Mavs Sweep NCC Mat Awards
The national champion Mavericks swept the North Central Conference's individual awards as well, it was announced Wednesday. Senior Les Sigman was named the Wrestler of the Year, Cody Garcia the Freshman of the Year and Mike Denney the Coach of the Year by a vote of the league coaches.
Sigman, a native of Sturgis, S.D., became only the fourth NCAA Division
II wrestler to win four national championships when he claimed his fourth
NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship in the heavyweight division. He
compiled a 23-0 collegiate record and a 24-0 mark in open competion this
season with 18 occuring by fall. He won nine tournaments this season and
finished his career with a 179-7 mark, a new UNO school record for career
wins. Sigman was a four-time regional and four-time North Central
Conference champion. In his four trips to the national tournament he never
allowed an offensive point to be scored on him.
Garcia, a native of Hutchinson, Kan., finished the season with a 39-4
record and won the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship and NCAA
Division II North Central Region championship in the 125-pound weight
class. During the season he won six of eight tournaments and reached the
finals in seven of the eight. His only Division II loss of the season
occurred in double overtime. He recorded 19 wins by fall and is a member of
the NWCA academic first team.
Denney led Nebraska-Omaha to NCAA Division II national, NCAA Division II
North Central Region and North Central Conference championships. The NCAA
II championship, the third straight and fourth for the school, marked the
14th top-three finish in the past 16 years. The Mavericks have finished
lower than third just twice in the past 16 years and have not finished
lower than eighth place since 1980. The Mavericks also won their third
National Dual Meet title this year. UNO scored a school-record 117 points
at the national tournament with national champions Cody Garcia, J.D. Naig
and Les Sigman and second-place finisher Shane Unger. Denney, in his 27th
year, was named the Coach of the Year at the NCAA Division II North Central
Sigman, a native of Sturgis, S.D., became only the fourth NCAA Division
II wrestler to win four national championships when he claimed his fourth
NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship in the heavyweight division. He
compiled a 23-0 collegiate record and a 24-0 mark in open competion this
season with 18 occuring by fall. He won nine tournaments this season and
finished his career with a 179-7 mark, a new UNO school record for career
wins. Sigman was a four-time regional and four-time North Central
Conference champion. In his four trips to the national tournament he never
allowed an offensive point to be scored on him.
Garcia, a native of Hutchinson, Kan., finished the season with a 39-4
record and won the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship and NCAA
Division II North Central Region championship in the 125-pound weight
class. During the season he won six of eight tournaments and reached the
finals in seven of the eight. His only Division II loss of the season
occurred in double overtime. He recorded 19 wins by fall and is a member of
the NWCA academic first team.
Denney led Nebraska-Omaha to NCAA Division II national, NCAA Division II
North Central Region and North Central Conference championships. The NCAA
II championship, the third straight and fourth for the school, marked the
14th top-three finish in the past 16 years. The Mavericks have finished
lower than third just twice in the past 16 years and have not finished
lower than eighth place since 1980. The Mavericks also won their third
National Dual Meet title this year. UNO scored a school-record 117 points
at the national tournament with national champions Cody Garcia, J.D. Naig
and Les Sigman and second-place finisher Shane Unger. Denney, in his 27th
year, was named the Coach of the Year at the NCAA Division II North Central
