Balsiger wins title to lead Blugolds at NCAA DIII wrestling regional

It is never too late to win big at an important college wrestling tournament.

Just ask UW-Eau Claire’s Izzy Balsiger.

The 33-year-old Balsiger scored a dramatic last second takedown to earn an NCAA Division III regional championship Saturday afternoon at the McPhee Center.

Balsiger downed UW-La Crosse’s Quintin Wolbert 8-5 in the 125-pound finals.

"I am so happy to do this at home in front of my family and friends," he said. "I'm just super excited and so grateful I got another shot at a great opponent. I had a lot of motivation to get that one back.

"I'm really excited to have all of the hard work pay off. It was incredible to win my last match at home."

Balsiger was one of four Blugolds to qualify for the national tournament.

Balsiger will be joined at nationals by teammates Sloan Welch (285), Wyatt Unser (133) and Ian Pepple (197).

Welch placed second while Unser and Peppe each finished third.

The top three finishers in each weight class advance to the national tournament on March 13-14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Locked in a 5-5 tie in the closing seconds, Balsiger powered in on a leg attack and finished with two seconds left as the large Blugold crowd cheered.

A smiling Balsiger pointed toward the fans after earning the clutch victory.

"I had to stay on my offense and also stay strong defensively," Balsiger said. "I felt stronger as the match went on and he got a little tired.

"I was able to shoot in at the end and get that takedown. It came down to who wanted it more. I just stayed on the gas pedal and kept going. It felt amazing to pull it out."

Balsiger delivered with an aggressive mentality where he stayed offensive in his matches this weekend.

"Izzy handled the pressure and just wrestled really well," UWEC coach Tim Fader said. "He went out there and scored points. Izzy's story, and what he has done, it's one of the greatest out there. It's amazing what he's done. Winning a regional title at age 33, that's a heck of an accomplishment."

Balsiger, from Chippewa Falls, won a high school state title way back in 2011 before becoming an NCAA All-American at UW-La Crosse in 2013.

He was then away from wrestling for more than a decade before joining the UW-Eau Claire program.

Balsiger qualified for DIII nationals two years ago for UWEC before falling short of qualifying last year.

He then came back strong this season to punch his ticket to NCAAs in his final collegiate season.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to nationals," Balsiger said. "I'm thankful to have an opportunity to compete in that tournament again."

Balsiger's cheering section on Saturday included his wife, Kayla, and their two young sons.

"I'm so grateful for my wife and my family and all of their support," Izzy said. "And I'm so blessed to be able to keep wrestling. I thank God for everything I've been able to accomplish."

The Blugolds took third in the 16-team tournament. Perennial powers Augsburg and UW-La Crosse finished 1-2 in the loaded regional.

"We had high expectations coming in here and we are excited about the guys who qualified for nationals," Fader said. "It's a really tough tournament. We were hoping to qualify a few more guys, but that's how wrestling goes sometimes."

Welch, a junior, turned in a strong showing before dropping a hard-fought 7-4 decision to Tyler Raway of La Crosse in the heavyweight finals.

Unser, a freshman, fell in the semifinals before rebounding to win two straight matches to take third.

"I was able to come back strong from a tough loss," Unser said. "Sometimes you fall short, but you don't have to win regionals to win a national title."

Pepple, a junior who was an All-American last year, dropped his semifinal match before dominating his next two bouts to finish third.

"I knew I had to come back after that loss," Pepple said. "I just stayed focused and was able to get the job done.

"This is one of the toughest regionals in the country. I knew I needed to leave it all out there if I was going to make it back to nationals."