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Augsburg aiming for eighth NCAA Division III national championship this weekend
MINNEAPOLIS (2/25/02) - The Augsburg College wrestling team will attempt to win its NCAA-record eighth Division III national championship in the last 12 seasons this weekend at the First Union Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Action begins on Friday and will conclude on Saturday.
Augsburg, the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champions and winners of seven of the last 11 national titles (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001), has been ranked No. 1 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll all season long. In fact, Augsburg has not surrendered the top ranking in the NWCA national poll since early in the 1999-2000 season.
In the final poll, released on Feb. 19, Augsburg has individuals ranked in the top eight nationally in seven of the 10 weight classes, including four top-ranked wrestlers -- defending national titlist and three-time All-American Darin Bertram (Sr., Herman, Minn./Herman-Norcross HS) at 125 pounds, 1999 national titlist and two-time All-American John Marchette (Sr., Canual Fulton, Ohio/North Canton Hoover HS) at 133 pounds, 2001 All-American Tony Abbott (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) at 165 pounds and 2000 national titlist and two-time All-American Nick Slack (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn.) at 174 pounds.
Ricky Crone (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) is ranked second at 184, Kevin Rasmussen (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.) is rated third at 197 and Brad Fisher (Sr., Austin, Minn.) is ranked fourth at 141. Other Auggie qualifiers are Jamell Tidwell (Fr., Richfield, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) at 149, and Jeremy Jirele (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.) at 157 and Mike Flanagan (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) at heavyweight.
Augsburg is the only Division III team, and one of seven teams in NCAA wrestling history (all divisions) to win seven national titles (Oklahoma State's 30 team national titles in Division I is the record; Iowa has won 20, Iowa State has won eight, Oklahoma has won seven, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo has won eight in Division II and Cal State-Bakersfield has won eight in Division II).
Augsburg won its 16th straight MIAC championship on Saturday (2/23), earning 10 individual titlists for the second time in championship history and qualifying all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA championship meet for the fifth season in a row. Augsburg has won 26 of the last 28 MIAC titles.
Augsburg is the only team in the country to qualify all 10 individuals to the national meet. Wartburg, which won national titles twice in the 1990s (1999, 1996) and finished second to Augsburg five times in the last nine years, has the second-most national-meet qualifiers, nine. Wartburg is ranked third in the final pre-NCAA championship national ranking. Wisconsin-La Crosse, rated second and last year's national runner-up, has six qualifiers, as does No. 4 Upper Iowa and No. 10 College of New Jersey. Four schools have five qualifiers -- No. 7 Buena Vista (Iowa), No. 11 Ithaca (N.Y.), No. 12 Western Maryland and No. 13 Pacific (Ore.).
The national meet has four sessions. Friday's two sessions (10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Eastern time) determine the eight All-Americans at each weight class. Semifinals are Saturday at 11 a.m., with the final matches set for 5 p.m.
Augsburg will provide continuous updates on its website at http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/wrestling/ during the tournament.
Augsburg's wrestling team has dominated small-college competition in last decade.
Augsburg is the most dominant wrestling team in Minnesota.
Augsburg has a record of individual success nationally, both on the mat and in the classroom.
