Wartburg has walked away with the gold trophy for small colleges the past three years in early March.
Can the Knights make it four in a row?
They certainly will have a legitimate shot when the NCAA Division III Championships are contested Friday and Saturday at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va.
Wartburg's push for another crown is one of many storylines to follow entering this year's event.
The Knights have won a record 14 national titles, including seven of the last eight.
Wartburg has qualified seven wrestlers and is led by a pair of returning national champions in senior Cross Cannone and sophomore Brock Rathbun.
Cannone is the No. 1 seed at 157 pounds and has won his last 61 matches. He won NCAAs in 2018 at 149 after placing second the year before at 141.
Cannone is a strong, physical and aggressive wrestler who is a difficult matchup for anyone.
Rathbun is the No. 3 seed at 133. He has a career record of 50-9, including a 25-4 mark this season. Rathbun came on strong late in the season and won a regional title.
Wartburg also has seeded wrestlers in Kyle Briggs, No. 3 at 174; Kris Rumph, No. 4 at 149; Brady Kyner, No. 7 at 125; Brady Fritz, No. 7 at 141 and unseeded Bowen Wileman at heavyweight.
Augsburg was ranked No. 1 nationally before dropping a home dual meet against Wartburg late in the season.
The last time a team other than Augsburg or Wartburg won the team title in Division III was when Ithaca College captured the 1994 championship.
Augsburg's Lucas Jeske, ranked No. 1, battles Wartburg's Michael Ross (Photo/David Peterson)Augsburg returns a pair of national champions in juniors Lucas Jeske and Ryan Epps.
Jeske was named outstanding wrestler at the 2018 national tournament and he is unbeaten this season. Jeske is seeded No. 1 at 165 pounds.
Epps captured his 2018 national title in dramatic fashion, scoring a takedown in overtime to edge Wartburg's Logan Thomsen 3-1 in the 157-pound finals. Epps is the No. 2 seed in a loaded 157 class topped by Cannone, who defeated Epps 8-4 in the dual.
Augsburg also returns a national finalist in No. 2 seed Sam Bennyhoff at 133. Bennyhoff avenged his national finals loss to Rathbun in the dual. The two standouts could meet again in the NCAA semifinals in a match that could play a huge role in the team race.
The Auggies also have a potential champion at 197 with No. 3 seed Lance Benick, who is 25-3. Benick transferred to Augsburg last year from Arizona State.
One team with the potential to end the string of titles by the Burgs is Johnson & Wales, a squad that qualified a New England record nine wrestlers for nationals.
The Wildcats feature plenty of firepower with their bonus point potential. Johnson & Wales has a lineup that includes numerous wrestlers who can end a match at any point with a quick fall.
Jay Albis made history for the Johnson & Wales wrestling program last season. He became the school's first national champion in any sport. Albis is back at 125 pounds and is the No. 1 seed with a 35-4 record.
The Wildcats upset Wartburg at the National Duals this season before falling to Augsburg in the finals. Johnson & Wales also set a Northeast Regional record by scoring 187 points.
Eighth-ranked Loras had an excellent showing in the same regional with Wartburg and matched the Knights with seven national qualifiers.
The Duhawks are led by coach T.J. Miller, a past Wartburg national champion under his father Jim Miller.
Returning runner-up Guy Patron of Loras is the No. 2 seed at 197 with a 18-2 record. Patron placed third at nationals two years ago.
Ithaca's Ben Brisman also is back after winning the 141-pound national title as a sophomore. He is 21-1 this season and seeded second in the tournament.
Sixth-ranked Ithaca has six qualifiers as does No. 4 Wabash.
Mount Union's Jairod James is another wrestler who will look to repeat as a national champion. He is seeded second at 174 with a 33-4 record.
Waynesburg's Jake Evans also returns to defend his national title at heavyweight. He is 46-2 this season and will be seeded third.
Evans provided one of the more compelling stories in collegiate wrestling last season by winning an NCAA Division III crown at age 28.
This shapes up to be an outstanding tournament.
Wartburg, with seven qualifiers, has little margin for error. The Knights certainly are capable with plenty of scoring potential among their strong list of qualifiers.
Augsburg looks like the best bet to end its rival's run of consecutive team titles. The Auggies have won 12 national titles since 1991 and could be in position to do it again.
It may come down to bonus points and that's where Johnson & Wales could make a run at the top spot with its ability to accumulate pins.
This is always a highly competitive event with compelling drama and this year promises to be no exception.
It will be exciting to see how it plays out this weekend in Virginia.
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