CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA. The Wabash wrestling team finished second in the team race for a national championship at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Saturday night.
Â
The Little Giants' 78 points were just one behind national champions Wartburg and 15.5 in front of third-place Augsburg.
Â
Senior 125-pounder
Carlos Champagne, senior 165-pounder
Kyle Hatch, and junior 197-pounder
Jack Heldt each claimed runner-up honors during the fourth and final session of the championships.
Â
149-pound senior
Alex Barr and 184-pound freshman
Chase Baczek battled during the morning session to finish in third and sixth place, respectively to set a new school-record with five All-Americans.
Â
Hatch finished his Little Giants career as just the second four-time All-American in Wabash history. Champagne and Barr earned All-American honors for the second time, and it was Heldt and Baczek's first honor.
Â
"I can't be disappointed," Wabash head coach
Brian Anderson said. "The guys wrestled great, we set a lot of program highs – five All-Americans, a second-place finish. It stings a little bit to lose by one, but my guys battled all weekend. There were ups and downs like any good tournament, but I'm just proud about the way they battled."
Â
In the finals, No. 7 Champagne was defeated by top-ranked Jacob Decatur of Baldwin Wallace, 6-3, No. 3 Hatch fell to No. 1 Bradan Birt of Millikin University, and No. 2
Jack Heldt was downed by No. 1 Cody Baldridge of North Central College, 3-2.
Â
"Overall, I thought I wrestled really tough," Champagne said. "I was proud of my effort; he's a great competitor."
Â
Although Hatch fell in his bid for an individual national title, he won each of his three matches on the road to the finals by fall – contributing valuable bonus points in the team standings.
Â
"It was a great tournament overall," Hatch said. "I had a great time. Three pins is very impressive at the national tournament."
Â
Heldt said that his second-place showing this season will spur him on next year.
Â
"Obviously I'm proud of the work I did," Heldt said. "But I fell short, and didn't reach the goal I wanted to, but I'll use that to motivate me for next year."
Â
After his final match in a Little Giants singlet, Champagne reflected on what it meant to be a 'Wabash man.'
Â
"We carry ourselves as elite," Champagne said. "We're Wabash men in the classroom and in competition. We compete every single day in the practice room and we just came out here and had fun. I take pride in representing the Wabash brand."
Â
Anderson summed up his team's historic season with an eye toward the future.
Â
"They sold out," Anderson said of his team. "They sold out to the process of what we do. They're all great young men with good heads on their shoulders and I'm super proud of them… We're always looking to push our program to new heights. We did that, and we'll be back."
Â
Little Giants shine in session III
Â
Champagne secured his spot in the finals early in Saturday's first session. The 2019 All-American defeated No. 3 Shandon Akeo of Central College, 5-3, in sudden victory.
Â
Champagne found himself down, 2-0, heading into the third period but rallied to send it to extra time. He escaped just six seconds into the final stanza and scored on a roll through takedown with 40 ticks remaining in regulation.
Â
"I've been in these scenarios in the [practice] room," Champagne said. "So I knew in the third when he took that shot, my best offense is my defense. I was gonna roll through and come out on top. As soon as he stopped wrestling, I was going to capitalize."
Â
Champagne was called for stalling to tie it up at 3-3 with 10 seconds left but secured the winning takedown 30 seconds into the first extra period.
Â
"I just visualized it in my mind," Champagne said. "I knew all I had to do was push the pace, force the shot, and then I was going to get the takedown."
Â
Champagne and fellow seven-seed — heavyweight Donovan King of Olivet College were the lowest-seeded wrestlers to qualify for the finals.
Â
Third-seeded senior 165-pounder
Kyle Hatch then followed Champagne into the finals with his third pin of the tournament. The four-time All-American's match featured a four-point nearfall, a reversal, and three takedowns between him and his opponent, Will Esmoil of Coe College. Hatch, who was winning, 6-4, after a late takedown, pinned Esmoil with five seconds left in the bout.
Â
Second-seeded junior 197-pounder
Jack Heldt completed a 3-for-3 quarterfinals for the Little Giants. He defeated No. 3 Coy Spooner of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 6-5, via the riding time point.
Â
Heldt built up a 4-0 lead after the first two periods and almost literally held on to win.
Â
Heldt's mindset heading into the finals was a simple one.
Â
"Just sticking to what's worked so far," Heldt said. "Having confidence, believing I'm the best in the country, and going out there and proving it."
Â
As the semifinals were being contested, the consolation quarterfinals and semifinals also took place.
Â
Senior 149-pounder
Alex Barr and freshman 184-pounder
Chase Baczek earned valuable points for the Little Giants in wrestlebacks.
Â
Barr, who lost his first match of the championships, won three matches Saturday, to claim third place. He rattled off six straight victories over the two-day event after the opening loss.
Â
"I would hope that everybody comes into what is maybe the last tournament of their career and just lays it all on the line, and that's what he did," Wabash head coach
Brian Anderson said of Barr's performance. "He kept this building stronger and stronger as he went through the days and I couldn't be more pleased with him."
Â
Baczek went 2-1 in his session III matches, dropping the fifth-place bout, 6-0, to No. 1 Shane Liegel.
Â
Anderson, however, was pleased with Baczek's performance, earning All-America honors in his first collegiate season.
Â
"You always want to get freshmen on podiums," Anderson said. "That's something we preach in our program, 'Don't wait, you get four shots at this thing,' and obviously he took that to heart. He's a super-talented kid and this is just the beginning."
Â
Heldt, coaches earn national awards
Â
Before the final session, Heldt was awarded the NCAA's Elite 90 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at the national championships.
Â
Heldt, a double-major in biology and rhetoric, currently holds a 4.0 G.P.A.
Â
"It's pretty cool," Heldt said of the award. "A lot of hard work on and off the mat, obviously, and it's good to see that coming to fruition."
Â
After the finals concluded, Wabash swept the coaching honors.
Brian Anderson won Head Coach of the Year and his assistants were named Division III National Assistant Coaches of the Year. It marked the first time a Wabash coach had won either award.
Â
"Obviously flattered," Anderson said after receiving the award. "This is the first we've ever received. It's special. I give thanks to my assistant coaches and these guys because without them this doesn't happen."
Â