SIOUX FALLS, S.D.–No. 8 Augustana wrestling is set to host NSIC foe MSU Moorhead at the Elmen Center on Friday for the home opener of the season. The dual is slated for 7 p.m.
Sunny’s Pizzeria is the match sponsor and pizza will be available to students during the intermission. The first 25 fans will also receive an Augustana Wrestling foam finger.
Live results can be found at GoAugie.com/Live and on the GoAugie app, presented by CellOnly, found in the app store and on Google play.
The Dragons
MSU Moorhead holds a record of 1-1 in dual action this season and will begin conference action at Augustana. The Dragons defeated Jamestown 23-16 and fell to Concordia College (Minn.) with a final score of 33-10.
MSUM is coming off competition at their annual Dragon Open where the team had one unattached champion. Clayson Mele leads the Dragons with 10 wins so far this season after finishing the Dragon Open 2-2. At 165 pounds, Jonas Anez leads MSUM with three major decisions.
The Dragons are 0-12 all-time against the Vikings, with the last matchup taking place on January 29, 2022. Augustana was victorious in the contest that had a final score of 29-6.
The Vikings
Augustana participated in the Chadron Duals and marked wins over San Francisco State and No. 18 Western Colorado last Sunday.
The Vikings see a spot at No. 8 in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll with Jack Huffman at the top spot at 133 pounds. The Vikings are 2-2 in dual action and have wrestled against two NCAA DI foes this season. Four wrestlers are individually ranked for the Vikings.
Jack Huffman is ranked first in the poll at 133 pounds. The top spot in the rankings is the first of Huffman’s career and the junior has yet to take the mat this season. Huffman entered the 2022-23 campaign with an initial ranking at No. 2 and is a returning All-American. He placed eighth at the NCAA DII Championships last year and placed first at the NCAA Super Region V tournament.
Jaxson Rohman is ranked fifth at 125 pounds. Rohman holds a record of 5-1 this season with a win over Quincy Hulverson of Minnesota. Rohman was initially ranked at No. 8. Rohman entered the 2022-23 season after placing third at the NCAA Super Region V tournament and qualifying for the NCAA National tournament in 2021-22.
At 157 pounds, Miles Fitzgerald sees a spot at No. 7 in the poll. Fitzgerald competed at 165 pounds during the 2021-22 season and was initially ranked in the 10th spot in the preseason poll. The sophomore is 10-3 overall this season with a major decision victory over an opponent from DI’s South Dakota State.
Steven Hajas is ranked in the sixth spot at 285 pounds. Hajas holds a record of 3-1 this season and was ranked fourth in the preseason poll.
Lineups
Wt. Augustana Vikings Probables
125: Jaxson Rohman (So.)
133: John Babineau (So.)
141: Kage Lenger (So.) or Kade Sammons (R-Fr.)
149: Kyle Boeke (R-Fr.) or Connor Simmonds (R-Fr.)
157: Miles Fitzgerald (So.)
165: Tyler Wagener (Jr.)
174: Jacob Tvinnereim (Jr.) or Kolby Kost (Sr.)
184: Cade Mueller (Jr.)
197: Zach Peterson (So.)
285: Edward Hajas (So.) or Jarret Haglund (Jr.)
Wt. MSU Moorhead Dragons Probables
125: Clayson Mele (So.)
133: Thomas Carrillo (R-So.)
141: Hunter Hayes (R-So.) or Parker Benz (R-Fr.)
149: Gunnar Mogen (So.) or Jacob Davis (Jr.)
157: Peyton Ringling (Jr.) or Cody Wienen (Fr.)
165: Jonas Anez (Fr.) or Jacob Reinardy (Fr.)
174: Anthony Castro (Sr.)
184: Caleb Vacura (Fr.) or Brett Graham (So.)
197: Samuel Grove (Sr.)
285: Andre Baguma (Sr.) or Airin Spell (Jr.)
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