#2 St. Cloud State to face St. John’s and UW-Eau Claire

The Matches:
Jan. 14 – #2 St. Cloud State at St. John’s, 7:30 p.m. (Listen on WBHR AM 660)
Jan. 15 – #2 St. Cloud State at UW-Eau Claire, 7 p.m.

HUSKIES HEADLINERS:

  • #2 St. Cloud State University (10-1) will be on the road this weekend for matches against two NCAA Division III rivals.  On Jan. 14, the Huskies will travel to #3 ranked St. John’s University for a 7:30 p.m. match in Collegeville.  On Jan. 15, the Huskies will have a 7 p.m. at Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wis.
  • On the Radio! The upcoming match between SCSU and SJU will be broadcast live on WBHR AM 660 with Mark Lewandowski, Jeff Mergen and Maury Meyer making the call.  The WBHR website is www.660wbhr.com
  • The Huskies were ranked #2 in the latest DII Coaches’ Poll behind Nebraska Omaha. Here is a rundown of SCSU’s nationally ranked wrestlers in 2010-11:  Gabe Suarez (#7 at 141-pounds), John Sundgren (#6 at 157-pounds), Tad Merritt (#2 at 165-pounds),  Shamus O’Grady (#6 at 174-pounds), Mic Berg (#5 at 184-pounds) and Jake Kahnke (#1 at 285-pounds).  The poll was released on Jan. 4.
  • St. Cloud State captured third place at the 2011 NWCA Division II Duals on Jan. 8-9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  The Huskies opened the tournament with a 32-6 win over Limestone and then charted a 27-9 win over #13 North Carolina-Pembroke on Jan. 8.  In action on day 2 of the tournament, the Huskies lost a tough 18-15 decision aganst #3 Augustana.  This match featured matches lost by the Huskies in OT.  SCSU rebounded in the match for third place with a convincing 25-9 win over #5 Newberry.  Of note, UN-Omaha won the tournament title with a 17-15 victory over Augustana in the title dual match.
  • Jacob D. Horn enjoyed a strong outing at the NWCA’s.  He posted a 3-0 record a t 149-pounds and this included a 7-5 win over #3 ranked Nate Herda of Augustana and a 9-4 win over #5 ranked Dale DeBacco.  Horn is 17-5 this season and came into the NWCA tournament unranked at 149-pounds.
  • At 285-pounds, #1 ranked Jake Kahnke did not let down at the NWCA Duals.  He charted a 3-0 record that included wins over Augustana, UNC-Pembroke and Newberry.  Kahnke is 15-1 in 2010-11 for SCSU.
  • #2 ranked Tad Merritt hit the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season.  He is now 22-3 this year at 165-pounds and this total includes 11 pins.  Merritt now has 88 career wins as a Husky, and he is on track to make a run at career win record owner Dustin Darveaux (142 wins from 1999-03).
  • The St. Cloud State University wrestling team (14-7, 5-2 NSIC/3rd) captured 7th place at the 2010 NCAA Division II wrestling championships on March 12-13, in Omaha, Neb.  This marks the Huskies best NCAA finish since capturing 7th place in 1983.  This also marked the best finish for the Huskies at the NCAA tournament since Steve Costanzo took over as head coach in 2006-07.  This marked the 8th time since 1975 that SCSU has charted a top-10 place at the NCAA championships.  The 7th place finish is the best ever for the Huskies at the NCAA DII level. SCSU placed eighth at the nationals in 2009, 1986 and 1976.  SCSU also placed third at nationals during the 1963 and 1965 seasons as an NAIA affiliate.
  • The Huskies qualified 8 wrestlers for the NCAA championships in 2010.  SCSU wrestlers earning All-America status at the meet were Jacob Kahnke (4th place at 285), Tad Merritt (5th place at 165), Shamus O’Grady (6th place at 174) and Gabe Suarez (8th place at 141).  This marked the first All-America finish for Kahnke, O’Grady and Suarez, while Merritt is now a two-time All-America award winner for the Huskies.  The four All-Americans ties a team record for the Huskies, as SCSU also brought home four NCAA All-America honors in 1983 and 1975.
  • The Huskies will have two major targets on the wrestling room wall this season.  First up is the 2011 NCAA Regional championships on Feb. 27 in Sioux Falls, S.D.  This tournament serves as a qualifier for the other big date – March 11-12, which is the 2011 NCAA DII championships in Kearney, Neb.

