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With the announcement of UW-Parkside's 2008-09 recruiting class of twelve new Ranger wrestlers, a common question is how it compares to previous recruiting classes. To get an accurate answer to that question, we will have to wait five years to see how the new recruits perform for their new team. Several comparisons, however, can be drawn at this time. The twelve new wrestlers ties the incoming classes of 1974-75 and 1989-90 for the most new wrestlers joining the team in one season. Also, four members of this year's incoming class won state championships (Balsiger, Bera, Gille and Malechek). Only one previous class - 1992-93 - had more, with five state champions. The 1997-98 class also included four state champions. Two classes had three state champions each - 1974-75 and 1999-2000.
This article will attempt to rank the top 20 recruiting wrestling classes of UW-Parkside. The most important consideration is the quality and the quantity of each class. UW-Parkside coach Jim Koch has ranked the top 150 all-time best UW-Parkside wrestlers, so that ranking, plus All-American awards and national championships are primary criteria in ranking the classes. A key factor in the success of any class is the number of recruits that stayed in the UW-Parkside program and used all four years of eligibility. Many factors, such as academics, injuries, transfers, and a change of priorities, have created an approximately 50% attrition rate in most recruiting classes. Generally, success and lack of attrition go hand in hand. The number in parenthesis after a wrestler's name indicates Coach Koch's all-time overall ranking of that wrestler.
#20 1980-81 Mike Muckerheide (11), Brian Irek (77), Keith Reicher (145),
Russ Drankewicz, Tim Herzog and Dave Carbajal.
This was a relatively small incoming group and only Mike Muckerheide and Brian Irek placed in state. Muckerheide from West Bend East High School and Irek from East Troy High School both placed third in the state. Russ Drankewicz and Tim Herzog were both state qualifiers and Keith Reicher wrestled at Sussex Hamilton High School for former UW-Parkside wrestler Karl Casper and had a reputation of being a pinner.
The success of Mike Muckerhiede alone makes this a good class. Mike's career record was 142-48, a school record for wins at the time. His 45 career pins was the second most at that time. He earned All-American honors five times placing fourth and fifth in the NCAA II Nationals and sixth, seventh and eighth in the NAIA Nationals. He was also a three-time Academic All-American. He opened the door to several other outstanding wrestlers from the West Bend area. Brian Irek had a successful three-year career at UW-Parkside with a 56-40 record. He also opened the door at East Troy High School for future recruiting efforts, most notably Ted Price and Tim Whiting. Keith Reicher wrestled one year at UW-Parkside with a 12-10 record, but nine of his wins were pins. This class helped the Rangers to a ninth place finish in the 1984 NAIA Nationals and a tenth place finish in the 1983 NCAA II Nationals.
#19 2002-03 Brad Becker (8), AJ Morgan (57), Scott Schramm (147),
Luke Griffiths and Pat Austinson.
This class was small, but added five wrestlers that had very outstanding high school careers. AJ Morgan and Scott Schramm were both state champions and Brad Becker and Luke Griffiths were both two-time state finalists. Pat Austinson was a sixth place finisher. Brad Becker, from Hartford High School, had a cousin, Kelly Becker, who had wrestled at UW-Parkside, so he was well-known to the coaching staff. AJ Morgan, from Sussex Hamilton High School, had earned All-American honors three times in freestyle and Greco-Roman at the junior nationals, so he was very seasoned. He was influenced to attend UW-Parkside by his high school coach, Dave Lovy, a former UW-Parkside wrestler. Scott Schramm, from Crivitz High School, had represented Wisconsin in the Dream Team Classic after compiling a high school record of 145-6 with two state championships and a runner-up finish. Luke Griffiths from West Allis Central High School had two second-place and a fourth-place finish in the state tournament.
On a side note, the high school seniors in the class of 2002 from Wisconsin may have been the best to ever come out of the state. Of the five UW-Parkside 2002-03 recruits, Brad Becker had the best career. He posted a 103-37 record with 47 pins. He earned All-American honors three times placing eighth, fifth and first in the NCAA II Nationals. He and his brothers Kyle and Craig became the first set of three brothers to compete in a single NCAA II National Tournament. He earned NCAA II Academic All-American honors three times and was awarded the NCAA's top honor by receiving the NCAA postgraduate scholarship award. AJ Morgan also had a successful career at UW-Parkside compiling an 84-39 record and qualifying for the NCAA II Nationals three times. Scott Schramm wrestled two years for the Rangers, and Griffiths and Austinson each wrestled less than one year at UW-Parkside. Both were slowed by health issues. This class helped the Rangers place eighth twice at the 2004 and 2007 NCAA II National Team Dual Meet tournaments and ninth at the 2005 NCAA II National Dual Meet tournament.
#18 1977-78 Bob Pekarske (26), Ron Zmuda (27), Mike Nee (102), George
Nikolopolous (112), Randy Trzebaitowski (128), Ferreiz Johnson
and Dave Singer.
This was a relatively small class with seven recruits. Randy Trzebaitowski from Stevens Point Pacelli High School won three state championships in the now defunct Wisconsin Independent Schools' Athletic Association and Ron Zmuda from Waterford High School, Bob Pekarske from Valders High School, and Mike Nee from Richland Center High School were all high Wisconsin state place winners.
Three wrestlers from this class earned All-American honors: Pekarske placed second in the NAIA, Zmuda fifth in the NCAA II, and Nikolopoulos eighth in the NCAA II. They contributed to UW-Parkside's placing fifth in the 1979 NAIA Nationals and fourth in the 1980 NAIA Nationals.
