Augsburg wins 9 of 10, dominates UW-La Crosse
MINNEAPOLIS — Winning nine of 10 bouts with a nearly flawless performance, the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team claimed a 33-3 dual-meet victory over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sunday afternoon at Si Melby Hall.
Augsburg, the No. 6-ranked team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association’s Division III tournament rankings and No. 1 in the dual-meet rankings, thoroughly dominated UW-La Crosse, ranked No. 3 in the NWCA Division III tournament rankings and No. 4 in the dual-meet rankings. Augsburg claimed 13 takedowns to UW-La Crosse’s three, had a 3-0 advantage on reversals, and had four near-falls to the Eagles’ one. The victory was the second for the Auggies over the Eagles this season, after a 23-13 win in the NWCA Division III National Duals semifinals on Jan. 7 in Louisville, Ky.
The Auggies had four bonus-point victories among its nine wins on the day, including a 2:19 pin by No. 12-ranked 197-pounder Parker Venz over No. 3-ranked Ben Kawczynski. Improving to 22-6 on the season, Venz claimed his team-leading 17th pin of the season, snapping a two-match losing streak to ranked opponents.
Making his first career varsity dual-meet start, Cole Becker (FY, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) provided one of the biggest surprises of the day, using three takedowns, a reversal and a two-point near-fall to score an 11-3, major-decision victory over UW-La Crosse’s No. 6-ranked Tyler Goebel. Becker is now 29-4 on the season with 19 bonus-point victories (nine major decisions, six technical falls, four pins).
No. 10-ranked 165-pounder Cooper Willis (FY, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) scored a 9-1, major-decision win over No. 5-ranked Noah Leisgang, avenging a 2-0 loss earlier this season. Willis scored a takedown in the first period, reversal in the second and two takedowns in the third period to improve to 23-6 on the year with his seventh major decision.
Sam Stuhl (JR, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS), ranked No. 6 at 141, moved to 29-3 on the year with his 22nd bonus-point win (seven major decisions, seven technical falls, eight pins), a 12-0, major-decision win over Sam Lorenz, his second major decision over Lorenz this month. Stuhl scored a pair of four-point near-falls and a takedown to build his big lead.
Derek Steele (SO, Winthrop, Minn./Sibley East HS) opened the dual with a 3-0 victory at 125 pounds, and No. 13-ranked 133-pounder Cade Willis (SO, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) scored a 3-0 victory to give the Auggies the early advantage.
No. 4-ranked 157-pounder Tyler Shilson (SR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS) improved to 22-3 with a 4-2 victory over No. 2-ranked Nolan Hertel, avenging an earlier 13-0, major-decision loss in the NWCA National Duals semifinals. The win was also Shilson’s second straight over a higher-ranked opponent, after downing No. 1-ranked David Hollingsworth of Wartburg (Iowa) 2-1 on Thursday. Shilson built a 3-1 lead after two periods, and claimed a riding-time point for the final margin of victory. Shilson is now 65-8 in his Augsburg career and 93-32 in his collegiate wrestling career.
No. 5-ranked 184-pounder Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (JR, Loyal, Wis./Marshfield HS) claimed his second win over Kalyn Jahn this season, a 6-0 victory, and No. 6-ranked 285-pounder Tyler Kim (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) improved to 29-1 on the year with his 98th career victory, a 2-0 win over Michael Douglas.
FOR THE FOES
No. 3-ranked 174-pounder Seth Brossard scored the Eagles’ lone victory, a 12-7 decision over No. 11-ranked Seth Goetzinger (SO, Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield HS). Brossard had all three of UW-La Crosse’s takedowns and its lone near-fall on the day.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Against opponents from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 360-57-1 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 346-56-1 since the 1979-80 season and 270-46-1 since 1989-90.
UP NEXT
Augsburg competes at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Don Parker Open on Saturday (2/4) at 10 a.m.
Sunday, January 28, 2023 • Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
Official: Bill Benson • Attendance: 283
No. 6/1 Augsburg (8-1) 33, No. 3/4 Wisconsin-La Crosse (12-3) 3
125 — Derek Steele (AUG, 15-7) dec. Brandon Murphy (UWL, 5-10) 3-2 (AUGSBURG 3-0)
133 — No. 13 Cade Willis (AUG, 17-9) dec. Zach Weiler (UWL, 6-5) 3-0 (AUGSBURG 6-0)
141 — No. 5 Sam Stuhl (AUG, 29-3) maj. dec. Sam Lorenz (UWL, 10-5) 12-0 (AUGSBURG 10-0)
149 — Cole Becker (AUG, 29-4) maj. dec. No. 6 Tyler Goebel (UWL, 22-5) 11-3 (AUGSBURG 14-0)
157 — No. 4 Tyler Shilson (AUG, 22-3) dec. No. 2 Nolan Hertel (UWL, 23-2) 4-2 (AUGSBURG 17-0)
165 — No. 10 Cooper Willis (AUG, 23-6) maj. dec. No. 5 Noah Leisgang (UWL, 16-2) 9-1 (AUGSBURG 21-0)
174 — No. 3 Seth Brossard (UWL, 21-2) dec. No. 11 Seth Goetzinger (AUG, 20-6) 12-7 (AUGSBURG 21-3)
184 — No. 5 Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (AUG, 24-5) dec. Kalyn Jahn (UWL, 11-6) 6-0 (AUGSBURG 24-3)
197 — No. 12 Parker Venz (AUG, 22-6) pinned No. 3 Ben Kawczynski (UWL, 19-3) 2:19 (AUGSBURG 30-3)
285 — No. 6 Tyler Kim (AUG, 29-1) dec. Michael Douglas (UWL, 21-6) 3-0 (AUGSBURG 33-3)
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