University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will strive for a third straight title at the 2014 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship at UW-La Crosse’s Mitchell Hall on Feb. 15.

The Warhawks secured the 14th first-place trophy in program history a year ago with a 23-10 victory over UW-La Crosse.  UW-Whitewater advanced to the championship match with a 42-7 triumph over UW-Platteville.  UW-Stevens Point finished third a season ago, while UW-Platteville was fourth, UW-Oshkosh fifth and UW-Eau Claire sixth.  Last year’s championship marked the first time the conference crowned its first-place winner using a dual-meet format.

For the second straight year, the six teams have earned seeds based on their performances in the regular-season round robin WIAC schedule.  UW-Whitewater secured the top seed after compiling a 5-0 mark, while UW-La Crosse is second (4-1), UW-Oshkosh third (3-2), UW-Stevens Point fourth (2-3), UW-Platteville fifth (1-4) and UW-Eau Claire sixth (0-5).

The Warhawks are ranked second nationally in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) NCAA Division III poll distributed on Feb. 11, while UW-La Crosse is 13th.

In individual weight class national rankings by the NWCA on Feb. 11, WIAC representatives included: UW-Whitewater sophomore Jimmy Nehls (5th-133 pounds); UW-Whitewater sophomore Matt Adcock (7th-141 pounds); UW-Whitewater junior Elroy Perkin (9th-149 pounds); UW-Oshkosh senior Nazar Kulchytskyy (1st-157 pounds); UW-Whitewater senior Cedric Gibson (4th-165 pounds); UW-Oshkosh senior Dan Schiferl (3rd-174 pounds); UW-La Crosse junior Eric Twohey (1st-184 pounds); UW-Whitewater sophomore Shane Siefert (2nd-197 pounds); and UW-Whitewater junior Anthony Edgren (5th-285 pounds).

UW-Eau Claire’s top performer this season has been sophomore Nathaniel Behnke (141 pounds).  UW-Platteville has received a solid showing from sophomore Cole Ferguson (125 pounds), while senior Dustin Wozniak (197 pounds) has led the UW-Stevens Point lineup.

Qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship will be based on super regional competition held March 1.  UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater will participate in a regional hosted by Wabash College (Ind.), while UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville will compete in a regional entertained by Augsburg College (Minn.).  The national championship will be held March 14-15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.