Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE DEFIANCE COLLEGE YELLOWJACKETS
DC wraps up wrestling season at WHAC Championships
February 14, 2026

DC wraps up wrestling season at WHAC Championships

Video Results

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The men's wrestling season closed the regular season on Saturday at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships, hosted by Indiana Tech. The Defiance Yellow Jackets posted a 7th-place team finish.

Connor Sintobin placed fourth in the 197-pound class, making the freshman Defiance's highest finishing wrestler at the conference championships since joining the WHAC. The Delta product lost his opening round match and decisively won his next two, a 15-6 major and a pin in 1:52, to reach the third place match. To decide the last place on the podium, Sintobin was edged 6-3 to Cornerstone's Tevelon Etchen.

Three Yellow Jackets earned sixth-place finishes: Drew Matthew, Graiden Troth, and Samuel Moore. After losing his first two matches as a freshman, the sophomore Matthews battled to win three straight matches in the consolation bracket, including a pin in 1:59 in his second bout of the day. Troth started his day with a win by pin and earned a second victory in the consolation bracket, but surrendered his last two matches by medical forfeit. Moore was able to overcome an opening-round loss to reach the 5th-place match before falling in a close 2-1 match against his opponent from Rochester Christian.

Marian unseated five-defending champion Indiana Tech to capture its first WHAC men's wrestling title. The Knights edged out the host Warriors by just 5 points and had 5 individual champions.

The WHAC also released its postseason awards. Defiance College picked up two Academic All-Conference Awards for Drew Matthews and Brian Swinehart, while Peyton Brown garnered a place on the conference Champions of Character Team.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

  • Timothy Grunden, 141 (0-1) – L 8-5 OT vs. Isaac Kuhn (Cornerstone), L Forfeit vs. Dylan Coleman (Rochester Chrisitan)
  • Matthew Wheeler, 141 (0-2) –  L FT 16-1 vs. Conner Kimbrough (Indiana Tech), L TF 19-4 vs. Jake Lynn (Cleary)
  • Drew Matthews, 149 (3-3, 6th place) – L Fall 5:27 vs. Ian Boden (Cornerstone), W Fall 1:59 vs. Dakota Quinlan (Rochester Christian), W MD 14-4 vs. Jesus Aquino-Morales (Siena Heights), W 4-1 OT vs. Shamique Bryant (Siena Heights), L Fall 3:47 vs. Marlone Kirksy (Indiana Tech), L Fall 5:36 vs. Mike Loney (Indiana Tech)
  • Peyton Brown, 157 (0-2) – L TF 20-4 vs. Christian Arberry (Marian), L MD 13-0 vs. Dalton Birchmeier (Cornerstone)  
  • Caden Moore, 157 (1-2) – L TF 15-0 vs. Loudon Stradling, W Med. Forf. vs. Mason Ducat (Lourdes), L Fall (3:44) vs. Dalton Birchmeier (Cornerstone)
  • Graiden Troth, 165 (2-1, 6th place) – W Fall 5:55 vs. Ben Blyveis (Cleary), L 8-5 OT vs. Jaden Vanderwall (Cornerstone), W 8-2 vs. Christopher Sorrow (Siena Heights), 2 medical forfeits including 5th-place match
  • Daniel Thatcher, 174 (0-2) – L Fall (1:02) vs. Anthony Rinehart (Marian), L MD 11-2 vs. Michael Durham (Indiana Tech) 
  • Samuel Moore, 184 (1-3, 6th place) – L MD 14-1 vs. Brady Heckathorn (Cornerstone), W 8-3 vs. Rodney Winston (Cleary), L 10-3 vs. Grant Richardson (Siena Heights), L 2-1 vs. David VanDaele (Rochester Christian)
  • Connor Sintobin, 197 (2-2, 4th place) – L 10-6 vs. Jackson Turner (Cornerstone), W 15-6 MD vs. Brandon Rau (Siena Heights), W Fall 1:52 vs. Nick Meli (Rochester Christian), L 6-3 vs. Tevelon Etchen (Cornerstone)
  • Evan Smigelski, 285 (0-2) – L 2-0 vs. Michael Yerlan (Marian), L 16-9 vs. Jeff Blair (Siena Heights) 

-JACKETS-