Three Roughnecks to Enter NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame

Cleveland, Ohio - In the buildup to the wrestling national championships, the NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches' Association has announced their 2019 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame class. That class includes three men who have their roots in Findlay as Andy Uhl, Antonio Guerra, and current head coach Shawn Nelson will all be enshrined. Those three, along with three others, will be inducted on Thursday, March 7 at the Hall of Fame banquet in the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University, the site of this year's DII Wrestling National Championship.

While at Findlay, Andy Uhl earned all-American honors in each of his four seasons and is currently fourth all-time at Findlay with 113 wins. In his freshman season, Uhl placed sixth at the national tournament at 125 pounds. The next year, Uhl moved up to 133 pounds and finished the season 31-11 and worked his way through the national tournament, ultimately defeating the no. 1 ranked wrestler in the country to claim a national championship.

In his junior season, Uhl again made his way to the national championship bout. This time around, in front of a home crowd in Findlay's Koehler Center, Uhl was defeated 9-7 to finish as the national runner-up and ended the year with a 30-7 record.

His final season at Findlay, Uhl finished 28-8 and, like he did his freshman year, took sixth at the national tournament to earn his fourth all-American honor. Along with his success on the mat, Uhl was also a four-time academic all-American.

Antonio Guerra, recently inducted into the University of Findlay Athletics Hall of Fame, was also a four-time all-American on the mat for the Roughnecks. Guerra began his tenure at Findlay in 2005, securing All-American honors after taking fifth in the 149-pound weight bracket. During his sophomore year, Guerra did not disappoint the home fans in Findlay's Koehler Center as he claimed gold in the 149-pound weight class and earned All-American accolades as well.

As a junior in 2007, Guerra jumped up a weight class to 157 and when the season ended, he had added another national championship and All-American honor. Guerra was also voted the NCAA Division II Super Region 2 Wrestler of the Year for his outstanding junior season.

A national runner-up finish in the 157-pound weight class put a cap on his incredible career in 2008 as he finished his run by being named All-American four times while capturing a pair of national championships. An Academic All-American in 2005, Guerra wrapped up his career with 123 wins, which is tied for the most in school history. His 316 takedowns rank third while his 35 wins during his senior season is the sixth-highest total in program history.

Current head coach Shawn Nelson is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Roughnecks and has built and sustained Findlay as one of the premier programs in the country. In his time at Findlay, Nelson has nearly 180 dual match victories and has coached his athletes to 11 individual national championships, 78 all-American awards, and 69 academic all-American awards.

Nelson was twice named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Coach of the Year and was named the Midwest Region and NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2012. Nelson was essential to bringing the national tournament to the Koehler Center in 2006, the first time Findlay had ever hosted a national championship.

The Hall of Fame program will start at 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 7 and tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door. With any questions on the event, contact Mike Kirk at 405-615-2233 or by email at mkirk@uco.edu.