LaCrosse, Wis. – March 11, 2011 – The Heidelberg University wrestling team, under the guidance of first-year head coach Nathan Shearer, closed out its 2010-11 campaign at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in LaCrosse, Wis. Representing Heidelberg at the championships was three-time qualifier senior Matt Curley (Brecksville, Ohio / Lakewood) at 165 pounds, two-time qualifier at 133 pounds junior Tom D’Alessandro (Mayfield Heights, Ohio / Mayfield) and sophomore Andrew Johnson (Ostego, Ohio / Weston) who made his first appearance at 149 pounds.
Curley earned the no. 7 seed of the championships and opened up with a first-round bye. In his first bout of the tournament he posted a 5-2 decision over Jordan Schulte of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. After a scoreless first period, Curley had a takedown in the second period before having a takedown in the final period, while holding Schulte to just two escapes.
In the championship quarterfinals Curley was pinned by the no. 2 seeded Matt Parson of St. John’s University. His time at nationals concluded with a hard fought 12-10 setback in overtime to Joseph Waples of St. Olaf College. Curley jumped out to an 8-4 lead after two periods, but Waples answered back in the final two minutes to force overtime. Curley and Waples traded escapes before Waples got a takedown for the win. Curley closed out his senior year with a 31-7 record. It was the first time in his four years that he eclipsed the 30-win plateau.
D’Alessandro posted a 0-2 record. In the championship preliminary round he drew the no. 3 seeded Seth Ecker from Ithaca College. Ecker came out on top with a pin in 2:32. D’Alessandro concluded his second trip to nationals suffering a 5-3 loss to Tigue Snider of Cornell College. For the year, D’Alessandro overcame adversity to successfully defend his 133 pound Ohio Athletic Conference Championship and finished the year with an overall record of 14-7.
In his first trip to nationals Johnson posted a 0-2 record. In his first bout he dropped a 16-7 major decision to the fifth seeded Anthony Dattolo of Wilkes College. Johnson went on to finish out with a 17-9 major decision setback to Corey Paulish of Williams College. Johnson concludes the season at 19-15, which included his first OAC title of his career.
