NWCA

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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SJU’s Batsukh ’11 Elected to NWCA Division III Hall of Fame

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn.— Former Saint John’s University national-champion wrestler Minga Batsukh ’11 will be among seven individuals inducted into the Division III National Wrestling Coaches’ Association (NWCA) Hall of Fame during the NWCA’s annual convention on Friday, July 28, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Batsukh is the fifth Johnnie elected to a wrestling hall of fame. John Elton ’80 and Brandon Novak ’01 were inducted into the Division III NWCA Hall of Fame in 2007 and 2017, respectively, while Terry Haws and Fr. Otto Weber ’57 received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008 and 2019.

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Shilson named NWCA Northwest Wrestler of Month

MINNEAPOLIS — Augsburg University women’s wrestler Emily Shilson (JR, Maple Grove, Minn./Mounds View HS) was named the NCAA Northwest Region Wrestler of the Month of January by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, it was announced on Thursday.

The top-ranked wrestler in the NWCA’s NCAA rankings at 109 pounds, Shilson went 9-0 in her January matches, improving her record to 13-0 on the season. At the NWCA National Duals in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 6-7, Shilson went 6-0 with two pins and a 16-second technical fall (also three forfeits), helping to lead the Auggies to a fifth-place team finish. At a home triangular against NAIA ranked teams Iowa Wesleyan and Jamestown (N.D.) last Saturday, Shilson went 3-0 with a pair of 10-0 technical falls — a 2:03 match-ender over Mia Palumbo of Iowa Wesleyan, ranked No. 11 in the NAIA at 109, and a 37-second win over Samantha Weeks of Jamestown.

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2021 NWCA Division III Scholar All-America Awards

Manheim, PA – On Monday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the 2021 Scholar All-American individual honorees for NCAA Division III with awards going to 413 individuals representing 84 institutions.

“In what has been a trying season for all, I’m excited to recognize these talented athletes who stayed the course in the classroom and continued their pursuit of excellence as they work toward their degrees,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “The NWCA and our Board of Directors remain committed to honoring outstanding academic performance and would like to thank the coaches, support staff, and administrators at these institutions for their commitment to their student-athletes .”

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Augustana has Fourth-Best GPA in Country

MANHEIM, Penn. — After a terrific 2020-21 campaign, the Augustana wrestling team is being recognized for its efforts in the classroom, earning the fourth-best team GPA in the country at 3.355 and NWCA Division II Scholar All-America honors the NWCA announced Monday afternoon.

In addition to team honors, the Vikings also had eight wrestlers earn individual Scholar All-America honors.

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Thirteen Huskies earn NWCA Scholar All-America honors

MANHEIM, PA. – The St. Cloud State University wrestling team has had plenty to celebrate this 2020-21 season. The athletics department and a handful of wrestlers will need to make more room in their trophy cases after the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announcement, as 13 Huskies and the team earned Scholar All-America honors Monday afternoon.

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Teacher named NWCA DII Wrestler of the Year

MANHEIM, PA. – There were very few things St. Cloud State University wrestler Kameron Teacher (Columbus, Ohio / Central Crossing) did not accomplish during the 2020-21 season. The senior was crowned a national champion, not once but twice, and earned All-America, All-Conference, and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Wrestler of the Year honors. On Monday, Teacher received the highest honor of them all, as he was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division II Wrestler of the Year.

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