Results
CORALVILLE, Iowa -- Four wrestlers from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) earned All-America accolades at the 2021 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Championship at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, on March 12-13.
At 174 pounds, sophomore Zach Wells of Olivet finished in fourth place. After falling 4-3 to the No. 3 seed in the first round, Wells battled his way through the consolation bracket to secure the No. 4 spot. Wells notched a 9-2 victory in the round of 16, followed by a 2:10 fall, an 8-7 decision against the No. 6 seed, and a 10-5 win against the fourth seed.
The No. 2 seed and the 2021 All-MIAA junior Dominick Wilson of Olivet earned the second fourth-place finish for the Comets at 285 pounds. Wilson went 11-0 against his opponent in the first round, 2-0 in the round of 16, and 4-1 in the quarterfinals against his seventh-seeded opponent. After a 2-1 upset in the semifinals, Wilson took down the No. 1 seed, 4-2, for a fourth-place finish.
Also at 285 pounds, Adrian's fifth-seeded junior Isaiah Espinoza had a 1:51 fall in the round of 32 and a 4-3 victory in the second round. Espinoza fell 4-3 to the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals. In the consolation competition, Espinoza earned his final victory in the round of eight (5-3) for an eighth-place finish.
Adrian senior Noah Nieman also finished in eighth place at 149 pounds. 11th-seeded Nieman had a 4:43 fall in the first bout and went 8-5 in the round of 16, but lost to the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinals. Nieman's final victory (14-12) earned him the eighth-place spot.
Three additional MIAA wrestlers competed in the championship quarterfinals including Alma's Austin Wieczorek at 133 pounds, Olivet's Hunter Murphy at 149 pounds, and Adrian senior Donald Moses III at 197 pounds.
The wrestlers that made it to the round of 16 include Alma'a Chase Beecher at 125 pounds, Adrian freshman La'Ron Ruffin and Olivet freshman Dylan Phelps at 141 pounds, Alma's Jayce Kuehnlein and Adrian's Ethan Garcia at 157 pounds,and Olivet junior Dylan Briggs at 165 pounds, and Adrian's Michael Jacobs at 184 pounds.
Adrian's Zach Altman and Alma's Joseph Vondrasek competed in the round of 32 at 174 pounds.
ABOUT THE NWCA
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.
