ERAU: Champs Aloft & "All American" Champs on the Ground

Embry-Riddle’ Aeronautical University’s champion wrestler Tyler Chang finished an outstanding senior year with an impressive 41 wins and 1 loss this past weekend. Chang, who hails from Cottonwood, Ariz. and attended Mingus Union High School, is Embry-Riddle’s first four-time All-American. Chang ended his senior year campaign with a third place finish at the 2011 NAIA National Wrestling Championships.

“We are proud of our entire wrestling team and especially proud of our Academic All-American and many time athletic All-American, Tyler Chang. He and his teammates represent the best that Embry-Riddle has to offer,” said Dr. Frank Ayers, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for the Prescott campus.

Chang’s lone loss on the year came in the National Semifinal’s by a 3-2 heartbreak loss to Thomas Straughn of Notre Dame College. Some highlights for the year included impressive wins over Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State University and California Polytechnic’s Barrett Abel. At the time of the victories, Jenkins was the second rated NCAA Division I wrestler and Abel was slotted 15th. Jenkins still holds the fourth ranking as of March 7.

“Tyler is an outstanding example of someone who fights for the team,” said Coach Ken Ramsey. “He has set a precedent for our wrestlers and I am forever grateful for the example he has set for our future student-athletes.”

During Chang’s 42 matches, 35 of the bouts ended in some sort of bonus points for the team including 19 Falls, 5 Technical Falls and 11 Major Decision wins. Chang’s outstanding career includes a fifth place finish as a freshman at 141 lbs. in 2008, eighth place finish in 2009 at 149 lbs. as a sophomore and third as a junior at 157 lbs. in 2010. Chang ends his college wrestling career with an outstanding 142-28 record. Chang was also selected as a 2010 Daktronics-NAIA Academic All-American and a NWCA Academic All-American.

Teammate AJ Valles capped off his freshman year with a 5th place finish. At 133 lbs., Valles tallied a 5-2 record at Nationals to earn his first All-American honor. The Embry-Riddle freshman tallied 33 wins and 15 losses on the year. During his impressive first season at ERAU, Valles racked up four Tournament Championships including the 2011 Western NAIA Regional Championship at 133 lbs. in February.

Embry-Riddle qualified seven student-athletes to this year’s National Tournament. Senior Jeremy Mazon (133 lbs.) went 2-2 at the National Tournament and was selected as a Daktronics-NAIA Academic All-American for the second year in a row. Mazon, a two-time National Qualifier, is from Prescott and attended Prescott High School where he was a two-time Arizona State High School Finalist and a four-time Arizona State Place Winner for the Badgers.

Sean Silva, Barstow, Calif., went 1-2 at 125 lbs. Silva was a two-time California High School State Place Winner for Barstow High School. Josh Chang, Tyler’s younger brother, went 3-2 at 149 lbs. Josh, who is currently a sophomore, was 37-20 on the year. The younger Chang was a three-time Arizona State High School Champion and four-time Finalist for Mingus. Also competing at 149 lbs. was Matt Hamilton who went 1-2 at Nationals. Hamilton was also selected as a Daktronics-NAIA Academic All-American for 2011. In High School, Matt was Teammates to both Tyler and Josh Chang at Mingus Union High School where he won an Arizona State High School Championship in 2008. Rounding out ERAU’s National qualifiers is Junior Shawn Michalek, Shawn went 3-2 at 197 lbs. during his first trip to Nationals. The Folsom, California native was 3rd in the 2009 California Community College State Championships.

A combined effort from all of these wrestlers helped Prescott’s Embry-Riddle Wrestling Team to a 12th place finish in the 2011 National Tournament, up one mark from 2010 (13th). For complete results and match by match statistics click the following link: http://prescott.embryriddlesports.com/news/2011/3/5/WREST_0305114633.aspx

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu/.

Media Contact:
Susan Larsen
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
3700 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86310
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
(928) 777-6731
susan.larsen@erau.edu