Augsburg College - Athletics

Augsburg ranked No. 2 in preseason Division III wrestling national rankings

NWCA DIVISION III BRUTE-ADIDAS WRESTLING RANKINGS -- CLICK HERE

MINNEAPOLIS (11/4/08) -- The Augsburg College wrestling team is ranked No. 2 in the preseason National Wrestling Coaches Association Brute-Adidas Division III national rankings, it was announced recently, with four Auggies earning spots in individual weight class top-10 rankings.

The Auggies, under first-year head coach Mark Matzek, are coming off a third-place NCAA Division III national tournament finish from last season, with six starters and 21 letterwinners returning, along with 23 newcomers forming one of the deepest recruiting and transfer classes in program history. Augsburg finished 10-2 in dual meets last year. Augsburg has finished among the top four teams nationally each of the last 20 seasons, with 10 Division III national titles to its credit.

Augsburg was ranked No. 2 in the initial Division III poll, behind defending national champion Wartburg (Iowa). Delaware Valley (Pa.) is ranked No. 3, with Coe (Iowa) ranked No. 4 and Wisconsin-La Crosse ranked No. 5. Concordia-Moorhead is ranked No. 21, while St. John's is ranked No. 22.

Two Auggies enter the season ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes -- 125-pounder Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) and 133-pounder Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.). Flodeen, a two-time All-American who won the 125-pound national title with a dramatic first-period pin in the championship match last season, is coming off a 25-7 record last year and has a 78-27 career mark. Lang, who finished fifth nationally last season in his first year as an Auggie after transferring from Division I Minnesota, was 38-4 last year with a team-high 21 pins, and is 74-23 in his collegiate career.

Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), who reached the national title match at 141 pounds last season and finished 31-9, will move up two weight classes to 157 and enters the year ranked No. 3 in the weight class. Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.) is ranked No. 7 nationally at heavyweight. Witzel just missed a berth in the national tournament with a third-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional last year, finishing 26-15 on the season and 48-26 in his career.

Augsburg opens its 2008-09 season with the Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. at Si Melby Hall. The Auggies' first dual meet will be on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. (5 p.m. JV), when St. John's faces the Auggies at Si Melby Hall.

2008 NWCA/Brute-Adidas Division III Preseason National Rankings (Oct. 27):
1. Wartburg (Iowa)
2. Augsburg (Minn.)
3. Delaware Valley (Pa.)
4. Coe (Iowa)
5. Wisconsin-La Crosse
6. Luther (Iowa)
7. North Central (Ill.)
8. Wisconsin-Whitewater
9. Wisconsin-Stevens Point
10. Ithaca (N.Y.)
11. Cornell (Iowa)
12. Cortland State (N.Y.)
13. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (N.Y.)
14. College of New Jersey
15. Williams (Mass.)
16. Olivet (Mich.)
17. Dubuque (Iowa)
18. Heidelberg (Ohio)
19. Loras (Iowa)
20. Roger Williams (R.I.)
21. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.)
22. St. John's (Minn.)
23. Buena Vista (Iowa)
24. Johnson & Wales (R.I.)
25. Wilkes (Pa.)
26. Elmhurst (Ill.)
27. Stevens Tech (N.J.)
28. Brockport State (N.Y.)
29. Rhode Island College
30. Lycoming (Pa.)

Minnesota college wrestlers in Division III Preseason National Rankings:
125 -- 1. Seth Flodeen (Augsburg); 5. Mogi Baatar (St. John's).
133 -- 1. Travis Lang (Augsburg).
141 -- 7. Minga Batsukh (St. John's); 10. Ben Anderson (Concordia-Moorhead).
157 -- 3. Jason Adams (Augsburg).
174 -- 8. Phil Moenkedick (Concordia-Moorhead).
184 -- 6. Dustin Baxter (St. John's).
197 -- 3. Anthony Neumann (Concordia-Moorhead).
HWT -- 7. Andy Witzel (Augsburg).

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Augsburg College, a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.

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