Head Coach Jeff Swenson
Individual Profiles of Augsburg Wrestlers at NCAA Division III National Championships:
125 - Darin Bertram (Sr., Herman, Minn./Herman-Norcross HS) - 28-1 overall (Augsburg career 132-13), currently ranked No. 1 in nation. Record includes three pins, four technical falls and six major decisions. Defending national champion at 125 pounds, could become fifth-ever Auggie to earn four All-American honors (previous Auggies were Steve Gliva 1982-85, John Beatty 1987-90, Tom Hall 1983-85, Nik Lewandowski 1998-2001, Gliva and Hall earned AA honors in 1983 from both NAIA and NCAA). Bertram finished second in country his freshman and sophomore seasons. His previous season records have been 41-2, 31-2 and 32-8. Has current 13-match winning streak, including two pins, one TF and one MD. Record is 7-0 against 2002 NCAA tournament entrants at 125 (2-0 against Wartburg's Heath Ropp, 2-0 against Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Davey Starks, 1-0 against Buena Vista's Jaime Taxted, King's Mitch Marks and St. John's Matt Vos). Lost his only match of year in championship match at Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 12, losing 4-2 to Pat Runez of Mary (N.D.), top-ranked wrestler in NAIA. Has won championships this season at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational (2/2), while finishing second (injury withdrawls both times) at St. Cloud State Invite (12/8) and Auggie-Brute-Addias Open (11/17). Topped St. John's Matt Vos 6-1 to earn MIAC title in 2002. Shared the Carl Larson Trophy for Outstanding Wrestler of the MIAC Championships with teammate Nick Slack. Bertram has won four MIAC titles, joining current teammate Nick Slack and four other Auggies (Nik Lewandowski 1998-2001, Kevin Schiltz 1989-93, Chester Grauberger 1988-91 and John Beatty 1987-90) to accomplish the feat (in all, 10 MIAC wrestlers have won four conference titles in league history). Bertram has one of the top prep wrestling backgrounds of any Auggie. He won three Minnesota Class A state titles at 112 at Herman-Norcross HS, and was listed as the third-best senior wrestler in the nation at 112 by InterMat, along with being listed among Wrestling USA Magazine's Nation's Best 1998 HS Seniors and an honorable mention Ascis-Tiger HS All-American. A health and physical education major with a 3.2 GPA, Bertram earned NWCA Scholar All-America honors in 2000.
133 - John Marchette (Sr., Canual Fulton, Ohio/North Canton Hoover HS) - 28-1 overall (Augsburg career 84-10), currently ranked No. 1 in nation. Record includes nine pins, two technical falls and nine major decisions. Marchette is 30 years old, born 12/4/71. Has won championships this season at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (unattached, 11/17), Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (unattached, 12/1), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29) and MIAC Championship (2/23) with two pins. Has won last three matches by pin and has current 11-match winning streak. Returned to varsity lineup at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open. Biggest win of season came in 13-4 major-decision win over Joe Havig of Wartburg in a dual 1/6, pushing Marchette into the top spot in the national rankings. Topped Havig for second time in National Duals dual meet on 1/20, winning by 12-3 major decision. Has two wins over 2002 NCAA meet qualifier, beating Wisconsin-La Crosse's Josh Habeck 14-7 in championship match of Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open and St. John's Chuck Griffith in a 4:34 pin in MIAC championship final. Suffered his first loss of season in championship match at Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on 1/12, losing 14-8 to Montana State-Northern's Caleb Schaeffer, ranked fourth in NAIA, who earned tournament Outstanding Wrestler honors. Marchette did not wrestle last season, sitting out the year with a medical redshirt. A 1991 high school graduate, Marchette wrestled for one year at the University of Minnesota (1991-92), then left college. He returned to higher education in 1997, when he joined his brother Sonny at Lassen College, a junior college in California. Sonny wrestled, and John was an assistant coach. In 1998-99, when Sonny transferred to Iowa State, John also decided to return to the wrestling mat himself, and transferred from Lassen to Augsburg. Marchette shined in his first year as an Auggie, winning the 133-pound national title in 1999. He finished sixth in the nation at 133 in 2000. Marchette has also won three MIAC championships. He is an art major whose career goal is to become a teacher and coach.
141 - Brad Fisher (Sr., Austin, Minn.) - 38-1 overall (Augsburg career 115-28), currently ranked No. 4 in nation. Record includes five pins, six technical falls and 12 major decisions (most on team). Has won championships at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (11/17), Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (12/1), St. Cloud State Invitational (12/8), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29), Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic (1/12), All-Lutheran Tournament (2/2) and MIAC Championships (2/23). Suffered first loss of season with 5-3 setback to Wartburg's Will Kelly in dual on 1/6. Kelly is ranked second in Division III. Rebounded with dominating performance at Dickinson State Classic, with four wins, one a 17-2 technical fall win and an 11-2 major decision in championship match. Has current 21-match winning streak, including two pins, three TFs and seven MDs. Two-time All-American, finishing second in nation last season (losing championship match 5-3 in overtime to Lenny Baker of SUNY-Brockport) and sixth in 1999. Has won two MIAC championships. Sat out 1999-2000 season with medical redshirt. Was a two-time state champion at Austin HS, including earning the state title as an eighth-grader in 1993, the first time an eighth-grader had earned a wrestling state title in Minnesota history. A Junior National All-American, High School All-American and high school Academic All-American during his prep career.
