OSKALOOSA, Iowa - The Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Wrestling Championship took place over the weekend, consisting of athletes from 12 teams. With multiple standout performances, William Woods finished in 7th place with a team score of 74.5.

The Owls wrestled a total of 12 men: Kelley Brown II, Emmanuel Trotter (125), Braden Werdehausen (133), Kael Glenn (141), Michael Moore-Fondren, Jake Hall (149), Whit Nichols, Jace Dummel (157), Xander Sederburg (165), Elijah Brocksmith (174), Austen Wetzel (184), and Dominic Mullin (197).

Brown and Trotter shared similar paths in each of their first conference championship appearances at the 125 weight. Brown fell in the opening round by tech fall, 22-5, while Trotter went down by fall in 2:14. Requiring two losses for elimination, the pair were each able to advance through their next round with byes. However, each freshman's second match was their last. Brown lost by tech fall, 17-1, while Trotter endured the entire three, losing eventually by major decision, 15-5.

Sophomore Braden Werdehausen was able to find much more success on the mats as the Owls 133-pound representative. Werdehausen wasted no time in the opening round, pinning his opponent in just 1:56. Round two was anything but similar, though, with the grappler needing the entire seven minutes. When the dust settled, Werdehausen was up on his opponent 6-5, earning the tight win by decision. This would become a common theme for the sophomore over the rest of championship weekend. In his match with a 1st place bout appearance on the line, Werdehausen was bested by major decision, 19-6. With just one loss to give at this point, the wrestler left nothing on the mats. A shot at 3rd place on the line now, Werdehausen sweated out yet another tightly contested bout, winning by decision, just 5-4. Despite the series of events that led to this point, the grappler was not letting a podium finish slip away. In the contest for 3rd place, Werdehausen pinned the same opponent that he defeated in the second round by decision, 6-5, at 1:52, returning to Fulton as a victor.

Kael Glenn hit the mats in Oskaloosa as the 141-pound wrestler for the Owls. Glenn was defeated in the opening round by tech fall, 21-5. In his next and final match, the senior lost again by tech fall, 17-0, marking the end of his final conference championship appearance.

Moore-Fondren and Hall competed for William Woods in the crowded 149-pound bracket. The duo each lost their initial bout by fall, at 2:07 for the former and 4:11 for the latter. Now facing elimination, the two once again shared a similar fate, being best by fall in 3:50 and 2:44 respectively.

Whit Nichols and Jace Dummel were the final Owl teammates to experience the same bracket. Each lost their opening round contest by fall, Nichols' coming at 3:27 and Dummel's at 3:18. Each wrestler displayed resilience, however, winning their next bouts. Nichols overpowered his opponent in the middle of the second round, winning by fall at 4:42. Dummel went all three, eventually earning a win by decision, 8-1. Nichols then found himself in a battle, ending up on the wrong side in a major decision loss, 11-1. Unfortunately, Dummel had to leave his next contest due to injury, putting an end to the pair of sophomores' weekend, but not before showing promise for the future.

Senior Xander Sederburg wrestled in his final conference championship in green at the 165 weight. Sederburg advanced from round one due to an injury of his opponent in the third round. However, his weekend and season was cut short, having to forfeit his final two contests.

The Fulton native, Elijah Brocksmith represented William Woods in the 174 bracket. The sophomore was bested in the opening round after a tight contest by major decision, 14-4. Yet, this loss was just the beginning. Brocksmith proceeded to rattle off three straight victories, coming by fall at 2:05, tech fall, 19-4, and tech fall, 21-6). These hard-earned wins carried Brocksmith to the 3rd place match and a chance to be the second Owl on the podium. However, after almost seven minutes, Brocksmith was defeated by tech fall, 22-6, falling just shy of the podium, but impressing both fans of the Owls and others with his performance.

In the 184-pound bracket, the name to beat was none other than the junior dressed in green, Austen Wetzel. Earning himself the top seed through a 28-2 regular season, Wetzel won each of his four contests at the Heart championship. In order, Wetzel's matches were won by tech fall, 18-3, fall at a staggering 1:12, tech fall, 21-5, and a win in the championship match by tech fall, 20-5. Austen Wetzel was named champion of the Heart of America Men's Wrestling 184-pound weight class, adding to his already dynamic season.

The final wrestler for William Woods was the junior Dominic Mullin in the 197 class. Mullin jumped out of the gates with a win by fall in the second round of his opening contest, at 3:26. He proceeded to be taken down by fall himself, pushing him to the other side of the bracket. On his road to 3rd place, Mullin pinned his next opponent 25 seconds into the match, one of the quickest on the year for the Owls. Despite the momentum that victory earned, Mullin's run came to an end, losing again by fall in his final match.

Eligible wrestlers from William Woods competing at the NAIA National Championship in Wichita, Kan. will wrestle March 6th and 7th.