The UW Oshkosh wrestling team finished 10th out of 12 teams at the Milwaukee School of Enginering Invitiational after falling to UW-Platteville at home.
The Titans came up just short in the team’s meet against UW-Platteville, falling 22-19 on Dec. 1. UWO was unable to hold a 19-8 lead on the Pioneers. UWP’s Grant Wedepohl defeated Patrick Reilly, 14-3, at 184 pounds. Josh Cannon added to the rally by defeating John DePersia, 12-4, at the 197-pound class helping give Platteville the win.
The only pin of the evening came from Nate Arquinego, topping Carter Barkema in 4:11 at 149 pounds. Colten Cashmore defeated Jake Carpenter, 3-1, at 174 pounds.
Mark Choinsky defeated Dustin Reynolds at the 157-pound weight class. Choinsky is 7-0 on the year with five pins; however, he said his work is far from over.
“My personal goal is work on my weak points and be better than last week,” Choinski said. “I constantly strive for progress and I do not plan to slow down anytime soon.”
Head Coach Efrain Ayala said he has been more than impressed with the young sophomore.
“Mark is an individual who isn’t afraid of hard work and is always seeking out the best competition,” Ayala said. “He also spent the entire off season working hard and making adjustments and now the results are showing.”
Freshman Jeremiah Recinos is 5-1 on the young season with three pins. Ayala talked about the luxury of having production right away from a new member of the program.
“He is a great example of the athletes we are constantly trying to recruit to UWO,” Ayala said. “Guys like Jeremiah set themselves to a higher standard and raise the level of intensity in the room and in the classroom every day.”
UWO finished 10th in last Saturday’s Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational. The Titans scored 33.5 points in the field of 12.
Freshman Ethan Altabet took sixth place, going 2-1 with 1 pin at 125 pounds. Sophomore Donovan Luckett took fifth place at 141 pounds going 3-2 on the day. Cashmore, at 174 pounds, finished in sixth place with a record of 2-2.
Choinski said as long as the team buys in to the program they can accomplish great things.
“Everyone is working hard and pushing each other to reach their potential,” Choinski said. “Our goal for the team is to work together and overcome our competition; we can win the Vegas duals if everyone plays their part and stays motivated and confident.”
Student manager Erin Seidler said she has been impressed with what this young roster has brought to the table.
“They are a great group of men and are already doing well because of their hard work and I am excited to see where it goes from here,” Seidler said.
UWO has not typically shown to be competitive in the WIAC in recent years. Ayala said recruiting is the key to getting Titans wrestling back on the NCAA map.
“I feel we are heading in the right direction to accomplish this,” Ayala said. “We are recruiting the right student-athletes and have a great coaching staff which is allowing this to happen.”
Coach Ayala will be heading back to his hometown Grand Island, NE. for the first time since high school for Friday’s meet at Hastings College. Ayala reflected on reliving some memories of his life.
“My high school coaches will be in attendance and will be honorary coaches for the Titans,” Ayala said. “They were, and still are, a big part of my life and have invested so much.”