149 - Jamell Tidwell (Fr., Richfield, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) - 27-4 record (Augsburg career 27-4). Record includes one pin (pinned once), two technical falls and nine major decisions. Has earned championships at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (141, 11/17), Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (141, 12/1), Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic (149, 1/12) and MIAC Championships (149, 2/23); finished second at Dick Walker (Wartburg) Invitational (141, 12/8) and Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (141, 12/28-29). Started the season at 141 pounds behind teammate Brad Fisher, then moved up a weight class and into varsity lineup at 149 in early January, has a 14-2 record at 149. Is 4-2 against 2002 NCAA meet qualifiers, incluidng 1-0 against 141-pound qualifier Brady Cudd of Wisconsin-La Crosse. At 149, he is 1-1 against Wartburg's Tony Ganas, and 1-0 against St. Olaf's Alex Morf and St. John's Tim Anderson; has also lost to King's Jim Morgan. Biggest win came in a 3-2 win over Wartburg's Tony Ganas, ranked sixth in the nation at the time, in a dual meet on 1/6. Ganas avenged the loss with a 7-3 win at National Duals on 1/20. Tidwell was rated as high as fifth nationally before losing twice at the National Duals. Had three wins, including one by major decision, to win Dickinson State tourney (shared title with Ryan Stroud). One of most impressive prep records of any in Augsburg's 2001 recruiting class, winning two Minnesota state titles, earning three state Greco-Roman titles and two freestyle All-American honors, also four-time state freestyle runner-up. Member of Minnesota senior all-star wrestling team.
157 - Jeremy Jirele (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.) - 29-9 record (Augsburg career 94-29). Record includes three pins (pinned once), nine technical falls (most on team, lost once) and four major decisions (lost three times). Has earned championships at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (11/17), Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (12/1), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29) and MIAC Championships (2/23); finished second at St. Cloud State Invitational (12/8). Has 1-4 record against 2002 NCAA tournament qualifiers, beat Central's Dustin Rowland, lost twice to Wartburg's Kevin Bratland and once each to Buena Vista's Aaron Loewens and King's Dave Shaffer. Has won two MIAC championships and qualified for NCAA tournament twice. Won MIAC title last season and qualified for NCAA national tournament, eliminated with losses in first two matches. Battled injuries and illnesses last season, missing a month of action before returning to lineup and winning MIAC title. Was a state high school runner-up at Owatonna HS in 1998, when he was co-captain (with Auggie teammate Kevin Rasmussen) of an Owatonna team that won the Minnesota state team title. Also captain of his prep cross country team. An accounting major with a 3.2 GPA, Jirele has earned NWCA Scholar All-America honors in 2000 and 2001.
165 - Tony Abbott (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) - 35-4 record (Augsburg career 120-29), currently ranked No. 1 in nation. Record includes 22 pins (second-most on the team this season), no technical falls and four major decisions. Has earned championships at Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (12/1), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29), Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational (2/2) and MIAC Championships (2/23); finished second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (11/17), St. Cloud State Invitational (12/8) and Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic (1/12). Is 5-1 against 2002 NCAA meet qualifiers, 1-1 against Upper Iowa's Jorge Borgen, 2-0 against Wartburg's Kevin Powell and Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Cody Koenig. Two of his four losses have been to top-ranked wrestlers in nation, losing 3-2 to top-ranked Jorge Borgen of Upper Iowa in 165-pound title match at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open and 5-0 to Jason LaBrie of Mary (N.D.) in championship of Dickinson State Classic (LaBrie ranked No. 1 in NAIA). Used three 3-point near-falls in first-period to cruise to a 13-3 major-decision win over Wartburg's Kevin Powell in dual meet on 1/6, pinned Powell in 2:32 in rematch in National Duals on 1/20. Had two second-period pins to reach title match at Dickinson State tournament. Won MIAC title for second time in his career and earned NCAA tournament berth for third time in his career with a first-period pin and 14-0 major-decision win. One of Augsburg's top pin artists, has 59 career pins, tied with Dan Lewandowski for second-most in school history (record is 61, set by Kevin Schiltz, 1990-93). Earned All-America honors for the first time last season with a fourth-place national finish, winning MIAC title for the first time. He was a White Team (junior varsity) wrestler in the first half of the 1999-2000 season but earned a varsity spot midway through the year, reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time as a wild-card bid. Abbott, who has a 3.27 GPA with a communications/education major, earned NWCA Scholar All-America honors last season. He was a two-time Minnesota state placewinner at St. Thomas Academy HS, finishing fifth in 1997 and fourth in 1998.
