Baumgartner wins 197-pound CCIW title

WHEATON, Ill. – Mason Baumgartner highlighted the CCIW Championship for Concordia Wisconsin by winning the title at 197 pounds, after two of his matches by fall. The Falcons also had Mason Mergener and Eli Were placed second in their respective weight divisions, and the team took sixth.

THE BASICS
Team Finish: Concordia Wisconsin 6th of 8
Top Falcon Individuals: Mason Baumgartner (1st – 197 lbs), Mason Mergener (2nd – 174 lbs), Eli Were (2nd – 157 lbs)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin entered with many unknowns because they had never competed in the CCIW Championship before, however, they did know that with a good day many individuals had a chance to win titles. In the end, Baumgartner won a 197-pound title, while Were and Mergener each placed second. As a team, the Falcons accumulated 86.5 points to end in sixth place.
- Baumgartner (senior, Hartford, Wis.) entered the tournament as the top seed in the 197-pound bracket and for good reason. He pinned Deionntte Honorable (Millikin) in one minute and 56 seconds to get his day going. Baumgartner then defeated Tyler Vittal (North Central) by an 8-6 decision before sticking Devin Mahnke (MSOE) to the mat in 3:19 during the title bout.
- Were (freshman, Brookfield, Wis.) entered unseeded at 157 pounds and ready to make a name for himself. He pinned second-seeded Keone Derain (Elmhurst) in 5:14 before defeating Josh Bush (Augustana) easily with a 21-11 major decision. Were was wrestling well in the title bout, but a leg injury forced him to forfeit his chances of taking home some hardware.
- Mergener (senior, Crivitz, Wis.) pinned Mason Lind (Lakeland) in 4:38 to start his day and prepare him for a run at the 174-pound championship. He defeated Matt Marcotte (North Central) by a close 6-4 decision in sudden victory. Mergener lost by a 4-2 decision to third-seeded Devon McCune (MSOE) to take second.
- As well, freshman Ramiro Vasquez (Yuma, Ariz.), senior Joshua Curcio (Granger, Ind.), and sophomore Miguel Betancourt (El Paso, Texas) each took fifth in their respective weight classes.

BEYOND THE RESULTS
- Elmhurst won the team trophy with 98.0 points, edging Augustana with 96.5 points and host-Wheaton with 96.0 points.
- The Most Outstanding Wrestler award was split between Anthony Munoz (Elmhurst) and Austin Bellile (MSOE).
- Coach of the Year honors were also split between Steve Marianette (Elmhurst) and Jim Gruenwald (Wheaton).

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin will have until February 25 when the NCAA Division III West Regional will take place in Moorhead, Minn., at Concordia Moorhead.