Augsburg Auggies

Augsburg men’s wrestling announces organizational changes

MINNEAPOLIS — The 13-time NCAA Division III national champion Augsburg University men’s wrestling team has announced organizational changes in its coaching staff, with three-time Auggie All-American Tony Valek ’12 assuming solo head coaching duties, and longtime coach Jim Moulsoff assuming associate head coach duties.

Valek and Moulsoff have served as co-head coaches for the past three seasons, with Moulsoff serving as head coach from 2014-19. Moulsoff has been on the Augsburg coaching staff for 15 seasons, while Valek has been on the coaching staff for nine years. Valek served as associate head coach under Moulsoff from 2015-19. The pair have been a part of six top-five finishes in NCAA Division III national competition since 2015, winning team national championships in 2015 and 2019, finishing second in 2017 and 2018, and finishing fifth in 2016. The Auggies finished third at the 2022 national championships.

The head coaching transition has been planned since 2018, according to Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79, who led the Auggie men’s wrestling program to 10 national titles in his 25-season tenure (1980-94, 1986-2007) as head coach. Valek and Moulsoff were named co-head coaches in the 2019-20 season.

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Tyler Shilson named CoSIDA Academic All-America

MINNEAPOLIS — Augsburg University men’s wrestler Tyler Shilson (JR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS) was selected to the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division III Men’s At-Large Team as a second-team honoree, it was announced on Tuesday.

A finance major with a 4.00 grade-point average, Shilson earned a spot on the 45-person Division III men’s at-large academic squad, made up of a 15-person first team, 17-person second team, and 13-person third team. The men’s at-large category includes student-athletes from 12 NCAA men’s sports: fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.

Across all sports, Augsburg student-athletes have now been honored 50 times with CoSIDA Academic All-America honors since 1981, including 40 honors since 2000 and at least one every year since 2011. It’s the 13th time an Augsburg men’s wrestler has earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in program history.

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Augsburg alums LeVesseur, Lewandowski to be named to NWCA D-III Hall of Fame

MINNEAPOLIS — Augsburg University men’s wrestling alumni Marcus LeVesseur ’07 and Nik Lewandowski ’01, key members of one of the most successful eras of Auggie wrestling history, will be inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame during a ceremony in July in Ponte Verde Beach, Fla., it was announced on Monday. The induction ceremony will take place on July 30 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa during the NWCA’s annual convention.

Both four-time All-Americans, LeVesseur won four NCAA Division III national championships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007) and went a perfect 155-0 in his career, while Lewandowski won a national title in 2001 while finishing second twice (1998, 1999) and third once (2000), going 124-34 in his career.

LeVesseur and Lewandowski’s inductions bring the number of Augsburg wrestlers inducted into the NWCA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame to 10, joining Dan Lewandowski ’97 in 2003, Gary Kroells ’93 in 2005, John Beatty ’90 in 2007, Steve Gliva ’85 in 2010, Nick Fornicoia ’93 in 2011, Joe Hoialmen ’93 in 2012, Jesse Armbruster ’96 in 2014 and Henry Gerten ’98 in 2016. Three Augsburg coaches have also earned NWCA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame honors — 10-time national champion head coach Jeff Swenson ’79 in 2005, longtime assistant coach Scott Whirley ’82 in 2016, and longtime assistant coach Donny Wichmann ’89 in 2019.

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Carlson, Franek, Bishop, Rathman, Turriff, Vos, and Shilson named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team

Seven area wrestlers were named to the 2021-22 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® Men’s At-Large Team, selected by College Sports Information Directors. CoSIDA Academic Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom.

Clay Carlson of South Dakota State, Jared Franek of North Dakota State, Daniel Bishop of Augustana, Kyle Rathman of Minnesota State, Trevor Turriff of Minnesota State
Garrett Vos of St. Cloud State, and Tyler Shilson of Augsburg have been selected as Academic All-District® honorees.

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Six Augsburg wrestlers place at USA Wrestling U.S. Open

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Six Augsburg University wrestlers and alumni earned top-six individual finishes at the USA Wrestling/U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Open, held this weekend at the South Point Arena.

Seven Augsburg women’s wrestlers competed in the Senior Women’s Freestyle division, with four earning top-six finishes — Katie Lange (FY, Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West HS) finishing second at 68 kilograms (150 pounds), Marlynne Deede (JR, Springville, Utah/Springville HS) finishing second at 72 kg (158 pounds), Taetum Park (SO, Davenport, Iowa/Davenport North HS) finishing fifth at 57 kg (125 pounds) and Nina Makem (FY, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) finishing sixth at 62 kg (136 pounds).

Six Augsburg men’s wrestlers competed in the U.S. Open, with Kaden Reetz (SO, Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) finishing third in the 72 kg division in the U20 Greco-Roman tournament. Two Augsburg men’s wrestling alumni — Ryan Epps ’20 and Orlando Ponce ’12 — competed in the Senior Greco-Roman division, with Epps finishing in third place at 82 kg (180 pounds).

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Augsburg earns NWCA Scholar All-America Team national title

10 Auggies are Scholar All-Americans

MINNEAPOLIS — For the third time in program history, the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team has claimed the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III academic team national title, with a team grade-point average of 3.879 leading all NCAA Division III programs, it was announced on Friday.

Ten Auggies were named NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans: Seth Goetzinger (FY, Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield HS), Blake Jagodzinske (FY, Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West HS), Tyler Kim (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS), Kaden Reetz (SO, Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial HS), Matt Rogge (FY, Eastman, Wis./Prairie du Chien HS), Nick Rogge (SR, Eastman, Wis./Prairie du Chien HS), Tyler Shilson (JR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS), Carter Sorenson (FY, Lengby, Minn./Fosston HS), Derek Steele (FY, Winthrop, Minn./Sibley East HS) and Charlie Stuhl (SO, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS). It is the third career Scholar All-America honor for Nick Rogge, and the second for Kim and Stuhl.

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