174 - Nick Slack (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn.) - 40-1 record (Augsburg career 127-12), currently ranked No. 1 in nation. Record includes 23 pins (most on team), seven technical falls (second-most on team) and three major decisions. Has earned championships at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (11/17), Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (12/1), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29), Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic (1/12), All-Lutheran Invitational (2/2, OW honors) and MIAC Championships (2/23); finishing second at St. Cloud State Invitational (12/8). Has won last 28 matches in a row. Earned the Rory Jordan Award for most pins in shortest amount of time at the MIAC Championships, with three pins in 8:07. Shared the Carl Larson Trophy for Outstanding Wrestler of the MIAC Championships with teammate Darin Bertram. Slack has won four MIAC titles and qualified for the NCAA tournament four times, joining current teammate Darrin Bertram and four other Auggies (Nik Lewandowski 1998-2001, Kevin Schiltz 1989-93, Chester Grauberger 1988-91 and John Beatty 1987-90) to accomplish the feat (in all, 10 MIAC wrestlers have won four conference titles in league history). Cruised through Dickinson State field with four wins, two by technical fall, including 17-0, TF win over Montana State-Northern's Kyle Fisher, ranked second in NAIA, in title match. Lone loss this season was a 5-4 setback to North Dakota State's Todd Fuller, ranked No. 1 in Division II, in championship match at St. Cloud State Invitational. Is 1-0 against 2002 NCAA tournament qualifiers, a 20-second pin of Wartburg's Mark Sturm. One of Augsburg's top pin artists, has 40 career pins, eighth-most in school history (record is 61, set by Kevin Schiltz, 1990-93). A two-time All-American, Slack has lost just two matches in last three seasons, finishing 29-1 last season and in second place in nation. Went 31-0 to win the 2000 national championship at 174, marking just the third time an Augsburg wrestler has completed a season unbeaten. His 60-match winning streak, spanning 1999-2001 seasons, was the second-longest in school history; Henry Gerten won 64 straight matches (and two national championships) from 1996-98. Lone loss last season was one of the most dramatic college wrestling matches of the season, a 13-11 loss to Simpson's (Iowa) Nick Ackerman in the 174-pound national-title match. Ackerman, who had both his legs amputated when he was two years old due to an illness, was voted the Most Valuable Wrestler of the tournament by coaches at the meet. Slack earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet honors at the 2001 MIAC Duals, where he had two pins in three victories, including an 11-second pin in his first match. He was eliminated on the first day of his first NCAA meet, in 1999. Slack has an impressive prep wrestling background. He won two Minnesota Class AA state titles in 1996 and 1998 at 160 for Scott West (combined program of Belle Plaine and Jordan high schools), and was listed as an honorable mention among the top 12 prep wrestlers in the country at 160 by InterMat. He was among Wrestling USA Magazine's Nation's Best 1998 HS Seniors at 160, and was also an Amateur Wrestling News All-American. He was a Junior National All-American, finishing third at the 1998 Asics-Tiger Junior Freestyle Nationals at 154.
