Augsburg, the defending NCAA Division III national champions and winners of 10 of the last 17 national titles, is now 8-1 in dual meets this season. The Auggies are ranked No. 3 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings. Nebraska-Omaha, currently ranked No. 2 in the Division II national rankings, is now 3-2 on the season.
Augsburg now has a 3-1 edge in the series against the Mavericks; the teams have battled the last four seasons, with each of the three previous victories coming by the visiting team. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 226-18 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 13 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season.
In the highlight match of the evening, Augsburg's Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 2 in Division III at 149 pounds, improved to 22-2 on the season with an 8-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha's Todd Meneely (JR, Omaha, Neb./Skutt Catholic HS), ranked No. 1 in Division II. Meneely is now 11-2 on the year. Holst scored three takedowns and had a 6-1 lead after two periods, holding off a comeback by Meneely in the third period while also collecting 3:44 of riding time.
Tied at 15-15 after eight bouts, Augsburg scored two wins from ranked wrestlers to claim the match victory -- a 6-0 decision by No. 4-ranked Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125 pounds and a 12-4, major-decision triumph by No. 4-ranked Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.) at 133. Flodeen claimed two takedowns and accumulated 4:57 of riding time in his win, while Lang collected three takedowns, a reversal and three-point near-fall, while building 3:40 of riding time.
Augsburg won four of the first five bouts in the match, including one by forfeit, to take a 15-3 lead into the halftime break. In addition to Holst's victory at 149, Lucas Murray (FY, Anoka, Minn.) claimed an 11-4 win at 141, as did Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 157. George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) scored a forfeit win at 174.
The lone win for the Mavericks in the first half of the match came from No. 3-ranked Aaron Denson (FY, Omaha, Neb./Millard South HS) at 165, as he scored a reversal and riding-time point in the third period to claim a 5-2 win over Augsburg's Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.).
In the second half of the match, the Mavericks claimed three victories in a row to square the match at 15-15 -- a 5-3 win by No. 3-ranked Brent Pankoke (SO, Beaver Crossing, Neb./Centennial HS) over No. 8-ranked Robbie Gotreau (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) at 184, a 2:14 pin by No. 2-ranked Jacob Marrs (SO, Oak Hill, Kan./Clay Center HS) over Wallace O'Connor (SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) at 197, and a 2-1 win on a third-period escape by No. 8-ranked Tony Lewis (JR, Ulysses, Kan.) over Augsburg's Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) at heavyweight.
Both teams return to action with road dual meets against ranked opponents in their own divisions this weekend. Augsburg travels to face No. 2-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse in a dual on Sunday (1/27) at 2 p.m., while Nebraska-Omaha travels to face No. 16-ranked St. Cloud State on Saturday (1/26) at 2 p.m.
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