#17 2001-02 John Goral (23), Ben Thiem (67), Matt Meyer (69), Rick Schmoll
(105), Bryan Chapman, Wade Staude, O'Bryan Mungon and James
Fish.
O'Bryan Mungon, a state champ from Milwaukee Pulaski High School, and James Fish, a third-place finisher from Pulaski High School, were the two biggest names in this class. Ben Thiem from Denmark High School had placed fifth and third at the state meet. John Goral, also from Denmark High School, was largely recruited because of the outstanding success of his older brother Luke as a Ranger. Matt Meyer was a transfer from Lakeland College.
Two of the wrestlers earned All-American honors, John Goral placed sixth and fifth in the NCAA II Nationals and Matt Meyers seventh in the NCAA II Nationals. Goral joined the prestigious century club with a 100 wins and Meyer became the first UW-Parkside wrestler to ever win the Pinner's Award at a national tournament. Both Thiem and Schmoll were four-year varsity starters and Thiem qualified twice for the NCAA II Nationals. Staude, Mungon and Fish never represented the Rangers in an official meet. This class helped the Rangers place eighth in the 2004 NCAA II National Dual Meet tournament and ninth in the 2005 NCAA II National Dual Meet tournament.
#16 1974-75 Dan O'Connell (38), Rick Langer (54), Dave Wagner (60), Scott Hintz
(90), Rick Kubiak (106), Lonnie Peterson (117), Karl Casper, Terry Rysewyk,
Guy Peterson, Dean Dehnert, Evan Shingledecker and Ben Malacara.
On paper this class was one of the largest incoming recruiting classes and the most impressive ever at UW-Parkside. In an era when there was only one division at the state tournament, seven of these wrestlers placed in the top four at the state meet and three of them were state champions. Rick Langer was a two-time state champ from Ellsworth High School, Dan O'Connell was an undefeated state champ from Wisconsin Heights High School, and Scott Hintz was a junior-college All-American who had placed fifth in the nationals while at Mesa Junior College. He had earlier won a state high school championship at Lake Geneva. The other place winners were Ben Malacara, a runner-up from Racine Case High School, Rick Kubiak , third-place finisher from Pulaski High School, Dave Wagner, fourth place finisher from Peshtigo High School, and Guy Petersen, a fourth place finisher from Cudahy High School. Perhaps the most talented in the group was Lonnie Peterson from Greenfield, who qualified for state but didn't place, and then placed second in the junior nationals before being named Wisconsin Summer Wrestler of the year. Karl Casper, Dean Dehnert and Evan Shingledecker were also state qualifiers.
The only All-American to emerge from this group was Rick Langer. He placed 7th in the NAIA Nationals and finished his career with a 44-29-1 record. Dan O'Connell had an impressive record of 59-14, but never earned All-American honors. Dave Wagner was a four-year starter with an overall record of 65-33-5. Scott Hintz had a 21-10-2 record in just a little over one season of wrestling. He also contributed to the recruitment of his former high school teammate Bob Gruner to the program. Rick Kubiak, Lonnie Peterson and Terry Rysewyk saw limited mat time for the Rangers, and Karl Casper, Guy Petersen, Dean Dehnert, Evan Shingledecker and Ben Malacara never wore the UW-Parkside uniform.
#15 1991-92 Ryan Fitzgerald (78), Miles Weaver (80), Rob Kimpel (96)
Cort Shane (131), Keith Snyder, Keith Casper and Tim Pintar.
This was a small class with no state champions and four state place winners. The highest place winner was Rob Kimpel of Sparta High School, who was runner-up. He joined his brother, Steve, and two other Sparta High School wrestlers, Joel Dutton and Chris Buckley, on the UW-Parkside team. Miles Weaver was an impressive high school heavyweight from Oregon High School, and had twice placed fifth at state. Both times he narrowly lost to the champion in the quarterfinals. Ryan Fitzgerald was a sixth place finisher from Boscobel High School. Cort Shane placed fourth at the state for Westosha High School.
Weaver, Kimpel and Fitzgerald all earned All-American honors in their careers. Weaver placed sixth and seventh in the NAIA Nationals, Kimpel placed fifth in the NAIA, and Fitzgerald placed seventh in the NCAA II. Cort Shane earned two letters wrestling for UW-Parkside and Snyder never competed for the team. This class helped the Rangers place ninth in the NCAA II Nationals in 1994 and 1995, and third in the NCAA II National Team Duals Meet tournament in 1995.
#14 1992-93 Trevor Hasenjager (34), Roger Spear (57), Justin Schroeder
(134), Mike Cole (141), Todd Hein, Tom Richie, Wayne Dahnke,
Doug Pulvermacher and Jon Strecker.
This was an impressive incoming group of recruits. It featured five state champions, two runner-ups, and a third place finisher. Three of the former state champs were freshman and two of them were transfer students. Two of the freshman state champs, Trevor Hasenjager and Mike Cole, both came from Sevasotpol High School. They were highly recommended by UW-Parkside national champion, Randy Skarda. The third freshman state champion was Justin Schroeder, who had won two state titles at Sparta High School. He joined four other former Sparta High School wrestlers on the team, Steve and Rob Kimpel, Joel Dutton and Chris Buckley. The two transfer state champs were Todd Hein, who had spent two years with UW-Madison, and Tom Richie, who had spent a year and a half at UW-River Falls. Wayne Dahnke and Doug Pulvermacher had each finished second at the state meet and Roger Spear had placed third.
