Wrestling Travels to Nationals, Returns With Two All-Americans
Waynesburg University wrestling head coach Ron Headlee and his assistant coaches joined senior Ryan Shank, sophomore Jake Evans and freshman Shaun Wilson at the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin, last weekend. Evans and Wilson would both make the podium, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.
“It’s a lot of fun, just flying out together and everybody being together,” Headlee said. “It’s just rewarding for all of the hard work they’ve put in all season.”
The Yellow Jackets started Friday off well, as Shank came back from down 7-0 to win 11-10 in the 184-pound bracket.
“[That] first match [is] a lot of nerves when you walk in, no matter what,” said Headlee. “Then he got in the flow of the match and he started hitting his stuff a lot better and he just kept believing that he was going to win the match and he did what he needed to do to win it.”
Shank’s next match was against Justin Kreiter from Luther College and resulted in Shank losing, as Kreiter earned a pin. In the consolation bracket, Shank faced Bryan Levsen of Wartburg College and lost a major decision 8-0. Shank finished 1-2 in the championships.
Although falling short at nationals, it was announced later that Shank would join fellow senior Filippo Crivelli as an Academic All-American.
“It means a lot,” Headlee said of the accomplishment. “It means that they’re not only known for wrestling, but they’re putting in the time in the classroom and they’re being really disciplined so they can do well in their studies. So it means a lot to us and our program – having Academic All-Americans in the program. We are just going to keep shooting for that [in the future].”
Headlee commented on the characteristics of Shank, which will carry him to success off the mat as he prepares for life after graduation.
“He has an outstanding work ethic; I think all of the guys will tell you that…He just works really hard, and I think that it will go a long way in his career,” said Headlee. “And I appreciate him coming back after taking time off. He gave us a lot in our program. Every day you just knew that you were going to get the best out of him: he didn’t ever slack off and he just did what we asked him to do. I’m just really, really proud of him.”
After Wilson started off the day in the 149-pound weight class with a first-match upset over eighth-seeded Zach Wilhelm of the Stevens Institute of Technology 9-3, he faced the defending national champion Kenny Martin of Wartburg.
Wilson was tied with Martin 2-2 with 10 seconds left in the third period until Martin scored a late takedown and sealed the match.
Then, sent to the consolations bracket, Wilson bounced back against Chris Muce of Centenary College with a 6-2 decision, meaning his hopes of becoming All-American were still alive.
On Saturday, he opened his day with the consolation quarterfinals against Cole Erickson of Coe College. Wilson would fall to Erickson by pin and have to wrestle Wilhelm again for seventh place.
Wilhelm won the match with a 5-3 decision but Wilson claimed the eighth place spot and left his first run at nationals as an All-American, becoming the first freshman NCAA Division III All-American in program history.
“He’s got a lot of talent and if he just keeps developing and believes in himself,” Headlee said. “I think he can be a National Champion at Waynesburg.”
Evans recorded a first match upset of his own in the 285-pound weight class and beat seventh-seeded Justice Davis of Concordia College 10-5. His second match resulted in a victory decided by riding time – a 4-3 win over Ithaca College’s Jake O’Brien.
Evans then faced Wartburg’s Lance Evans in the quarterfinals. Lance Evans recorded the win and sent Jake Evans to the consolation bracket. Jake Evans then stepped onto the mat to face Olivet’s Jesse Judge, winning by pin in 3:51, joining Wilson as an All-American in their respective classes.
Adarios Jones from Augustana College beat Jake Evans in the next match and won by major decision. Jake Evans then went on to wrestle O’Brien again and would win an 8-6 decision, placing him in seventh. He finished 3-2 at the championships and his final win set the single-season wins record for the wrestling program, as he finished the season 49-5.
Headlee said Evans was recognized at the event for finishing in second in pins on the season with 28, two behind first place.
“Twenty-eight, that’s an amazing number for a guy to have 28 [pins] in the college level, to have that many falls is pretty amazing and as a sophomore doing it,” said Headlee. “He just keeps working for it and looking for the falls, so it’s exciting for a heavyweight to be able to do that.”
The Yellow Jacket trio tallied 14 points and finished 28th out 68 teams. This season was the second time in three years that the Yellow Jackets recorded multiple All-Americans.
Headlee said the weekend was exciting, seeing his athletes compete and to come home with two All-Americans. He said his biggest goals for the Wilson and Evans, who will both be returning next year, is to make it back to this stage at the end of next season.
“If they stay focused and work hard this offseason, I think that they can both have another stellar year,” said Headlee.