WIAA state wrestling: Nine area individual titles highlighted by Connor Mirasola's four-peat

MADISON - The WIAA state individual wrestling tournament featured 15 Milwaukee-area athletes seeking to earn the right to be called 2024 state champions in Saturday night's title matches.

Nine area athletes walked away from the Kohl Center with such a distinction, including a couple multi-time champions and seniors who went out on top. Here are the highlights.

Division 1

West Bend West takes three titles, led by Connor and Cole Mirasola

West Bend West's Connor Mirasola (51-0) got his well-deserved standing ovation as the 28th four-time state champion in state history after winning his 190-pound title bout by injury default over Hudson's Ethan Winkelman, but there was some disappointment in what he was unable to give back to a sold-out crowd.

"I wanted to put on a show one last time. I’ve had a lot of fun and love competing in front of these crowds," Mirasola said.

For those who were around for the duration of the tournament, however, there was a dominant show on display. Mirasola left little doubt in the wake of victories that included 26-9 over Stoughton's Gatlin Empey, a first-period pin of Watertown's Owen Sjoberg and a 25-10 win over Pulaski's Chase Woosencraft to reach the title match. While the culmination was a surprise to many who hoped to see a magnum opus from Mirasola, the wrestler himself was aware of the circumstances for much of the afternoon.

"I was sitting in the stands around noon and saw my guy at the trainer’s table talking to the trainer. I saw him get up and he was limping pretty bad, wasn’t really walking well," Mirasola said.

Texts exchanged between coaches later in the afternoon confirmed Mirasola's fears that his opponent was unable to compete. Mirasola was the second of three four-time champions crowned Saturday night, joining Cumberland's Dawson Johnson (D3-138) and Amery's Koy Hopke (D2-285).

Two weight classes later, twin brother Cole Mirasola (51-1) won his 285-pound title match 7-4 over Appleton North's Brock Arndt to become a three-time champion. A pair of takedowns in the first period set the tone for a bout Cole felt he controlled from the start.

"It was close, but I don’t really think it was close. I controlled the pace the whole time," he said. "(Brock)’s a really great opponent, he’s strong, he’s big, but I feel like it could have been way worse than that."

Connor and Cole became the third brother duo in state history to combine for seven WIAA titles in the same program, joining Jake Donar (2001-03) and Jarod Donar (2009-12) of Cuba City/Southwestern and Paul Bianchi (2014-16) and Matty Bianchi (2018-21) of Two Rivers. The Mirasolas are both committed to Penn State for wrestling, but in the short term they look ahead to Olympic trials competitions as they each seek to take their game to the international stage.

West Bend West’s first title of the evening came from junior Ethan Bast (55-4) at 113 by a 9-1 edge over Menomonie’s Brayten Casey. Bast said he came into the tournament extremely motivated by a third-place finish at state last season. He was eager to thank his family and the Mirasolas for their support.

“They’re great, they push us all in the room,” Bast said of Connor and Cole. “It’s good to have them and we’ll be sad when they’re gone.”

Cole expressed pride in his teammate’s growth as well.

“He’s gotten a lot better. Taking third last year, I think it put some fire in his belly to just keep working harder,” Cole Mirasola said.

Homestead's Charlie Millard wins in style with his coaches

Charlie Millard’s third trip to Madison was about leaving no doubt but included some stellar fashion as the cherry on top.

After a losing a difficult 6-4 decision as a sophomore in the 152-pound title match, Millard (54-0) bounced back to capture the crown at 160 last year. Saturday was about finishing his prep career on top. Millard and his coaches did just that and looked good doing it.

Millard took the mats against area finalist and No. 3 seed Ramon Gulmatico (40-3) of Arrowhead with his father, Ernie, and the Highlanders coaching staff fitted in kilts to watch Millard capture back-to-back titles in a 9-3 decision.

“My dad’s been talking about kilts since I was a freshman,” Millard said with a big smile. “He’s always wanted us to wear them, and I said, ‘Dad, I don’t know as a team if we’re good enough to wear kilts.’ This year as a team, we were good enough and we decided that this was the year to wear them.”

Millard and the Highlanders captured the North Shore Conference title for the first time in program history this season with Millard winning the 157-pound title and teammate Sorin Osadcii winning the 138-pound crown. He said the coaches needed his permission to wear them Saturday night and Millard gave the go-ahead.

“I said, ‘You guys gotta do you’,” Millard said with a laugh. “It was funny. It definitely kept my nerves pretty cool.”

Arrowhead's Wyatt Duchateau ends career as three-time champion

After completing his ascension to a third straight state title with a 10-5 win at 150 pounds over Hortonville's Henry Niebauer, Arrowhead senior Wyatt Duchateau (46-2) thought of a freshman version of himself that never gave up on his goals.

Duchateau was unable to compete at state his freshman year after sustaining a medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) tear that left his left knee susceptible to dislocation. Surgery and a knee brace have brought strenghth and confidence back to Duchateau's performance, which was evident early on in his title match. A takedown and nearfall helped the senior jump to a 5-2 lead in the opening period, which gave him confidence as the match wore on.