Trevor Hasenjager and Roger Spear each had impressive careers at UW-Parkside. Trevor had a career record of 85-51 and won an NAIA national championship as a junior. Roger Spear had an overall record of 94-62 and placed seventh in the NCAA II Nationals as a senior. He was also a two-time Academic All-American. Justin Schroeder and Mike Cole each earned four letters, but their mat time was limited due to some other outstanding wrestlers in their weight classes. Tom Richie had a very promising career cut short when he aggravated a high-school neck injury. He spent the next two years as an assistant coach at UW-Parkside and was also the UW-Parkside student president. He was instrumental in getting a twelve-million dollar renovation project approved for the athletic building, including a new wrestling room. Todd Hein never competed for the Rangers, but he raised some eyebrows in several open tournaments by handily defeating two wrestlers who would win three NCAA II and one NAIA national championships between them. Doug Pulvermacher wrestled parts of two seasons at Parkside before transferring. Wayne Dahnke and Jon Strecker did not stay in school long enough to make a contribution. This class helped the Rangers place ninth in the NCAA II Nationals in 1994 and 1995 and third in the NCAA II National Teams Duals Meet tournament in 1995.
#13 1993-94 Jeremie Ott (7), Boone Smith (58), Brent Henschel (124), Trever
Olson, Keith Gebhardt, Aaron Eckhardt and Justin Zdeb.
This class was small, but it featured four state finalists. Jeremie Ott and Brent Henschel were both state champions and Boone Smith and Trever Olson were both state runner-ups. Three of the wrestlers came from high schools that had provided successful wrestlers to the Rangers in the past. Brent Henschel came from West Bend East, where Mike and Myles Muckerheide attended, Jeremie Ott from Chilton High School was strongly recommended by former Parkside wrestler Kevin Schmitz, and Boone Smith from Freedom High School rejoined two of his former high school teammates, Darin Tiedt and Troy Brockman, on the UW-Parkside team.
The diamond in this class was Jeremie Ott, who earned All-American honors four times. He earned runner-up honors in the NCAA II's twice, both times losing in overtime. He also placed third and eighth in the NAIA Nationals. Boone Smith had an outstanding career placing seventh in the NAIA Nationals and winning 110 matches, good for fifteenth place on the UW-Parkside career win list. Henschel and Olson only competed one season for the Rangers. This class helped the Rangers place ninth in the NCAA II Nationals in 1994 and 1995.
#12 1998-99 Rob Jankowski (18), Rory Herring (46), Ryan Deprey (63), Travis
Seiler (119), Chas Treml, Christian Kratowicz, Chuck Reitz and,
Matt True.
This class featured five high place winners in the state meet. Rory Herring from Deforest High School and Ryan Deprey from Luxemburg-Casco High School were both state runner-ups. Rob Jankowski from West Bend West High School and Travis Seiler from Sauke Prairie High School both placed fourth. Chas Treml twice placed third.
Three of the wrestlers, Jankowski, Herring and Deprey earned All-American honors. Jankowski was the most successful, becoming a four-time All-American. As a freshman, he placed seventh in the NCAA II Nationals and sixth in the NAIA Nationals. As a junior, he was the NAIA national champion at 133 pounds and placed eighth at the NCAA II Nationals. Unfortunately, a chronic shoulder injury cut his career short. He also earned Academic All-American honors. Herring placed eighth in the NCAA II Nationals and Deprey placed sixth in the NAIA Nationals. Seiler competed for the team for two years before deciding to transfer. Treml never really got an opportunity to compete on a regular basis due to medical problems. During this class' time in school, UW-Parkside had three top ten finishes in the NAIA National tournament placing fifth in 2002, eighth in 2001, and tenth in 2000.
#11 1978-79 Dan Winter (6), Mike Winter (42), Jeff Debe (130), Dave Fedie and Keith Olsen.
This was one of the smallest classes, but featured three state finalists. Brothers Dan and Mike Winter placed first and second at the state meet and had lead Franklin High School to a high state finish. They were well known to UW-Parkside coaches and considered very blue chip. Dave Fedie was a three-time Wisconsin Independent School state champion at Stevens Point Pacelli High School before transferring to Durand High School and placing third as a senior.
Dan Winter had a great career at UW-Parkside earning All-American honors seven times. He placed third in the NAIA Nationals three times and seventh once. He placed third, fifth and seventh in the NCAA II Nationals. Injuries his junior and senior seasons likely prevented him from winning one or more national titles. When he graduated, his 124 wins was the school record; it is now fifth. Thirty-four of his wins were in national tournaments. His brother Mike redshirted his first year at UW-Parkside, transferred to Waukesha Technical College where he won approximately eighty matches in two years, before transferring back to UW-Parkside. In his two years with the Rangers, he went 52-16 and earned All-American honors by placing seventh in the NAIA Nationals. Debe, Fedie and Olsen competed one year for the Rangers. This class had three top- ten finishes in the NAIA National tournament with a fourth in 1980, fifth in 1979, and ninth in 1984. They also placed tenth in the 1983 NCAA II Nationals.
#10 1985-86 Ted Price (4), Arthur Demerath (39), Ken Arend (95), Carl Price
(104), Gavin Langin (140), Kevin Yde, Troy Miller, Bill Bordeau,
Andre Gordon and Marc Fobair.
This class came in with a lot of hype and hope. Six had been state finalists. Ted Price from East Troy High School, Arthur Demerath from Random Lake High School and Bill Bordeau from Sevastapol High School had been state champions. Carl Price from East Troy, Gavin Langin from La Crosse Central and Kevin Yde from Hartland Arrowhead were state runner-ups. Troy Miller from Oconomowoc was a fifth-place state place winner. Andre Gordon and Ken Arend were junior college transfers with experience. Andre came from DuPage Community College and Ken Arend came from Harper Junior College. On paper it was one of the largest and most talented classes ever recruited to UW-Parkside.
