2015-2016 Season
Wrestling-22nd Place at Nationals, Fourth Place Among Non-Scholarship Teams, Second Place Among NJCAA Central District Schools
The Harper College Wrestling Team took 22nd place at the 2016 NJCAA Wrestling Championships at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Hawks also finished fourth-best in the nation among teams that do not offer wrestling scholarships to athletes and second among NJCAA Central District teams. Cory Pych was Harper’s All-American, placing sixth at 149 pounds at nationals.
The Hawks also placed second in the Midwest District Meet hosted at Harper College. Six Harper wrestlers either won their weight class or placed second, and eight Hawks qualified for nationals.
2014-2015 Season
Wrestling-13th Place at Nationals, Second Place Among Non-Scholarship Teams
The Harper College Wrestling Team took 13th place at the NJCAA national meet in Des Moines, Iowa. The Hawks also finished second-best in the nation among teams that do not offer wrestling scholarships to athletes.
The Hawks also placed second in the Midwest District Meet.
2013-2014 Season
Wrestling-16th Place at Nationals, Second Place Among Non-Scholarship Teams
The Harper College Wrestling Team took 16th place at the NJCAA national meet in Spokane, Wash.. The Hawks also finished second-best in the nation among teams that do not offer wrestling scholarships to athletes. Freshman Jacob Bellis placed seventh at nationals to earn All-American honors. Freshman Greg Jacquez and sophomore Blake Santi both placed eighth at nationals to earn All-American honors as well.
The Hawks also placed third in the Midwest District Meet and took second place at the Harper College Wrestling Invitational.
2012-2013 Season
Wrestling-10th Place at Nationals, Second Place Among Non-Scholarship Teams
The Harper College Wrestling Team captured 10th place at the NJCAA national meet in Des Moines, Iowa. The Hawks also finished second-best in the nation among teams that do not offer wrestling scholarships to athletes. Sophomore Josh Tardy captured a national title at 149 pounds, while teammate Steven Dewitt finished sixth at the national meet at 157 pounds. Both athletes received All-American honors for their performances.
The Hawks also placed fourth in the Midwest District Meet and took second place at the Harper College Wrestling Invitational.
2011-2012 Season
Head coach Dan Loprieno has established a tradition of success at Harper College and that continued this year. While the team fell short of winning their fifth national title, the Hawks still finished eighth at nationals and won the Midwest District Meet that qualified ten of their wrestlers for the national meet. Loprieno earned his ninth Coach of the Year honor in his 12 seasons at Harper.
2010-2011 Season
Men’s Wrestling – 2nd Place 2011 NJCAA Region IV Tournament:
Head Coach Dan Loprieno guided Harper College’s Wrestling team to 2nd Place in the NJCAA Region IV Tournament and a place in the NJCAA National Tournament. The tournament was hosted by North Idaho College with 250 wrestlers representing 36 community colleges competing at the Spokane (WA) Convention Center. At the National Tournament, Harper’s Phillip “PJ” Starnes captured the individual championship in the 157 pound weight class, and 4 other Hawks finished in the Top-8 in their respective weight classes. Overall, Harper finished in 6th place nationally. The Hawks were also recognized as the NJCAA’s Highest-Scoring Non-Scholarship Wrestling team.
2009-2010 Season
2009-2010 was an extremely successful season for Head Coach Dan Loprieno and Harper’s Wrestling team, as the Hawks captured the NJCAA Region IV Central District Wrestling Championship and the NJCAA National Championship! Harper won the National Championship as a non-scholarship awarding program. 9 wrestlers qualified for the National Championship, with Josh Kratovil winning an individual title and 8 wrestlers earning All-American honors. In addition, 7 wrestlers were named to the National Junior College Wrestling Coaches Association’s Academic Wrestling Team (including Elizabeth Brusa, the first woman to wrestle for Harper College). Coach Loprieno would add to his illustrious coaching career by being inducted into the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame. The team’s accomplishments were recognized by the reading of a proclamation on the floor of the Illinois Capital building, and by Dr. Ender at a Harper Board of Directors meeting in May.
2008-2009 Season
Coach Dan Loprieno once again was in the National Spotlight. The season prepares his wrestlers to win at tournament time. The Harper Men's Wrestling Team earned 4th place in the Midwest District Meet at Triton College. Led by 1st place Winner PJ Starnes in the 157 wt. class, the Hawks sent 7 wrestlers to Nationals in Rochester Minnesota. The team placed fifth at Nationals and Starnes was named All-American. Coach Loprieno was also honored at the tournament by being named by the NJCAA as Wrestling Man of the Year.
2007-2008 Season
Coach Dan Loprieno once again was in the National Spotlight. His season prepared his wrestlers to win at tournament time. Eight wrestlers qualified for Nationals. This team produced four All-Americans: Mike Dace – 165, Darius Williams – 174, Shea Geradot – 184, Alex Delonis – 285, and 2nd Place in the National Tournament. Coach Loprieno was also honored at the tournament by being inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame.
2006-2007 Season
The Wrestling team, the defending Division III National Champs, had another sensational season. They placed first in the region, sending 10 wrestlers to Nationals. They had another great tournament, but this year they came in second place on the National stage. Seven wrestlers earned All-American status: Mike Ryan, Jordan McCabe, Dallas Hesseltine, Justin Milos, Jesse Linczmaier, Dominic Willis, Jon Bentch.
Wrestling Coach Dan Loprieno was named Region Coach of the Year.
2005-2006 Season
Harper’s winter season was by far the most successful though. The wrestling team earned their second national championship in the last five years by scoring 119.5 points at the NJCAA National Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota.
2004-2005 Season
The wrestling team claimed second at the NJCAA National tournament in Rochester, Minnesota.
2003-2004 Season
The Hawk wrestling team brought home a third-place trophy in the national finals and Mike Rio earned an individual national championship in the 149-pound weight class.
2002-2003 Season
Wrestling was the big story in the winter months, as the Hawks won the Region IV Midwest tournament, qualified 10 wrestlers for the national Division III finals in Minnesota, and finished second in the nation. It was the fourth straight top-five national finish for the Hawks, who were national champions in 2001 and 1994. Mike Rio was a national runner-up in his weight category, and he and Alex Hernandez, Brandon Harwell, Bobby Howard, and Danny Perez earned All-American honors for finishing in the top eight in their weight divisions. Dan Loprieno was named Region IV Coach of the Year.
2001-2002 Season
The Hawks finished fourth nationally and second in Region IV. Harper won almost all of the dual meets that they participated in. Adam Sesso (Schaumburg), Alex Hernandez and Andrew Bradbury were all named All-Americans for their top 8 finishes nationally.
2000-2001 Season
The Hawk Wrestling team won the Division III NJCAA National Championship for the second time in eight years. Five Hawks – Adam Sesso, Bobby Howard, Kyle Rainey, Nathan Martinez, and Jared Karlan – were named All-Americans for top-eight finishes in the nation. In addition, Emerson Rushing, Mike Sauceda, Mike Kruc, and Brandon Harwell were national finals qualifiers. The Hawks won the Region IV Championship for the second year in a row.
