Goebel Wins Championship, Roughnecks Send 4 to Nationals
The University of Findlay wrestling team, ranked 20th in the nation, will send four wrestlers to the NCAA Division II National Championship as their regional tournament concluded on Feb. 28. As a team, the Oilers finished in seventh place with a total of 65 points.
Sophomore Nick Goebel, ranked fifth in the nation at 149, won a regional championship for the Roughnecks with a 4-0 record. He reached the finals with a 3-2 win over Newberry's Seiji Borja and then claimed the title with a 6-3 win over Ashland's Brent Fickel in the finals.
Sophomore Schuyler Phillips reached the championship by finishing fourth with a 4-2 record while freshman Ryan Skonieczny went 3-2 at 141 to claim fourth place and advance to the championship tournament. He won his true fourth place match by a score of 4-2 against Lake Erie's Nick Boggs to punch his ticket.
Sophomore Luke Fleming was the last Roughneck to advance to the championship after placing fourth in the heavyweight division with a 4-2 record. He earned a trip to the championship with a 12-6 win over Wisconsin-Parkside's Matt Halverson in a true fourth place match.
Sophomore Bradley Metz took fifth in the 174-pound weight class with a 3-3 record, losing his true fourth place match by a score of 5-4 against Lake Erie's Matt Vandermeer.
Sophomore Joey White also took fifth place for Findlay, nearly reaching the national tournament with a 3-2 record at 157.
The 2015 NCAA DII National Championship is slated to take place March 13-14 in St. Louis, Mo.