Unfortunately, only three of the entire group - Price, Demerath and Arend - lasted more than one year in the program. Price was the gem of this class, earning All-American honors three times with a first, second, and sixth in the NCAA II Nationals. His 143 career wins is the third most by a UW-Parkside wrestler. Ted was also a four-time Academic All-American and he was the first UW-Parkside athlete ever to win the NCAA's most prestigious postgraduate scholarship award. Demerath had a solid career at UW-Parkside with an 88-30 record. An injury as a senior prevented him from going over the century mark and perhaps earning All-American honors. He is number two on the UW-Parkside season pin list with 22 and number four on the all-time career pin list with 50. Ken Arend had two years of eligibility remaining when he became a Ranger and he used them both for a 27-20 record. Carl Price only stayed in school one year, but showed promise with a 22-16 record. Gavin Langin transferred to Northwestern University for academic reasons after his first year, but posted a respectable 12-12 record as a freshman. This class helped the Rangers place sixth in the NCAA II Nationals in 1990.
#9 1975-76 Bob Gruner (3), John Gale (36), Doug Andrewski (75) and Bob
Epping.
This was a small class, but it produced three wrestlers who had exceptional careers at UW-Parkside. Bob Gruner was the big name in this class. He was an undefeated state champion from Lake Geneva High School. He was attracted to the program because his former high school teammate Scott Hintz had joined the team the year before. John Gale was the sixth blue chip wrestler from local Kenosha Tremper High School in four years. He joined fellow Tremper alumni, Bill West, Joe Landers, Rico Savaglio, Rich Barron and Rich Schaumberg on the team. He was a strong 185-pounder who placed fourth in state, but could bench press over 400 pounds. Doug Andrewski was a transfer who wrestled one year at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In high school, he was a Wisconsin Independent School champion out of Racine St. Catherine.
Gruner lived up to his billing with a sensational career at UW-Parkside. He earned All-American honors five times for the Rangers. He placed first, second and fourth twice in four trips to the NAIA Nationals, and he had a third-place in the NCAA II Nationals. His career record at UW-Parkside was 110-23, despite missing large portions of both his junior and senior seasons due to injuries. Just prior to suffering an injury as a senior, which keep him off the mat for over two months, Bob pinned Iowa's King Mueller, the eventual NCAA I third place finisher at the Northern Open. Amateur Wrestling News had Bob ranked number three in the NCAA I national polls for part of the season. Gale wrestled for the Rangers two years before transferring to UW-Madison to pursue a metallurgical engineering degree not offered at UW-Parkside. In his two seasons at UW-Parkside, he was 46-12 and earned All-American honors by placing fourth in the NAIA Nationals as a sophomore. Andrewski was a versatile and unselfish wrestler. In his three years, he had a 42-26 record and held the distinction of wrestling five different weight classes wherever he could help the team the most. This class contributed to three top-ten finishes at the NAIA Nationals, fifth in 1979, fifth in 1977, and ninth in 1976.
#8 1983-84 Jack Danner (32), Dan Hall (44), Mark Dubey (47), Don Ver
Bruggen (55), Chris Dixon and John Mankowski.
The two highest profile recruits in this class were Dan Hall and Jack Danner. Hall was a four-time state place winner from Hartford High School and Danner was a two-time state runner-up from Beloit Turner High School. Mark Dubey was a high school teammate of Dan Hall. Don Ver Bruggen had wrestled for UW-Parkside national champion Randy Skarda at Oconto Falls High School. Chris Dixon was a transfer from the College of Lake County, a two-year school, and had beaten Parkside's Todd Yde in an open tournament the year before.
Ver Bruggen was the biggest surprise in this class, earning All-American honors twice with a fifth and sixth in the NAIA Nationals. The trio of Danner, Hall and Dubey developed into three outstanding collegiate wrestlers. Danner placed eighth in the NAIA Nationals as a senior. His overall record was 105-47. Hall had an overall record of 88-43. His 51 pins was a school record at the time and is still third all-time. Dubey had a 99-67-1 record. His 39 pins is tenth on the all-time list. All three were outstanding students earning eleven Academic All-American awards. Hall and Dubey started a Hartford connection at UW-Parkside which has resulted in many outstanding wrestlers from that school attending UW-Parkside. Chris Dixon wrestled one year at UW-Parkside but had a fine 23-8 record. This class helped lead UW-Parkside to a ninth-place finish at the NAIA Nationals in 1984.
#7 1988-89 Steve Skarda (16), Steve Kimpel (25), Scott Wessley (40),
Rob Fox and Jeff Burdette.
This small recruiting class entered UW-Parkside without a lot of fanfare. Scott Wessley from Oconto Falls High School and Rob Fox from D. C. Everest High School had both placed third in the state. Wessley came highly recommended by his high school coach, Randy Skarda, a former UW-Parkside national champion. Kimpel had an impressive senior year but didn't place at state. He also had a successful spring freestyle season and was considered to be highly motivated and a hard worker. This class got a big boost when Steve Skarda transferred in for the spring semester. The younger brother of Randy Skarda had graduated 5½ years earlier from Coleman High School where he won a state championship. He had spent one semester at UW-River Falls, and four years in the United States Navy. He added quality and maturity to this class.