Gophers to Honor 2001 National Championship Team This Friday

MINNEAPOLIS — In 2001, the University of Minnesota wrestling team broke new ground for the program, capturing the first national championship in school history. Minnesota will honor the 2001 National Championship team as it celebrates the tenth anniversary of its monumental win this Friday during the Gophers dual against Indiana.

The 2001 NCAA Wrestling Championships will long be remembered as a national tournament with impressive firsts and as a stunning breakthrough for the Gophers. The venue, Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa, was labeled as the “lion’s den” and served as an ideal location for the eventual storybook result. That result, an improbable one, vaulted Minnesota into the national spotlight, long reserved for the Iowas and Oklahoma States of the world. And the way in which the Gophers captured the 2001 NCAA crown can be appropriately classified as groundbreaking and extraordinary.

Unorthodox? Yes, the road to the national title for Minnesota was not typical of the path taken in years past by NCAA champion teams. Remarkable? You bet. Fans and followers of collegiate wrestling will look back at the 2001 NCAA Championships as a national tournament with unprecedented qualities. Record breaking? In more ways than one. The Golden Gophers broke several school and national records along the way to the national crown. A full team effort? Without a doubt. The national title was won for the Maroon and Gold grapplers, not on the backs of two or three dominant individuals, but through the hard work, will and determination of all 10 members of the squad.

Minnesota won the national crown by utilizing a full team effort to earn an NCAA-record 10 All-Americans. It was the first time in NCAA championships history that 10 wrestlers from the same team had earned the prestigious All-American honor in one NCAA tournament. In addition, no team in the history of the national tournament had won the team title without a finalist, but Gold Country captures the national crown despite not placing a single wrestler in the championship matches.

“We knew that the only way that we could win the title was to have a team effort. We knew that we couldn’t win with a lot of ones and twos, but we thought we could win with 10 All-Americans. And that’s what we did,” Minnesota head coach J Robinson, now in his 25th year with the team, said. “Everybody earned this championship. Everybody. That was the key.”

Minnesota Golden Gopher 2001All-Americans:
125: Leroy Vega (Portage, Ind.) – Second at Big Tens, Third at NCAAs
133: Brett Lawrence (Sandpoint, Idaho) – Fifth at Big Tens, Eighth at NCAAs
141: Chad Erickson (Apple Valley, Minn.) – Second at Big Tens, Eighth at NCAAs
149: Jared Lawrence (Sandpoint, Idaho) – First at Big Tens, Sixth at NCAAs
157: Luke Becker (Cambridge, Minn.) – Second at Big Tens, Fourth at NCAAs
165: Brad Pike (Brownsdale, Minn.) – Third at Big Tens, Fourth at NCAAs
174: Jacob Volkmann (Henning, Minn.) – Fourth at Big Tens, Fourth at NCAAs
184: Damion Hahn (Lakewood, N.J.) – Third at Big Tens, Fifth at NCAAs
197: Owen Elzen (Eyota, Minn.) – Third at Big Tens, Third at NCAAs
285: Garrett Lowney (Freedom, Wisc.) – First at Big Tens, Third at NCAAs

Concordia College will be competing against Calumet College prior to the Gopher’s match against Indiana at the Sports Pavilion. Calumet College is coached by former Gopher standout Leroy Vega.

The Concordia vs Calumet dual is at 5 pm. The Minnesota vs Indiana dual is at 7 pm.

Jeremiason named NSIC Wrestler of the Week

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced Monday that Augustana’s Jason Jeremiason has been named its Wrestler of the Week for his 4-0 performance at this past weekend’s NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Jeremiason and the Vikings earned runner-up honors at the event, topping San Francisco State, No. 6 Minnesota State and No. 2 St. Cloud State before falling to No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha in the finals.

