PICTURED ABOVE: (From left to right) Assistant coach Eric Terrazas, Dan Olsen and head coach Jim Gruenwald.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Wheaton College wrestlers
Darren Faber and
Dan Olsen (PICTURED LEFT) represented the Thunder wrestling program at the 2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena this weekend. Olsen posted a 3-2 record this weekend finishing seventh at 184-pounds to earn All-Anerican recognition from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Faber went 2-2 in his second consecutive trip to the National Championships.
Olsen, a sophomore, had a strong performance in his first appearance at the Division III Championships to become Wheaton's first All-American in wrestling since Toby Boltz in 2009. Olsen, unseeded at 184-pounds, won a 4-2 decision in his first-round match against number-seven seed Brian Broll of Buena Vista. The Thunder grappler lost an 11-0 major decision against Brian Broderick of The College of New Jersey in the quarterfinals. Olsen rebounded in his first consolation round match with a resounding pin of Jayden DeVibiss just 24-seconds into their match.
Olsen lost a 9-1 major decision to Mitchell Hagen of St. John's (Minn.) in the consolation round of the morning session on Saturday, sending him to the seventh-place match in Saturday's morning session. Olsen won the seventh-place match by forfeit over Roland Dunlap of UW-Whitewater. Olsen concludes his breakout sophomore campign with a 29-5 record.
Faber, (PICTURED RIGHT) the seventh-seeded wrestler in the 197-pound weight class, won his two matches in Friday's opening session. The Thunder senior is competing at the Division III Championships for the second consecutive year. Faber earned victory in a fall at the 6:48 mark of his opening match against Phil Landis of Elizabethtown College on Friday morning. Faber won a 13-10 decision against Matthew Transue of Wilkes University is his second match of the opening session.
In the quarterfinals on Friday evening, Faber lost a 6-4 decision in overtime to second-seeded Alex Coolidge of Cornell College (Iowa). Faber trailed Coolidge 3-2 in the final period, but in the final two minutes Faber recorded a takedown to take a 4-3 lead and then Coolidge responded with a quick escape to tie the match at 4-4. A takedown by Coolidge 13-seconds into the overtime session gave the Cornell wrestler the sudden victory win. Faber lost a tough 3-2 decision to top-seeded Jared Myhrberg of Cortland State in the consolation round to conclude his stellar career. Faber posted an 18-5 record this season and a 49-14 overall record in his two years at Wheaton.
