Augsburg to honor Hall of Famers in October

Wrestlers Dan Lewandowski and Jim Peterson among the inductees

MINNEAPOLIS — As part of Augsburg University’s Homecoming week, nine alumni will be inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame, and one other will be honored with an award for athletic department excellence, during the 2023 Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony, to be held on Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Foss Chapel.

Inductees into the 50th class of the Athletic Hall of Fame are: Emily Anderson ’07 (Soccer/Basketball), Jaro Cesky ’03 (Hockey), Ben Erickson ’96 (Golf), Dan Lewandowski ’97 (Wrestling/Soccer), Missy Munsey ’96 (Volleyball), Jamie Osberg ’95 (Football), Jim Peterson ’99 (Wrestling/Football), Jeoffrey Reed ’00 (Basketball) and Ellen Waldow ’06 (Cross Country/Track & Field). In addition, former Augsburg instructor and coach Howard “Howie” Pearson ’53 will be honored with the Legend of Augsburg Athletics Award.

The nine inductees bring the total number of Athletic Hall of Fame members to 354, along with one team. In addition, 14 individuals have been honored with the department’s Distinguished Athletic Service Award, 10 individuals have earned the department’s Excellence in Coaching Award, and two individuals have earned the Legend of Augsburg Athletics Award.

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Shilson, Stuhl earn CSC Academic All-America honors

MINNEAPOLIS — For the first time in school history, an Augsburg University student-athlete has been named as the College Sports Communicators Academic All-American of the Year, as men’s wrestler Tyler Shilson (SR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS) earned the honor in the NCAA Division III Men’s At-Large category, it was announced on Wednesday.

A second-team Academic All-America selection last year. Shilson joined Auggie men’s wrestling teammate Charlie Stuhl (SO, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS) as a first-team Academic All-America selection this year. Both Shilson and Stuhl are finance majors, and both carry a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average.

Across all sports, Augsburg student-athletes have now been honored 52 times with College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America honors since 1981, including 42 honors since 2000 and at least one every year since 2011. Augsburg men’s wrestlers have now earned 15 Academic All-America honors in program history.

In the men’s at-large category, a total of 47 NCAA Division III student-athletes were selected (16 first-team, 14 second-team, 17 third-team) from 10 different NCAA men’s sports — fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Twenty-one of the 47 student-athletes selected had perfect 4.00 GPAs.

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Augsburg’s Tyler Shilson, Charlie Stuhl named CSC Academic All-District

Augsburg University men’s wrestlers Tyler Shilson (SR, Maple Grove, Minn./Centennial HS) and Charlie Stuhl (SO, Ellsworth, Wis./Ellsworth HS) were named to the Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team, as selected by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), on Tuesday.

The CSC Academic All-District team is part of the CSC Academic All-America program. Top student-athletes are nominated for inclusion on the Academic All-District teams by college and university sports information directors. Student-athletes must have a grade-point average above 3.50 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. The Division III Academic All-America program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure, to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the Division III Academic All-America teams program.

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Augsburg alum Ryan Epps wins USAW World Team Trials Challenge title

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Augsburg University men’s wrestling alumnus Ryan Epps ’20 will compete for a spot on the USA Wrestling Senior National Team in the 82 kilogram (181 pounds) Greco-Roman class, after winning the championship at the USAW World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on Saturday at Discovery Canyon High School.

By winning the title on Saturday, Epps will advance to face current Senior World Team member Spencer Woods, who claimed the 82kg Greco-Roman title at the U.S. Open earlier this month, at the Final X competition on June 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Final X winner will represent the United States at the UWW Senior World Championships Sept. 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Woods competes for the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP).

Competing for the Minnesota Storm, Epps opened Saturday’s tournament with a 1-1, criteria win over Tommy Brackett (New York Athletic Club), then claimed a 9-1 superiority win over Andrew Berreyesa (New York Athletic Club), a Cornell (N.Y.) alum, in the semifinals. Epps then faced two-time Olympian Ben Provisor in the title bout, which Epps won 2-1. Epps rallied from a 1-0, first-period deficit with two single-point scores in the second period, going ahead with 57 seconds left.

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Augsburg alum Mark Matzek ’05 to be inducted into NWCA D-III Hall of Fame

MINNEAPOLIS — Mark Matzek ’05. who earned NCAA Division III men’s wrestling national titles as both a wrestler and coach at Augsburg University, will be inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame in July, it was announced on Friday. The induction ceremony will take place on July 28 at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., during the NWCA’s annual convention.

As a wrestler, Matzek was one of the top lightweight competitors in Augsburg history. He earned 133-pound All-American honors three times and won NCAA Division III national titles twice in his career, finishing with a 129-21 record. In 2002-03, he finished fourth nationally with a 40-7 record, then won his first national title in the 2003-04 season, finishing 35-4. He finished his career with a 42-match winning streak, which included a 34-0 mark in his senior season (2004-05), as he repeated as national champion — one of 13 Auggie wrestlers in school history to win multiple national championships. He was a part of two national title teams and two national runner-up squads.

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2023 NWCA Division III Scholar All-America Awards

Manheim, PA –The NWCA has announced the 2022-23 Scholar All-America Team and Individual honorees for NCAA Division III, with 364 individuals from 88 institutions receiving awards.

NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer praised the student-athletes, stating, “I am honored to recognize these outstanding individuals who have excelled not only in their athletic pursuits but also in their academic endeavors.”

In the team competition, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) led the field with a 3.767 GPA, followed closely by Heidelberg University with 3.76612 and Stevens Institute of Technology with 3.7344.

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