Season Review: Wrestling sets new mark in yet another memorable season 

By Bud Denega 

ADA — The Ohio Northern wrestling team has been in existence for decades. That being said, during the 2019-20 campaign the Polar Bears accomplished a feat they never have before. 

Northern boasted four grapplers who reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in school history. Junior Schuyler Caprella (Harrod/Allen East) led the way with a 43-10 mark. Freshman Chase Sumner (Ada) finished with a 37-6 record, while seniors Seth Transue (Plain City/Jerome) and Jeff Andrews (New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay) laid claim to 36-2 and 34-14 records, respectively. 

"It was a fun and exciting year," ONU head coach Ron Beaschler said. "The team came together as one unit and worked hard throughout the entire season."

Caprella, a 157-pounder, logged eight pins, 12 tech falls and five major decisions. Sumner, a 149-pounder, recorded a team-high 13 pins, three tech falls and 11 major decisions. Transue, a 133-pounder, had five pins, six tech falls and nine major decisions, while Andrews, a 141-pounder, registered four pins, 10 tech falls and five major decisions. 

Upon looking at the larger picture, the Polar Bears had eight wrestlers lead their respective weight classes with a winning record. Freshman Camden Spears (Plainfield, Ind.) went 20-11 at 125 pounds, sophomore Jordan Hardrick (Huber Heights/Wayne) recorded a 23-11 record at 165 pounds, sophomore Connor Kwiat (Bloomville/Tiffin Calvert) finished 27-18 at 174 pounds and junior Cash Thompson (Lake Odessa, Mich./Lakewood) completed the season at 29-8 at 197 pounds. 

As a whole, the season featured the team going 475-340 in individual matches. That included a 38-32 record in Ohio Athletic Conference bouts, 140 pins, 53 tech falls and 73 major decisions. The Polar Bears finished at 14-8 in team matches, 3-4 in conference duals. 

"We were ready to wrestle every time we took to the mats," Beaschler said. "Evidence of that readiness was us placing second of 13 at the ONU Invitational, first of 16 at the Waynesburg Invitational, seventh out of 34 at the Wheaton Invitational and ending the season with a fourth-place finish out of 18 teams at the NCAA Central Regional, placing in eight of the 10 weight classes."

Sumner, Thompson and Transue were slated to represent Northern at the sport's biggest stage, the NCAA Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Transue was seeded seventh in the 133-pound bracket, while Sumner and Thompson were unseeded in each of their brackets. 

Transue's list of individual accolades is headlined by his Central Region Most Valuable Wrester award he earned following his victory at the regional championship. He was also a first-team All-OAC selection along with being named a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestlers Coaches Association. 

Thompson and Hardrick were recognized as a second-team All-OAC honorees. Andrews, Kwait and Sumner joined Transue as Scholar All-Americans.  

While the production on the mat speaks for itself, the Polar Bears also got it done in the classroom. Northern owned a 3.45 team GPA, which made them an Scholar All-American top-25 honoree.