ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Augustana placed third at the Super Regional Three Championship and qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA Championship Sunday.
The Vikings racked up 129.5 team points and fell in behind host St. Cloud State (164) and Upper Iowa (155.5).
Nate Herda headlined the individual performances for Augustana by winning the 149-pound title.
Other wrestlers heading to nationals by way of top-four finishes are 133-pounder Jason Jeremiason (second place), 141-pounder Chism Fink (second place), 125-pounder Cody Lensing (third place), 174-pounder Carl Serck (third place), 197-pounder Sean Derry (third place) and 184-pouner Jayd Docken (fourth place).
Herda went 4-0 to win his title. He beat St. Cloud State’s Jacob Horn 3-2 in the championship contest.
Jeremiason rattled off three wins before falling to UIU’s Trevor Franklin 5-0 to earn runner-up accolades.
Fink had two wins but lost in overtime to U-Mary’s Trevor Johnson 3-1 in the title tilt.
Lensing went 2-1 on the day and thrashed UIU’s Chris Paulus 17-0 (technical fall) in the third-place match.
Serck also went 2-1 and defeated Wayne Gobin of UIU to secure third.
Derry lost his opening-round match but was flawless in four wrestle-back contests. He was a 5-2 winner against Steven Cooklsey of Newberry in the third-place match.
Docken finished 2-2 to grab fourth.
It will be the first national-tournament appearances for Fink, Lensing, Serck, Derry and Docken. Herda will be making his third appearance in as many years. He placed third a year ago.
Matt Morris also place sixth at 165 pounds after going 2-2.
Taylor Harris (285) went 0-2 on Sunday, and Marcus Edgington (157) lost one match before withdrawing because of an injury.
Augustana’s team finish matched its third-place performance from last season.
The NCAA Championship is March 9 and 10 in Pueblo, Colo.
NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Tournament Results
Augustana Individual Results
Cody Lensing, 125 pounds, Third Place, National Qualifier
defeated Chris Paulus (UIU) by major decision, 13-0
lost to Corey Ulmer (MSUM) by decision, 3-0
defeated Chris Paulus (UIU) by technical fall,17-0
Jason Jeremiason, 133 pounds, Second Place, National Qualifier
defeated Zach Vann (NU) by fall, 2:33
defeated Terrel McKinney (MU) by decision, 3-1
defeated Andy Pokorny (SCSU) by decision, 6-4 (OT)
lost to Trevor Franklin (UIU) by decision, 5-0
Chism Fink, 141 pounds, Second Place, National Qualifier
defeated Connor MacGrego (MSUM) by major decision, 15-4
defeated Jay Hildreth (SCSU) by decision, 8-2
lost to Trevor Johnson (U-Mary) by decision, 3-1 (OT)
Nate Herda, 149 pounds, First Place, National Qualifier
defeated Mike Migawa (UWP) by decision, 12-5
defeated Steven Sandefer (Indy) by decision, 8-1
defeated Jacob Horn (SCSU) by decision, 3-2
Marcus Edgington, 157 pounds
lost to Bryce Givens (Indy) by decision, 8-6 (OT)
Withdrew due to injury
Matt Morris, 165 pounds, Sixth Place
defeated Jacob Begin (SMSU) by decision, 7-4
defeated Blake Lundgren (NSU) by decision, 5-0
lost to Blake Sorensen (UIU) by decision, 6-2
lost to Jeff Weiss (Indy) by decision, 3-2
Carl Serck, 174 pounds, Third Place, National Qualifier
defeated Brendan Eicikmann (MSU) by decision, 5-3
lost to Shamus O’Grady (SCSU) by decision, 4-2
defeated Wayne Gobin (UIU) by decision, 6-1
Jayd Docken, 184 pounds, Fourth Place, National Qualifier
defeated Chad Gibson (NSU) by decision 8-2
lost to Mitch Schultz (UIU) by decision, 5-1
defeated Tyler Hassenbank (NU) by decision, 13-1
lost to Derek Scala (SCSU) by decision, 7-2
Sean Derry, 197 pounds, Third, National Qualifier
lost to Matthew Baker (MU) by decision, 11-5
defeated Davion Willis (UWP) by decision, 3-2
defeated Kris McCleary (U-Mary) by decision, 9-3
defeated Martin Hagen (SMSU) by decision, 15-9
defeated Steven Cooklsey (NU) by decision, 5-2
Taylor Harris, 285 pounds
lost to Jake Kahnke (SCSU) by fall, 3:41
lost to Martin Patron (U-Mary) by decision, 8-4