Madison, Wis. - Twelve University of Wisconsin-La Crosse wrestlers have been selected to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling All-Time Team that will be recognized in conjunction with the conference's upcoming Centennial Celebration. 

Ryan Allen (2002-06); Josh Chelf (2004-08); Paul Corner (1985-89); Jake Larsen (2003-07); Dan Laurent (2006-10); Jason Lulloff (2003-07); Matt Mauseth (2007-11); Jeff O'Gara (1992-96); Jason Ott (1998-2002); Brandon Penzkover (1992-96); Mike Schmitz (2008-present) and Bebeto Yewah (2008-present) all earned recognition on the all-time team.  A total of 26 student-athletes were named to the all-time.

All-Time Teams are being selected in those men's and women's sports that have been classified as “championship” sports at some point during the conference's 100-year history. Additional teams will be released on a weekly basis throughout much of the 2011-12 academic year.

For the complete list of the WIAC Wrestling All-Time Team, click here.

Allen ranks first in school history in victories, finishing 161-14.  He won three NCAA Division III championships at 285-pounds (2004, 2005, 2006) and earned All-America honors with a second-place finish (2003).  Allen won four WIAC titles (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006).

Chelf is second in career victories for the Eagles, going 153-24.  He won a pair of 174-pound national titles (2007, 2008) and was a four-time All-America.  Chelf was sixth in 2005 and third in 2006.  He won three league championships (2006, 2007, 2008) and was named to the 2008 CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team.  Chelf was also selected to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic Team three times (2006, 2007, 2008).

Corner was fourth at 126-pounds at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to earn All-America recognition.  He finished 89-21-2 in his career and won three conference titles (1985, 1986, 1988) at 134-pounds.

Larsen went 55-30 in his career at UW-L, winning the NCAA title at 149-pounds in 2006.  He was fourth in 2005 and sixth in 2007 to earn All-America honors.  Larsen was selected to the 2007 NWCA All-Academic Team.

Laurent is seventh in career wins, finishing 124-27.  He won three NCAA III titles at 285-pounds (2008, 2009, 2010) and four WIAC championships (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).  Laurent was named the 2010 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year and earned an NCAA Top VIII Award.  He was also selected to the NWCA All-Academic Team in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Lulloff ranks third in career victories at UW-L, going 140-22.  He earned four career NCAA III All-America accolades, finishing third at 174-pounds in 2003.  At 184-pounds, Lulloff was fourth in 2004 and third in 2006 and 2007.  He won three conference titles at 184 (2004, 2006, 2007) and was selected to the 2007 CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America Team.  Lulloff was a three-time (2004, 2006, 2007) NWCA All-Academic Team choice.

Mauseth finished 102-29 at UW-L, currently 16th in school history in victories.  He won the 149-pound national championship in 2009 and earned All-America honors with a third-place finish in 2010.  He won four WIAC titles at 149-pounds (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).  Mauseth was named to the NWCA All-Academic Team in 2009 and 2011.

O'Gara is tied for 10th in career wins with a record of 111-14.  He earned three career NCAA Division III All-America honors at 118-pounds, including winning the championship in 1996.  O'Gara was third in 1993 and second in 1994.  He won the conference title in 1994 and 1996.

Ott finished 109-20 at UW-L, tied for 12th in school history in victories.  He won the NCAA title at 285-pounds in 2002 and earned All-America awards with a seventh-place finish in 1999 and third-place showing in 2001.  Ott won league titles three times (2001, 2002, 2003) at 285-pounds.

Penzkover finished 85-30 in his career, earning an NCAA Division III title at 167-pounds in 1996.  He also earned All-America honors in 1994 and 1995 after finishing fifth.  Penzkover won three conference championships (158-pounds in 1994; 167 in 1995 and 1996).

Schmitz is currently 97-20 in his career, including a 22-1 mark this season.  He won the 174-pound NCAA title in 2010 and earned All-America accolades with a fourth-place finish in 2009 and third-place result in 2011.  Schmitz has won three 174-pound WIAC titles and will aim for his fourth February 26 at UW-Whitewater.

Yewah is 83-7 in his career, including 25-2 this season.  He has won a pair of NCAA III championships, earning the 133-pound title in 2010 and 141-pound divisin in 2011.  Yewah has won a pair of league championships (133 in 2010; 141 in 2011) and will compete at this year's WIAC meet February 26.

WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner remarked that this has been an extremely difficult process given the 100-year span and incomparable success the conference has experienced in most of its sports.  Karner noted that in some sports, even achieving All-American status didn't necessarily guarantee an athlete a spot on the team.  He also acknowledged that while disagreement is inherent and expected whenever there is a selection of an all-time anything (be it a team, restaurant or movie), the conference nonetheless felt it important to recognize student-athletes and coaches who have contributed to the success of the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history.

The student-athlete representation on each team has relied heavily on input provided by the sports information director from each of the nine WIAC campuses, while the process for selecting the head coach(es) for each team also includes input from a panel of media representatives.  The number of individuals selected per team varies depending upon the nature of the sport itself as well as the number of years the sport has/had been sponsored within the conference.

The conference has also elected to establish a special “legacy” category to recognize those student-athletes and coaches who had extremely accomplished careers but competed during an era(s) when the compilation of statistical data was spotty at best and/or the style of play at that time does not translate for comparative purposes to the stats prevalent in the modern era.  The WIAC “Legacy Team” will also be named at a later date.

All-Time Team members will receive certificates from the conference and it is hoped that most, if not all, of the recipients will be in attendance or represented at the WIAC Centennial Banquet to be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on August 4, 2012.

More information on the activities and events associated with the WIAC Centennial can be accessed via the WIAC website at www.wiacsports.com.