SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Augustana wrestling’s senior Brandon Carroll and sophomore Steven Hajas are ready for the big show this weekend at the NCAA Division II Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Championships are set to take place Friday and Saturday at the America’s Center Convention Complex. Wrestling begins at noon each day with the championship finals taking place at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The NCAA is offering a free live stream for the event that can be found on GoAugie.com/Live. In addition, brackets for the tournament can be found here.
Brandon Carroll – 133 pounds – Senior – Sioux Falls, S.D.
At the NCAA Super Region 5 Tournament, Carroll went 4-1 while finishing in second-place to punch his ticket to nationals. One of his four wins on the day came by way of a pin over No. 8-ranked Dayne Morton of Northern State in the semifinal bout. It’s the second time in the senior’s career that he’s off to nationals, after qualifying during his freshman season in 2016-17.
“Brandon is making a return to the national tournament after qualifying as a true freshman,” head coach Jason Reitmeier said. “His training has gone well and he’s excited to get to St. Louis and compete.
“I’m excited to see Brandon compete on the big stage, he’s always shined the most in these moments.”
Steven Hajas – 285 pounds – Sophomore – Delano, Minn.
Hajas went 3-1 at the NCAA Super Region 5 Tournament to qualify for nationals in consecutive seasons. Two of the sophomore’s three wins came over ranked opponents, No. 10 Jordan Will of Minot State and No. 9 Dominic Tudor of UMary. Hajas also took home second-place at the tournament.
“Steven made his second-consecutive national tournament and even though he was the sixth seed at the regional, we knew he would qualify,” said Reitmeier. “Seeding and rankings don’t mean anything to Steven, he just wants to compete and he seems to step up at the right times. I expect this national tournament to be no different for him.”
NCAA Division II National Championships
Fri-Sat, Mar 12-13 – St. Louis, MO
Qualifiers | Watch | Brackets
One Last Thing
The Championship will determine the Division II All-America team with the top-eight finishers in each weight class earning All-America status.
Check out Vikings Wrestling at goaugie.com and on Twitter and Facebook.
