Augsburg College - Athletics

Wrestling 1/12/08 -- Augsburg at NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (1/12/08) -- The Augsburg College wrestling team, ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division III national rankings, won its first two matches at the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals, presented by CSG Sports Coatings, on Saturday afternoon at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI Dome.

Augsburg opened its tournament with a 41-3 victory over Johns Hopkins (Md.), winning nine of 10 individual bouts, then won six of 10 bouts in a 27-18 victory over No. 7-ranked Coe (Iowa) in the quarterfinals.

Augsburg will face No. 3-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sunday (1/13) at 11 a.m. in the semifinals, with top-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) facing No. 4-ranked Delaware Valley (Pa.) in the other semifinal. The winners will meet at 3 p.m. for the National Duals championship, with the losers battling for third place at 3 p.m.

In the previous six years of the Division III National Duals in its current 16-team format, Augsburg and Wartburg have met in the National Duals finals, with Augsburg winning three times (2002, 2005, 2007) and Wartburg winning three times (2003, 2004, 2006).

Augsburg is the defending NCAA Division III national champions and winners of 10 of the last 17 national titles. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 223-17 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 12 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 231-20 since the 1979-80 season and 155-10 since the 1989-90 season.

Two other Minnesota programs are also in the Division III National Duals. Concordia-Moorhead dropped its opening match to Wisconsin-La Crosse 31-7, but rallied for a 25-20 victory over No. 19-ranked Cornell (Iowa). Concordia ended its National Duals run with a 39-7 loss to No. 5-ranked Luther (Iowa) in the consolation round. St. Olaf went 1-2 at the National Duals on Saturday, falling 32-12 to Delaware Valley and 32-9 to Ohio Northern, before topping Johns Hopkins 28-16..

Three Auggies claimed two victories each on Saturday -- Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 149; Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 157 pounds and Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) at heavyweight. Holst is now 16-1 on the season, while Hansen is now 18-3 and Witzel is now 15-6.

Witzel provided the exclamation point for the Auggies in the victory over Coe, with a 5:09 pin of Coe's Jared Carder that clinched the match win. Coe had rallied to tie the match at 18-18 after eight weight classes, but Augsburg took the lead for good on a decision victory by Wallace O'Connor (SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) at 197 and Witzel's pin at heavyweight.

Augsburg's Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.), ranked No. 5 nationally at 133, scored a first-period pin over Coe's Gannon Hjerleid, and Hansen scored a second-period pin of Coe's Byron Grothus. Holst and Jason Adams (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) also scored decision wins for the Auggies against Coe.

Against Johns Hopkins, Augsburg won nine of 10 matches, including two pins, a technical fall and three major decisions. Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 125 pounds, and George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS), ranked No. 8 at 174, both scored first-period pins, and Paul Bjorkstrand (JR, Burnsville, Minn.) scored a 15-0, technical-fall win. Holst, Witzel and Lucas Murray (FY, Anoka, Minn.) had major-decision victories.

College Wrestling -- No. 2 Augsburg (Minn., 4-0) 41, Johns Hopkins (Md., 1-8) 3
Saturday, January 12, 2008 -- UNI Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

125 -- No. 1 Seth Flodeen (AUG, 8-2) pinned Mickey Keane (JHU, 2-7) 1:18 (Augsburg 6-0).
133 -- Paul Bjorkstrand (AUG, 10-4) tech. fall. Xavier Mohammed (JHU, 7-13) 15-0 at 5:12 (Augsburg 11-0).
141 -- Lucas Murray (AUG, 16-2) maj. dec. Ben Kauffman (JHU, 10-12) 8-0 (Augsburg 15-0).
149 -- No. 2 Willy Holst (AUG, 15-1) maj. dec. Jim Crumlish (JHU, 5-14) 16-5 (Augsburg 19-0).
157 -- Beau Hansen (AUG, 17-3) dec. Eric Levenseller (JHU, 7-12) 7-3 (Augsburg 22-0).
165 -- Brandon Klukow (AUG, 17-5) dec. Patrick Stanley (JHU, 13-10) 8-4 (Augsburg 25-0).
174 -- No. 8 George Lynaugh (AUG, 9-3) pinned Mickey Keane (JHU, 2-7) 2:56 (Augsburg 31-0).
184 -- Eric Fishel (JHU, 17-4) dec. No. 3 Robbie Gotreau (AUG, 15-5) 4-3 (Augsburg 31-3).
197 -- Danny Manley (AUG, 10-8) won by forfeit (Augsburg 37-3).
HWT -- Andy Witzel (AUG, 14-6) maj. dec. Matt Rugani (JHU, 11-11) 10-1 (Augsburg 41-3).

