February 17, 2005

DUBUQUE, IOWA . . . Wartburg College won its 13th consecutive and 23rd overall Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) wrestling Championship Thursday at Loras College behind the performances of six individual champions and two runners-up. The Knights’ amassed 194.0 points to defeat runner-up Luther by 36 points. Coe (124.5), Loras (122.5) and Simpson (96.0) round out the top-five.

Wartburg senior Dustin Hinschberger (Belle Plaine, Iowa/Belle Plaine) was named Dick Walker Outstanding Wrestler. The top-seed at 141-pounds went 3-0 with two major decisions and a technical fall. He defeated Dubuque’s Ben Swan, 14-1, in the quarterfinals and 2004 Outstanding Wrestler Dustin Brewer of Simpson, 10-2, in the semifinals. Hinschberger won the championship match over Coe’s Mark Carey by technical fall, 20-5.

Other individual champions include Loras’ Terry Morgan (125-pounds), Wartburg’s Tyler Hubbard (133-pounds), Luther’s Matt Pyle (149-pounds), Luther’s Ryan LeBeau (157-pounds), Luther’s Garrett South (165-pounds), Wartburg’s Mark Sturm (174-pounds), Wartburg’s Scott Kauffman (184-pounds), Wartburg’s Akeem Carter (197-pounds) and Wartburg’s Blake Gillis (heavyweight). The titles for both South and Sturm are the third of the career and second straight. Hinschberger, Carter and Gillis all repeated as Champions from 2004.

Coe’s John Oostendorp was named IIAC Coach of the Year leading the Kohawks to its highest Conference finish since joining the IIAC in 1997-98. Coe improved from the #27th-ranked team in the NWCA preseason poll to 13th in the most recent poll after posting an 11-7 dual record including a 6-2 mark against IIAC opponents. Coe sent two wrestlers to the Conference Championship finals (Mark Carey at 141 and Adam Reid at 174) and had six top-three finishers, a number only bettered by Wartburg (nine) and matched by Luther. Five Kohawk wrestlers will compete in the National Championships.

Complete Conference Championship results are here.

Thirty-three wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships to be held March 4-5, at the Skoglund and Tostrud Centers in Northfield, Minn. The winner and runners-up in each of the ten weight classes along with 13 wildcards will represent the Conference at the National Championships. The Iowa Conference national qualifiers are:

Buena Vista (1) – Jestin Hulegaard (133)

Coe (5) – Ryan Gotto (125), Mark Carey (141), Jared Creason (149), Adam Reid (174), Mike McCabe (197)

Dubuque (1) – Cole Williams (165)

Loras (6) – Terry Morgan (125), Brad Bishop (165), Ryan Hagerty (174), Tom Andrews (184), Mitch Hager (197), Ben McCready (Hwt.)

Luther (7) – Mike Lopez (133), Jeff Patzke (141), Matt Pyle (149), Ryan LeBeau (157), Garrett South (165), Danny Adams (184), Wyatt Reyerson (197)

Simpson (3) – Dustin Brewer (141), Clint Manny (149), Brett Christensen (Hwt.)

Wartburg (10) – Justin McClintock (125), Tyler Hubbard (133), Dustin Hinschberger (141), Jacob Naig (149), Cory Connell (157), Andrew Knaack (165), Mark Sturm (174), Scott Kauffman (184), Akeem Cater (197), Blake Gillis (Hwt.)

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