FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Claiming four weight-class champions and 16 placewinners among its 20 competitors, the Augsburg College wrestling team finished in second place at the Citrus Open tournament, held Monday and Tuesday at Cardinal Gibbons High School.
Augsburg finished second with 161.5 points in a competitive field, including three teams ranked in the top 15 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll. No. 9-ranked Mount Union (Ohio) won the 13-team meet with 167.5 points, followed by No. 11-ranked Augsburg with 161.5 and No. 12-ranked Cornell (Iowa) with 107.0. Ten Division III teams participated in the meet, along with three collegiate club teams.
Defending 125-pound national champion Mike Fuenffinger (SR, Hibbing, Minn.), ranked No. 1 nationally in the latest Division III national rankings at 125, improved to 14-1 on the season with the title in his weight class, claiming pins in his first two matches and major-decision wins in his final two matches for his second tournament title of the season. Of his 14 wins on the season, 12 are bonus-point wins (three pins, three technical falls, six major decisions).
Making his Augsburg season debut after competing as an unattached wrestler in the first half of the season, Donny Longendyke (SO, Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) claimed three straight pins, along with a medical forfeit in the finals, to win the the title at heavyweight. A transfer from Division I Nebraska, Longendyke is now 16-2 on the season with 12 bonus-point victories (nine pins, one technical fall, two major decisions).
Matt Hechsel (SR, Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 10 nationally at 197 pounds, claimed his second individual title of the season. He claimed pins in his first two matches, a major-decision win in the semifinals and a 7-0 win in the title match. Hechsel is now 13-2 on the season, with six pins and two major decisions.
Will Keeter (SR, Twin Falls, Idaho), ranked No. 10 nationally at 149, scored his first individual title of the year with four wins, including a 13-1, major-decision win in his opening match. Keeter scored a 2-1 win over Mount Union’s Ben Kazimir, ranked No. 8 nationally, in the finals. Keeter, now 14-4 on the season, outscored his opponents by a 25-2 margin during the tournament.
Chad Bartschenfeld (SR, Amery, Wis.) earned runner-up honors at 133 pounds, going 3-1 with a technical fall and a major decsion. He dropped a 9-1 major decision to top-ranked Jeremy Border of Mount Union in the finals. Bartschenfeld is now 10-6 on the year.
Kirk Anderson (JR, Comstock, Minn./Barnesville HS) made his season debut for the Auggies at 133, finishing fourth. Marcus Hamer (SO, Kimball, Minn.) placed fourth at 141, as did Tone Fuenffinger (FY, Hibbing, Minn.) at 157.
Grant Parker (SO, Onalaska, Wis.) placed fifth at 157, as did Kurt Knutsen (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) at 165 and Sebastian Larson (FY, River Falls, Wis.) at 184.
James Goman (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Trinity-River Ridge HS) placed sixth at 125, as did Jordan Reisinger (FY, Tomah, Wis.) at heavyweight. Logan Hortop (SO, Faribault, Minn.) placed eighth at 197, Miles Hammerlund (SO, Delano, Minn.) placed ninth at 184 and Blake Miller (SO, Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley HS) placed ninth at 149.
UP NEXT
Augsburg travels to Sioux Falls, S.D., to take on Division II Augustana (S.D.) on Sunday (1/4) at 2 p.m.
TEAM RESULTS
1. Mount Union (Ohio) 167.5
2. Augsburg (Minn.) 161.5
3. Cornell (Iowa) 107.0
4. John Carroll (Ohio) 102.0
5. Williams (Mass.) 100.0
6. Liberty (Va., club) 93.0
7. Oneonta State (N.Y.) 88.0
8. Ursinus (Pa.) 59.0
9. Case Western Reserve (Ohio) 37.0
10. Western New England (Mass.) 29.0
11. Knox (Ill.) 8.0
12. Florida Gulf Coast (club) 5.5
13. Florida (club) 0.0.
AUGSBURG RESULTS BY WEIGHT CLASS
- 125: Mike Fuenffinger 4-0, 1st place; James Goman 3-3, 6th place; Xianou Xiong 0-3.
- 133: Chad Bartschenfeld 3-1, 2nd place; Kirk Anderson 3-2, 4th place; Dylan Lesar 0-3.
- 141: Marcus Hamer 4-2, 4th place.
- 149: Will Keeter 4-0, 1st place; Blake Miller 4-2, 9th place; Bryce Zdanovec 0-3.
- 157: Tone Fuenffinger 4-2, 4th place; Grant Parker 4-2, 5th place; Dwayne Williams 0-3.
- 165: Kurt Knutsen 3-2, 5th place.
- 174: No wrestlers.
- 184: Sebastian Larson 4-2, 5th place; Miles Hammerlund 4-2, 9th place.
- 197: Matt Hechsel 4-0, 1st place; Logan Hortop 2-3, 8th place.
- HWT: Donny Longendyke 4-0, 1st place; Jordan Reisinger 3-3, 6th place.