INDIANAPOLIS – Redshirt-junior Derek Blubaugh is now back-to-back GLVC Wrestler of the Year as announced by the conference. Alongside Blubaugh, the University of Indianapolis wrestling team racked up six All-GLVC honorees.
 
Blubaugh becomes the first Greyhound in the program's history to earn the honor not only twice in a career, but back-to-back times. Coming out of Bloomington, Ind., Blubaugh went undefeated in GLVC action, and against Division II action up to this point in the season.
 
A dominant season throughout, Blubaugh carried a No. 2 ranking at 197 from the preseason poll till now, capturing four different tournament titles, the headliner being the Midwest Classic. Alongside his honor he is All-GLVC first team, marking the fourth-straight honor for him, and his third time on the first team list.
 
"Derek has accomplished a lot already in his career, going undefeated in GLVC the last two years made it a pretty much unanimous vote for him. He's the definition of consistent. From an outside perspective I'm sure he's impressive, but from an insider's perspective, seeing him work every day, the effort he brings every day, the extra stuff, his character, he is one of a kind," Head Coach Jason Warthan said. "We've had some special guys come through the program and he's one of those guys we're going to be talking about forever in this program. He certainly set the bar from an accomplishments [standpoint], from a work ethic, from the intangibles, he deserves every bit of success he's had."
 
Alongside Blubaugh, graduate-student Trey Sizemore joined him in the first-team honors, leading the conference in falls while also going undefeated in GLVC-action at 174lbs.
 
"Trey being first team as well, he's had a huge impact, it's always fun when you get somebody that comes in with a little different style and has had high level coaching other than through us," Warthan. "He's improved the room around him and is certainly deserving of first team."
 
For the second team, it was an "Owen show," with both Owen Zablocki at 165 and Owen Butler at 184 cracking the list. Zablocki enters the postseason with a 20-7 record, having snagged nine falls on the season. For Butler, he tallied up 23 wins with only 13 losses, snagging a team leading 12 tech-falls on the season.
 
Arriving on the third team is the combo of 141lbs Blake Mulkey and 149lbs Jackson Hoover. Mulkey opened his season hot, earning titles at both the Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open and the Bob Del Rosa Ohio Intercollegiate Open, eventually parlaying that into a sixth place Midwest Classic finish. Hoover shined early as well, capturing the Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open title at 149 and eventually took third place the Midwest classic.
 
"The GLVC is pretty tough as far as a conference goes and is pretty deep as well. So for any of those guys that are getting awards, those are warranted and are certainly proud of and want to showcase, Warthan said. "It's always interesting because you get awards right before the postseason, so you don't want to focus too much on those. But those are something they'll be proud of at the end of the season when all the dust settles."
 
The Hounds are set to kick off the Super Regional 4 tournament tomorrow in Nicoson Hall at 10 a.m.