Scott Wessley lived up to his coach's recommendation by putting together a career record of 109-49-1 with 43 pins. He placed sixth in the NAIA Nationals. Steve Kimpel also lived up to his recommendation of being a hard worker. His career record was 73-22 for three years. He was a two-time All-American by placing fourth in both the NCAA II and NAIA Nationals. He transferred to the University of Southern Colorado his senior year and once again placed fourth in the NCAA II. Rob Fox had a 21-19 record and earned one letter for the Rangers. Steve Skarda got off to a poor start by suffering a season-ending injury in his second tournament in his first season. The next three years, however, he was impressive earning NAIA All-American honors three times with a second and two sixths. His overall career record was a fine 89-19-2. This class contributed to a sixth place finish in the 1990 NCAA II Nationals and a ninth place finish in the 1994 NCAA II nationals.
#6 1999-2000 Brad Russell (13), Dan Dempsey (21), Matt Jacobs (66), Rob
Pfieffer (125), Dan Ott and Ken Filas.
This small recruiting class featured three state champions, a Division I transfer and the younger brother of one of UW-Parkside's all-time greats. The biggest name was Brad Russell from Kettle Moraine High School, who had a state championship and two thirds. He also had multiple successes in freestyle and Greco Roman competitions. Dan Dempsey was a second state-champion recruit. From Green Bay Preble, he also had a third-place finish as a junior. Most of his high school wins were pins as he had a variety of throws. The third state champion was Matt Jacobs from Dakota High School, who was a two-time Class A Illinois state champ. Rob Pfiefer was a Division I transfer, who had attended but never wrestled at Northern Illinois University. He was very impressive in several open meets attended by the Rangers the year before. Jeremie Ott's youngest brother Dan from Chilton High School was the fifth member of the class. Ken Filas came from Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Illinois.
The three state champions all lived up to expectations. Brad Russell had a great career with a record of 119-34. His 119 wins placed him eighth on the all-time UW-Parkside win list. He earned All-American honors four times by placing second and third in the NAIA nationals and fourth and sixth in the NCAA II Nationals. Dan Dempsey was close behind with a 116-52 record, good for tenth on the all-time UW-Parkside win list. He set a new team record with 58 career pins. He earned All-American honors three times by placing fifth in the NAIA Nationals and fourth and seventh in the NCAA II Nationals. Matt Jacobs also had a good career earning All-American honors by placing sixth in the NAIA Nationals. His overall career record was 70-43. Ott and Pfiefer each wrestled one year for the Rangers before leaving school. Ott showed promise with a 15-9 record and Pfiefer was 12-10. Filas stayed with the team for four years, earned NCAA II Academic All-American honors and was a vaulable backup when needed. This class contributed to three top-ten finishes in the NAIA National tournament placing fifth in 2002, eighth in 2001, and tenth in 2000. They also had an eighth-place finish in the 2004 NCAA II Team Dual Meet tournament. They played a large role in the 2000-01 team that posted a 12-1 dual record.
#5 1981-82 Mike Vania (10), Matt Kluge (24), Ted Keyes (28), Ron Alba, Jeff Blockowitz
and Dave Lumley.
This class was very unique because it consisted almost entirely of transfer students and very good ones at that. Two of the transfers came in the fall and a third one transferred in for the spring semester. The transfer who had accomplished the most at his original school was Mike Vania. Mike had had an outstanding career at Anchorage High School, Alaska, and enrolled at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. In two years at Pacific, he earned All-American honors both times placing second and fourth in the NAIA Nationals. While Mike was at Pacific, his parents relocated to Wisconsin and his younger brother, Tom, an Alaskan state champion, was recruited to wrestle at UW-Parkside. After one year on the team, Tom decided to give up wrestling and transfer to UW-Stevens Point for their forestry program. He recommended UW-Parkside and the team to his brother, Mike, who was interested in transferring closer to his family in Wisconsin.
Expectations were high for Mike, who had won over eighty matches in his two seasons at Pacific. He was the only wrestler ever to enroll at UW-Parkside having already earned All-American honors at a four-year program. The second transfer in that fall was Matt Kluge. Matt had wrestled at Kimberly High School in Wisconsin and placed third in the state. Following high school, his dad had a job transfer to Atlanta, Georgia. Matt enrolled at nearby Auburn University, a competitive NCAA I wrestling program in Alabama. After one season, Auburn discontinued its wrestling program and Matt was left without a team. A good friend from high school, Scott Gerhartz, was playing soccer at UW-Parkside and encouraged Matt to come to UW-Parkside.
Ted Keyes, the third transfer, arrived at UW-Parkside for the spring semester. Ted enjoyed a great high school career at Waterford High School and enrolled at the University of Nebraska, an NCAA I powerhouse, where he found himself behind Dave and Jim Scherr, a pair of sophomore twins from Mobridge, South Dakota, who would both eventually win Olympic medals. With the Scherr twins appearing to have the 177 and 190 pound weight classes covered for the next three years, and being six hundred miles from home, Ted decided to return to his home state. Paul Roth, his cousin and a member of the UW-Parkside team, persuaded Ted that he could get both an excellent education and a great wrestling experience at UW-Parkside. The only two true freshman recruits to enter school were Jeff Blockowitz from Cudahy High School and Ron Alba from Milwaukee Marquette High School. Blockowitz had placed third in the state and Alba had won the Wisconsin Independent Schools' state championship.
The three transfers made a huge impact on the team. In their eight years of remaining eligibility, they combined for a total of 303 wins or an average of 38 annual wins for each. Vania had the most success. In his two official years of eligibility (along with 15 wins in a medical-hardship year), he compiled a 107-19 record, earning All-American honors by placing fourth in both the NAIA and NCAA II Nationals. Adding his wins to those from Pacific gave him a total of almost 200 collegiate wins. If his record at both schools could be fully documented, he might have more wins than any wrestler in collegiate history. When Sports Illustrated picked the fifty greatest athletes from each state in 2000, Mike was named as number 20 from Alaska.
