Augustana (6-1), ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II, is on the road this weekend for dual encounters with a pair of Division III opponents. The Vikings are in Collegeville, Minn., Saturday for a 7 p.m. match with St. John’s (6-4) at Sexton Arena. On Sunday, Augustana travels to Moorhead, Minn., for a 2 p.m. clash with Concordia College (4-5) at Memorial Auditorium.
Watch live
Concordia will offer a live video stream of Sunday’s dual. Watch it here.
Last time out
Augustana won four of five matches at the NWCA National Duals last weekend and came away with the consolation championship. The Vikings opened the competition by defeating No. 17 Findlay (Ohio) 27-12, losing to No 4 Nebraska-Kearney 21-10, and downing Northern State University 25-15. The Vikings claimed the consolation title on the second day by beating Limestone (S.C.) 23-11 and No. 7 Central Oklahoma 16-15.
Narrow escape
Central Oklahoma trailed Augustana 16-12 heading into the final match of its consolation championship showdown with Augustana. The Bronchos’ heavyweight Cody Dauplin came away with a decision, but the three points were not enough to overcome the Vikings’ advantage.
Major showing
Augustana’s Cody Lensing (125) went 5-0 at the NWCA National Duals with three wins by major decision. Carl Serck (174) also posted five wins. Chism Fink (141) was 4-1 with a pair of technical falls, while Nate Herda won four of his five matches.
Facing ranked opponents
The Vikings battled a trio of nationally ranked opponents at the NWCA National Duals last weekend, facing off with No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney, No. 7 Central Oklahoma and No. 17 Findlay (Ohio).
Nearing conference action
Augustana will wrap of the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend in Minnesota. The Vikings begin NSIC competition on Jan. 20 when U-Mary visits Sioux Falls. From there out, the Vikings will face only conference schools in dual action.
Minnesota nice
The Vikings’ tilts in Minnesota this weekend marks their first trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes this season for a dual. A year ago, Augustana wrestled in Minnesota once, topping Southwest Minnesota State 27-6. The Vikings are scheduled to wrestle in Minnesota three more times after this weekend.
Scouting St. John’s
A Division III program, St. John’s finished seventh at the NWCA National Duals last week and were sixth-place finishers at last year’s national tournament. The Johnnies’ Dustin Baxter, 197-pounder from Fairbanks, Alaska, was 5-0 and is 18-0 for the season. SJU is 6-4 on the year and has yet to face a team at home. Brandon Novak is in his eighth season as head coach and has his team ranked seventh in the country.
Scouting Concordia
Concordia College, which owns a 4-5 record, is ranked No. 13 in Division III. Last week, the Cobbers finished 1-2 at the NWCA National Duals in Springfield, Ill. Daron Hohbein (133) and Nathan Schmitz (197) each posted 2-1 records during the competition. A year ago, the Cobbers finished seventh at the national meet and set a school record with three wrestlers earning All-America honors. CC is led by seventh-year head coach Clay Nagel.
Against Division III
Since the 2000-01 season, Augustana has faced a Division III opponent 11 times. That opponent has been perennial Division III power Augsburg. The Auggies have won nine of those meetings; Augustana’s lone wins came last season and in 2004-05. This weekend’s duals against St. John’s and Concordia will be the Vikings’ first contests with a Division III opponent who is not Augsburg for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign when Augustana met Buena Vista.
Viking lineup
Jason Reitmeier plans to field the following lineup this weekend
125 Cody Lensing
133 Jason Jeremiason OR Jeremiah Peterson
141 Chism Fink
149 Nate Herda
157 Marcus Edgington OR Parker Swanson
165 Tom Davies
174 Carl Serck
184 Jayd Docken OR Sean Derry
197 Brian Schultz
285 Mike Roberts
Up next
Augustana opens NSIC action at home against U-Mary on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.