Contact: Adam Poklop, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302
Final Results
Team Scores
DECATUR, Ill. (Feb. 13, 2020) – The North Central College men's wrestling team secured five first-place finishes at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships Thursday, although the Cardinals ultimately came up one point short in their bid for a third-straight conference title.
North Central and Millikin took turns leading throughout the tournament, although the Cardinals were able to build a small lead heading into the final matches of the day. But the Millikin University Big Blue picked up a pair of crucial victories as Logan Hagerbaumer pinned Ben Bergen in the championship match at 197-pounds and Frank Tomaskovic held on for a 4-6 decision over Isiah Ziegler in the 285-lbs third-place match. Those victories were enough for the Big Blue to win their first ever team crown, finishing the day with 135 points to barely edge the Cardinals, who compiled 134 points. Augustana College was a distant third, finishing with 112 points.
Competing for the first time since Jan. 10, third-ranked Robert Precin showed no signs ill effects from his month-long hiatus, easily securing first-place at 125-pounds with a trio of dominant victories. He pinned his quarterfinal opponent in three minutes before earning a major decision (12-0) in the semifinals against Allex Williams of Augustana. The championship match proved no more difficult than his first two and Precin became a conference champion at his first-ever conference meet by recording a major decision (8-0) over Concordia-Wisconsin's Marco Padilla.
North Central's second first-place finish of the day came from Ian Mullen at 133-pounds. Mullen advanced the semifinals after his first-round opponent was forced to take a medical forfeit. There, he needed just 1:04 to pin Gianni Rago from the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and earn a spot in the first-place match. Mullen dominated that match, recording a tech fall over Millikin's Ren Dazey (6:29, 22-7) to secure his first career individual conference championship. Mullen (30-6) recorded his 30th win of the season and his 27th career pin, tying him with Ed Jackson '69 for the seventh-most in program history.
Marc Fleenor kept the momentum going for the Cardinals with a first-place finish at 141-lbs, picking up a quick pin (1:15) in the quarterfinals and a tech fall over Nathaniel Schroeter from Lakeland College (4:08, 17-1). In the championship, Fleenor scraped out a 10-7 decision over Ethan Harsted (Wheaton College) to add another individual champion for the Cardinals.
Anthony Rink helped the Cardinals continue to roll through the early weight classes, placing first at 149-lbs to avenge a second-place finish from a season ago. Rink opened up the day with a quick pin (1:15) and a major decision (12-0) to reach the championship, where he triumphed over Elmhurst College's Jimmy McAuliffe with a 13-3 major decision. Rink, with 104 career victories, now sits just three victories away from cracking the program's top 10 for career victories.
Cody Baldridge delivered North Central's final first-place finish on the day, winning the 184-pound bracket. The fifth-ranked sophomore recorded a pin in the quarterfinals and a major decision in the semifinal, setting up a rematch with Isaac Odell of Wheaton College. Baldridge got the best of him, recording a takedown in overtime to claim his first career individual conference championship.
Meanwhile, Rafael Roman finished third at 157-pounds, while Brock Montford took sixth at 174-pounds.
The Big Blue swept the championship awards, with head coach Ryan Birt named the CCIW Coach of the Year, while Millkin junior Bradan Birt was named the CCIW Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 165-pound bracket with a 19-second pin.
No. 14-ranked North Central will compete at the NCAA Lower Midwest Regional Championships, hosted by Loras College on Feb. 29 and March 1.
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