3 Oshkosh wrestlers place in top 6 at Stevens Point Invite hours after beating Harper

Three members of the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finished in the top-six of their weight class divisions at the UW-Stevens Point Open on Saturday.

Sophomore Sam Engelland (174-lb.) placed fifth, while sophomore Carl Deluca (125-lb.) and senior Sam Laes (184-lb.) finished sixth.

The Titans also routed Harper College 40-6 in Oshkosh the night before.

Engelland competed in both meets held this weekend, which were the team’s first competitions of the season, and said it took him a bit to adjust to the new season.

"It's a little shocking at first because your body isn't used to it,” he said. “But it feels good to be competing again.”

Engelland lost his first round match on Saturday to Stevens Point’s Chris Karl, but wrestled better as the meet went on and ended up defeating Karl in the fifth place match.

The talented sophomore also said he was excited for he and his teammates to finally have the opportunity to test their skills against different opponents.

"We were practicing very hard for a month and a half now and it feels good to compete against other teams besides our own,” Engelland said.

Since Oshkosh’s team has almost twice as many freshman and sophomores than juniors and seniors, Engelland said he told his more inexperienced teammates to have fun and then they would start to see themselves accrue victories.

"Just keep it fun and don't worry about winning and losing,” he said. “If you enjoy it when you start, then you'll find yourself itching for more and more to keep working hard. And that’s when you start winning matches and seeing success."

Head Coach Mike DeRoehn said he was impressed by the performances the team gave during both meets.

"The Harper meet went very well and there was a lot of excitement being our first dual of the year, especially the way the whole team performed,” DeRoehn said. “Carl Deluca had the opportunity to wrestle in seven matches and competed strong."

DeRoehn said it was important for Oshkosh to compete at large events like the Stevens Point Open.

"You want these kinds of things periodically so that when it comes to the NCAA Championship it's kind of an old hat and you’re prepared for it,” he said. “We also take it one match at a time so we can seek to learn and improve on any given basis."

The Titans wrestling squad will next compete in the Coe College (Iowa) Invitational in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday morning.

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