The UW-Platteville wrestling team kept up with their winning ways on Dec. 1 as they took home the team tournament title from the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational in Milwaukee.

Rebounding after a tough dual loss against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 29, the Pioneers placed first out of the 10 teams participating in the competition.

Among the UW-P wrestlers taking first place in the tournament were Jesse Milks who dominated at 157 pounds and freshman sensation Vinny Alber who won the title at 141 pounds.

Teammates Dillon Pontnack and Ryan Higgins faced each other in the finals for the 149 weight class. Pontnack won the title in a 4-3 decision.

The Pioneers strengthened their team score with solid second place finishes from Brad Zellner at 184 pounds and Matt McGill at 141 pounds.

Other Pioneers finishing on the medal stand were Spencer Peterson at 133 pounds, Cory Zuberbier at 174, Mike Jackowski at 197 and Cody Weber at 285, who all placed third in their respective classes.

The Pioneers avenged a previous dual loss by topping Lakeland College 133.5 points to 131.5 for the title.

“We wrestled really well this weekend,” head coach Chris Walter said. “We’ve had to mix and match some weight classes because of injuries.”

“We were happy that freshman Cody Weber stepped in just out of football with only five days of practice and wrestled tough against the No. 1 wrestler in the nation at 285 from Knox
College and lost 5-1. He wrestled well and took third in his first tournament.”

“He was tough, real good,” Weber said. “The match was mostly stand-up, and he took me down in the third period to win the match.”

Weber said he is looking forward to other tournaments and wrestling against tough competition throughout the WIAC conference season.

Looking back on his accomplishments so far this season, Alber said that he was happy with his early success.

“My training over the summer with the Overtime Club in Naperville, Ill., has helped me get ready for college,” Alber said. “Their practices were almost like a college practice.”

Milks, who has also been successful so far, said a season of wrestling for the Pioneers helped get him ready for this year.

“My goal is to get back to nationals and place,” Milks said. “I want to be an All-American on top of winning conference.”

The week ahead will be a busy one for the Pioneers. They have a home dual meet against UW-Stevens Point at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6 in the Williams Fieldhouse.

“Stevens Point will be a tough test,” Walter said. “They are a junior and senior-laden team that will challenge us.”

The WIAC conference dual leads to a weekend full of action with the Pioneer wrestlers heading separate directions to either the Dick Walker Invite in Cedar Falls, Iowa, hosted by No. 2-
ranked Wartburg College or the Jim Fox Spartan Invite in Dubuque, Iowa, at the University of Dubuque.

Facing some of the top teams in the nation including Wartburg, Augsburg and UW-Whitewater, the Pioneers will have their work cut out for them at Wartburg.

“Wrestling at Wartburg will be a tough individual test,” Milks said. “A lot of the top guys in the country in my class will be there, including a guy from Wartburg who is ranked No. 2 in the nation.”

“We want to go there and have success like we have been having early on this season,” Walter said. “This tournament is like the first semester nationals for us. We have a lot of wrestling ahead for us.”