Donathan wins 141-pound NCAA Championship

Zack Donathan won the 141-pound national championship.
Zack Donathan won the 141-pound national championship.

Add another national champion to the list for Tiffin University's men's wrestling program.

Zack Donathan became the third Tiffin University men's wrestler to win an NCAA National Championship, this time taking the 141-pound title with a 2-1 win over Christian Small of Lake Erie College. He finishes the season with a record of 14-1.

He joins Garrett Gray (285) and Nick Mason (197) as national champs for Tiffin. Gray won his title in 2017 and Mason in 2019.

Donathan dominated throughout the tourney, entering the title bout with three straight pins.  After beating Newberry in 52 seconds and Central Oklahoma in 30 seconds, he got another pin in the semifinals against Belmont Abbey in 1:32.

The title match against Small pitted Donathan against a familiar foe, as it marked the third time this season that he has wrestled Small. He initially lost to Small in the G-MAC Championship 1-0 but bounced back to beat him for the Super Region 3 title on Feb. 25 5-3.

Donathan earned First Team All-American honors with the win and was joined by teammate Brandon Mendoza (125) as a First Team selection. Mendoza earned the honor with an 8th-place finish. He fell to Western Colorado 9-1 and to Wisconsin-Parkside 5-0.