West Chicago Native Vela Part of UW-Whitewater Wrestling Conference Title

2015 Feb 16

Isaiah Vela, a West Chicago, lll., native and undeclared major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was part of the Warhawk wrestling team's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship Sunday at UW-Oshkosh's Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Whitewater, ranked second in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, earned five individual championships en route to its fourth straight WIAC team title.

The Warhawks also claimed three runners-up and a trio of third-place finishes en route to their 16th WIAC championship, the most in league history.

UW-Whitewater totaled 162.50 points to best second-place and fourth-ranked UW-La Crosse, which registered 138.50 points.

Seniors Ryan Aprahamian, Anthony Edgren, Elroy Perkin, juniors Tom Gerszewski and Jimmy Nehls each earned individual titles for the Warhawks.

Aprahamian, who was also announced as a finalist for the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete, knocked off consensus No. 5 Richard Carlson of UW-La Crosse in a 3-1 decision in the 184-pound final. He tallied victories by fall and major decision along the way.

Edgren, ranked seventh by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and eighth by D3wrestle.com at 285, scored two technical falls en route to the final, where he defeated UW-Stevens Point's Bo Siebel in a 9-0 major decision.

Perkin earned his place in the final at 149 points with victories by technical fall and pin. Perkin, who is slotted fifth by the NWCA and seventh by D3wrestle.com, took on No. 6/8 Kasey Einerson of UW-La Crosse, and held on in the third period for a 6-4 win by decision.

Ranked in the top 10 by both the NWCA (10th) and D3wrestle.com (9th), Gerszewski cruised to the 157 title, picking up two pins and a technical fall along the way.

Nehls, a 2014 All-American at 133 pounds, competed at 141 Sunday and defeated UW-La Crosse's Cody See in a tightly-competitive final by a 5-3 decision in overtime. He picked up a pin in just 49 seconds and a major decision en route to the final.

Second-place finishers included junior Shane Siefert, sophomore Jordan Newman and freshman Connor Price.

Siefert, the nation's consensus No. 1 wrestler at 197 pounds, reached the final with two pins. In the title match, he was knocked off by sudden victory in the second overtime, a 4-2 decision, against No. 5/5 Eric Twohey of UW-La Crosse.

Newman, slotted fourth by D3wrestle.com and fifth by the NWCA at 174, earned two major decisions and led 5-1 in the final, but sustained an injury in the first period and lost by default.

Price grinded out decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In the final, he gave No. 5/4 Tyler Schneider of UW-La Crosse all he could handle, but was outlasted in an 8-4 decision.

Senior Trevor Pruett, junior Matt Adcock and freshman Isaiah Vela placed third for UW-Whitewater. Adcock entered the day ranked seventh in the nation by D3wrestle.com and ninth by the NWCA.

The Warhawks continue their postseason run at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships on Feb. 28 at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. Competition is slated to begin at 8 a.m. Central Time.