Jason JeremiasonJeremiason, a native of Marshall, Minn., collected a 4-0 record at 133 pounds for Augustana. He opened the weekend with 5-1 decision over SFSU’s Brian Tharp as the Vikings topped the Gators 23-9 in the opening round. He followed that by pinning MSU’s Skyler Moore in 2:02 to guide Augustana to a 31-6 victory over the Mavericks in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Jeremiason’s 3-1 decision over SCSU’s Eric Ellington allowed the Vikings to knock off the Huskies 18-15. The junior beat Nebraska-Omaha’s Yasiim Bribieseca 2-0 in the championship dual, but the No. 1 Mavericks managed to rally for a 17-15 victory for their third consecutive NWCA National Duals title.

This marks the second time this season Augustana has had a Wrestler of the Week as Cody Lensing picked up the honor on Nov. 29.

The Vikings (6-1) host Minnesota State Moorhead (2-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. to open the NSIC dual season.

Cobbers Finish Seventh at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — No.7-ranked Concordia took out their frustration at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Tournament in their final match on Sunday by cruising past UW-Stevens Point 29-6 to capture seventh place. The Cobbers finished the prestigious meet with a 3-2 overall record.

The Cobbers started the tournament on Saturday by beating No.13-ranked University of Dubuque 27-11. Concordia finished off the Spartans by winning the final four individual matches. CC then ran into eventual National Duals champion Wartburg and lost 31-9. Phil Moenkedick and Ross Dankers were the only individual winners for the Cobbers against the No.2-ranked Knights. Concordia finished off Saturday by beating #12 Cornell (Iowa) 28-10. Ben Presler and Daron Hohbein set the tone for Concordia as they won the first two matches and staked the Cobbers to an 8-0 lead. Justin Berns, Dankers, Moenkedick, Nathan Schmitz and Tom Bouressa also posted wins against the Rams.

Concordia faced conference rival St. John’s in the first match on Sunday with the winner earning the right to wrestle for fifth place. The Cobbers jumped to a 9-0 lead on wins by Presler and Hohbein but then a pair of pin falls by the No. 3-ranked Johnnies gave SJU a lead they would never relinquish. Berns, Moenkedick and Bouressa earned the other three wins for CC.

The Cobbers then ended the day by recording their 23-point win over the Pointers. Concordia roared out of the starting block by winning the first five matches and grabbing an 18-0 lead. Dankers would then record a pin fall followed by a decision victory from Moenkedick while Bouressa finished off the match with a 7-1 decision.

It is the second straight year that Concordia has finished with a 3-2 record at the National Duals. Last season they went 3-2 and earned sixth place.

The Cobbers will continue their dual-match season when they host their first home matches of the year. Concordia will square off against Jamestown College and Ridgewater CC on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. The matches will be held in Olson Forum.

Minnesota Finishes Fourth at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA – The No. 5 Minnesota wrestling team finished fourth this weekend at the 2011 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. After opening the weekend with a pair of wins over Northern Illinois and No. 6 Boise State, Minnesota fell twice on Sunday to No. 1 Cornell and finally to No. 4 Wisconsin 19-17 in the third-place dual.

In a dual that featured 11 nationally ranked wrestlers, neither side could mount a formidable upset. No. 6 Zach Sanders opened the dual against Wisconsin with a 12-4 major decision over unranked Thomas Kelliher at 125 lbs. But the Badgers answered right back with a 7-3 decision in the 133 lbs. match over David Thorn before Thorn’s brother, Mike, scored the only fall of the match at 141 lbs. Thorn, the No. 2 141 pounder in the nation, pinned Daniel Arnel at 4:31, but the Gophers would then drop the next three matches to their Big Ten border rival.

No. 10 Coulthurst Schmitt picked up a 7-0 decision in the 149 lbs. match over Danny Zilverberg followed by Shawn Perry scoring an 11-2 major decision over Alec Ortiz at 157 lbs and No. 2 Andrew Howe scoring an 8-3 decision over No. 7 Cody Yohn in the 165 lbs. bout.