Matt Kluge also had an exceptional career at UP-Parkside with an overall record of 83-25-1. He earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the NAIA Nationals. Ted Keyes was also splendid. In three years he compiled a record of 113-40. His win total placed him number 12 on the all-time win list, notable because everyone ahead of him competed four years. His 48 wins as a junior tied Ted Price for most wins by a junior. His 196 career near falls is the third most by a UW-Parkside wrestler. He also earned Academic All-American honors twice. Jeff Blockowitz and Ron Alba both wrestled at UW-Parkside for one year. Blockowitz's record was 8-10 and Alba's was 8-6. This class helped UW-Parkside place tenth in the 1983 NCAA II Nationals and ninth in the 1984 NAIA Nationals.
#4 1997-98 Luke Goral (17), Ken Schmidt (19), Andy Mueller (35), Craig Klawitter (82), Joe
Charles (83), Jason Maye, Jason Foerster, Jeff Blohowiak and Robert Coombs.
This group of eight Wisconsin high school wrestlers had glittering high school careers. Between them, they placed eightteen times at the state meet and won six state titles. In addition, there was one recruit from Texas. The biggest name among the freshman was Jason Maye from Coleman High School. He was a four-time state finalist with two firsts and two seconds. He joined his brother, Shawn on the UW-Parkside team. Almost as successful was Ken Schmidt from Campbellsport High School, who was a three-time place winner and a two-time state champion. He came highly recommended by former UW-Parkside All-American Steve Skarda, his high school coach. Pardeeville High School's Craig Klawitter also brought a great resume with four state places - a second and three thirds. Joey Charles from Southern Door High School won state as a senior and placed fourth as a junior. Foerster, from Fort Atkinson High School, won state as a senior and placed fifth as a junior. He came recommended by former UW-Parkside All-American Mark Hemauer, his high school coach. Luke Goral from Denmark High School and Jeff Blohowiak from Luxemburg-Casco High School both were state runner-ups. Andy Mueller from Manitowoc High School placed fourth in state. Robert Coombs from Texas sought out Parkside because there were no collegiate wrestling programs in his home state.
Five members of this class earned four letters each. They all received degrees and they all earned All-American honors. Luke Goral enjoyed the best career, earning All-American honors four times with a fifth and sixth in the NCAA II Nationals and fifth and eighth in the NAIA Nationals. Injuries his junior and senior seasons prevented him from doing even better. His career record at UW-Parkside was 122-36, sixth on the all-time win list. Ken Schmidt's career was almost as successful. He became UW-Parkside's eleventh national champion by winning the 2001 NAIA National Championship. He also placed fifth in the NAIA Nationals. His career record was 115-48. Andy Mueller also went over the 100 win mark with a career record of 112-70. He earned All-American honors twice by placing sixth at the NAIA Nationals in both 2001 and 2002. Andy was the only UW-Parkside wrestler ever to earn NCAA II Academic All-American honors four times.
Craig Klawitter and Joe Charles each earned All-American honors. Craig placed fourth in the NAIA Nationals and Joe placed seventh. Craig's career record was 69-35 and Joe's was 78-63. These five members of this class won a total of 496 matches. Only one other class produced five All-Americans and none had five wrestlers who won more matches. The other four members of this class had varying success. Jeff Blohowiak wrestled one year and showed promise with a 10-12 record. Foerster's career was very simliar with an 8-10 record. Robert Coombs wrestled parts of two seasons and had a 14-21 record. Jason Maye never competed in a meet for Parkside. This class contributed toward three top-ten finishes at the NAIA Nationals tournament placing fifth in 2002, eighth in 2001, and tenth in 2000.
#3 1972-73 Joe Landers (9), Randy Skarda (14), Rico Savaglio (41), Rich Baron (48), Rich
Schaumberg (53), Brad Freberg (123), Sam Azarian, Bill Odders, Dan Rysewyk,
Dave Rohde and Arlyn Fredrick.
With the exception of one transfer student, the most of this class came from local high schools and the core from Kenosha Tremper. In 1972 Coach Gerry Barr's Tremper Trojans were the state runner-ups. Parkside was fortunate to recruit four of his best wrestlers. The top one was Joe Landers, who placed second in state as a senior; Rico Savaglio took fifth; Rich Baron and Rich Schaumberg did not place but both had fine high school careers. Baron's distinction was winning his sectionals by beating Pat Christenson, a future NCAA I national champion from the University of Wisconsin. Other local high school wrestlers to join this class were Racine Case's Brad Freberg and Bill Odders and Racine Horlick's Sam Azarian. None of these Racine wrestlers qualified for the state, but in an era of one division in the state, it was not unusual for top wrestlers not to make it.
There was also the Coleman High School connection. Two were freshmen Dave Rhode and Dan Rysewyk, who were recruited to UW-Parkside by Ken Martin, a former Coleman wrestler, who was on his way to becoming a four-time All-American and Parkside's first national champion. The biggest catch, however, was the transfer of another Coleman wrestler, Randy Skarda, who had gone to the state tournament four times and had wrestled brief stints at UW-Oshkosh and Pasadena Community College, before coming to UW-Parkside under the Martin influence.
This is the only class that included two future national champions, Joe Landers and Randy Skarda. It often featured five regulars from Tremper, with Landers and his three Tremper teammates joining Bill West to dominate the UW-Parkside lineup. (The next year Gary Peterson joined the team and at times there were six Tremper wrestlers in the lineup). Bill West from the previous class won two national titles. Coleman High School was only slightly outdone. Randy Skarda paired with former high school teammate Ken Martin and at times both Dave Rohde and Dan Rysewyk to place four former Coleman wrestlers in the UW-Parkside lineup. On a few occasions, nine out of the ten spots in the Parkside lineup were Tremper and Coleman alumni. Also at times, there were four future national champions in the lineup - Joe Landers at 126, Bill West at 134, Ken Martin at 142 and Randy Skarda at 150. With Rico Savaglio or Rich Schaumberg at 118 and Rich Baron at 158, it was a very potent lineup.
