INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - No.5 McKendree University men's wrestling heads off to NCAA Super Regionals on Saturday, February 26 but prior to the Lindenwood-hosted outing earned a multitude of All-Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) team members and two major awards in both Wrestler of the Year and Coach of the Year. Redshirt freshman Ian Kuehl (285lb class) collected the GLVC Wrestler of the year award while 19-year head coach James Kisgen was named the GLVC's Coach of the year.

Overall, the Bearcats earned eight All-GLVC honorees between the first, second, and third teams. McKendree tied UIndy for the most first-team members with four behind No.2 125 redshirt sophomore Christian Mejia (Elkhart, Indiana), No.3 165 redshirt freshman Cory Peterson (Valmeyer, Illinoia), No.3 184 graduate senior Daniel Filipek (Warrenton, Missouri), and No.3 285 redshirt freshman Ian Kuehl (Lena, Illinois). The Bearcats on the All-GLVC second team include 157 senior Jose Champagne (Griffith, Indiana), No.12 174 junior Joshua Jones (Chicago Heights, Illinois), and 197 graduate senior Vincenzo Scaletta (Harwood Heights, Illinois). The lone McKendree wrestler earning a place on the All-GLVC third team is 141 freshman Brody Norman (Washington, Illinois). 

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
Kuehl, a Lena-Winslow product owns a 15-1 (.938) record this year and began his season with an impressive outing at the 42nd Midwest Classic at UIndy's Nicoson Hall. At the Midwest Classic, Kuehl went 5-0, defeating a pair of ranked wrestlers in Weston Hunt (Colorado School of Mines) and Mercyhurst's Jacob Robb. The Lena, Illinois-native defeated the then-No.3 Robb by pinfall with just six seconds remaining in the match to take the crown in his class at the largest Division II tournament in the country. Kuehl has collected a total of three wins by fall, one via tech fall, and 10 via decision. Kuehl currently ranks third in the 285lb weight class. 

COACH OF THE YEAR
McKendree's longtime head men's wrestling coach James Kisgen earned the league's coach of the year honor after his program won its fourth GLVC title in five seasons. He led the Bearcats to a 16-1 (.941) overall record while going 5-0 in conference and 3-0 during the GLVC tournament to take the league's crown. By beating the Greyhound of Indianapolis in the championship match, 19-14, the No.5 Bearcats solidified their fourth title (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022) and reclaimed it after Lindenwood won the league in 2021. At the conclusion of the season, the Bearcats owned a dual match winning streak of 15, recovering well following a disappointing first round loss during the NWCA National Duals on January 6. Following the loss to Newberry, the Bearcats reconfigured to rattle off four-straight wins at National Duals and finish as high as possible, fifth place. The Bearcats earned the No.5-ranking in the latest NCAA DII national poll from the National Wrestling Coaches Association and have ranked as high as third nationally. McKendree also collected three GLVC Wrestler of the Week honors behind Kuehl, Jones, and Mejia. 

FIRST TEAM
Other than Kuehl, McKendree boasted another three first-team members with Mejia, Peterson, and Filipek.

Mejia, a 125lb redshirt sophomore, has collected an overall record of 17-2 (0.895) and began his year in the same fashion that Kuehl did, at the Midwest Classic. During the national-DII event hosted by UIndy, Mejia earned a 5-0 slate with all-decision victories and beat UW-Parkside's Joe Arroyo in the semifinal (8-6 SV-1) before taking down Colorado Mesa's Dawson Collins, 10-6, in the first-place match. Mejia enters the weekend as the No.2 wrestler in his class. 

Peterson, a product of De Smet Jesuit, leads the bearcats in wins this year and owns a record of 30-4 (0.882). Peterson has been a staple in the lineup of Kisgen and McKendree throughout the year, including during the Midwest Classic where he finished second after a medical forfeiture. In the National Duals tournament, Peterson won each of his matches, including major decisions over Ashland's Drew Wiechers, Newberry's Nolan Wheeler, a tech fall against Tiffin's Samuel Lofaso, and a pair of decisoons against Max Stedeford of Mercyhurst and Alexander Holguin of Colorado Mesa. Peterson ranked up in the latest 165 individual rankings, moving to third in the nation.

Filipek is the fourth and final first-team member for McKendree as he has amassed a record of 18-1 (0.947) in the 2021-22 season. The 184lb-graduate senior has been a welcomed returner for Kisgen and the Bearcats as he also had to make a comeback from injury during the year. Filipek has won seven-straight matchups since dropping his one and only to Bellarmine's Sam Schroeder during the Greyhound Open on February 6. He also owns a weight class (184) championship from the Lindenwood Open back in November (11/20/2021), where he went 3-0 to claim the title. Filipek continues to hold his No.3-ranking in the 184 class nationally.

COMPLETE ALL-GLVC TEAMS
First Team