184 - Ricky Crone (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) - 31-2 record (Augsburg career 31-2), currently ranked No. 2 in nation. Record includes three pins (lost once), six technical falls and eight major decisions. Earned championships at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (11/17, unattached, shared title with Mike Cuperus), Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (12/1, unattached), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29), Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational (2/2) and MIAC Championships (2/23); finished second at Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic (1/12). Lone losses were a 3:07 pin by Montana State-Northern's Tyson Thivierge, the top-ranked wrestler in NAIA, in the championship match of the Dickinson State Classic; and a 7-3 loss to South Dakota State's Tyler Jones, rated second in Division II, in a dual on 2/10. Took over top spot at 184 for Auggies in January, claiming an impressive 11-3, come-from-behind, major-decision win over Wartburg's Sonny Alvarez, ranked fourth in Division III, in a dual meet 1/6. Key stretch of match was at end of second period, when Crone converted a takedown into a 3-point near-fall. Topped Alvarez 3-1 in rematch in National Duals on 1/20. Alvarez has qualified for 2002 NCAA meet; Crone is also 1-0 against NCAA qualifier Jason Schlingman of King's (Pa.). Transferred to Augsburg this season from Division I University of Northern Iowa, where he was 21-10 in two seasons (14-5 in 1999-2000, 7-5 in 2000-01). Won UNI Open in 2000-01, finishing second at the meet in 1999-2000. High school wrestler at Minnesota powerhouse Apple Valley HS, where he qualified for the state tournament five times, finishing third twice and fourth once. Had 43-3 record as a senior. Earned Academic All-Conference and Academic All-State in high school.
197 - Kevin Rasmussen (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.) - 29-5 record (Augsburg career 89-24), currently ranked No. 3 in nation. Season record includes five pins, no technical falls and four major decisions (lost once). Earned championships at Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open (12/1), St. Cloud State Invitational (12/8) and MIAC Championships (2/23); finished second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (11/17), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (12/28-29) and Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic (1/12). Is 4-1 against 2002 NCAA meet qualifiers, including 2-0 against Wartburg's Alain Djournessi, 1-1 against Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Yan White and 1-0 against Upper Iowa's Cliff Thompson. Claimed impressive 7-6 win over Wartburg's Alain Djournessi, ranked third in Division III, in dual meet on 1/6 and claimed 5-2 win in rematch in National Duals on 1/20. Topped North Dakota State's Brian Kraemer, ranked third in Division II, 6-3 in title match at St. Cloud State Invitational. Losses this season have all come to ranked wrestlers -- a 7-2 loss to Wisconsin-La Crosse's Matt Morris in the championship match of the Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open (at the time, Morris was ranked sixth in Division III); a 9-1 loss to Mike Irving of Cumberland (Ky.) in the Orange Bowl Sunshine Open final (Irving is ranked second in NAIA); a 6-1 loss to Emmett Wilson of Montana State-Northern in the Dickinson State Classic final (Wilson is ranked sixth in NAIA); an 8-4 loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Yan White (ranked sixth in Division III); and an 11-2 loss to South Dakota State's Todd Paszek (ranked fifth in Division II). Earned first MIAC title this season and qualified for NCAA tournament for second time. Used a late-season charge to earn a wild-card spot in the NCAA championships last season, finishing second at the MIAC tournament (to St. John's 2001 national titlist Brandon Novak). Rasmussen earned All-American honors for the first time with a sixth-place national finish. Primarily a White Team (junior varsity) wrestler his first two seasons, Rasmussen assumed the varsity role at 197 in 2000-01. 1998 graduate of Owatonna HS, he was co-captain (with Auggie teammate Jeremy Jirele) of an Owatonna team that won the Minnesota state team title in 1998. Was also all-conference in football. A physics major with a 3.5 GPA, Rasmussen earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors in 2001.
HWT - Mike Flanagan (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) - 9-3 record (Augsburg career 9-3). Record includes two pins (pinned once). Transferred to Augsburg in January after competing for two seasons at University of Minnesota. Has a 1-1 record against 2002 NCAA tournament qualifiers, losing two Wartburg's LeRoy Gardner III 3-0 and beating Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Mark Burger 2-1. Lost 3-2 to South Dakota State's Jon Madsen, ranked third in Division II. Won first MIAC championship this season with 3-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead's William Duppler. Compiled Minnesota career record of 18-22 (four pins), including a 2-4 record this season prior to transferring at the semester break to Augsburg. Was primary fill-in for Garrett Lowney at heavyweight during first half of 2000-01 season. Compiled 46 pins and was 2-time all-conference selection at St. Thomas Academy HS.