"It was very helpful because that match became my match from the start, it became my pace and whatever I wanted to do, he had to respect it," Duchateau said. "He was coming from a downfall, so he was down on the board and had to find a way to put points up, and I don’t give up points easy."

The University of Minnesota commit will join Homestead's Millard, Plymouth's Silas Dailey, Amery's Hopke and 2023 Germantown grad Ethan Riddle on a Gophers program with plenty of Wisconsin talent next fall. He also leaves behind a continued legacy at Arrowhead that he said helped raise his level of performance throughout the years.

"To know that you have people around you who are like-minded, people who have made it from your school and been doing very successful. It’s very fitting, and I feel like it’s very motivating to continue that legacy," Duchateau said.

Oconomowoc's Kellen Wolbert earns second title in as many seasons

The ovations for four-time champions such as Connor Mirasola were something Oconomowoc sophomore Kellen Wolbert (44-2) got one step closer to achieving with his 9-3 win over Lucas Peters of Kaukauna at 132 pounds.

"It’s a goal I’ve had for a while to become a four-time state champ," Wolbert said. "I’ve just got to be sure to stay disciplined, take it one step at a time and put in as much work as I can."

Despite coming into state as a top-seeded 2023 champion, the nerves were still a factor in the leadup to each bout for Wolbert. Underneath those jitters this year, however, was a confidence validated by his first title.

"Before the finals, that walk gives you chills, your heart's racing even though you’re not really doing anything," Wolbert said. "I think this year I was a little bit more confident and more assertive in the way that I wrestled, just knowing that I’m supposed to be at the top."

Now halfway to his ultimate goal, Wolbert was grateful for those who have helped him on the journey so far.

"I would like to thank God, all my family and supporters, all my practice partners and coaches, everybody that’s had my back throughout the whole entire year," Wolbert said.

Wilmot's William Du Chemin finishes freshman campaign on top

Wilmot freshman William Du Chemin (51-1) became the fourth wrestler in program history to win a state championship with a 6-4 decision at 106 pounds over No. 2 seed Andy DiPiazza (44-6) of Kaukauna.

After a scoreless first period, the top-seeded Du Chemin took a 4-1 advantage into the third period after a reversal and a two-point nearfall. DiPiazza registered a pair of escapes, but a takedown from Du Chemin with 25 seconds left sealed up the title.

In Du Chemin’s four matches in Madison, he outscored the opposition 18-7 with a pinfall victory and became the first Milwaukee-area state champion at D1 106 since Ben Bast (20-0) from West Bend West in 2021.

Division 3

Co'Ji Campbell dominates to win third straight state title

Co’Ji Campbell’s plan to win his third straight state championship was simple: dominate.

“The whole game plan for me was to just come in and dominate this year,” Campbell (38-1) said after he overpowered No. 2 seed Maddux Wendling (56-4) of Valders in a 21-3 technical fall blowout to win the 120-pound title.

“It wasn’t just about winning state this year. I wanted to make sure everyone knew that I was one of the best not only in the state, but in the country. I feel people kinda underestimate my style of wrestling because they think I’m just strong or really fast, but my technique is up there among the best.”

Campbell soaked in his third trip to the Kohl Center in style after his win with a Stephen Curry-esque “Night Night” celebration and a stern hip toss to one of his coaches. It’s become a yearly experience Campbell relishes and doesn’t take for granted.

“You only get four chances at this and a lot of people don’t win a state title, let alone get to state,” Campbell said. “I’ve won three so far, so I’m gonna have as much fun and take in as much as I can.”

Girls

Carley Ceshker continues unbeaten run with back-to-back titles

The Lake Geneva Badger trophy cabinet will have to make space with the one from the football team’s triumph in the Division 2 title game last fall.

Top-seeded Carley Ceshker followed up last year’s 126-pound state title by jumping up two classes and capturing the title at 138 to complete a 22-0 season. Ceshker pinned No. 3 seed Tiani LeMieux of Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol in just 59 seconds for back-to-back state crowns.

“Going into it, I was pretty nervous,” Ceshker said. “I get pretty nervous before every match. I knew I could do it. When I got there, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do or how (LeMieux) felt, but once I was able to get her to a pin, I knew it was over.”

The first and only period of the match was a bit of a feeling-out process for Ceshker, but a quick sequence of strong body positioning and working LeMieux to her back was all it took to succeed after the jump in weight classes.

“Last year, I wasn’t cutting too hard,” Ceshker said in terms of maintaining her weight at 126. “This year, we had 25 girls on our team, so we were pretty full. We had a couple of good girls below, so I said I’d go up. I didn’t have to cut as much. It was easy. It was nice too because I got to eat more (laughs).”

Full individual state bracket results are available on the WIAA website.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nine area wrestlers win WIAA state titles Saturday in Madison