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MADISON – Auburndale senior Sloan Welch capped off his senior season in style, earning a state championship on Saturday night at the 2023 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center.
Welch finished off a 54-2 season with a quick pin of La Crosse Aquinas’ Brady Lehnherr, winning the Division 3 220-pound championship in just 1:33 to earn his second state medal.
Welch, who took fourth place at state as a sophomore in 2021, took control midway through the opening period and was able to flip Lahnherr on his back to finish off the pin. He becomes the seventh state champion in Auburndale program history.
Auburndale’s other finalist, Colton Weiler, lost his D-3 138-pound final, falling to Lucas Sullivan (49-4) of Mineral Point. Weiler also completed a 50-win season at 52-5.
Marshfield’s two Division 1 state finalists were defeated. Sophomore Caleb Dennee (45-6) dropped the 152-pound final to Jake Stoffel (44-1) of Appleton North, 5-3, and senior Garrett Willuweit (49-6) lost the 160-pound championship match to Charlie Millard (52-2) of Mequon Homestead, 9-1.
Marshfield picked up four other medals to finish with a school-record six.
Brett Franklin (45-10) finished fourth at 138 pounds, losing in the third-place match to Sullivan Ramos (51-6) of Kenosha Indian Trail, 2-1; Jon Sternweis (42-14) finished fifth at 106 pounds, beating Treynor Curtin of Reedsburg 7-5 in overtime; and Hoyt Blaskowski (50-5) also took fifth at 145, beating Cole Sarbacker of Stoughton, 7-6, in the fifth-place match.
In the girls tournament, Marshfield sophomore Ava Gardner finished third at 100 pounds after winning a pair of consolation matches Saturday. Gardner defeated Nora Lee of Holmen 7-1 and won the third-place match over Kylie Klum of Westby with a pin in 26 seconds to finish the season with a 22-4 record.
Auburndale’s Derek Godard (49-12) won his Division 3 fifth-place match, beating Jayden Geier of Westby, 11-9, to also snag a state medal.
Stratford earned three state medals with top-six finishes. Jackson Ormond (46-2) won his 182-pound third-place match over Tyson Bogacz of Bonduel, 9-5; Ryan Becker (42-15) finished fourth at 145 pounds after a loss in the third-place match to Syler Zdanczewicz of Fennimore 7-2; and Carter Lueck (43-8) ended up fourth at 170 after he dropped the third-place match to Toren Vandenbush of Random Lake, 10-4.
Click here to view all of the state tournament results, courtesy of trackwrestling.com.
2023 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament
Feb. 23-25, at Kohl Center, Madison
Matches involving local wrestlers
Boys
Saturday, Feb. 25
Division 1 consolation semifinals
106: Owen Becker (41-3), Germantown, pinned Jon Sternweis (41-14), Marshfield, 4:59.
138: Brett Franklin (45-9), Marshfield, pinned Connor Krueger (49-7), Superior, 4:47.
145: Royce Nio (45-5), Milton, def. Hoyt Blaskowski (49-5), Marshfield, 5-1.
Division 3 consolation semifinals
106: Blake Underwood (47-1), Marathon, def. Derek Godard (48-12), Auburndale, 4-2.
145: Ryan Becker (42-14), Stratford, def. Tyler Sunday (53-4), Clear Lake, 3-1.
170: Carter Lueck (43-7), Stratford, def. Matthew Roach (45-9), Ladysmith, 7-4.
182: Jackson Ormond (45-2), Stratford, pinned Jaden Walker (50-5), Markesan, 2:19.
Division 1 third-place matches
138: Sullivan Ramos (51-6), Kenosha Indian Trail, def. Brett Franklin (45-10), Marshfield, 2-1.
Division 1 fifth-place matches
106: Jon Sternweis (42-14), Marshfield, def. Treynor Curtin (47-6), Reedsburg, 7-5, SV-1.
145: Hoyt Blaskowski (50-5), Marshfield, def. Cole Sarbacker (48-10), Stoughton, 7-6.
Division 3 third-place matches
145: Syler Zdanczewicz (31-18), Fennimore, def. Ryan Becker (42-15), Stratford, 7-2.
170: Toren Vandenbush (55-5), Random Lake, def. Carter Lueck (43-8), Stratford, 10-4.
182: Jackson Ormond (46-2), Stratford, def. Tyson Bogacz (44-3), Bonduel, 9-5.
Division 3 fifth-place matches
106: Derek Godard (49-12), Auburndale, def. Jayden Geier (43-15), Westby, 11-9.
Division 1 finals
152: Jake Stoffel (44-1), Appleton North, def. Caleb Dennee (45-6), Marshfield, 5-3.
160: Charlie Millard (52-2), Mequon Homestead, won major dec. over Garrett Willuweit (49-6), Marshfield, 9-1.
Division 3 finals
138: Lucas Sullivan (49-4), Mineral Point, def. Colton Weiler (52-5), Auburndale, 7-2.
220: Sloan Welch (54-2), Auburndale, pinned Brady Lehnherr (18-5), La Crosse Aquinas, 1:33.
Girls
Saturday, Feb. 25
Consolation semifinals
100: Ava Gardner (21-4), Marshfield, def. Nora Lee (33-8), Holmen, 7-1.
Third-place match
100: Ava Gardner (22-4), Marshfield, pinned Kylie Klum (18-2), Westby, 0:26.