By Tim Glon
Senior Kyle Kwiat became Ohio Northern's all-time career wins leader, leading the No. 19-ranked Polar Bears to a fifth place finish at the 2013 Budd Whitehill Duals at Lycoming (Pa.) College on Saturday.
Kwiat went 3-0 on Saturday, leading ONU to victories over Thiel (Pa.), Williams (Mass.) and No. 25 College of NBew Jersey, and posted a 6-0 record on the weekend.
The Polar Bears defeated Thiel 32-8, topped Williams 26-11 and won the fifth place match 24-19 over New Jersey.
Kwiat, the defending national champion and nation's top-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds is now 22-3 on the season and is 135-16 in his career.
He passes national champions Vinny Cameron (133-27-3 from 1986-89) and Luke Miller (133-29 from 2008-11).
Kwiat had a pin, four tech falls and a major decision and now has 11 tech falls on the year.
Four other ONU wrestlers finished 5-1 on the weekend.
Juniors Jerry Pasquale and Michael Pawlitz, sophomore Cody Lovejoy and freshman Tyler Gargano all went 5-1.
Pasquale had one pin and four decisions at 125 pounds, Pawlitz had two pins, a tech fall, a major decision and a forfeit, Lovejoy had three pins and two decisions and Gargano had a pin a four decisions.
Lovejoy's brightest moment came in the fifth place match against New Jersey, as his first period pin helped ONU overcome a 19-18 deficit to post a 24-19 win.
The Polar Bears will return to action Tuesday when they open Ohio Athletic Conference action with a 7:30 pm match against Muskingum at the ONU Sports Center.