For a career, Joe Landers had the most success from the 1972-1973 class. He earned All-American honors twice and won the 1976 NAIA championship as a senior, winning three overtime matches. His title was the fourth consecutive for Parkside at 134 pounds at the NAIA Nationals. Joe also earned All-American honors by placing sixth in the NAIA Nationals as a junior. His career record was 76-18-3. Randy Skarda wrestled three years and had an overall record of 60-12. His junior year was one of the best ever by a Parkside wrestler. He went 28-1 and won the 1975 NAIA national hampionship. His pin in the championship match has been equaled by only one other UW-Parkside wrestler (Brad Becker in 2006). Rico Savaglio, Rich Schaumberg and Rich Baron all had noteworthy careers at UW-Parkside and helped establish a tradition of excellence in UW-Parkside wrestling. All three had the skill and ability to have been All-American wrestlers and all three have been rated among the top five in their weight classes on the UW-Parkside All-Time Team.
Bill Odders and Sam Azarian were both caught in a numbers game with four national champions in front of them. Odders wrestled parts of two seasons with a 6-3-1 record and Azarian transferred to Carthage College after one semester, where he had outstanding success before injuries ended his career. His one semester involvement with the UW-Parkside team created a loyalty between the Azarian family and UW-Parkside wrestling which still exists. Sam's brother Tony was a voluntary assistant coach at UW-Parkside for over ten years before his untimely death in 2000. The two wrestlers from Coleman Dan Rysewyk and Dave Rhode only stayed one year, but helped start the long line of Coleman High School wrestlers to attend UW-Parkside. Brad Freberg earned two letters at UW-Parkside; although his record was only 15-31, he unselfishly wrestled wherever he was needed and was never pinned despite giving up a lot of weight to some opponents. Fredrick also earned a letter, but more than that he earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and coach by doing whatever he could to help the team. This class played a very large role in the UW-Parkside finishing in the top ten in the NAIA National tournament four times, third in 1974, sixth in 1974, and ninth in both 1973 and 1976.
#2 1986-87 Dennis DuChene (12), Mark Hemauer (15), Dale Hall (68), John Karl (72), Scott
Stephenson (76), Jason Gundrum (120), Doug Parker (143) and Steve Rohrer.
This was a solid recruiting class with seven excellent high school wrestlers, who had all won or placed high at the state tournament, and a single transfer with a good wrestling background. Several members of this class were considered blue chip. Perhaps the bluest was Dale Hall from Hartford High School. Dale was a younger brother of Dan Hall, who had been on the UW-Parkside team for the past three years. Dale was a four-time state place winner with a second, two thirds and a fifth in the state meet. He also had an extensive freestyle background. Mark Hemauer from Sun Prairie High School was also highly regarded, with a second and fourth in the state meet and impressive performances in freestyle competition. Scott Stephenson from Waunakee High School was an undefeated state champion and a very impressive athlete. James Gundrum was a state champion from Ozaukee High School and was exciting to watch wrestle. Doug Parker from Elkhorn High School was a state runner-up and John Karl from Auburndale High School placed third. The recruit that most excited the coaching staff was Dennis DuChene from Marist High School in Chicago. He was a top-rated lightweight in the state of Illinois. During the season, he was recruited by some Big Ten schools. Luckily for UW-Parkside, he sprained his ankle at the state meet and slipped down to sixth place, lessening the interest of some Division I schools. The boy who won his weight class that year was freshman Joey Gilbert. The only match Gilbert lost during the season was to DuChene. Gilbert went undefeated for three more years and became Illinois' first four-time state champion from its big school division. The only loss in his career was to DuChene. He went to college at the University of Michigan and earned All-American honors. The transfer was Scott Rohrer, a fifth-place finisher from Waupun High School, who had spent a year at an NCAA III school before transferring to UW-Parkside.
Four members of this group earned All-American honors. The two who really shined were DuChene and Hemauer. They ended their career as number one and number two on the All-Time Win List, and they still hold those positions today. Dennis DuChene earned All-American honors three times in his career, compiling a 146-49 record. He placed fourth in the NAIA Nationals and eighth and second in the NCAA II Nationals. (When he placed second, the nationals were held at UW-Parkside). From an unseeded spot in the bracket, he defeated the fourth, the fifth and the first seeded wrestlers before losing to the second seed in the finals. Besides being atop the Parkside All-Time Win List, he was second in near falls, fourth in reversals, and sixth in takedowns.
Mark Hemauer's career was equally as impressive. He earned All-American honors twice compiling a 145-47-1 record. He placed fourth in the NAIA and fifth in the NCAA II. A severe case of the flu right before the NCAA II Nationals his senior year severely hampered his quest to win a national title. He had defeated the defending NCAA II national champion in his regional finals two weeks earlier. Besides being number two on the career win list, he was first on the career takedown list with 535, number one (as well as number nine and 15) on the season takedown list with 224, and first on the season win list with 52.
Also earning All-American honors from this group were Scott Stephenson and Dale Hall. Stephenson wrestled only two years at UW-Parkside compiling a record of 31-19, but placed seventh in the NAIA Nationals. Hall stayed at UW-Parkside two years, redshirting one year and posting a 32-15 record during the one season he wrestled, placing eighth at the NAIA Nationals. After leaving UW-Parkside, he transferred to Adam State College to pursue a physical education degree (not available at UW-Parkside), and earned All-American honors three more times with a national championship in the 1991 NAIA.
