Vince Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) won the Upperclassman Academic Award. Castillo has earned Academic All-MAC honors for the second-straight season, posting a 3.51 GPA as a kinesiology major. He finished the season with a record of 9-16 while wrestling at 149.
Castillo also earned the Will McDermott Most Dedicated Award. He finished his career with a record of 44-33. Castillo has battled to see the mat all five years he’s been a Huskie, earning a full-time starting spot this year after moving up to 149 pounds from the 141 this year.
Sam Bennett (Anderson, Ind./Anderson Highland) received the Freshman Academic Award with a GPA of 3.3. Bennett compiled a record of 10-3 in fresh/soph matches while wrestling at 157 in his first season as a Huskie.
Tristen DeShazer (Wichita, Kan./West) and Dakota Greenhaw (Monett, Mo./Monett) were both awarded the Four-Year Huskie Award for their four-year commitment to the program. DeShazer finished his career with a record of 57-42 with 33 pins, a superior accomplishment. He also placed third at the MAC Championships twice and earned a trip to the NCAA National Championships with his third-place finish in 2009.
Greenhaw finished his career as a Huskie with a 27-42 record. Greenhaw fell one match short of making it to the NCAA Championships at this year’s MAC Championships in a bracket loaded with four nationally-ranked opponents.
Nick Smith (Ida, Mich./Ida) took home the Outstanding Freshman award with an extraordinary first season as a Huskie. Smith finished the season with a team best 22-9 record with a dual meet mark of 10-4. Smith finished second on the team in pins with seven and a team-high six victories by major decision.
Brad Dieckhaus (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell Central) earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award for his accomplishments on the mat this season. After being sidelined with an injury last year, the redshirt junior finished with a record of 15-8, including a 10-5 dual record and a team best 4-1 record in the MAC while wrestling at 184. His biggest accomplishment of the year was undoubtedly his first-place finish at the 2011 MAC Championships, solidifying a bid to the NCAA Championships where he won one match.
Bryan Deutsch (Columbia City, Ind/Columbia City) was awarded with the Most Valuable Wrestler Bruce Swierczeski Award. Deutsch finished the season with a record of 21-10 with an 11-5 dual record and 3-2 in the MAC while wrestling at 157. Deutsch placed second at this year’s MAC Championships, qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the third-straight year, a remarkable accomplishment. This year, Deutsch won two matches at the NCAA Championships, finishing his career an impressive career record of 74-42.
Six seniors were also honored at this year’s awards banquet, including Pat McLemore (Hinckley, Ohio/Padua Franciscan), who finished with a career as a Huskie with a record of 36-24 with one MAC Championship at 141 pounds and a trip to the NCAA Championships, Zach Taylor (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem), who finished his career as a Huskie with a record of 5-14, Castillo, DeShazer, Deutsch, and Greenhaw.
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