LA CROSSE, Wis. — Both teams won five bouts in the dual meet, but a pin and technical fall for Augsburg University provided the necessary bonus points to enable the Auggies to claim a 20-19 victory over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in a men’s wrestling dual meet on Sunday afternoon.
Augsburg, ranked No. 4 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III tournament national ranking and no. 8 in the NWCA’s Division III dual-meet rankings, trailed UW-La Crosse, the No. 6-ranked tournament and No. 3-ranked dual-meet team, 7-0 after the opening two bouts of the dual. But Augsburg ran off three straight wins to take a 12-7 lead halfway through the dual, then scored two more wins to take a 20-11 lead after eight bouts. The Eagles scored a technical fall at 197, but could not get a major decision in the final bout to potentially tie the match.
Kaden Reetz (SO, Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) provided the biggest victory for the Auggies on the day at 149 pounds, as he used a Greco-Roman-style reverse throw late in the first period to score the only pin of the afternoon, ending the match with Sam Lorenz in the last second of the period. Claiming his 11th pin of the season, Reetz is now 23-9 on the season.
Solomon Nielsen (SR, Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS), the No. 2-ranked wrestler nationally at 174 pounds, improved to 24-3 with a dominant 19-1, second-period technical fall victory over UW-La Crosse’s Luke Clark. Nielsen used two takedowns and two 4-point near-falls to build a 12-1 lead after one period, then scored an escape, takedown, and another four-point near-fall to end the match 1:52 into the second period. Of Nielsen’s 24 victories, 17 are bonus-point wins (four pins, seven technical falls, six major decisions).
After the opening two bouts, three straight wins for Augsburg gave the visitors the lead to stay. At 141, No. 3-ranked Sam Stuhl (JR, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS) used a first-period takedown, second-period reversal, and 1:10 of riding time to claim a 5-3 win over Tyler Shackle, and after Reetz’s pin, No. 2-ranked 157-pounder Tyler Shilson (JR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS) broke a 3-3 tie with No. 4-ranked Nolan Hertel with a takedown with roughly 70 seconds left in the bout, riding out the remainder of the match for a 5-3 victory. Stuhl is now 16-4 on the season, while Shilson is now 24-2.
At 184, No. 11-ranked Nick Rogge (SR, Eastman, Wis./Prairie du Chien HS) scored a solid 3-1 victory for the Auggies over No. 10-ranked Kalyn Jahn. Trailing 1-0 after two hard-fought periods, Rogge used a reversal early in the third to take a 2-1 lead and built 3:05 of riding time to claim his 20th win of the season. Rogge is now 20-3.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Against opponents from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 351-56-1 in dual meets since the 1989-90 season. Augsburg has lost just 52 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 337-55-1 since the 1979-80 season and 262-45-1 since 1989-90.
FOR THE FOES
No. 11-ranked 133-pounder Sawyer Sarbacker picked up a 14-2 major-decision win for UW-La Crosse, No. 5-ranked Seth Brossard claimed a 17-7 major decision at 165, and No. 5-ranked Isaac Lahr scored a 16-1 technical fall at 197.
The dual closed with a tight battle at 285 pounds, with UW-La Crosse’s No. 6-ranked Ben Kawcyznski edging Augsburg’s No. 7-ranked Tyler Kim (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) 4-3.
UP NEXT: Augsburg competes at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Don Parker Open next Saturday (2/5) at 10 a.m.
RECORDS: Augsburg 3-2, UW-La Crosse 6-4
Saturday, January 30, 2022 – Mitchell Hall, La Crosse, Wis.
Official: Jason Wedgbury
Attendance: 292
No. 4/8 Augsburg (Minn.) (3-2) 20, No. 6/3 Wisconsin-La Crosse (6-4) 19
125 – Brandon Murphy (UWL, 6-8) dec. Derek Steele (AUG, 19-6) 3-2 (UW-LA CROSSE 3-0)
133 – No. 11 Sawyer Sarbacker (UWL, 7-5) maj. dec. Austin Gabbert (AUG, 14-11) 14-2 (UW-LA CROSSE 7-0)
141 – No. 3 Sam Stuhl (AUG, 16-4) dec. Tyler Shackle (UWL, 6-3) 5-3 (UW-LA CROSSE 7-3)
149 – Kaden Reetz (AUG, 23-9) pinned Sam Lorenz (UWL, 4-2) 2:59 (AUGSBURG 9-7)
157 – No. 2 Tyler Shilson (AUG, 24-2) dec. No. 4 Nolan Hertel (UWL, 13-3) 5-3 (AUGSBURG 12-7)
165 – No. 5 Seth Brossard (UWL, 11-2) maj. dec. Matt Rogge (AUG, 21-13) 17-7 (AUGSBURG 12-11)
174 – No. 2 Solomon Nielsen (AUG, 24-3) tech. fall Luke Clark (UWL, 6-6) 19-1 at 4:52 (AUGSBURG 17-11)
184 – No. 11 Nick Rogge (AUG, 20-3) dec. No. 10 Kalyn Jahn (UWL, 9-3) 3-1 (AUGSBURG 20-11)
197 – No. 5 Isaac Lahr (UWL, 11-3) tech. fall Parker Venz (AUG, 17-11) 16-1 at 7:00 (AUGSBURG 20-16)
285 – No. 6 Ben Kawcyznski (UWL, 17-5) dec. No. 7 Tyler Kim (AUG, 29-6) 4-3 (AUGSBURG 20-19)
EXHIBITION 157 – Cole Hansen (UWL, 12-4) maj. dec. Blake Jagodzinske (AUG, 10-4) 16-4
EXHIBITION 174 – Isaac Gust (UWL, 8-6) dec. Carter Sorenson (AUG, 12-3) 9-4
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