Augsburg, ranked No. 2 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, claimed eight placewinners at the meet, winning the tournament with 129.5 points. Elmhurst (Ill.), ranked No. 15 nationally, claimed three champions and qualified four individuals to the national tournament, finishing second with 116.5 points. Concordia-Moorhead placed third with 114.0 points, qualifying three individuals to the national tournament, and North Central (Ill.) was fourth with 109.0, qualifying three individuals to nationals. Host St. John's was fifth with 87.5 points, qualifying three individuals to nationals.
The top two individuals at each weight class, along with three at-large entrants, qualify for the Division III national tournament, to be held March 7-8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Augsburg's Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 149 pounds, dominated his weight class with four victories, including an opening 18-3, third-period technical-fall win and three major-decision wins -- 12-1 in the quarterfinals, 11-2 in the semifinals and 16-2 in the finals over No. 5-ranked Jeff Kastel of Elmhurst. Holst is now 28-2 on the year. A transfer from the University of Minnesota, Holst will be competing in his first Division III national tournament. He has a collegiate career record of 38-7.
Jason Adams (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) also claimed four victories, including a pin and 17-0 technical-fall win, to earn the title at 141 pounds, improving to 27-8 on the season. He scored a 7-4 win over Brent Skorup of Wheaton (Ill.) in the finals to earn a trip to the national tournament for the first time.
Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 133 pounds, was upset in the finals by a 7-4 decision to Adam Johnson of North Central, ranked No. 3 nationally. Lang, now 35-2 on the year, reached the finals with three first-period pins -- a 42-second pin in the opener, 1:07 pin in the quarterfinals and 2:58 pin in the semifinals. He now has a team-high 19 pins on the year. A transfer from the University of Minnesota, Lang will compete in his first Division III national tournament. He has a collegiate career record of 71-21.
Also finishing second for Augsburg and qualifying for the national tournament was Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 6 nationally at 125, Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 157 and George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) at 174. Lynaugh won his "true-second" match to qualify for the national meet. Robbie Gotreau (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 4 nationally at 184, placed third in his weight class but qualified for the national tournament as one of the three at-large selections.
Flodeen claimed a 5:30 pin in his opening match and edged Mogi Baatar of St. John's 10-8 in overtime in the semifinals, but fell 15-12 to No. 4-ranked Jake Oster of Elmhurst (Ill.) in the finals. Flodeen, an All-American and defending national runner-up at 125 last season, is now 21-7 on the season and 74-27 in his three seasons at Augsburg.
Hansen won three matches before falling 8-4 to Elmhurst's Kyle Katz, ranked No. 4 nationally, in the 157-pound finals. Hansen will make his first trip to the national tournament with a 28-7 record.
Lynaugh, a national tournament qualifier last season at 184 pounds, qualified this season at 174, claiming a pin among his three victories leading to the finals, where he was edged 6-4 by Concordia-Moorhead's Phil Moenkedick, ranked No. 10 nationally. He then scored a 2-1 triumph in the "true-second" match over Greg Schroeder of North Central to qualify for the national meet. Lynaugh is now 22-10 on the season and 59-20 in his Augsburg career.
A two-time All-American (fourth, fifth) at 174, Gotreau qualified for his third straight national tournament. He won his opening match by a 13-4 major decision, then claimed a third-period, 16-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals before being pinned by Dustin Baxter of St. John's with seven seconds left in the third period of the semifinals. In the wrestlebacks, Gotreau claimed an 11-2, major-decision win and 10-8 triumph in the third-place match. Gotreau is now 26-11 on the season and 135-37 in his Auggie career.
Augsburg heavyweight Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) finished third in his weight class, but was not among the at-large qualifiers. He want 3-1 on the day to finish 26-15 on the season. Wallace O'Connor (SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) went 1-2 on the day at 197 pounds, as did Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 165.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now