NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Winning titles in six weight classes and earning runner-up honors in three more, the No. 2-ranked Augsburg University men’s wrestling team claimed the team title at the North Central University Invitational, held on Saturday.
Twenty-five of Augsburg’s 36 wrestlers competing in the tournament finished in the top eight in their weight classes, as the Auggies went 117-51 on the day with 57 bonus-point wins — 36 pins, 10 technical falls and 11 major decisions. The top five team finishers in the 13-team meet comprised half of the top-10 teams in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III tournament rankings — No. 2-ranked Augsburg with 176.0 points, No. 5-ranked North Central (Ill.) in second (167.0 points), No. 9-ranked Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) in third (94.5 points), No. 7-ranked John Carroll (Ohio) in fourth (68.5 points) and No. 10-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater in fifth (66.0 points).
Tyler Kim (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS), who moved up to the No. 2 spot in the most recent national rankings at 285 pounds, dominated his weight class for his fourth tournament victory of the season, going 4-0 with three first-period pins. He dispatched his first three opponents in 58 seconds, 51 seconds and 1:28, before claiming a 3-2 win over No. 10-ranked Robby Bates of North Central in the finals. Kim is now 18-0 on the season, with 10 pins and a major decision.
No. 4-ranked 141-pounder Sam Stuhl (JR, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS) claimed his third tournament win of the 2022-23 campaign with a 4-0 day, claiming technical fall wins in his opening two matches. He outscored his opponents by a 58-15 margin in improving to 19-1 on the season. He has 14 bonus-point wins among his 19 victories (five pins, five technical falls, four major decisions).
Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (JR, Loyal, Wis./Marshfield HS), ranked No. 7 at 184 pounds, won his weight class with three victories, including pins of 1:12 and 4:24 in his first two matches. Schwanebeck-Ostermann is now 14-3 on the year with seven pins, a technical fall, and two major decisions.
Parker Venz (SO, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS), who moved into the national rankings as the No. 13-ranked 197-pounder, scored his third straight tournament win with three bonus-point victories — a two-minute, 16-0 technical fall and pins of 23 and 26 seconds. Venz is now 14-3 this season, claiming nine pins and two technical falls.
Blake Jagodzinske (SO, Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West HS) claimed his first collegiate tournament victory of his career, winning the 157-pound title with a 4-0 day. He opened with two first-period pins, and won the title with a 6-3 decision over Patrick McGraw of John Carroll, the No. 7-ranked 157-pounder nationally. Jagodzinske is now 17-4 on the year with seven pins, two technical falls, and two major decisions.
Adam Sylvester (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) won his second tournament of the season, capturing the 174-pound crown. He went 4-0 on the day with a major decision, improving to 12-1 on the season.
No. 3-ranked 125-pounder Derek Steele (SO, Winthrop, Minn./Sibley East HS) finished second in his weight class, going 3-1 with a pin and two 16-0, second-period technical fall victories. Seeing his first action since the season-opening Luther (Iowa) Open on Nov. 12, Steele is now 7-2 on the season with three pins and three technical falls.
No. 14-ranked 149-pounder Charlie Stuhl (SO, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS) finished second, going 3-1 with a major decision, improving to 16-2 in his sophomore campaign. He eclipsed the 50-win mark for his college career, as he is now 51-17 with nine pins, 10 technical falls, and nine major decisions as an Auggie.
Brian Ramos (FY, Perham, Minn./Perham HS) placed second at 184 pounds to teammate Schwanebeck-Ostermann. He scored two second-period pins prior to his loss to his teammate and is now 11-2 this season with three pins.
Placing third for Augsburg were Brady Gross (JR, Rosemount, Minn./Apple Valley HS) at 141, Cole Becker (FY, Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) at 149, and Cooper Willis (FY, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) at 165, while five Auggies placed fourth — Wyatt Kaczrowski (SO, Seymour, Wis./Seymour HS) at 125, No. 10-ranked Cade Willis (SO, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) at 133, Austin Gabbert (SO, Lester Prairie, Minn./Watertown-Mayer HS) at 141, Kaden Reetz (SO, Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) at 149 and Connor Thorsten (SO, Foley, Minn./Foley HS) at 174.
Augsburg teammates shared fifth place at two weight classes — Lucas Jagodzinske (FY, Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West HS) and Karson Casper (FY, Coleman, Wis./Coleman HS) at 149, and Max Sokolski (SO, Bonduel, Wis./Bonduel HS) and Tanner Kroells (JR, Delano, Minn./Delano HS) at 165. Also placing fifth were No. 15-ranked 174-pounder Seth Goetzinger (SO, Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield HS) and Robert Beese (FY, Amery, Wis./Amery HS) at 285.
Lukas Paulson (SO, Becker, Minn./Becker HS) finished sixth at 157, and Brandt Bombard (FY, North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS) placed eighth at 174.
North Central College Invitational Results
UP NEXT: Augsburg competes at the Citrus Invitational on Dec. 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
AUGSBURG RESULTS BY WEIGHT CLASS
- 125: Derek Steele 3-1, 2nd place; Wyatt Kaczrowski 2-2, 4th place; Keno Vanier 3-2.
- 133: Cade Willis 2-2, 4th place; Carson Murray 2-2; Gavin Hilyar 1-2; Thomas Oswald 0-2.
- 141: Sam Stuhl 4-0, 1st place; Brady Gross 3-1, 3rd place; Austin Gabbert 2-2, 4th place; Griffin Slezewski 1-2; Aedon Oberdorfer 0-2.
- 149: Charlie Stuhl 3-1, 2nd place; Cole Becker 3-1, 3rd place; Kaden Reetz 2-2, 4th place; Lucas Jagodzinske 4-1, co-5th place; Karson Casper 4-1, co-5th place.
- 157: Blake Jagodzinske 4-0, 1st place; Lukas Paulson 4-2, 6th place; Trenton Dow 1-2.
- 165: Cooper Willis 3-1, 3rd place; Max Sokolski 5-1, co-5th place; Tanner Kroells 3-1, co-5th place; Bowen Rothbauer 3-2.
- 174: Adam Sylvester 4-0, 1st place; Connor Thorsten 2-2, 4th place; Seth Goetzinger 4-1, 5th place; Brandt Bombard 2-2, 8th place; Erick Ramos 0-1.
- 184: Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann 3-0, 1st place; Brian Ramos 2-1, 2nd place;
- 197: Parker Venz 3-0, 1st place.
- 285: Tyler Kim 4-0, 1st place; Robert Beese 4-1, 5th place; Jagger Schack 2-2; Hunter Gorecki 1-2.
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