Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team emerged victorious at the 8-Man Battles held on Saturday at the McPhee Center. This win marks the fifth consecutive season that the team has secured the tournament title. The third-ranked Blugolds had an impressive showing, with 11 wrestlers winning their respective brackets.

In the Gold Division, champions were crowned in six out of ten weight classes. Royce Butt (Fr. – DeWitt, Iowa/Central DeWitt) claimed first place at 141 pounds, Ty Fink (Fr. – Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin-Woodville) won at 149 pounds, and Landon Church (So. – Jordan, Minn./Scott West) took top honors at 157 pounds. Jared Stricker (Sr. – High Bridge, Wis./Ashland) finished first at 174 pounds, Zak McPhee (Fr. – Duluth, Minn./Proctor) won at 184 pounds, and Sloan Welch (So. – Arpin, Wis./Auburndale) secured victory in the heavyweight category of 285 pounds. Each of these athletes won three matches to clinch their titles.

Additionally, in the Flights Division, five Blugold wrestlers achieved bracket championships: Drake Gosda (Fr. – Mauston, Wis.) at 133 pounds, Finn Bloomquist (Fr. – Prior Lake, Minn.) at 149 pounds, Jacob Bruner (So. – Pewaukee, Wis.) at 157 pounds, Jan Hernandez-Soto (Sr. – Minneapolis, Minn./Patrick Henry) at 174 pounds and Ryder Depies (So. – Merrill, Wis.) at 197 pounds.

The team's performance led to a total score of 162.5 points, significantly outpacing runner-up Concordia-Moorhead's score of 104.5 points.

Looking ahead to their next challenge, the Blugolds are set to compete in the MSOE Invitational in Milwaukee on Saturday, December 7th. The event will commence at 9 a.m., taking place at the Kern Center.