Vikings slated to face Dakota Wesleyan, Southwest Minnesota State

This week: No. 2 Augustana (11-1, 5-0 NSIC) will face a non-conference and conference opponent on the road this week, traveling to Dakota Wesleyan (1-4) on Thursday and Southwest Minnesota State (4-2, 0-2 NSIC) on Friday.  Both duals begin at 7 p.m.

Last time out: Augustana picked up another pair of conference dual victories at home last week, defeating No. 3 St. Cloud State and No. 7 Minnesota State.  The Vikings jumped out to a 12-0 lead and won six matches by decision to defeat the Huskies 18-13 Thursday evening.  Augustana’s seven wins by decision lifted the Vikings past the Mavericks 21-10 Friday night.

Northern Sun honors:  The NSIC announced Monday that Ty Copsey has been named Wrestler of the Week for his performance in the Vikings’ wins over St. Cloud State and Minnesota State last week.  Copsey, a senior from Glenwood, Iowa, notched two wins for against the Huskies and Mavericks. Both of his victories at 197 pounds locked up a win for Augustana, putting the Vikings ahead by more than six points. On Thursday against SCSU, Copsey blanked Luke Munkelwitz 4-0. He followed that by taking a 6-3 decision from MSU’s Pat Mahan on Friday. The senior is currently ranked No. 2 in Division II.

Non-Division II contest:  Thursday’s dual with Dakota Wesleyan, an NAIA representative, will be the Vikings’ fourth contest this season against a non-Division II member.  The Vikings are 3-0 against non-Division II programs in 2010-11, having beat Division III-institution Augsburg 25-6 and NAIA-members the University of Sioux Falls 47-0 and Northwestern (Iowa) 42-0.  In fact, the Vikings have given up no points to an NAIA school this season.

The last time:  Augustana handled both Dakota Wesleyan and Southwest Minnesota State fairly easily when the programs met last season.  The Vikings ousted the Tigers 40-9 in Mitchell, S.D., and topped the Mustangs 36-6 at home.

The standings: The Vikings are in sole possession of first place in the NSIC standings as they are the only team with a blemish-free conference mark (5-0).  There are three teams with one conference loss–Minnesota State, Upper Iowa and St. Cloud State–two of which the Vikings have already defeated this season (MSU and SCSU).

Neutral site:  The Vikings’ lone loss the season came at a neutral site when No. 1-ranked Nebraska-Omaha edged Augustana 17-15 at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  The Vikings are 5-0 at home and 3-0 on the road in 2010-11.

By the numbers:  Augustana’s 11-1 record has included its fair share of one-sided wins this season.  The Vikings have pitched shutouts twice and held opponents to just six points five times.  Augustana has outscored its opponents 343-92 this season.

A chance at history:  The Vikings have an opportunity to post the most dual victories by a squad in school history if they win out the rest of the season.  Augustana has four duals left, and a win in each would give the Vikings 15 for the season, breaking the previous record of 14.  Augustana reached 14 wins during the 2004-05 season–also under the guidance of head coach Jason Reitmeier.

Viking lineup: 

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 climbed one spot and is ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II wrestling rankings released Jan. 19 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Vikings received 152 points.  Augustana had been ranked third in each poll prior to the Jan. 19 edition.

Who’s ranked: The Vikings had six individuals ranked in the latest NCAA Division II rankings. Defending national champion Jay Sherer gave up his No. 1 position at 149 pounds for the first time this season, falling to No. 4.  Marcus Edgington (157 pounds) and Ty Copsey (197 pounds) were both No. 2 at their respective weights. Gavin Nelson (165 pounds) and Carl Serck (174 pounds) were both No. 6, while Nate Herda (149 pounds) was No. 8.  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.  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.

Regionally speaking:  The Vikings are No. 2 in Super Regional Three after earning 56 points in the inaugural rankings released Dec. 9.  Jay Sherer,Nate Herda, Marcus Edgington and Ty Copsey were all ranked No. 1.  Others in the top five were Al Meger (No. 3 at 125 pounds), Cody Lensing(No. 3 at 133 pounds), Gavin Nelson (No. 3 at 165 pounds), Carl Serck (No. 4 at 174 pounds) and Lance Peters (No. 4 at 285 pounds).  To view the complete region rankings, click here.