Joe Rau (184 pounds) and Mike Benefiel (197 pounds) both won individual national titles in their respective weight class while five Bluejays earned All-America honors by placing among the top eight in their weight class, setting a single season record for Elmhurst.
As a team, the Bluejays overcame a four-point deficit in the final session to take home second place with 82 points, edging Wisconsin-Whitewater by four points (78 points). Wartburg won the team title with 103 points.
"Every year we set a goal of winning a conference championship and bringing home a team trophy from the NCAA Championships," said head coach Steve Marianetti. "To cap this season with a second-place national finish is just unbelievable. This team did an amazing job not just at the NCAA Championships, but all season long. I couldn't be any prouder of the way we competed."
Rau, the top seed at 184 pounds, continued his dominance at the Championships, breezing in the finals by pinning Elizabethtown's Julian Meaney in just 52 seconds. Rau faced The College of New Jersey's Brian Broderick in the championship match and scored a quick takedown to jump in front. After a pair of escapes from Broderick, Rau was whistled for an illegal hold and trailed 3-2 after two periods. Rau quickly escaped at the start of the third period than stuck a takedown and built a riding time advantage to score the 6-3 win and cap his collegiate career with a national championship.
"Since my first day at Elmhurst, I've wanted to win a national championship," said Rau. "The title had eluded me the past three years, but to finish my college career with a championship is an unbelievable feeling. Taking home a team trophy on top of this is fantastic. I've always been on good teams with great individuals, but this year we had an amazing team and it was great to see all the hard work we put in come together. with a team trophy. "
Mike Benefiel celebrates his title at 197 pounds.
Benefiel, seeded fourth at 197 pounds, rolled into the finals by with his third first-round pin of the Championships. Benefiel scored a takedown and immediate near fall points and then pinned Heidelburg's Andrew Lovins in 2:16 to advance to the finals. Facing second-seeded Alex Coolidge of Cornell College in the championship final, Benefiel struck for a quick takedown and led 2-0 after one period. Benefiel landed another takedown in the second period to go up 4-0 and tacked on a third takedown in the third period to earn a 7-3 victory.
"To end my college career with a national championship is unbelievable," Benefiel said. "Winning a championship in your final collegiate match is a special feeling and being able to take home a team trophy is just the extra gravy on top."
Benefiel also took home the NWCA award for Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time, totaling three pins in 5:56.
Earlier in the day, three Bluejays closed out the season by competing in the consolation bracket. Ryan Earley closed out the Championships with a fourth-place finish at 141 pounds while Miguel Venecia finished fifth at 125 pounds and Dalton Bullard placed seventh at 133 pounds.
Earley scored two quick wins to move into the third place match at 141 pounds. Earley, seeded second, opened the second day of the Championships with a 3-2 victory over sixth-seeded Ces Antista of Williams in the consolation bracket. Trailing 1-0 after two periods, Earley evened the match with an escape at the start of the third period. Earley grabbed hold of a leg and snuck behind for a takedown to grab a 3-1 lead and then held on for the one-point win. In the consolation semifinal, Earley scored a quick takedown and promptly pinned top-seeded Joseph Grippi of Springfield in 1:03.
In the third place match against Warburg's Thomas Mirocha, Earley scored the first takedown to lead 2-0, but Mirocha gained an escape and a second-period reversal to go on top. Mirocha added an escape and a takedown to score a 6-2 win. Earley finished his career with the fourth-place finish and a 4-2 record at the Championships, capturing the first all-America honor of his career.
At 125 pounds, Venecia defeated Augsburg's Mike Fuenffinger 9-5 to move into the consolation semifinals. Venecia hit a pair of takedowns and scored near fall points to score seven points in the opening period. He led 8-5 after two periods and tacked on an escape point in the third to earn the four-point win. In the consolation semifinals, Venecia dropped a 4-1 decision to fourth-seeded Gilberto Camacho to move into the fifth-place match. Venecia used a pair of takedowns against Ursinus' Christopher Donaldson to secure a 6-4 win and bring home a fifth-place finish. Venecia finished the Championships with a 4-2 record earning the first all-America honor of his career.
After posting a 2-1 record on the opening day, Bullard dropped his fourth round consolation match to fall into the seventh-place contest. Bullard fell 6-4 to Springfield's Derek Adams in a closely contested contest. After a scoreless first period, three straight reversals in the second period left Bullard with a 4-2 lead. Adams used an escape at the end of the second period and another at the start of the third to knot the match at four. Adams hit a takedown with less than 30 seconds in the third period to earn the 6-4 win. In the seventh-place contest, Bullard avenged an early season loss by pinning Luther's Evan Obert in 1:12. Bullard closed out his career as a two-time All-American and finished the Championships with a 3-2 record.
The Elmhurst coaching staff posses with the team's new hardware.
In addition to the Bluejays taking home a team trophy, the Elmhurst coaching staff will be bringing some added hardware back to campus. Marianetti was named the NWCA Division III National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Assistant Coach John Jung was named the NWCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year. Both awards are voted by on the head wrestling coaches at the NCAA Championships.
Elmhurst closed the book on its most successful season to date. In addition to their second place national finish and five all-Americans, the Bluejays won their third straight CCIW Championship and finished the year with a 12-1 dual meet and were ranked second in the NWCA Division III national poll for the majority of the season.
"We had just an incredible season from start to finish," said Marianetti. "We know that we're going to have to replace several senior for next year and work on developing our underclassmen, but in the meantime we're going to go home and enjoy this for a little while."
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