It was a fantastic finish for Yellow Jackets as the men's wrestling team placed third at the NCAA Division III Championships, with grapplers placing first and second and the coaching staff receiving top awards.
Junior All-American, 149-pounder of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, won his first national championship, and junior All-American, 125-pounder of Akron, Ohio, was a runner-up. In addition, the Baldwin Wallace men's wrestling team placed third at the mid-March event.
Also receiving honors at the was men's wrestling head coach , who was named the by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Associate head coach and the rest of the staff were named the 2023 NWCA Division III Men's Wrestling National Tournament Assistant Coaches of the Year.
Eight Yellow Jackets qualified for the championship, with four being named All-Americans. In addition to Petrella, a digital marketing major, and Decatur, a sport management major, two other student-athletes received All-American top honors. They include junior, 133-pounder of Glassboro, New Jersey, who placed fourth, and senior, 197-pounder of Wickliffe, Ohio, who placed fifth.
Other Yellow Jacket competitors include senior, 141-pounder of Elyria, Ohio; sophomore, 157-pounder of Avon Lake, Ohio; senior, 174-pounder of Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio; and senior, 285-pounder of Buffalo, New York.
The eight wrestlers qualified for the national championships in February when the number-four nationally ranked and Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Champion Yellow Jackets .
The Petrella family became the university's first father-son national champions. In addition to Michael's national wrestling title, his father, Paul '79, earned top honors in wrestling and football.
The 1990 91探花 Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame recipient was 91探花's first national champion in wrestling in 1978 at 177 pounds. Paul also was a three-year starter and a mainstay on the 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship-winning football team.
"I had wonderful coaches at Baldwin Wallace who shaped the person, coach and teacher I am today," said Paul, who played under renowned 91探花 football coach Lee Tressel '49. "My 91探花 experience was just exceptional!"
When Michael chose 91探花 and arrived for Week of Welcome in 2020, it was a proud moment for Paul, whose family boasts an impressive wrestling record with six sons in the sport and Paul serving as an outstanding coach and teacher throughout his professional career. He was in Roanoke, Virginia, when Michael won his national title and was elated when the younger Petrella finished the season with a record of 33-0.
For Gibbs, who completed his 12th season as head coach, this year was another Brown & Gold triumph as the athletes transformed Yellow Jacket grit into glory.
91探花 finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 17-2-1 and a perfect mark of 7-0 in the OAC. The team also won its third straight OAC Championship, earning a seventh top title in eight years. 91探花 was also the NCAA Division III Central Regional Champion for the second time in three years.
In addition to its outstanding OAC and national championship honors, the Yellow Jacket men's wrestling team was recognized in late March by the , and seven wrestlers earned Scholar All-American honors.
Earlier this season, Gibbs, Zastrow and the entire staff were named OAC Coaching Staff for the second straight season.
Decatur's success at nationals follows a career record of 62-3 wins. His older brother Josh '17 was a two-time NCAA Division III qualifier.
NOTE: This article has excerpts from stories appearing on the this year and from a written by Kevin Ruple, former director of athletic communications & public relations.