The Gophers (8-3 overall) would jump back into the dual following a 15-5 major by No. 8 Scott Glasser over Charles York in the 174 lbs. match but Wisconsin would take the next two bouts as both Kevin Steinhaus and Joe Nord lost via decisions to bring the score to 14-19 in favor of the Badgers. No. 9 Tony Nelson was able to win his match but a 2-1 decision in his favor was not enough as the Gophers finished the 2011 National Duals in fourth place behind Cornell, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 4 Wisconsin
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Cedar Falls, Iowa (National Duals Third Place Dual)

Wisconsin 19 Minnesota 17
125: No. 6 Zach Sanders (MINN) maj. Thomas Kelliher (WISC) 12-4
133: No. 3 Tyler Graff (WISC) dec. David Thorn (MINN) 7-3
141: No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall Daniel Arnel (WISC) 4:31
149: No. 10 Coulthurst Schmitt (WISC) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN) 7-0
157: Shawn Perry (WISC) maj. Alec Ortiz (MINN) 11-2
165: No. 2 Andrew Howe (WISC) dec. No. 7 Cody Yohn (MINN) 8-3
174: No. 8 Scott Glasser (MINN) maj. Charles York (WISC) 15-5
184: No. 5 Travis Rutt (WISC) dec. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 3-2
197: Derrick Borlie (WISC) dec. Joe Nord (MINN) 8-2
285: No. 9 Tony Nelson (MINN) dec. No. 18 Eric Bugenhagen (WISC) 2-1

No. 3 Augustana earns runner-up finish at NWCA Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha edged out a 17-15 victory over No. 3 Augustana in the championship of the NWCA National Duals Sunday afternoon at the Northern Iowa Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The loss for the Vikings came on the heels of an 18-15 win over No. 2 St. Cloud State earlier in the day.

Augustana moves to 5-1.

Augustana rattled off win in the dual’s opening two matches as Al Meger took down Cody Tyler 11-6 at 125 pounds and 133-pounder Jason Jeremiason was a 2-0 winner over Sim Bribieseca.

In a rematch of last year’s national title match at 141 pounds, Augustana’s Jay Sherer came up short against Mario Morgan, falling 4-2 and allowing the Mavericks to open scoring.

Nate Herda pushed the Viking lead to 9-3 with a 7-3 win over No. 1- ranked Esai Dominguez at 149 pounds.

Marcus Edgington nearly picked up another Augustana victory at 157 pounds, but George Ivanov managed an 8-6 win for UNO.

Gavin Nelson followed with a 2-0 win over the Mavericks’ Nathan Sigman at 165 pounds to move the Augustana advantage to 12-6.

Major decision wins at 174 and 184 pounds by UNO in the subsequent matches gave the Mavericks a 14-12 lead.

The Vikings regained their lead after Ty Copsey topped Matt Baker 3-2 at 197 pounds.

Taylor Escamilla came up big for the Mavericks in the heavweight bout, sneaking out a 3-1 win over Lance Peters for the decisive lead change.

It was the third straight NWCA National Duals title for UNO, which is also the defending national champion.

The title tilt was the result of Augustana defeating SCSU in the semifinals earlier in the day.

The Vikings weren’t fancy in knocking off the Huskies, but their five wins by decision were enough to push them past the second-ranked squad in the nation.

Meger (125 pounds), Jeremiason (133 pounds), Sherer (141 pounds), Edgington (157 pounds) and Carl Serck (174 pounds) all notched wins.

Augustana will open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference dual action on Saturday when the Vikings host Minnesota State Moorhead at 7 p.m.

Augustana 18, St. Cloud State 15
125: Alex Meger (Augustana) DEC Zach Stewart (St. Cloud State), 8 – 4
133: Jason Jeremiason (Augustana) DEC Eric Ellington (St. Cloud State), 3 – 1
141: Jay Sherer (Augustana) DEC Gabriel Suarez (St. Cloud State), 6 – 4
149: Jacob D. Horn (St. Cloud State ) DEC Nate Herda (Augustana), 7 – 5
157: Marcus Edgington (Augustana) DEC John Sundgren (St. Cloud State), 4 – 1
165: Tad Merritt (St. Cloud Stat ) FALL Gavin Nelson (Augustana), 3:30
174: Carl Serck (Augustana) DEC Shamus O’Grady (St. Cloud State), 6 – 4
184: Michael Berg (St. Cloud State) DEC Thomas Davies (Augustana), 9 – 3
197: Tyler Copsey (Augustana) RT, TB Lucas Munkelwitz (St. Cloud State), 2 – 2
285: Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) DEC Lance Peters (Augustana), 5 – 3

