BEREA, Ohio – 10 Baldwin Wallace University winter sports student-athletes have earned the right to continue their seasons at NCAA Division III Championships this weekend.
The men's and women's indoor track and field teams will be represented by junior All-American distance runner Hope Murphy (Mogadore) and junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference jumper Christian Pfeiffer (Amherst).
Murphy qualifies for her second apperance at the indoor championships after finished in 10th place in the one-mile with a time of 5:21.06 in last years indoor championship. This apperance, she will be competing in the 800-meter run. This season, she has tagged 17 first place finishes in several different events throughout all indoor meets this year while also breaking the 12-year-old BW facility record in a time of 2:16.59 in the 800-meter run and the school 800-meter and 500-meter run record time. She was also crowned the OAC Champion in the 800-meter run and the one-mile run.
Pfeiffer qualifies for his first apperance at the indoor championships after being crowned the OAC Champion in the high jump. He earned his first All-OAC honor after career-best performance at the OAC Indoor Championships. This season, he has tagged five first place finishes in high jump throughout all indoor meets this year.
The No. 4 nationally ranked, OAC Champion and NCAA Division III Central Regional Champion men's wrestling team will represented by senior No. 3 nationally ranked, All-American and Central Regional 125-pound Champion Jacob Decatur (Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy), junior No. 3 nationally ranked and All-OAC 133-pounder Jaden Hinton (Glassboro, N.J.), senior 141-pounder Zak Anderson (Elyria/Midview), junior No. 1 nationally ranked, All-American and Central Regional 149-pound Champion Michael Petrella (Reynoldsburg/Bishop Hartley), sophomore No. 9 nationally ranked and All-OAC 157-pounder Tommy West (Avon Lake/St. Edward), senior All-OAC, Academic All-OAC and Central Regional 174-pound Champion Luke Hopkins (Cuyahoga Heights), senior No. 4 nationally ranked, All-American and Central Regional 197-pound Champion Doug Byrne (Wickliffe) and senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC 285-pounder Matthew Werts (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute).
Decatur, who is a 125-pound All-American, is making his second straight trip to the national tournament. The defending NCAA 125-pound champion earned his second trip by winning the 125-pound title with a 4-0 record at the NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. Decatur recorded two major decision victories, a technical fall, and a decision enroute to his second consecutive regional championship. This season, Decatur is 24-1 with six major decisions, four technical fall and two pins. In just two seasons in Berea, he has a career record of 59-2 with 13 technical falls, 11 major decisions and six pins.
Hinton, who is a 133-pound All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer, is returning to the national tournament for the second consecutive year after placing second at NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. He went 3-1 and won all three matches by technical fall. This season, Hinton is tied for the team lead with career-high 33 victories to go with just two losses. He has recorded a career-best and team-high 12 technical falls, a career-best and team-high 11 major decisions and a career-best two pins. For his career, Hinton has a record of 63-13 with 22 major decisions, 20 technical falls and three pins.
Anderson is making his first trip to the national tournament at 141 pounds after placing second at NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. He was 3-1 with two decisions and one major decision. This season, Anderson has a career-high 22 victories with seven losses. He has tallied five major decisions, a career-best four technical falls and two pins. For his career, Anderson has a record of 51-27 with 15 major decisions, 10 pins and four technical falls.
Petrella, who is a 149-pound All-American, is making his second straight trip to the national tournament. The returning 149-pound NCAA National Runner-up earned his second trip by winning the 149-pound title with a 4-0 record at the NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. Petrella recorded two victories by pinfall and a major decision and decision wins. This season, he is undefeated with a record of 29-0. He is second on the team with a career-high 15 pins to go along with a career-best five major decisions and a career-high tying three technical falls. For his career, Petrella has 68 career victories which ranks him tied for 40th on the school's all-time wins list with his father Paul, who was BW's first ever men's wrestling champion and All-American. He has just four losses with 27 pins, 10 major decisions and six technical falls. Off the mat, Petrella is a National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American.
West, who is a 157-pound All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer, is making his first trip to the national tournament after placing second at NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. He went 3-1 winning all by decision. This season, West has a career-high 25 victories with four losses. He has recorded a career-best five pins, two technical falls and a career-high tying two major decisions. For his career, West has a record of 47-15 with five pins, five technical falls and four major decisions.
Hopkins, who is a 174-pound All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC performer, is making his first trip to the national tournament after winning the 174-pound title with a 5-0 record at the NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. He recorded three wins by decision and one each by pinfall and technical fall. This season, Hopkins has a record of 22-12 with a career-high six technical falls, a career-best tying two major decisions and one pin. For his career, Hopkins has a record of 48-31 with nine technical falls, five pins and four major decisions. Off the mat, he is a two-time Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer, National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American, Dean's List student, Jacket scholar, member of the Chi Alpha Sigma and Dayton C. Miller honoraries and the recipient of the Yellow Jacket Award of Academic Excellence.
Byrne, who is a 197-pound All-American, is making his second trip to the national tournament after winning the 197-pound title with a 4-0 record at the NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. He recorded two wins by decision and one each by technical fall and major decision. This season, Byrne, who was a 2020 national qualifier at 184 pounds, has a career-high 29 victories with just one loss. He leads the team with a career-best 17 pins to go along with a career-best five major decisions and a career-high two technical falls. For his career, Byrne ranks 26th school's all-time list with 82 victories (82-13). He has tallied 47 pins, 11 major decisions and three technical falls. Off the mat, Byrne is a National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American.
Werts is a 285-pound All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC performer, is making his first trip to the national tournament after placing third at NCAA Central Regional Champions last weekend. He went 5-1 with four decisions and one pin. This season, Werts has a career-high 23 victories with 11 losses. He has recorded a career-best seven pins and a career-high tying one major decision. For his career, Werts has a record of 58-40 with 17 pins and three major decisions. Off the mat, he is a two-time Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer, National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American, Dean's List student, Jacket Scholar and a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma and Dayton C. Miller honoraries.
The NCAA Division III Indoor and Track and Field and Wrestling Championships will both be contested on Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11. The indoor track and field championships will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama while the wrestling championships will be held at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia.
