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Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØwrestler wins third straight NCAA national championship

It was an amazing accomplishment and a Yellow Jacket proud moment for Michael Petrella '25, who won his third consecutive NCAA Division III national championship.

Michael Petrella winning championship
Michael Petrella winning the national championship in March. Photo by Lauren Gardner '25

, an All-American from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, has had an incredible wrestling career at BW. The digital marketing major has accrued countless accolades. Among them, he has been undefeated for three consecutive seasons, winning 116 straight matches, and has a four-year record of 155-4, ranking him first on the Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØAll-Time Wins list.

Petrella brothers
Joey Petrella (facing camera) celebrates with his brother. Photo by Lauren Gardner '25

Team effort yields Yellow Jacket success at nationals

But Petrella was not the only standout for the Yellow Jackets at nationals. , and earned All-American honors, which is a Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØrecord for a single season. All three excelled on the mat — with Hinton placing third, Joey Petrella placing fourth and Supers securing a fifth-place finish.

As a team, Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØfinished in the top 10 for the fourth straight season, including top five in two of the last three years.

Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØcoaching once again received high honors at nationals. Head Coach was named NCAA Division III Region 4 Head Coach of the Year, and Coach Jason Zastrow received an NCAA Division III Region 4 Assistant Coach of the Year accolade.

Brown & Gold family legacy

Petrella's achievement continues a proud legacy for the Petrella family. Joey, a senior majoring in exercise science, has earned honors on the mat since transferring to Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØin fall 2023.

Michael and his father, Paul Petrella, are the first father-son duo in Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØhistory to both win national wrestling titles.

Paul, an alumnus from the Class of 1979, was BW's first national champion in wrestling and a starter on the university's 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship-winning football team.

"I had wonderful coaches at Baldwin Wallace who shaped the person, coach and teacher I am today," said Paul, a 1990 Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØAthletics Alumni Hall of Fame recipient who played under renowned football coach Lee Tressel '49. "My Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØexperience was just exceptional!"

Ä¢¹½TVÏÂÔØat national wrestling championship
Yellow Jacket pride was on full display at the national championship as coaches, wrestlers and guests pose with their fourth-place trophy. Photo by Lauren Gardner '25

 

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