CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced its end-of-season wrestling awards Thursday, March 26, 2020 with Loras'
Guy Patron Jr. (197 lbs., Harvey, La./Jesuit) headlining the announcement as American Rivers Conference MVP. Loras Head Coach,
T.J. Miller was voted A-R-C Coach of the Year and Coe's
Riley Wright (141 lbs., Denver, Iowa/Denver) was selected Freshman of the Year.
In addition, the 2019-20 American Rivers All-Conference Wrestling Team was officially announced. The 30-member team is composed of the top three A-R-C place-winners at the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Championships. The wrestler(s) who finished highest at the NCAA Division III Championships are normally deemed A-R-C Most Valuable Performer(s), while the Freshman and Coach of the Year awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. This season, with no NCAA Championships due to COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Most Valuable Performer was nominated and voted on by the league's head coaches.
Most Valuable Performer - Guy Patron Jr., Loras College
Patron Jr.'s stellar career at Loras was ultimately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The No.1-ranked 197-pounder, overcame a lower leg injury at the Lower Midwest Regional but still found himself in the championship bout, punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time. Patron Jr.'s efforts throughout the season earned him the top seed at the national tournament. The Harvey, La. native ends his career as a three-time All-American, finishing sixth a season ago, runner-up in 2018, and third as a freshman in 2017. He had a 21-0 senior campaign for the Duhawks, recording ten pins on the season. The senior was a four-time All-Conference wrestler and was voted Freshman of the Year in 2016-17. SportsCenter's Scott Van Pelt put the cherry on top by giving props to Patron Jr. and his storied career at Loras College. On March 24, the NCAA released their 2020 Wrestling Awards and Patron Jr. ranked among the top-20 most dominate wrestlers in Division III, capping off his storied career at No.5.
Freshman of the Year - Riley Wright, Coe College
First-year Coe College 141-pounder, Riley Wright punched his ticket to the 2020 NCAA Championships with a stellar performance at the Lower Midwest Regional, which saw him take first-place. Wright opened up the regional tournament with a first period fall over Buena Vista's Jonathan Thomas. The Xavier prep then upended returning All-American and conference foe, fifth-ranked Brady Fritz of Wartburg in the quarterfinals with a 6-3 decision. Moving to the semifinals, Wright took down another conference foe in 10th-ranked Daniel Radcliffe of Central, who was a 2017 national qualifier, with a 12-4 major decision. In the championship bout, he claimed the 141-pound title with a 7-5 decision over Marc Fleener of North Central (Ill.). The freshman had a season record of 13-8.
Coach of the Year - T.J. Miller, Loras College
In his fourth season at the helm of the Loras College wrestling program, T.J. Miller was voted the league's Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. This makes Miller's third Coach of the Year award (2020, 2019, 2017). Miller, associate head coach
Trevor Kittleson, assistants
Rick Healey,
Jon Orillion,
Jimmy Davis,
Quin Gilliam, and
Joe Riordan led the Duhawks to an undefeated conference dual record of 8-0, snapping Wartburg's 220 consecutive conference dual wins on February 14, 2020 to claim the program's first Conference title. The Duhawk victory also brought Wartburg's streak of 27-straight Conference titles to an end. Loras' win over Wartburg propelled them to the No.1 ranking in Division III. The Duhawks lived up to their ranking at the Lower Midwest Regional, capturing the program's first ever team title. For the second year in a row, Miller and Kittleson were voted Lower Midwest Regional Tournament Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year. Unfortunately, the Duhawks did not get to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Coach Miller had eight national
qualifiers in this year's championships -
Clint Lembeck (141lbs.)
Daniel Ruiz (149lbs.),
Brandon Murray (157lbs.),
Eddie Smith (165 lbs.),
Jacob Krakow (174 lbs.),
Shane Liegel (184 lbs.),
Guy Patron Jr. (197 lbs.), and
Wyatt Wriedt (285 lbs.).
The conference secured 20 of the 30 spots to the NCAA Division III Championships from the Lower Midwest Regional this year. Loras' eight NCAA qualifiers was a conference-best, followed by Wartburg with five, Coe with four, and Central with three.
15 of the 30 All-Conference wresters are earning at least their second honor while Central's
Daniel Radcliffe and
Cole Erickson of Coe join MVP, Patron Jr. as four-time All-Conference honorees.
