Joe Pflug wins NCAA Championship, Maxworthy All-American

Going 2-0 on Friday and Saturday, Pflug won the only individual NCAA Championship for the Ohio Athletic Conference this year. On Saturday, Pflug defeated the eighth seed by major decision 12-4 in his semifinal match. In the finals, Pflug defeated the second seed by an 11-5 decision.

Head Coach Jason Miller could not have been more excited for Pflug. "Joey is Joey and he is a special kid. He made it look easy out there yesterday and today. Joey was such an influence for the team this year, he made everyone better."

Maxworthy garnered All-American honors to give Heidelberg two All-Americans in wrestling for the first time in school history. After defeating the third and sixth seed on Friday, Maxworthy was pinned by the second seed 2:34 into his semifinal match. In the consolation bracket, Maxworthy forfeited both matches to finish in sixth place. "Tim had a great first day, was absolutely phenomenal," said Coach Miller. "[Maxworthy] came in unknown and unseeded and now everybody knows who he is."

Friday in the 141-pound weight bracket, Nick Sanchez won his first match 3-1 before falling to two straight ranked opponents. In his second match, Sanchez was pinned 4:25 into his match. In the consolation bracket, Sanchez lost to the eighth seed 10-5. Coach Miller was proud of Sanchez in his first year as a national qualifier. "This is valuable national level experience for Nick. It was great for him to begin [Friday] with a win.'

Looking back on the weekend, Coach Miller believes the future for Heidelberg wrestling is bright. "I am so proud of Joey [Pflug], I am proud for this program, and I am proud for Heidelberg College . This weekend, we certainly made a name for ourselves."