John Karl had a successful career at UW-Parkside, lettering four times and compiling an overall record of 87-56. He was named as an NCAA II Academic All-American. James Gundrum wrestled one year for the Rangers and posted a rather impressive 22-19 record before leaving Parkside. Steve Rohrer wrestled two years part-time for the Rangers with a 14-13 record. His most memorable moment was winning a gutsy victory over a UW-Whitewater opponent giving the Rangers a 20-19 dual meet victory. Doug Parker wrestled two seasons for the Rangers with a 26-35 record before transferring to UW-Whitewater. He too had an heroic performance; when a teammate was injured in the first match of a double dual, he jumped up five weight classes in the UW-La Crosse match to prevent his team from forfeiting - and won. When Parker transferred to UW-Whitewater, Kevin Bird transferred from UW-Whitewater to UW-Parkside. It was dubbed the “Parker for Bird trade”. The trade worked well for Parkside as Bird went 58-20 in his two remaining years of eligibility. The top three wrestlers in this recruiting class totaled 377 victories, 28 more than the top three from any other class. This class contributed to a sixth place finish in the 1990 NCAA II Nationals.
#1 1989-90 Jim Bezotte (5), Darin Tiedt (22), Rick Hufnus (50), Kevin Bird (51),
Joel Dutton (56), Dave Lovy (84), Lance Schmitt (93), Chris Buckley (109),
Tom Keefer (110), Kelly Becker (122), Bill Neveraski and Dave Neybert.
This class receives the top spot because it featured quantity, quality and experience. The class featured ten incoming freshmen and two transfers with maturity and experience. Of the ten freshmen, eight were state placewinners. Among the eight, two were state champions, Darin Tiedt from Freedom High School and Lance Schmitt from La Crosse Aquinas High School. Lance's title was won in the Wisconsin Independent School's state tournament, but he was good enough to have won the other state championship also. Chris Buckley from Sparta High School was a state runner-up. There were three third-place finishers, Joel Dutton, also from Sparta High School, Dave Lovy from Menomonee Falls High School and Bill Nevoraski from Kenosha Bradford High School. Fourth place finishers were Jim Bezotte, also from Kenosha Bradford, and Tom Keefer from Rice Lake High School. Both Bezotte and Keefer further distinguished themselves by placing fourth in the Junior Nationals in Fargo, Bezotte in freestyle and Keefer in Greco-Roman.
The two freshmen non-place winners showed good promise. Kelly Becker from Hartford High School was attracted to UW-Parkside because of his friendship with the Hall brothers. Dave Neybert from Marist High School in Chicago was recommended to the program by the same coach that had recommended Dennis DuChene. The two transfers added some much needed maturity to the class. Rick Hufnus had spent his first two seasons of wrestling eligibility wrestling at Harper Junior College, where he had earned NJCAA All-American honors at heavyweight. Kevin Bird joined this class after having spent his first two years at UW-Whitewater. He came over in the “Bird for Parker” trade.
This class lived up to expectations. Eight of the twelve exhausted their eligibility and earned their degrees from Parkside. Of those, Jim Bezotte had the most success. He earned All-American honors five times placing seventh and first in the NAIA Nationals and sixth, fourth and first in the NCAA II Nationals. In 1994 he became only the second Ranger wrestler to win two national championships by winning the NCAA II and NAIA titles on successive weekends. He was the last collegiate wrestler to win two national championships in the same season. His opponent in the NCAA II championship match had beaten Jim 9 of 13 previous matches and was going for his third title. His opponent in the NAIA finals had been a NCAA I All-American two years earlier and had beaten Jim only a month before.
Darin Tiedt was a three-time All American placing seventh in the NAIA Nationals and fourth and eighth in the NCAA II Nationals. His career record was 122-50-1, tying for sixth on the Ranger All-Time Win List. He was also a three-time Academic All-American. Also earning All-American honors from this class were Joel Dutton and Rick Hufnus. Joel placed fourth in the NAIA Nationals and fashioned an 83-50 career record. Rick Hufnus placed fifth in the NCAA II Nationals and had a 32-5 record during his two years with the Rangers.
Kevin Bird's two years with the Rangers were also very productive. He posted a 58-20 record and narrowly missed All-American honors. He won the team's preseason Ironman Competition twice and still holds the team record in that event. Dave Lovy had a good career, compiling an 80-59 record. Chris Buckley and Kelly Becker both wrestled four years with Buckley posting a 62-51 record and Becker a 46-57 record. Becker made another lasting contribution to the team—he recommended the program to his cousins, Brad, Kyle and Craig Becker. Tom Keefer competed with the team for three years and compiled a 45-35 record. He transferred to UW-River Falls to get a Physical Education degree (not available at UW-Parkside). He qualified for the NCAA III Nationals in his final season of eligibility at River Falls.
Lance Schmitt showed potential during his one season for the Rangers. His record was 21-9 and he is one of very few Rangers to win the Wheaton College Invitational as a freshman. Bill Nevoraski and Dave Neybert only stayed with the team for one season. Neybert's record was 9-6 and Nevoraski's was 12-19. This class helped the Rangers place sixth in the 1990 NCAA II Nationals and ninth in the 1994 NCAA II Nationals.
LINKS:
2008 recruiting class
Top 150 all-time best UW-P wrestlers
All-time career win list
All-time career pin list
Side note on the 2002-03 class
Top individual records
All-time team
Career takedown list
Season pin list
Career nearfall list
Season takedown list
Unranked recruiting classes
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