Local colleges: Parkside wrestlers take two firsts

By The Journal Times staff

Sunday, December 2, 2007 12:41 AM CST

Brothers Kyle and Craig Becker of Hartford led the way for the UW-Parkside men’s wrestling team at the 36th Annual Wisconsin Open Wrestling Championships held Saturday in the Petretti Fieldhouse on the Parkside campus in Somers.

Kyle Becker, a senior, went 6-0, including two pins, and won the 165-pound weight class. Kyle Becker beat Jake Wozniak of UW-Stevens Point 4-0 in the championship match and improved to 17-2 this season.

Craig Becker, a junior who was wrestling unattached in the meet, went 5-0, including three major decisions and a technical fall, and won the 157-pound weight class. Craig Becker (14-2) beat Aaron Winning of McKendree College 13-7 in the championship match.

Junior Corey VanGroll of Parkside advanced to the championship match at 174 pounds, where he lost in a major decision (10-2) to Matt Cauley of Lindenwood University. Cauley was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet. VanGroll (13-2) went 4-1 in the tournament.

Also at 174 pounds, Parkside freshman Ryan Woods went 4-3 and placed sixth. Woods (14-5) forfeited the fifth-place match to Dennis Reckelberg of UW-Stevens Point.

Sophomore Luke Haag of Parkside went 5-1 and placed third at 184 pounds. Included in Haag’s wins were a pin and a technical fall. In the third-place match, Haag (9-5) beat Neal Kemp of Lindenwood 6-2.

Freshman Cody Zimmerman of Parkside went 4-2, including three pins, and placed fifth at 125 pounds. Zimmerman (12-6) pinned Joe Norton of North Central in 3:45 in the fifth-place match.

Senior Craig DeGreef of Parkside went 3-1 and placed sixth at 133 pounds. DeGreef (5-5), who was injured in the semifinals and took an injury forfeit to Jered Kern of UW-Stevens Point in the fifth-place match, had two pins among his three wins at the tournament.

Freshman Curtis Hines of Parkside also placed sixth. Wrestling at 197, Hines (8-7) went 4-3 and lost 8-2 to Adam Hicks of McKendree College in the fifth-place match.

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