MSOE wrestling receives sweetest valentine a conference championship
| Published: 02/16/2004 |
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The MSOE Raiders used a balanced attack to win its third Lake Michigan Conference (LMC) wrestling championship in four years. The Raiders, who trailed Concordia University by nine points going into the final round, won nine of 10 matches to emerge as champions.
“I had been telling my guys all week that we would have to have everybody complete their roles if we were going to win the tournament, said coach Kevin Morin, who was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time. “And that is exactly what they did. Things were not looking good heading into the final round and then the guys really stepped it up.”
MSOE captured four of the ten individual championships for a team total of 100 points, including Ryan Forbes (Sycamore, Ill.) at the 141-pound weight class, who was named LMC Rookie of the Year. In the 125-pound weight class, Owen Putman (Oak Lawn, Ill.) defeated Concordia’s Sean Feeney.
“Owen and Ryan both showed a tremendous amount of heart out there,” said Morin. “Owen was coming off a knee injury that has sidelined him since Christmas. Ryan beat a very tough opponent in the finals that had previously beaten him two times this year. Ryan was on a mission.”
Senior wrestler and co-captain Matt Schoenherr (Tomahawk, Wis.) the sixth ranked wrestler in the nation, won his third LMC crown with a 4-1 victory over Lakeland College’s Mark VandenHoogen. Schoenherr, at the 285-pound weight class, won three matches to increase his MSOE all-time career win total to115. Schoenherr is ranked #6 in the NCAA III Coaches' poll. His record now stands at 34 wins and two losses.
The fourth LMC crown went to MSOE junior co-captain Greg Snow (Almond, Wis.) who beat teammate Scott Bugenhagen (Franklin, Wis.) in the 165-pound bracket.
"Greg has really stepped it up this year and the results show it,” said Morin.
