Wartburg, the defending national runner-up and current top-ranked team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, improved to 21-0 on the season in dual meets.
Augsburg, the defending national champion and winners of 10 of the last 17 national titles, is now 9-2 on the season. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 227-19 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 14 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 234-22 since the 1979-80 season and 158-12 since the 1989-90 season.
The Auggies' lone victories came from No. 4-ranked Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.) at 133 pounds and George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) at 174. Lang claimed a first-period pin of No. 3-ranked Jacob Helvey, while Lynaugh scored a 12-8 win over Wartburg's No. 10-ranked Craig Kreman.
Lang rebounded from an early takedown by Helvey, claiming an escape, takedown and pin at the 2:22 mark. Lynaugh collected a takedown, three-point near-fall and two escapes to build a 7-3 lead after two periods, en route to the 12-8 win with a takedown, two escapes and a riding-time bonus point in the third period.
Wartburg claimed three bonus-point victories -- a third-period, 17-0 technical-fall by top-ranked Jacob Naig at 149 over Augsburg's Jason Adams (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.); a 13-4 major-decision by top-ranked Aaron Wernimont at 157 over Augsburg's Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.); and a 10-0 major-decision by top-ranked T.J. Miller over Augsburg's Wallace O'Connor (SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) at 197.
In the two other meetings of ranked wrestlers, Wartburg's No. 6-ranked Robert Struthers scored a 7-5 win over No. 4-ranked Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125, and Wartburg's top-ranked Romeo Djoumessi scored a 6-4 win over No. 6-ranked Robbie Gotreau (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) at 184.
Tied at 3-3 after two periods, Struthers scored an escape and takedown to take a 6-3 lead, and rebounded from a Flodeen reversal with an escape in the last second of the match. At 184, Djoumessi used two takedowns and two third-period escapes to hold off Gotreau's upset bid.
At 141, No. 3-ranked Zac McKray scored a 6-2 win over Augsburg's Lucas Murray (FY, Anoka, Minn.); Wartburg's No. 10-ranked Justin Hanson scored a 6-2 win over Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 165, and No. 3-ranked Brian Borchers used a second-period escape and riding-time bonus point to score a 2-0 win over Augsburg's Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) at heavyweight.
Also on Saturday, the Augsburg White Team (junior varsity) finished in third place at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational at the McPhee Phy Ed Center in Eau Claire, Wis. Paul Bjorkstrand (JR, Burnsville, Minn., 133 pounds) and Zach Hansen (SO, Albert Lea, Minn., 157) won individual championships for the Auggies, while Jake Saatzer (FY, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) finished second at 141 and Freddy Vigil (SO, Bakersfield, Calif./South HS) finished third at 125.
Augsburg returns to action next Saturday (2/9) at 9 a.m., at the St. John's University North Country Open in Collegeville, Minn.
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