Review: Wrestling continued storied tradition of success through 2010-11 season
ADA — The 2010-2011 season proved to be yet another successful campaign for the Polar Bear wrestling team.
The Polar Bears, under head coach Ron Beaschler in his 23rd season, finished second in the OAC regular season with 5-1 mark.
Northern finished with a 13-3 overall dual meet record, which was its 30th winning season in the programs 46-year history.
The Polar Bears finished the season with their highest ranking of the season at No. 11 in the nation.
At the OAC Tournament, Ohio Northern finished in third place and had three champions.
Senior Luke Miller, who won the national championship at 157 pounds in 2009-10, moved up a weight class to 165 pounds.
Miller won the OAC tournament and finished third at the Division III Wrestling Championships, earning his third All-American standing.
He posted a 29-5 record and ends his career with 133 wins, which ties him for the most all time in school history.
During the course of the season, he was named OAC Wrestler of the Week for the week of Dec. 13-19 and was named Wrestler of the Year for the OAC for the third straight season.
Miller was again recognized for his simultaneous work on the mat and in the classroom, earning a NWCA Scholar All-American honor for his third consecutive season.
Sophomore Kyle Kwiat returned to wrestle at 174 pounds and successfully defended his OAC tournament title.
Kwiat would post a 33-6 record with seven pins on the season and finished fifth at the Division III Wrestling Championships. The fifth place finished earned him his second consecutive All-American status.
Junior Mick Letcher won the OAC tournament title at 157 pounds, which also qualified him for the national championships.
Letcher was third on the team with 27 wins on the season and notched a team high 12 pins and was honored as the OAC Wrestler of the Week for the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 6.
Sophomore Kyle Raber earned All-Conference accolades with a runner-up finish at 184 pounds at the OAC tournament.
After getting off to a slow start, Raber finished strong with a 15-8 record and 4-1 record in OAC regular season play.
Freshman Jerry Pasquale posted a solid first season at the 125-pound weight class with a 14-12 record and four pins, while classmate J.P. Hoopes wrestled at 141 pounds and finished fourth at the OAC tournament. He finished with an 18-11 record.
Sophomore Jeremy Jones, wrestling at 133 pounds, finished fourth at the OAC tournament while posting a 14-13 overall record.
At 197 pounds, junior Matt Alexander was the fourth Polar Bear to post a 20 win season with a 20-11 record. He also notched a third place finish at the OAC tournament.
Senior Justin Southwick, in his second season of wrestling, went 10-6 on the season.
Northern began the season posting a 3-1 record in the Ohio/Pennsylvania Challenge at Mount Union.
The Polar Bears then notched a fifth-place finish of 15 teams at the ONU Invitational before traveling to the Lycoming (Pa.) Duals to take second place with a 3-1 record.
Northern rounded out the season strong, winning five consecutive duals to finish its season with a 13-3 record.
The team also finished 12th at the Division III Wrestling Championships.
Overall, the Polar Bears posted a 318-215 individual record with 90 total pins as a team.