Nebraska-Omaha 17, Augustana 15
125: Alex Meger (Augustana) DEC Cody Tyler (Nebraska-Omaha), 11 – 6
133: Jason Jeremiason (Augustana) DEC Yasiim Bribieseca (Nebraska-Omaha), 2 – 0
141: Mario Morgan (Nebraska-Omaha) DEC Jay Sherer (Augustana), 4 – 2
149: Nate Herda (Augustana) DEC Esai Dominguez (Nebraska-Omaha), 7 – 3
157: George Ivanov (Nebraska-Omaha) DEC Marcus Edgington (Augustana), 8 – 6
165: Gavin Nelson (Augustana) DEC Nathan Sigman (Nebraska-Omaha), 2 – 0
174: Ryan Pankoke (Nebraska-Omaha) MD Carl Serck (Augustana), 11 – 1
184: Aaron Denson (Nebraska-Omaha) MD Matt Morris (Augustana), 16 – 3
197: Tyler Copsey (Augustana) DEC Matt Baker (Nebraska-Omaha), 3 – 2
285: Taylor Escamilla (Nebraska-Omaha) DEC Lance Peters (Augustana), 3 – 1

Augsburg 3rd at NWCA Division III National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The top-ranked Augsburg College wrestling team suffered a 23-13 semifinal loss to No. 4-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse, but rallied for a 27-11 win over No. 6-ranked Ithaca College (N.Y.) in the third-place match of the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals, presented by Hibiclens and The Marines, on Sunday at the University of Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome.

Trailing 11-3 after four bouts to Ithaca, the Auggies (4-2 overall) rallied with six straight victories, including two pins, to close the match and claim third place at the 16-team, two-day event.

In the 10-year history of the NWCA Division III National Duals, Augsburg has won the event five times (2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010), placed second three times (2003, 2004, 2006) and placed third twice (2008, 2011). Augsburg is now 35-5 in its history at the Division III National Duals, and 40-14 all-time in National Duals events (prior to 2002, the defending Division III national titlist was among championship teams invited to compete in the Division I National Duals).

Three Auggie ranked wrestlers had perfect performances on Sunday — No. 2-ranked Orlando Ponce (SR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS) at 165, No. 3-ranked Jared Massey (SR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) at 197 and No. 7-ranked Brad Baus (JR, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 184.

With two decisions, including a 5-3 win over No. 6-ranked Cory Ferguson of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Ponce completed a 4-0 weekend at the National Duals, improving to 6-1 overall. Massey also had a 4-0 weekend, with two pins on Saturday and a major decision on Sunday, to improve to 6-1 on the season. Baus claimed a second-period pin against Ithaca to finish the weekend 3-1, improving to 19-4 on the season.

Zach Enrico (JR, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS) claimed his second pin of the season at 157 pounds against Ithaca to spark the Auggie comeback, the first of the Auggies’ six straight wins.

Zach Molitor (SR, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS), ranked No. 2 at 174, saw his six-match unbeaten string snapped in a 4-2 loss to top-ranked Michael Schmitz of Wisconsin-La Crosse, but rallied back with a 2-0 win over Ithaca’s No. 6-ranked David Priest to improve to 7-1 on the season.

No. 2-ranked Tony Valek (JR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) claimed his 20th win of the season at 149 with a 4-0 win over No. 4-ranked Matt Mauseth of Wisconsin-La Crosse, but was upset 6-4 by No. 5-ranked Blake Wosczak of Ithaca. Valek is now 20-2 on the year.

Auggie heavyweight Niko Bogojevic (FY, Superior, Wis.) improved to 17-5 on the season with a 7-6 win over Ithaca’s No. 4-ranked Matthew Mahon.

Since 1989-90, the Auggies are now 254-23 against opponents from Divisions II and III, losing just 18 matches to non-Division I teams since the 1995-96 campaign. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 254-23 in dual meets since the 1979-80 season and 178-14 since the 1989-90 season.

Augsburg returns to action with split-squad competition next Saturday (1/15), with the varsity competing at the Cornell (Iowa) Matman Open and the White Team (JV) competing at the Minnesota West Community and Technical College-Worthington Open.

