Augsburg and Coe taking home five awards each. Three wrestlers – Chelf, Buena Vista’s Jestin Hulegaard (133), and SUNY Brockport’s Shaheim Bradshaw (165) – are guaranteed of completing their careers as four-time All-Americans. Both Hulegaard and Bradshaw have battled through the wrestlebacks after suffering losses in their initial matches.

Action resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday beginning with championship semifinals and concluding with matches for third, fifth, and seventh places. The championship finals are slated for 7 p.m. Both the championship semifinals and finals will be streamed live on NCAA.com.