(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., March 7)—Junior Andrew Sanchez (Shiloh, Ill./) (Shiloh, Ill./O'Fallon) and junior Aaron Winning (Highland, Ill./) both won individual National Championships at the 2009 NAIA Wrestling National Championships to lead the McKendree University Bearcats to a third place team finish.

Winning put on a show for the nearly sold out crowd at the Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center at Oklahoma City University by pinning John Murray of Lindenwood University in 1:32 to win the 165 pound championship. Winning, a seventh place finisher a year ago, completed his season with a record of 25-3.

Sanchez, the 2008 runner-up and top-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds all season, scored a takedown in the third sudden victory period to defeat Frank Morgan of King College in a 4-2 decision. The win capped off a 35-5 season.

Lindenwood University won its third consecutive team championship behind three individual championship performances by scoring 167 points. Southern Oregon University narrowly topped McKendree's 123 points with 125.5 to finish in second place.

In the Saturday morning consolation finals, the Bearcats had five other wrestlers earn All-America honors.

McKendree junior Josh Bryant (Tuttle, Okla./) (Tuttle, Okla./Tuttle) finished in third place by defeating Tom Eaton of Northwestern College in a 5-3 decision. Bryant, a fourth-place finisher last season, ended his season with an overall record of 28-13.

Senior heavyweight Dan Moore (Rolla, Mo./) (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) lost to Jesse Ruiz of Menlo College to finish in fourth place. Ruiz, the 2008 NAIA national champion at heavyweight, scored a late takedown to deal Moore the defeat. Moore finished the season with an overall record of 16-6.

 Sophomore Wade Lowe (Godfrey, Ill./) (Godfrey, Ill./Alton) and freshman Kyle Williams (Mascoutah, Ill./) (Scott Air Force Base, Ill./Mascouath) finished in fourth place at sixth place, respectively, at 133 pounds. Lowe was defeated by fall by Julian Gunnels of Briar Cliff University in the third place match. Lowe defeated Gunnels for third place at last year's National Championships, but was defeated twice by Gunnels at this year's tournament. Lowe ended his season with an overall record of 26-12. Williams rebounded from a loss in his first national tournament match to finish in sixth place, after being pinned by Jon Lloyd of Lindenwood in the fifth place match. Williams ended his freshman season with the Bearcats with an overall record of 26-13.

Junior heavyweight Cedric Powell (Duncan, Okla./) (Duncan, Okla./Duncan) finished in seventh place after winning his match over Travis Ewart of Missouri Valley College by medical default. Powell was winning 3-1 in the second period when the wrestlers butted head's during a grapple, opening a sever gash on Ewarts nose. The gash was eventually closed, but Ewart could not continue giving Powell the win. Powell finished the season with an overall record of 11-5.

-McK-