This week: Augustana (6-1), ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, opens the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference dual portion of its schedule on Saturday when Minnesota State Moorhead (2-3) comes to Sioux Falls for a 7 p.m. contest.
Last time out: Augustana earned runner-up honors at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals this past weekend, picking up wins over San Francisco State, No. 6 Minnesota State and No. 2 St. Cloud State before falling to No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha in the finals.
Quite a run: The Vikings were enjoying wins in their last six duals before meeting No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha last Sunday for the NWCA National Duals title. Augustana opened the National Duals by handing San Francisco State a 23-9 loss on Saturday morning. The Vikings followed that with a commanding 31-6 victory over No. 6 Minnesota State later in the day. Those wins set the Vikings up with second-ranked St. Cloud State, where the Vikings pulled off the mild upset 18-15. In the finals, Augustana nearly knocked off No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha, holding a 15-14 lead heading into the heavyweight match. But UNO’s Taylor Escamilla came up big for the Mavericks in the heavyweight bout, sneaking out a 3-1 win over Lance Peters for the decisive lead change.
We’ll meet again: While the Vikings are likely still feeling the sting from the loss to No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha, they will have a chance to avenge the loss next month. Augustana and the Mavericks are slated to meet on Feb. 16 in the Elmen Center at 7 p.m. The Vikings will also have rematches–both at home–with No. 2 St. Cloud State (Jan. 27) and No. 6 Minnesota State (Jan. 28).
Jeremiason honored: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced Monday that Jason Jeremiason has been named its Wreslter of the Week for his 4-0 performance at this past weekend’s NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Jeremiason, a native of Marshall, Minn., collected a 4-0 record at 133 pounds for Augustana. He opened the weekend with 5-1 decision over San Francisco State’s Brian Tharp. He followed that by pinning Minnesota State’s Skyler Moore in 2:02, and in the semifinals, Jeremiason’s 3-1 decision over St. Cloud State’s Eric Ellington allowed the Vikings to knock off the Huskies. The junior beat Nebraska-Omaha’s Yasiim Bribieseca 2-0 in the championship dual.
Northern Sun honors: Jason Jeremiason‘s pick as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Week marked the second time Augustana has had someone earn the honor as Cody Lensing picked up the accolade on Nov. 29.
Duals to finish: From here on out, the Vikings’ schedule is filled with duals. Augustana has no opens for the remainder of the season.
National news: Augustana retained its No. 3 spot in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Rankings released Jan. 4 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Vikings received 140 points. Nebraska-Omaha remained No. 1 with 159 points, while conference neighbor St. Cloud State again took the No. 2 spot with 153 points.
Who’s ranked: Augustana had six individuals ranked in the latest NCAA Division II rankings. Defending national champion Jay Sherer kept his top spot at 141 pounds. A pair of Viking wrestlers grabbed No. 2 ranking as Marcus Edgington was second at 157 pounds and Ty Copsey earned that spot at 197 pounds. Other ranked wrestlers included Nate Herda (No. 3 at 149 pounds), Al Meger (No. 4 at 125 pounds) and Gavin Nelson(No. 7 at 165 pounds). To view the latest national rankings, click here.
Northern Sun rankings: Augustana is ranked No. 2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Vikings accumulated 61 points in the conference rankings and 56 in the region rankings. Individually, Jay Sherer (141 pounds), Nate Herda (149 pounds), Marcus Edgington (157 pounds) and Ty Copsey (197 pounds) each took the No. 1 position. Others in the top five included Al Meger (No. 3 at 125 pounds), Cody Lensing(No. 3 at 133 pounds), Gavin Nelson (No. 2 at 165 pounds), Carl Serck (No. 3 at 174 pounds) and Lance Peters (No. 4 at 285 pounds). To view the complete conference rankings, click here.