Naperville, Ill. – The Wheaton wrestling team competed at the 2023 CCIW Wrestling Championships hosted by North Central College on Thursday. The Thunder placed third in the 10-team field.

The host Cardinals of North Central won the conference championship with a CCIW record 169 points. Millikin placed second with 111 points, Wheaton scored 100 points in third place, Concordia (Wis.) was fourth with 96.5 points and Aurora rounded out the top-five with 80.6 points. Elmhurst finished sixth with 77 points, Augustana tallied 52.5 points, MSOE placed eighth with 48 points, Carthage scored 28.5 points in ninth place and Lakeland finished 10^th.

Thunder senior Jackson Punzel was Wheaton's lone CCIW Champion at today's meet, winning the title at 197-pounds. The top seed, Punzel received a first-round bye and he earned a fall against Augustana's Brian Salinas at the 1:55 mark of their second-round match. Punzel won an 8-2 decision against Millikin's Cade Scott in their semifinal match. Punzel won a 2-1 decision against North Central's Brock Montford in the championship match to earn the conference title.

Brendan Johnston finished third at 125-pounds. Johnston opened with a 17-1 technical fall in his first-round win against Carthage's Loren Semler. North Central's Julian Valtierrez defeated Johnson in an 18-2 technical in the semifinal. Johnston won by fall at 4:45 of his match against Aurora's Zane Ely. He also earned a fall at 4:45 of his win against Aurora's Devin Gore in the third-place match.

Stephen Watson finished third at 184-pounds. Watson received a first-round bye and lost in a fall at 8:02 of his second-round match against Concordia's Ruben Vasquez. Watson defeated Aurora's David Navarra in a fall at 4:43. Watson advanced to the third-place match by winning a 10-6 decision against Augustana's Clay DeBaillie. Watson won a 5-1 decision versus Aurora's Alton Mullinax in the third-place match.

Senior Ethan Harsted placed fourth at 141-pounds. The top seed, Harsted received a first-round bye and he defeated Carthage's Cole Nelson 21-6 in a technical fall. Aurora's Cameron Johnson won a 13-4 major decision against Harsted in the semifinal. Harsted defeated MSOE's Connor Nagela in a 23-4 technical fall to advance to the third-place match. North Central's Bradley Rosen edged Harsted in a 4-3 decision in the third-place match.

Cale Coppess finished fourth at 149-pounds. He received a first-round bye and defeated Lakeland's Lucas Schanen in a 16-0 technical fall in the second round. Coppess lost an 18-0 technical fall against North Central's Javen Estrada in the semifinal. Coppess advanced to the third-place match with a 1-0 decision over Emhurst's Zach Kolb. Millikin's Peter McCusker won a 6-3 decision against Coppess in the third-place match.

Nathan Larson placed fourth at 165-pounds. Larson lost a 7-3 decision against Millikin's Dejon Glaster in the second round. Larson earned a fall at 5:38 of his match against Aurora's Emanuel Diaz. Larson earned his spot in the third-place match with a 6-4 decision against Elmhurst's Jeff Nugent. Jack Patting of Augustana defeated Larson in a 4-2 decision in the third-place match.

Jacob Kraker finished fourth in the 174-pound weight class. Kraker opened with a first-round bye and defeated Augustana's Vinny Querciagrossa in a 5-2 decision in the second round. Top seed Luke Silva of Aurora won a 13-3 major decision against Kraker in the semifinals. Kraker won an 8-1 decision versus Elmhurst's Joe Caringella to advance to the third-place match. Casey Aikman won a 22-8 major decision against Kraker in the third-place match.

Wheaton returns to action at the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional on February 24-25. Concordia (Wis.) will host the Regional in two weeks in Mequon, Wisconsin.