MINNEAPOLIS — With nine wrestlers earning National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-America recognition, the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team recorded the ninth-highest team grade-point average among Division III teams, it was announced recently.
Augsburg recorded a 3.567 team grade-point average, good for ninth place in the Division III national ranking. It’s the 16th time Augsburg has earned a top-10 national honor in the NWCA’s Scholar All-America team rankings since 1998. Augsburg’s nine individual Scholar All-Americans were tied for second-most among the 75 Division III institutions which had representatives on the squad. A total of 260 student-athletes earned Division III Scholar All-America honors. Over the past 35 seasons, Augsburg has produced 168 NWCA Scholar All-Americans. Augsburg has had 145 student-athletes honored since 1997.
Nine Auggie men’s wrestlers earned NWCA Division III Scholar All-America honors — David Flynn (SR, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)), Victor Gliva (SR, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS), Brady Gross (FY, Rosemount, Minn./Apple Valley HS), Devin Roberts (FY, Lakeville, Minn./Apple Valley HS), Nick Rogge (SO, Eastman, Wis./Prairie du Chien HS), Justin Stauffacher (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Belle Plaine HS (Scott West)), Tanner Vassar (SR, Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS), Joshua Verbeten (SO, Wrightstown, Wis./Wrightstown HS) and Aaron Wilson (SR, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS).
It’s the fourth straight Scholar All-America honor for Gliva, who also earned NCAA Elite 90 honors for the third year in a row, as the student-athlete with the highest GPA scheduled to compete at the NCAA Division III National Championships. It’s the third Scholar All-America honor for Flynn and Wilson, the second honor for Vassar, and the first for Gross, Roberts, Rogge, Stauffacher, and Verbeten.
A management major with a 3.84 GPA, David Flynn earned his fourth national tournament berth with the title at 141 pounds at the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional, finishing his senior season with a 17-3 record, with six pins, two technical falls and four major decisions. A national titlist at 141 in 2019 and two-time All-American (also third at 141 in 2017), Flynn finished his career at 118-33 (90-19 as an Auggie), with 41 pins (34 at Augsburg), nine technical falls (five at Augsburg) and 17 major decisions (14 at Augsburg).
An accounting major with a 4.00 grade-point average, Victor Gliva qualified for the NCAA Division III national tournament for the fourth straight year, finishing third at 133 pounds at the Upper Midwest Regional. He finished his senior season with a 25-5 record, with 11 pins and a technical fall. A two-time All-American (fifth at 125 in 2019, eighth at 125 in 2017), Gliva finished 114-27 in his Augsburg career, with 35 pins, 10 technical falls and 19 major decisions.
An exercise science major with a 4.00 GPA, Brady Gross finished his first collegiate season at 23-8, competing at 149 and 141 pounds. He recorded 11 pins, one technical fall and two major decisions this season.
A business administration major with a 3.44 GPA, Devin Roberts finished his first college campaign with a 12-7 record at 157 pounds, with two pins, a technical fall and two major decisions.
A biology major with a 3.45 GPA, Nick Rogge completed his sophomore season with a 23-4 record, with four pins, four technical falls and four major decisions, competing at 174 pounds. In his two seasons at Augsburg, Rogge is now 54-14 with 14 pins, seven technical falls, and 11 major decisions.
An undeclared major with a 3.41 GPA, Justin Stauffacher spent his first collegiate campaign as Augsburg’s starting 125-pounder, finishing with a 17-11 record, with five pins and two major decisions. He finished in sixth place at 125 at the Upper Midwest Regional.
An exercise science major with a 3.17 GPA, Tanner Vassar qualified for the national tournament for the third time in his career, winning the title at 184 pounds at the Upper Midwest Regional. He finished his senior season with a perfect 31-0 record, with 17 pins, four technical falls and two major decisions. He was ranked No. 1 nationally at 184 entering the national tournament. An All-American with a fifth-place national tournament finish at 174 pounds last year, Vassar finished his collegiate career with a 124-29 record, with 47 pins, 14 technical falls, and 13 major decisions.
A physical education major with a 3.22 GPA, Joshua Verbeten finished his senior season with an 18-9 record at 165 pounds, with nine pins, two technical falls and two major decisions. He finished his collegiate career with a 55-55 record, with 24 pins, six technical falls and three major decisions.
A biology and environmental studies major with a 3.78 GPA, Aaron Wilson qualified for the national tournament for the second time, winning the 149-pound title at the Upper Midwest Regional. He finished his senior season with a 30-1 record, with 13 pins, nine technical falls and two major decisions. In his Augsburg career, he finished 101-30, with 40 pins, 16 technical falls, and 18 major decisions.
2019-20 NWCA DIVISION III SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA TEAM RELEASE
2019-20 NWCA DIVISION III TOP 25 SCHOLAR-ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
2019-20 NWCA SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICANS
According to the NWCA, “The team GPA was calculated by averaging the GPAs of the 10 regional starters, plus as many as four other team members who competed in at least 50 percent of the team’s scheduled competitions. … Nominees must have at least a 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for the previous full academic year. Transfers and freshmen are eligible if they’ve been in residence at their current institution beginning in the fall of 2017. On the competition side, wrestlers much be a national qualifier in 2017-18 and have a minimum win percentage of at least .500. Additionally, wrestlers can also be considered if they placed in the top six at their respective regional tournament, a win percentage of .500 or better and competed in half of the institution’s scheduled competition in NCAA championship events. A wrestler can also be considered if they have a win percentage of .670 or better and competed in half of the institution’s scheduled NCAA events.”
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