NO. 4 WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE (8-2) 23, NO. 1 AUGSBURG (3-2) 13
125 — No. 4 Lloyd McKinney (UWL, 12-6) pinned No. 5 Josh Roberts (AUG, 12-4) 2:37 (UW-La Crosse 6-0)
133 — No. 6 Adam Sheley (UWL, 13-2) tech. fall Cody Madsen (AUG, 8-8) 21-4 at 7:00 (UW-La Crosse 11-0)
141 — No. 1 Bebeto Yewah (UWL, 12-1) dec. No. 8 Cody Hansen (AUG, 11-3) 9-3 (UW-La Crosse 14-0)
149 — No. 2 Tony Valek (AUG, 20-1) dec. No. 4 Matt Mauseth (UWL, 10-6) 4-0 (UW-La Crosse 14-3)
157 — Ryan Farwell (UWL, 5-4) dec. Jon Priess (AUG, 10-10) 3-2 (UW La Crosse 17-3)
165 — No. 2 Orlando Ponce (AUG, 5-1) dec. No. 6 Cory Ferguson (UWL, 5-5) 5-3 (UW-La Crosse 17-6)
174 — No. 1 Michael Schmitz (UWL, 10-3) dec. No. 2 Zach Molitor (AUG, 6-1) 4-2 (UW-La Crosse 20-6)
184 — No. 7 Brad Baus (AUG, 18-4) dec. Mitch Artist (UWL, 12-5) 5-0 (UW-La Crosse 20-9)
197 — No. 3 Jared Massey (AUG, 4-0) maj. dec. John Poppie (UWL, 8-7) 11-3 (UW-La Crosse 20-13)
HWT — William Mayer (UWL, 9-5) dec. No. 8 Chad Johnson (AUG, 10-7) 6-3 (UW-La Crosse 23-13)

NO. 1 AUGSBURG (4-2) 27, NO. 6 ITHACA (N.Y., 9-2) 11
125 — No. 5 Josh Roberts (AUG, 13-4) dec. Dominick Giacolone (IC, 9-7) 3-0 (Augsburg 3-0)
133 — No. 5 Seth Ecker (IC, 16-3) tech. fall Cody Madsen (AUG, 8-9) 17-1 at 5:00 (Ithaca 5-3)
141 — Jeremy Stierly (IC, 7-0) dec. No. 8 Cody Hansen (AUG, 11-4) 8-3 (Ithaca 8-3)
149 — No. 5 Blake Wosczak (IC, 19-2) dec. No. 2 Tony Valek (AUG, 20-2) 6-4 (Ithaca 11-3)
157 — Zach Enrico (AUG, 11-8) pinned Evan Connors (IC, 4-3) 6:57 (Ithaca 11-9)
165 — No. 2 Orlando Ponce (AUG, 6-1) dec. Nicholas Sanko (IC, 12-5) 11-5 (Augsburg 12-11)
174 — No. 2 Zach Molitor (AUG, 7-1) dec. No. 6 David Priest (IC, 16-3) 2-0 (Augsburg 15-11)
184 — No. 7 Brad Baus (AUG, 19-4) pinned Josue Mendez (IC, 9-5) 4:10 (Augsburg 21-11)
197 — No. 3 Jared Massey (AUG, 5-0) dec. Shane Bartum (IC, 3-6) 6-1 (Augsburg 24-11)
HWT — Niko Bogojevic (AUG, 17-5) dec. No. 4 Matthew Mahon (IC, 14-4) 7-6 (Augsburg 27-11) 

Johnnies Finish Sixth at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Saint John’s finished sixth out of 16 teams at the esteemed NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals on Sunday, Jan. 9. The Johnnies (11-3 dual record) defeated familiar-foe Concordia-Moorhead 22-21 to advance to the fifth-place dual, which was won by No. 5 Coe (Iowa), 23-18. SJU surrendered six points at the start of each dual due to a forfeit at 125 pounds.

Tournament Website

The Johnnies lost four matches and the forfeit to the No. 7 Cobbers, including two one-point decisions, but still held on for the 22-21 win. Concordia jumped out to a 9-0 lead with a 7-6 decision over junior Chad Henle (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) at 133 pounds, before seniors Chris Sandy(Spirit Lake, Iowa) and Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) posted back-to-back pins to give SJU a 12-9 lead. The Cobbers’ Justin Berns, ranked fourth nationally, narrowly escaped senior Drew Larson (Willmar, Minn.) with a 5-4 win due to riding time.

