THE NATIONAL MEET — Thirteen-time national champion Augsburg University will compete at the NCAA Division III National Championships on Friday and Saturday, March 10-12, at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va.
Action begins at 10 a.m. (Central time) on Friday with preliminary rounds, and quarterfinal and wrestleback action at 5 p.m., determining the eight All-Americans in each weight class.
On Saturday, action continues at 9 a.m. with championship semifinals, consolation action and placing matches for third, fifth and seventh places. Parade of All-Americans will be at 5:30 p.m., with the ten national championship matches scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
AUGSBURG’S ALL-AMERICAN TRADITION — Depth has always been a hallmark of the Augsburg men’s wrestling program, and that has shown in the number of All-Americans — finishers in the top eight of each weight class — that the team has had in national competition. Augsburg has earned at least two All-Americans every year since 1988, and has had at least five All-Americans in 30 of the last 34 years.
Augsburg has had at least one All-American in national competition every year since 1977 — 46 straight years. Augsburg has now earned 268 wrestling All-Americans in program history (217 in NCAA competition, 38 in NAIA, 13 by the NWCA in 2020 and 2021).
AUGGIES WIN REGIONAL TITLE, QUALIFY EIGHT WRESTLERS TO NATIONALS — Qualifying individuals in eight of 10 weight classes to the national championships, the Augsburg wrestling team claimed its 20th straight NCAA regional title, winning the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional crown on Feb. 24-25 at Concordia-Wisconsin.
Augsburg won the 19-team regional with 176.0 points. Augsburg has won the team title in its NCAA regional every year since starting regional competition in the 2002-03 season. Augsburg has now had seven or more national tournament qualifiers in 19 of the last 20 seasons.
Augsburg had two regional champions, three runners-up and three third-place finishers. In the regional, the Auggies combined for a 33-10 record, with 12 pins, eight technical falls and three major decisions.
Augsburg, ranked No. 3 in the final National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, is tied with No. 4-ranked Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) for the most national tournament qualifiers, with eight each. Top-ranked Wartburg (Iowa), No. 7-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse and No. 9-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J.) have seven qualifiers each, while No. 6-ranked North Central (Ill.), No. 11-ranked Wabash (Ind.) and No. 20-ranked Alvernia (Pa.) have six qualifiers each.
The Auggies, winners of 13 Division III team national championships since 1991, have six seeded wrestlers, with No. 2-ranked 157-pounder Tyler Shilson (SR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS) and No. 5-ranked 285-pounder Tyler Kim (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) both seeded fourth in their weight classes. No. 4-ranked 184-pounder Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (JR, Loyal, Wis./Marshfield HS) is seeded sixth. No. 8-ranked 149-pounder Charlie Stuhl (SO, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS), No. 6-ranked 165-pounder Cooper Willis (FY, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) and No. 10-ranked 174-pounder Seth Goetzinger (SO, Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield HS) are seeded seventh each. Two Auggies — No. 6-ranked 141-pounder Sam Stuhl (JR, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS) and No. 7-ranked 197-pounder Parker Venz (SO, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) — are unseeded.
Kim is competing in his third national tournament, after finishing fourth at 285 pounds at the 2022 NCAA Division III national tournament and finishing second at the 2021 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national tournament. Shilson, who competed at Division I schools Wisconsin in 2017-18 and Chattanooga (Tenn.) in 2019-20, is competing in his third national tournament as an Auggie, after finishing third at 157 pounds at both the 2022 NCAA tournament and the 2021 NWCA meet. Schwanebeck-Ostermann is also competing in his third national tournament, this time at 184 pounds, after finishing sixth at 197 pounds at both the 2022 NCAA meet and the 2021 NWCA tournament.
Sam Stuhl is making his second straight appearance at the national tournament at 141 pounds. His younger brother Charlie Stuhl is also in a national tournament for the second time, after competing at the NWCA nationals at 149 pounds in 2021.
Three Auggies are making their national tournament debuts — Willis at 165 pounds, Goetzinger at 174 pounds and Venz at 197 pounds.
Check out Auggies Wrestling at athletics.augsburg.edu and on Facebook and Twitter.
