Tyler Cowger has cemented his legacy as one of the top wrestlers Southern Oregon University has put on the mat with a fourth-place finish at the NAIA nationals Marche 3-4.
Cowger was one of two Sweet Home wrestling alumni who competed in national college championships this year, as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo junior Colton Schilling competed in the NCAA Division I tournament.
Cowger‘s finish made him SOU’s third four-time All-American. The Raiders finished fifth as a team March 3-4 at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.
Seeded fourth at 149, Cowger, a senior, was in the semifinals for the second year in a row and dropped a 7-4 decision to top-seeded Scottie Bonds of Midland.
Cowger rebounded with a 2-1 defeat of Morningside’s fifth-seeded Steven Garcia in the consolation semis before losing the third-place match to No. 8 Daniel Leonard of Lindsey Wilson 6-5.
Cowger, a 2013 Sweet Home graduate, completed his career with a record of 114-32, including marks of 33-6 this season and 16-7 in four appearance at the NAIA Championships. He owns the No. 3 spot on SOU’s all-time wins list.
Grand View (Iowa) ran away with its sixth championship in a row – clinching by the end of the first day and securing the NAIA team points record before the finals.
The Vikings amassed 234.5 points to second-place Lindsey Wilson’s 74.5 and had five individual champs.
At the NCAA Division I nationals Thursday, March 16, Colton Schilling fell 7-3 to 16th-seeded Jared Prince of Navy in the opening around at 141 pounds, then dropped a 7-6 decision to Brock Zacherl of Clarion in the wrestlebacks.
Schilling, who placed third at 141 pounds in the Pac-12 Championship, closes his junior season with a 13-11 mark and led the team with nine falls.
Schilling, a 2013 SHHS graduate, sports a 59-39 career record at Cal Poly.
He posted a 4-2 mark in the Reno Tournament of Champions and was 2-2 at the Las Vegas Invitational.