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Davenport University Athletics

DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY PANTHERS

2023-24 Men's Wrestling Roster

Walter Cronk
Walter Cronk
Walter Cronk
Walter Cronk
Walter Cronk
Walter Cronk

Manuel Leija

  • Height 5-6
  • Weight 125
  • Class Junior
  • Hometown Lansing, Mich.
  • Highschool Eastern

Biography

2023-24 (Jr.): Named the first men's wrestling NCAA Division II All-American after placing eighth (2-3 overall) at 125 in the NCAA Division II Championships...came into the season as the No. 12-ranked individual wrestler in the 125 weight class by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coaches Poll...placed third in the NCAA Super Region 3 with a 3-1 record to claim top-15 rankings by Intermat (No. 11) and Open Mat (No. 13)...tallied a 2-1 record in the GLVC Dual Championships to mark two of the Panthers' five total wins.

2022-23 (So.): Competed as a top performer for the Panthers throughout the season, finishing fourth overall at the NCAA Super Region at 133 and fell just shy of All-American status as a competitor in the NCAA Division II Championships...placed second in the Millikin Open on Nov. 12 in a tech fall over Cole Blalock of Huntingdon (21-6), win by fall against DJ Millett of Millikin at 6:31, and fell by a 5-4 decision against Brock Beck of Central College Iowa...finished third in the Albion Open on Nov. 20 with 14.5 team points...also finished third in the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open on Dec. 3 with 17.5 team points...tallied the only points for the Panthers against No. 4 Indianapolis in the team's first GLVC dual of the season (51-3 loss)...won matchup in Maryvill Dual on Nov. 14 over Austin Wadlow in a 3-2 decision.

2020-21 (Fr.): Finished with a record of 4-8 in his first season with the team...advanced to the third-place match in his weight class (125) at the NCAA Regional on Feb. 27...won twice over Zachary Collins of Findlay 3-0 and Jake Arnold of Notre Dame College (Fall 1:29)...won 4-2 in sudden victory over Cael Woods of Ashland for his first career win at DU on Jan. 30.

High School: Prepped at Lansing Eastern High School for coach Arnold Pulliam...four-time Varsity letter winner in wrestling from 2017-2020…three-time MHSAA State Qualifier in Division 1/Division 2…three-time MHSAA All-State in D1/D2…2018 MHSAA placed 8th in State at 112 pounds…2019 MHSAA placed 3rd in State at 112 pounds…2020 MHSAA placed 6th in State at 119 pounds in D1…three-time MHSAA Regional Champion…three-time All-Conference pick...had a 126-30 record on the mat in high school.

Personal: Majoring in sport management...born June 22...favorite movie is Dragon Ball Z.

Historical Player Information

  • 2020-21Freshman

    5'5" 125 lbs
  • 2021-22Sophomore

    5'5" 125 lbs
  • 2022-23Junior

    5'5" 125 lbs
  • 2023-24Junior

    5'6" 125 lbs