College Wrestling -- No. 2 Augsburg (Minn., 5-0) 27, No. 7 Coe (Iowa, 11-1) 18
Saturday, January 12, 2008 -- UNI Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

125 -- No. 4 Clayton Rush (Coe, 23-2) pinned No. 1 Seth Flodeen (AUG, 8-3) 1:14 (Coe 6-0).
133 -- No. 5 Travis Lang (AUG, 17-1) pinned Gannon Hjerleid (Coe, 17-7) 1:38 (TIED 6-6).
141 -- Jason Adams (AUG, 16-3) dec. Niles Mercer (Coe, 26-5) 6-2 (Augsburg 9-6).
149 -- No. 2 Willy Holst (AUG, 16-1) dec. Tyler Baker (Coe, 25-10) 4-1 (Augsburg 12-6).
157 -- Beau Hansen (AUG, 18-3) pinned Byron Grothus (Coe, 21-8) 4:47 (Augsburg 18-6).
165 -- No. 6 Tyler Burkle (Coe, 20-0) dec. Brandon Klukow (AUG, 17-6) 7-1 (Augsburg 18-9).
174 -- Tyler Jentz (Coe, 24-5) dec. No. 8 George Lynaugh (AUG, 9-4) 8-4 (Augsburg 18-12).
184 -- Greg Lalla (Coe, 22-7) pinned No. 3 Robbie Gotreau (AUG, 15-6) 1:54 (TIED 18-18).
197 -- Wallace O'Connor (AUG, 1-0) dec. Rob Kramer (Coe, 23-8) 8-3 (Augsburg 21-18).
HWT -- Andy Witzel (AUG, 15-6) pinned Jared Carder (Coe, 17-10) 5:09 (Augsburg 27-18).

Saturday's scores from NWCA Division III National Duals -- at UNI Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa
(Rankings listed are from latest Division III national poll)

First round:
No. 1 Wartburg (Iowa) 52, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 0
No. 15 Olivet (Mich.) 24, No. 11 Buena Vista (Iowa) 12
No. 5 Luther (Iowa) 30, Ohio Northern 10
No. 4 Delaware Valley (Pa.) 32, St. Olaf (Minn.) 12
No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse 31, Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) 7
No. 6 Heidelberg (Ohio) 30, No. 19 Cornell (Iowa) 13
No. 7 Coe (Iowa) 35, Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 0
No. 2 Augsburg (Minn.) 41, Johns Hopkins (Md.) 3

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Wartburg 47, No. 15 Olivet 0
No. 4 Delaware Valley 27, No. 5 Luther 9
No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse 24, No. 6 Heidelberg 12
No. 2 Augsburg 27, No. 7 Coe 18

Consolation First Round:
No. 11 Buena Vista 43, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 4
Ohio Northern 32, St. Olaf 9
Concordia-Moorhead 25, No. 19 Cornell 20
Johnson & Wales 24, Johns Hopkins 15

Consolation Second Round:
No. 7 Coe 32, No. 11 Buena Vista 15
No. 6 Heidelberg 32, Ohio Northern 15
No. 5 Luther 39, Concordia-Moorhead 7
Johnson & Wales 19, No. 15 Olivet 16

Consolation Third Round:
Heidelberg 21, Coe 18
Luther 34, Johnson & Wales 9

Extra Matches:
St. Olaf 28, Johns Hopkins 16
Wisconsin-Oshkosh 21, Cornell 15

Sunday's Matches:
Seventh-Place Match (9 a.m. Sunday):
Coe vs. Johnson & Wales

Championship Semifinals (11 a.m. Sunday):
Wartburg vs. Delaware Valley
Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. Augsburg

Fifth-Place Match (1 p.m. Sunday)
Heidelberg vs. Luther

Championship Finals (3 p.m. Sunday)
Third-Place Match (3 p.m. Sunday)

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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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