MADISON, Wis. – Team champions were crowned in three divisions at the 29th Annual State Team Wrestling Tournament at the UW Field House Saturday afternoon.
Third-seeded Stoughton (24-2) won its third straight Division 1 championship and its 10th team championship overall with a 32-30 victory over Mukwonago (25-2). It’s the second straight season the two programs have battled in the title match
It was an evenly match dual throughout as each team won seven matches, The Vikings were led by pins from Chance Suddeth at 106, Nicolar Rivera at 120 and Alex Wicks at 126, and a technical fall by Luke Mechler at 160.
Mukwonago recorded pins by Devin Lawrence to start the match at 138, Luke Stromberg at 170 and Ryan Krimpelbein at 195. It was the Indians’ 10th State appearance and their second time advancing to the championship match.
Stoughton has now wrestled in eight championship matches in their 15 State Team Tournament experiences, winning three since the start of the team format and seven prior to the separate team tournament.
Top-seeded Wrightstown (22-0) won the Division 2 crown following a 38-19 win over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro in championship match.
Leading 20-19 through the first 10 weight classes, the Tigers won the final four bouts to take control of the match. They won nine of the 14 weight classes in the match, including wins by fall from Quincy Klister at 220 and Nick Alexander at 113, and a technical fall by Kaden Verbeten at 120. In addition, Will Alexander, Wyatt Bruecker and Kaden Koltz each recorded major decisions.
The Titans were led by Trevor Daffinson, who recorded a fall at 285, and Bryce Burns with a major decision.
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro (17-7) finishes runner-up in their first appearance in the championship match and their third experience in the State Tournament, all coming in the last three seasons.
The Tigers won their fourth State team championship in five appearances in the title match and their 10th experience at State overall. The three previous team championships came in Division 3.
Top-seeded Coleman (16-0) won the Division 3 championship in dramatic fashion, capturing the title by tie-breaker over former defending champion Fennimore, 27-26.
The tie-breaking criteria applied was the “most first match points scored” (tie-breaking criteria i).
The Cougars never trailed in the tightly contested match-up with each team winning seven bouts. The match featured two ties, first at 11-11 and again at the end of the match.
Shamus McLain recorded the only fall for the Cougars at 220, and Karson Casper added a technical fall at 138. Alex Birchman notched the only pin for the Golden Eagles at 132 to tie the match in the final bout, and Will Ahnen added a technical fall at 182.
The Cougars have now won 11 championships in program history, including six since the inception of the team format, for which they have qualified 14 times. Fennimore finishes runner-up in its sixth State appearance, all coming in succession since 2015.