Senior Matt Baarson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) tallied his fourth consecutive major decision of the tournament (13-1) at 165 and juniorMatt Pfarr (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) tallied a 4-2 upset of fourth-ranked Ross Dankers to build a 19-12 lead.

Top-ranked Phil Moenkedick defeated junior Dustin Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) 8-3 to cut it to 19-15 with two weights to go, but seniorTony Willaert (North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) clinched the win with a 6-1 victory at 197.

Coe took an early 12-0 lead via the forfeit and pin at 133. The Kohawks’ Clayton Rush, the top-ranked wrestler at 125, bumped up to 133 and pinned Henle. Sandy registered a 7-4 win to put SJU on the board before Batsukh collected eight takedowns in an 18-6 major decision over No. 6 James Locke. No. 3 Dale Handley extended Coe’s lead to 16-7 before Baarson and Pfarr combined for seven team points and cut it to 16-14. Steve Rehn edged Baxter 7-2, but Willaert brought the Johnnies to within one point with a major decision at 197. No. 7 Alex Burkle won by major decision, however, over junior John Linn (Foley, Minn.) to seal the win and fifth place for Coe.

Both Baarson and Pfarr ended the tournament with perfect 5-0 records. Four of Baarson’s five victories came by major decision, while Pfarr upset the Nos. 4 and 6 wrestlers in the nation. Baarson’s lone decision of the tournament was a 4-3 win over No. 3 Nick LeClere of Coe.

The Johnnies return to action this Friday, Jan. 14, against No. 2 (Division II) St. Cloud State. The dual is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Sexton Arena in Collegeville.

No. 3 Saint John’s (SJU) 22, No. 7 Concordia College-Moorhead (CON) 21
125 – Ben Presler (CON) won by forfeit, [0-6]
133 – Daron Hohbein (CON) dec. junior Chad Henle (No. 8, SJU), 7-6 [0-9]
141 – Senior Chris Sandy (No. 5, SJU) pinned Ben Anderson (CON), 4:08 [6-9]
149 – Senior Minga Batsukh (No. 3, SJU) pinned Kevin Fynboh (CON), 4:45 [12-9]
157 – Justin Berns (No. 4, CON) dec. senior Drew Larson (SJU), 5-4 [12-12]
165 – Senior Matt Baarson (No. 5, SJU) major dec. Jordan Bendson (CON), 13-1 [16-12]
174 – Junior Matt Pfarr (SJU) dec. Ross Dankers (No. 4, CON), 4-2 [19-12]
184 – Phil Moenkedick (No. 1, CON) dec. junior Dustin Baxter (No. 8, SJU), 8-3 [19-15]
197 – Senior Tony Willaert (No. 10, SJU) dec. Nate Schmitz (CON), 6-1 [22-15]
Hwt – Tom Bouressa (CON) pinned John Linn (SJU), 5:33 [22-21]

No. 5 Coe College (COE) 23, No. 3 Saint John’s (SJU) 18
125 – Jimmy Gotto (COE) won by forfeit, [6-0]
133 – Clayton Rush (No. 1 at 125, COE) pinned junior Chad Henle (No. 8, SJU), 5:17 [12-0]
141 – Senior Chris Sandy (No. 5, SJU) dec. Chris LeClere (COE), 7-4 [12-3]
149 – Senior Minga Batsukh (No. 3, SJU) major dec. James Locke (No. 6, COE), 18-6 [12-7]
157 – Dale Handley (No. 3, COE) major dec. senior John Vaith (SJU), 12-3 [16-7]
165 – Senior Matt Baarson (No. 5, SJU) dec. Nick LeClere (No. 3, COE), 4-3 [16-10]
174 – Junior Matt Pfarr (SJU) major dec. Jeremy Garvin (COE), 9-1 [16-14]
184 – Steve Rehn (COE) dec. junior Dustin Baxter (No. 8, SJU), 7-2 [19-14]
197 – Senior Tony Willaert (No. 10, SJU) major dec. Ethan Ball (COE), 9-1 [19-18]
Hwt – Alex Burkle (No. 7, COE) major dec. junior John Linn (SJU), 10-2 [23-18]