Heidelberg Wrestling Headed to Cedar Rapids

Under the guidance of head coach Jason Miller and assistants Jake Percival, Brandon Brissette, Joe Hada, and Brad Bryant, the no. 10 Heidelberg College wrestling team will have five wrestlers traveling to the NCAA Division III National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 7-8. The wrestlers qualified after winning their respective weight classes at the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament held on February 23. As a team, the men walked away from the tournament with their third championship in as many years and Miller received his third-straight OAC Coach of the Year award as well.

Making the trip for the Berg will be 125-pound freshman Jerrad Hoxie (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Northern), 141-pound senior Nick Sanchez (Lima, Ohio / Bath), 149-pound sophomore Zach Mizer (Canton, Ohio / Perry), 197-pound senior Ryan Fogliano (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights), and heavyweight senior Ryan Bowers (Lima, Ohio / Elida). Individually, Fogliano stands fifth in his weight class, while Sanchez and Bowers are ranked sixth in the nation.

Hoxie leads the pack with 63 takedowns, 43 escapes, and seven major decisions this year, all the while amassing a record of 30-13 - good enough to tie him for 10th on the school’s single season win list. He defeated David Penny from Ohio Northern University 7-3 in the final round of the tournament to advance to nationals. Penny was ranked seventh in the nation at the time.

Three-time national qualifier Sanchez will be looking to grab the All-American status that has eluded him since his first trip to the show his sophomore year. He went 6-0 in regular season OAC competition and climbed his way to the top spot at the OAC Tournament to place his overall record at 26-4 on the year. Sanchez holds the distinction of being third on the career win list at the Berg with an overall record of 103-35. He stands four matches away from surpassing 2006 grad Mark Zimmerman, but Miller, a ’97 alumnus, still holds the top spot with a record of 136-38.

Making his first appearance at the national tournament is Mizer. His eight pins this season are the most by a Student Prince, while his record of 28-10 puts him third for most wins and his 93 near fall points leads the team. Mizer overcame a 4-1 deficit going into the third period of his final round match at the OAC Tournament against John Carroll University’s Dan Mizener and won the match by an 8-5 decision to earn his bid to nationals.

After placing second at the OAC’s two years in a row, Fogliano finally won his golden ticket with an 11-6 decision over JCU’s James Nemunaitis in the championship match. Fogliano looks to make the most of his last chance to become an All-American, having only lost once this year at the Division III National Duals to no. 14 Luther College’s nationally-ranked Alec Bonander 5-1.

Bowers will be making his second trip to the national tournament after winning an at-large bid last season. He had what was probably the most closely watched match of the night at the OAC Tournament against JCU’s Derrick Bendau, who was ranked fifth while Bowers was placed eighth at the time. Bendau had only lost once in his college career and was the heavily lauded favorite, but Bowers refused to be intimidated and defeated the Blue Streak 3-1 in overtime. Bowers ties Hoxie for most wins this season, having accumulated a record of 30-5.

For up-to-date results from the NCAA Division III National Tournament visit the official tournament website.