2021 Great Midwest Wrestling All-Conference Team (PDF)
Final Brackets (PDF)
OWENSBORO, Ky. - Ashland University’s associate membership debut was a memorable one as the Eagles won five different weight classes to highlight Saturday’s Great Midwest Athletic Conference Wrestling Championship.
The Eagles were victorious at 141 (Luke Wymer), 149 (Carson Speelman), 184 (Aidan Pasiuk) and HWT (Tristan Weirich). Ashland split the spoils at 174 with Daniel Beemer making the finals with teammate Walker Uhl.
Ashland, ranked a fresh ninth in the NWCA Top 25 Poll, scored a total of 115 points while No. 17 Tiffin finished second with 75.5. Lake Erie had back-to-back conference champions at 125 and 133 to earn third and No. 17-ranked Findlay was fourth. Tournament host Kentucky Wesleyan rounded out the team standings.
Each institution was allowed to enter up to (2) student-athletes per weight class.
This was Ashland’s first event with the Great Midwest as an associate member in the sport of wrestling. The Eagles are set to join the Great Midwest as a full member institution for the 2021-22 academic year.
The Eagles are coached by first-year leader Colt Sponseller, who was putting his program on the mat for the first time. Ashland was dominant from the top position at may weights, sometimes earning 2:30 or in excess of 3:00 of riding time against some of their opponents.
The intensity picked up throughout the day as wrestlers were competing for one of three top placements for all-conference team status. Challenge pylons were also being utilized as coaches passionately advocated on behalf of their wrestlers fighting for points.
Corey Gamet and Zane Johnson of Lake Erie opened the championship session with impressive showings. Gamet scored bonus points in his 125-pound victory over Ashland’s Christian Wellman. Johnson beat Tiffin freshman Bryce Allison in the 133 final.
Tiffin had a pair of conference champions with Bryan LaVearn at 165 and 2019 NCAA Champion Nick Mason at 197. LaVearn edged out Findlay’s Hunter Reed and while Mason and AU’s Peter Abraham were dueling until an injury to the Eagle’s right ankle forced him to stop.
The Great Midwest Wrestler of the Meet was Findlay’s James Wimer, the top seed and eventual conference champion at 157 pounds.
Also recognized was the sport’s first Elite 23 Award winner as Tiffin’s Nicholas Smythe carries a 3.96 GPA while majoring in accounting. Smythe, typically competing at 184 pounds, was in the starting lineup for the Dragons vs. UIndy and Davenport, but was unable his weight bracket to enter due to an injury.
Smythe is the second Tiffin student-athlete to receive an Elite 23 Award from the league, officially joining men’s cross country student-athlete Jacob Zinn for academic prowess.
For some schools, it represented their first competition of the season. For others, it was a continuation of an already late start of 2020-21. Teams will now compete in their regular season before Super Regionals and hopefully, the end goal, nationals.