2002-03 Wrestling Summary
2002-03 CUW WRESTLING SUMMARY
Dual Record: 8-4-1
Head Coach: Bret Corner
Assistant Coach: Rai Stelter, Andy DeLoney
Conference Finish: 1st
NCAA Regional Finish: 4th
NCAA National Qualifiers: 149 Sam Rugg
Significant Dual Wins: Olivet College MI (30-20), MSOE (39-4), North Central (34-12)
MVP: Sam Rugg Most Improved: Kevin Koch
Sophomore Sam Rugg led the Falcons with a 35-15 record, qualifying for the NCAA III National Championships in Ada, OH at 149 lbs. Rugg is the first national qualifier for CUW since the 1997-98 NAIA season.
At the Concordia Open, sophomore Nick Bottcher placed 2nd at 133 lbs., going 3-1 on the day. Bottcher posted wins over Loras’ Brandon Young (7-5), Elmhurst’s Rich Schmidt (7-5), and UW-Oshkosh’s Jeff Baker (10-7) to advance to the finals. Bottcher then dropped a 7-1 decision to Michigan State’s Shane Martin to take second. Freshman Kevin Koch took 5th at 141, and senior Ben Schwoerer was 5th at 184.
After defeating MSOE in early December, the Falcons went 0-3-1 at the UW-LaCrosse Duals. In a 34-10 loss to UWL, the Falcons got wins from Bottcher, Koch, and Brandon Conley at 165. In the 31-13 loss to UW-Platteville, CUW got wins from Luke Waning at 125, Rugg at 149, and Paul Manning at 197.
At the Florida Citrus Invite, Kevin Koch placed 2nd at 141 at the Invite to pace the Falcons. Schwoerer, Rugg, and Steve Weeden each went 4-2 but did not place.
On Senior Night on Jan. 10 at CUW, the Falcons routed North Central (34-12) and Lakeland College (36-16).
At the North Central Invite, placers included Nick Bottcher (4th at 133), Kevin Koch (2nd at 141) and Sam Rugg (2nd at 149). Koch was 3-1 including a 2-1 win over Chicago’s Dale Burke in the semifinals, but dropped a 14-6 match to Nick Karls of UW-Whitewater in the finals. Rugg was also 3-1, which included wins over Elmhurst’s Matt Kuschert (14-4) and UW-Whitewater’s Ross Babcock (10-6), before dropping the finals match to Wheaton’s Sean Collins (12-1). The team placed 6th out of 20 teams.
On Jan. 25, the Falcons placed 2nd at the Wisconsin Private College Tournament, with Sam Rugg earning outstanding wrestler honors for winning the 149 lbs. weight class. Rugg defeated Lawrence’s Aaron Guiger 18-2 in the finals. Kevin Koch claimed a title at 141 with an 8-7 win over Lawrence’s Noah Planavsky in the finals. Also winning an individual title was Dwayne Brigham at 165, with a 5-4 OT win over Lawrence’s Greg Goska.
On Feb. 1, the Falcons placed 4th at the Elmhurst Invite and were led by placers Sam Rugg (2nd at 149), Steve Weeden (6th at 157), Andy Witkowski (4th at 174), Ben Schwoerer (4th at 184), and Zeke Lewis (3rd at 197).
At the prestigious Wheaton Invite Feb 8-9, the Falcons took 11th out of 28 teams and had four placers: Brandon Conley (5th at 174), Kevin Koch (7th at 141), Sam Rugg (7th at 149), and Ben Schwoerer (8th at 184).
The team won the Lake Michigan Conference Meet with five champs: Nick Bottcher (133), Kevin Koch (141), Sam Rugg (149), Steve Weeden (157), and Dwayne Brigham (165). Taking second in their weights were Conley (165), Witkowski (174), and Zeke Lewis (197). CUW finished with103.5 pts., eight points more than second-place MSOE. Koch took the Rookie-of-the-Year Award and Corner was voted Coach-of-the-Year.
At the NCAA III Great Lakes Regional at Augustana IL, Sam Rugg placed 3rd and receive a wild-card berth to the NCAA III National Meet in Ada, OH. Placing ahead of Rugg at 149 and also qualifying were Augsburg’s Ryan Stroud and Wheaton’s Sean Collins. Kevin Koch also placed 3rd at 141 but did not receive a wild-card berth to the national meet. Koch defeated St. John’s Nate Lefebvre in the 3rd-place match 4-3. Other placers for the Falcons included Brandon Conley (5th at 174), Dwayne Brigham (6th at 165), and Ben Schwoerer (6th at 184).
At the NCAA III National Championships in Ada, OH, Rugg (35-13) drew the #1 seed and eventual champion Rami Ratel from Montclair State, and dropped a 19-2 decision. In the consolations, Rugg lost a tight 2-1 decision to Ryan Stroud from Augsburg. Rugg nearly turned Stroud in the second period twice, but only received one-counts. At the Championships, Rugg was voted to the NCAA Division III Scholar All-American Team at 149 lbs.
Ben Schwoerer finished his career with 87 total wins and Sam Rugg had 35 wins this season, both CUW Wrestling Records.