Thunder Wrestling
2011-12 Season in review
For the second straight year the Trine University wrestling team qualified two wrestlers for the NCAA Division III National Championships as the team finished 24th with 14.5 points. The Thunder finished highest amongst the 10 teams from the Midwest region, 3.5 points ahead of regional champion Olivet.
Junior Elias Larson earned All-American honors for the second consecutive year as he finished fourth in the 157 pound weight class with a record of 4-2.
Trine’s other qualifier was junior Ryan Pieper who made his first appearance at Nationals at 184 pounds and finished the weekend with a record of 1-2.
At the NCAA Midwest Regional tournament, the Thunder finished fourth with 99.5 points as both Larson and Pieper took home gold. Trine also had two other wrestlers qualify for the championship match in freshman Brandon Preston at 125 pounds and senior George Markou who advanced to the finals for the second straight year at 165 pounds.
At the meet, Larson was named the MIdwest region Wrestler of the Year.
Larson, Pieper and Markou were all ranked nationally in the top 10 for most of the season.
Off the mats, the squad placed three wrestlers on the NWCA Scholar All-American team. Larson and Pieper along with senior Jason Alber were honored for their successes on the mat and in the classroom. Alber earned All-American honors for the third consecutive year, while Larson earned the honor for the second time and Pieper picked up the award for the first time in his career.
