Recap: NCAA Champion, Elite 89 Winner highlight outstanding 2012-13 Wrestling season

By Tim Glon

ADA — The Ohio Northern wrestling team had outstanding seasons on and off the mat again during the 2012-2013 campaign.

Senior Kyle Kwiat won his second consecutive NCAA III Championships crown at the 174-pound weight class and helped ONU to a 13th place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Under 25th-year head coach Ron Beaschler, the Polar Bears won their seventh regular season Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season title.

Northern finished the season 16-4 overall and were 4-1 in OAC action.

ONU hosted the inaugural NCAA III Central Regional Tournament and finished fifth of 16 teams.

The Polar Bears ended the season ranked 26th in the final Brute-Adidas NWCA poll, after being ranked as high as No. 10.

Senior Jeremy Jones (133 pounds) and sophomore Cody Lovejoy (heavyweight) also competed at the NCAA III Tournament.

Lovejoy was honored as the Elite 89 Award winner for Division III Wrestling.

This prestigious award is given to the student/athlete with the highest GPA among all participants at the NCAA Championships.

Jones, Kwiat, Lovejoy and junior Jerry Pasquale were named Scholar All-Americans in wrestling for 2012-13 in voting conducted by the National Wrestling Coaches of Association.

As a team, Ohio Northern ranked No. 22 nationally with a 3.19 team GPA.

Kwiat was named the John Summa OAC Wrestler of the Year and Lovejoy won the Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time award.

Beaschler was named the OAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season and for the third time in his 25-year career.

Kwiat and Lovejoy were also First Team All-Conference honorees, while Jones, junior Michael Pawlitz and sophomore J.P. Hoopes were named Second Team All-OAC.

Lovejoy was also named Academic All-Conference.

Kwiat won his second consecutive national title with an 8-0 major decision in the finals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Kwiat (45-3) is now ONU's only four-time All-American, its only two-time NCAA Champion and holds the school's single season (45) and career wins (158) records. He ends his four seasons as a Polar Bear with a record of 158-16.

Kwiat also won an award for leading the nation with 25 tech falls on the season.

"Mission accomplished," Kwiat said. "It's a great feeling. I felt good the entire match. To win a second national title and to achieve all of my goals this season and something special that I am very proud of."

He got takedowns in each of the first two periods and posted a reversal early in the third period to take a 6-0 lead. He later got a penalty point for an illegal hold and his large riding time advantage made the final 8-0.

"Kyle is now the greatest wrestler in ONU history," Beaschler said. "We've never had anyone win twice, or be a four-time All-American. He had a great career and wrestled extremely well all year. He had great poise this weekend and deserves everything he has accomplished."

Lovejoy went 0-2 at the NCAA Championships and finished the season with a 32-13 record and a team-best 17 pins.

Pawlitz was also had a 30-win season, finishing with a 30-9 record and 16 pins at 197 pounds.

Pasquale was 26-15 with eight pins at 125 pounds.

Freshman Tyler Gargano led all freshman with a 23-17 record at the 165-pound weight class.

Hoopes and sophomore Kyle Brezovec also had winning records, finishing 14-11 and 17-15, respectively, at 149 pounds.

ONU posted a 309-303 individual record on the year, with 74 pins as a team.