cciw wrestling championship preview

NAPERVILLE , Ill. – A pair of nationally-ranked teams, along with three challengers, will embark on Rock Island, Ill., and the campus of Augustana College Saturday for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Wrestling Championship.

Elmhurst will be looking for its fourth straight conference title. The Bluejays come into this season’s championship ranked 15 th in the nation according to the Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III poll, released Feb. 13. Last season’s conference runner-up North Central was ninth in the poll.

Both North Central and Elmhurst feature several individuals in the NWCA national rankings. For Elmhurst, those individuals include: Jake Oster (fourth at 125 pounds), Jeff Kastel (fifth at 149 pounds), Kyle Katz (fourth at 157 pounds), and Mark Corsello (10 th at 285 pounds). For North Central, those individuals include: Adam Johnson (third at 133 pounds), Ben Youel (fifth at 165 pounds), and Gabe Youel (third at 184 pounds).

Elmhurst recently took third at Wheaton College’s Pete Willson Invite, finishing with a score of 103.5, just 1.5 points behind Division II University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Oster won the title at 125 pounds with a perfect 4-0 record. Kastel posted a 4-1 record and placed second at 149 pounds. Kastel stands at 112 career wins and needs one more to break the school record of 113 set by Ric Lamas.

North Central took fourth at the Pete Willson Invite as Gabe Youel posted a 5-0 record to capture the title at 184 pounds. The Cardinals concluded its regular season with a 31-13 victory over Wheaton on Feb. 8.

Wheaton picked up two victories against North Central at 141 and 285 pounds. At 141 pounds, Brent Skorup beat Jamie Devine 13-3 while at 285 pounds, Chase Campbell topped Rod Knowlton 3-2. Toby Boltz finished fifth at 174 pounds during the Pete Willson Invite.

Millikin finished up its regular season with an 11 th place finish at the Midstates Wrestling Championships on Feb. 9. Mario Sullivan finished with a 3-1 record at 133 pounds while Trevor Griffin went 3-2 to claim fifth place at 174 pounds. Augustana freshman Gabe Gardner won three matches at 174 pounds during the Pete Willson Invite. George Gogonas at 125 pounds, junior Jake Mango at 157 pounds, and junior Brian Kerr all won two matches.