Augsburg Auggies

Ponce Trained – In Wrestling and In Life

Before high school, Orlando Ponce wasn’t going down the best path. When introduced to wrestling, his path started going in a positive direction. After high school, when he thought wrestling was out of his life, Ponce began to go down some troubling roads again. Wrestling would get re-introduced into his life, and he has never looked back.

“My high school coach and the people who influenced me through wrestling,” Ponce said, “if not for them, I would be in a much different situation.”

Now, Ponce has devoted his life to influencing kids through his faith and through wrestling.

Ponce didn’t grow up in a wrestling hotbed.

“I was born in Nicaragua and was raised in South Florida. It was not a big wrestling community. I got a later start in wrestling. My brother started wrestling but dropped out of high school. He encouraged one of my other brothers to wrestle. This brother was a state champion and went on to wrestle for Lock Haven in Pennsylvania. I was a ninth-grader when he was a senior. My brother encouraged me to wrestle.”

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Victor Gliva receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

MINNEAPOLIS — Augsburg University wrestling student-athlete Victor Gliva (SR, Farmington, Minn.) was named as one of 42 winter student-athletes selected nationwide to receive the prestigious $10,000 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, honoring achievements as both a scholar and an athlete.

The award is the latest in a decorated career for Gliva, who became Augsburg’s first-ever student-athlete to win the NCAA Elite 90 award in all three years he was eligible for the honor. The NCAA Elite 90 award is given to the student-athlete at the NCAA championship with the highest GPA. Only three NCAA Division III student-athletes have ever won the award three times in a career and only 13 student-athletes have done so across all three NCAA Divisions. Academically, Gliva was also a four-time NWCA Division III Scholar All-American as well as earning CoSIDA Academic All-America and Academic All-District honors.

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Augsburg Cancels 2020 Wrestling Camps

The 2020 Augsburg Wrestling Camps have been canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. They plan on resuming camps in 2021

Augsburg Wrestling Camps statement:

“After 34 years of Augsburg Wrestling Camps, we are very sad to announce that we have decided to cancel our 2020 Camps due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Although Minnesota Governor Walz has authorized small group gatherings again, social distancing is nearly impossible in the sport of wrestling. This was a tough decision to make but it is the best one given our current circumstances. The health and safety of our campers, their families and our staff have always been a top priority, which is why we have to make this decision.

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