The camp will feature Donovan McMahill, Charles Pipher, and their coach, Miles VanHee (see articles below).
McMahill wins Wrestler of the Year
Western State College's two-time national champion Donovan McMahill added another accolade to his collegiate career when he was named Division II Wrestler of the Year this morning on Takedown Wrestling Radio.
McMahill received seven first-place votes on the eight ballots to easily win the honor. Nebraska-Omaha's Mario Morgan finished as the runner-up.
"I think back and I don't think I could have dreamt the season up any better than it turned out this year," McMahill said on Takedown Radio this morning. "Miles Van Hee does so much for me, and I'm so lucky and blessed by this great coaching staff and wrestling program."
McMahill finished the season with a 34-0 record and 21 bonus point victories at 197 pounds. He became the first Mountaineer wrestler since 1965 to finish with a perfect record, and was the only Division II wrestler this season to finish undefeated. He's the first two-time national champion for Western State since Al Rozman in the 1964 and 1965 seasons.
McMahill won the Outstanding Wrestler award at the national championships to become the first Mountaineer in program history to win the honor. He won the RMAC championship the last three seasons and was the national runner-up in his freshman season. McMahill finished with a 137-20 record and holds the program record for career victories.
"It's a very deserving honor for (Donovan McMahill)," said Central Oklahoma Director of Athletic Media Relations Mike Kirk, who made the announcement this morning. "He's been an outstanding wrestler and was a fun guy to watch on the mat."
McMahill wins Nationals (second time!)
McMahill was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler after finishing as the only undefeated wrestler in Division II this season. He's the first Mountaineer to earn the OW award in either the NCAA or NAIA history of Western State wrestling.
McMahill took a 2-1 lead after the first period, and expanded with a five-point second period to take a 7-2 advantage going into the final period. He added another takedown in the third period to win his second national championship with a 9-3 decision.
McMahill finished as the second Mountaineer to earn two national championships, and the first since Al Rozman's championships in 1964 and 1965. He also finished with the first perfect Mountaineer season since Dale Stryker in 1965.
Pipher made his appearance in the national finals, but couldn't come back after an early takedown by Denson who picked up more than two minutes riding time by the end of the second period. Pipher opened the third period with a takedown to tie the match at 4-4, and an escape by Denson gave him a 5-4 lead plus the riding time point. Denson kept the action to the sidelines to take the action out-of-bounds en route to the 6-4 decision.
It was Pipher's third All-America honor in his career and the highest finish of his career.
The Mountaineers finished fifth as a team and two points behind Upper Iowa in the best finish since 2004. The four All-Americans is also the most in two seasons.
