MADISON, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Matt Berlin has been selected the 2020 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestler of the Year, while UW-La Crosse’s Isaac Lahr was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year based on voting conducted by the league coaches.
Berlin’s selection marks the second straight season a UW-Stevens Point wrestler has claimed the honor after Ben Vosters was the recipient last year. The Pointers have had five individuals win the award – Perry Miller (1997 and 1998), Cody Koenig (2003) and Logan Hermsen (2016).
Competing at 133 pounds, Berlin posted a 32-0 record on the season with 10 pins. He is just the second Pointer to finish unbeaten, joining Cody Koenig’s 36-0 mark during the 2002-03 campaign. Berlin won the WIAC title with a 3-2 decision over UW-La Crosse’s Josh Stenger and emerged with a first-place finish at the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional with a 6-5 decision over Noah Becker of Saint John’s University (Minn.).
Lahr competed at 197 pounds and accumulated an 18-1 record with six pins. He secured the WIAC championship with a 15-2 major decision over UW-Eau Claire’s James Huntley and won the regional title after a medical forfeit over Lance Benick of Augsburg University (Minn.). A Newcomer of the Year is defined as a student-athlete who used his first season of participation in wrestling this season.