The complete 2019-20 American Rivers All-Conference Wrestling team is as follows:
| 2019-20 All-American Rivers Conference Wrestling Team |
Most Valuable Performer
Guy Patron Jr., 197lbs.
Loras College |
Freshman of the Year
Riley Wright, 141lbs.
Coe College |
Coach of the Year
T.J. Miller
Loras College |
| Name |
Weight |
Regional Finish |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Alex Friddle |
125 |
4th |
Coe |
Fr. |
Morris, Ill./Coal City |
| Matt Randone |
125 |
5th |
Loras |
Sr. |
Davenport, Iowa/Assumption Catholic |
| Dylan McChesney |
125 |
6th |
Simpson |
So. |
Northglenn, Colo./Northglenn |
| Kristian Rumph ! |
133 |
1st |
Wartburg |
So. |
Portage, Ind./Portage |
| Brock Henderson $ |
133 |
3rd |
Coe |
So. |
Coggon, Iowa/North Linn |
| Shandon Akeo |
133 |
4th |
Central |
Jr. |
Honolulu, Hawaii/Kapolei |
| Riley Wright |
141 |
1st |
Coe |
Fr. |
Denver, Iowa/Denver |
| Clint Lembeck & ! |
141 |
3rd |
Loras |
Sr. |
Marion, Iowa/Xavier |
| Daniel Radcliffe & $ ! |
141 |
4th |
Central |
Sr. |
Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township |
| Daniel Ruiz |
149 |
2nd |
Loras |
So. |
Madera, Calif./Madera |
| Robert Areyano ! |
149 |
3rd |
Central |
So. |
Selma, Calif./Selma |
| Josh Gerke |
149 |
4th |
Coe |
Jr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier |
| Brandon Murray ! |
157 |
1st |
Loras |
Sr. |
Toms River, N.J./Toms River South |
| Martine Sandoval |
157 |
2nd |
Wartburg |
Sr. |
Porterville, Calif./Porterville |
| Cole Erickson & $ ! |
157 |
3rd |
Coe |
Sr. |
Mediapolis, Iowa/Mediapolis |
| Max Forsyth |
165 |
2nd |
Wartburg |
Sr. |
Charles City, Iowa/Charles City |
| Eddie Smith & ! |
165 |
3rd |
Loras |
Sr. |
Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie |
| Zarik Anderson |
165 |
4th |
Dubuque |
Jr. |
Rockwell, Texas/Heath |
| Kyle Briggs @ ! |
174 |
1st |
Wartburg |
Jr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Jefferson |
| Jacob Krakow ! |
174 |
2nd |
Loras |
Jr. |
Marengo, Iowa/Iowa Valley |
| Griffin McBride |
174 |
4th |
Central |
Jr. |
Pleasantville, Iowa/Pleasantville |
| Nathan Fritz $ |
184 |
2nd |
Central |
Sr. |
Sigourney, Iowa/Sigourney |
| Shane Liegel |
184 |
3rd |
Loras |
Fr. |
Spring Green, Wis./River Valley |
| Josh Edel ! |
184 |
4th |
Coe |
Sr. |
Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown |
| Taylor Mehmen ! |
197 |
1st |
Coe |
Sr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Prairie |
| Guy Patron Jr. & ~ $ ! |
197 |
2nd |
Loras |
Sr. |
Harvey, La./Jesuit |
| Kobe Woods ! |
197 |
4th |
Wartburg |
Jr. |
Mishawaka, Ind./Penn |
| Duncan Lee |
285 |
1st |
Central |
Sr. |
Newton, Iowa/Newton |
| Wyatt Wriedt |
285 |
2nd |
Loras |
Fr. |
Eldridge, Iowa/North Scott |
| Jordon Brandon |
285 |
3rd |
Wartburg |
Jr. |
Southgate, Mich./John Glenn |
| Previous Honors |
| ! - 2018-19 All-Conference |
| @ - 2018-19 MVP |
| # - 2018-19 Freshman of the Year |
| $ - 2017-18 All-Conference |
| % - 2017-18 MVP |
| ^ - 2017-18 Freshman of the Year |
| & - 2016-17 All-Conference |
| * - 2016-17 MVP |
| ~ - 2016-17 Freshman of the Year |
