MONROE — Before their home dual against Mount Horeb, the Cheesemakers celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1973 state championship wrestling team.
The team — comprised of Tom Zupanc, Jim Ingold, Mark Chandler, Duane Torkelson, , Jeff Schaffer, Mike Miller, Steve Moe, Dave Gorden, Stacey Phillips, Tom Elmer, Kent Christen, Randy Wyss, Steven Reese and James Ganshert — was 13-0 in duals and 15-0 overall. In four of their tournaments, the Cheesemakers finished first.
Individually, Zupanc (98), Torkelson (119), Miller (132), Moe (138) and Wyss (167) qualified for state. Miller was crowned a state champion, while Wyss earned runner-up. Zupanc and Moe both finished fifth.
While the 1972-72 team is the only state championship team in Monroe wrestling’s history, 118 individuals have qualified for the state tournament since 1961. Of those 118, seven became state champions, with 12 named runners-up. Five more took third, followed by nine each finishing fourth and fifth. Another seven placed sixth. In total, 49 Monroe wrestlers have placed at state.
Monroe also took Friday’s dual as an opportunity to honor these state qualifiers. The following wrestlers were in attendance:
● Ed Anderson (1965, 133# second place)
● Greg Roth (1969, 95# sixth place; 1970 95# fourth place)
● Rich Beem (1970, 98#; 1971 119#; 1972, 126# first place)
● Duane Torkelson (1973, 119#)
● Mike Miller (1973, 132# first place)
● Steve Moe (1973, 138# fifth place)
● Randy Wyss (1973, 167# second place)
● Eric Swiggum (1982, 126# third place)
● Tom Witt (1988, 155#; 1989 160# first place)
● John Witt (1989, 167# second place)
● Corey Binger (2002, 112# sixth place; 2003 119#
second place; 2004 119# first place)
● Kyle Klopfenstein (2008, 145# sixth place)
● Dylan Schwitz (2009, 135#; 2011, 152#)
● Kevin Klopfenstein (2010, 119#; 2012, 132# sixth place; 2013, 138# fifth place)
● Traiten Gorr (2016, 220# second place)
● Kyle Walter (2016, 285#)
● Sam Kind (2017, 160#)
● Isaac Bunker (2022, 285#)
