WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Baldwin Wallace University senior All-American and Academic All-American men's wrestling 197-pounder Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg/Bishop Hartley) has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Wrestler of the Week for the first time in his career.

Petrella, who is the No. 1 nationally ranked 197-pounder, claims his first weekly honor after winning all four of his matches at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/United States Marine Corp National duals in which No. 15 BW finished in 18th place with a record of 2-2.

He opened the duals with a 1-0 decision over No. 13 nationally ranked Mateo Casillas of Millikin (Ill.) University. Petrella then posted back-to-back pins in 2:35 over Steven Andreone of The University of Olivet (Mich.) and Marcus Burgos of Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y.) in 35 seconds.   He closed out the duals with a 13-1 major decision over Bennett Sonneborn of No. 20 New York University.   

This season, Petrella is 7-0 with three pins, one technical fall and two major decisions.

For his career, Petrella has a record of 50-8 in three seasons. He has recorded 16 technical falls, 15 pins and four major decisions.  Petrella is a 2025 All-OAC first team selection, 2025 NCAA Division III region 4 197-pound champion, 2025 NCAA Division III national qualifier and earned first career All-American honor with fourth place finish at 2025 NCAA Division III Championships

Off the mat, he is a two-time Academic All-OAC honoree, 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, 2025 NWCA Scholar All-American, 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection, Dean's List student, Jacket Scholar and a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, January 17 when they travel to North Manchester Indiana to compete in the Tom Jarman Spartan Mat Classic hosted by Manachester University inside the Stauffer-Wolfe Arena at 9 a.m.