The men’s wrestling team attended the NCAA Championship on March 10 and 11 in Roanoke, Virginia. 

Three wrestlers competed and two placed, according to blugolds.com. 

The team had a great and exhilarating weekend, according to UW-Eau Claire head men’s wrestling coach, Tim Fader.  

Jared Stricker, a second-year business student, was the national runner-up in the 174-pound weight class. Early on Saturday, Stricker won the semi-final round against LJ Richardson of Coe College. 

“Stricker was our first national finalist in 17 years,” Fader said. “It was a really impressive feat for him. Even in his final round, he did some tremendous wrestling and ended up losing by two points.”

Stricker fell in the final round to two-time national champion, Zane Mulder of Wartburg College. 

According to blugolds.com, Stricker started the round with a 2-1 lead. By the final period, Mulder held a 6-5 lead. Stricker fell by a 7-5 decision, earning him the No. 2 national ranking. He ended the season with a 41-3 record. 

“He just fell short of being a national champion,” Fader said.  

Tyler Fleetwood, a third-year business management student, also competed in the 133-pound weight class over the weekend. 

“Fleetwood had a great weekend,” Fader said. “He was super competitive and truly gave it his all.”

Fleetwood started the weekend with a win in an opening match against Andrew Perelka of John Carrollweight class University. Fleetwood took the No. 3 spot in the nation after competing against top-seeded wrestlers throughout the weekend, according to blugolds.com. 

“He wrestled the best I’ve seen him wrestle in the last two years and what a weekend to do it,” Fader said. “He knocked off the No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 seeded wrestlers, despite being unseated. His only loss was to the two-time national champion, Zane Mulder.” 

Tristan Massie, a fourth-year finance and accounting student, won two of his four matches in the 165-pound weight class, just falling short of receiving the All-American Honors Award, according to blugolds.com. 

“I wrestled hard and I think I finished my season with great effort, even though I did not quite get the results I wanted,” Massie said. 

Massie faced a rib injury during the end of the wrestling season, according to assistant coach Brandon Carroll.

“Tristan was dealing with a rib injury during the later parts of the season, but he was still able to push through and win two matches at the national level,” Carroll said. 

The team had an outstanding year with numerous accomplishments, according to Fader. They remained a top-ten team for the majority of the wrestling season and finished off the year in the No. 11 spot.

“We had the most Scholar All-Americans that we have ever had,” Fader said. “Not only are they good wrestlers, but they are also really great students. We made a lot of great memories this season.”

For more information about the 2023 UW-Eau Claire men’s wrestling season, visit blugolds.com. 

Allessi can be reached at [email protected].