March 5, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College will attempt to win its fourth consecutive NCAA Division III wrestling natinal championship this weekend at the Division III national meet at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.
The Auggies, winners of the last three NCAA Division III national titles and eight of the last 12 crowns, are currently ranked second in the last Division III national poll, behind top-ranked Wartburg (Iowa).
Augsburg and Wartburg are the only two schools to have wrestlers qualified for the national meet in all 10 weight classes. Brockport State (N.Y.), ranked third in the last national poll, has nine individuals qualified. No. 4 Loras (Iowa) and No. 6 College of New Jersey have seven wrestlers each.
Action begins at 11 a.m., Eastern time, on both Friday and Saturday at the ONU Sports Center. Friday's two sessions (11 a.m. and 6 p.m.) eliminate the field to the final eight in each weight class, which earn All-American honors. Saturday's 11 a.m. session includes championship semifinals and wrestlebacks, with championship finals and placing matches scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Augsburg will provide continuous updates on its website at http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/wrestling/ through-out the weekend tournament.
It is the third time the championships have been held at Ohio Northern. Augsburg has won the national title the previous two times at ONU, in 1997 and 2000.
Augsburg is one of six NCAA schools -- and the only Division III school -- to have won eight wrestling national championships. In Division I, Oklahoma State has won 30 team titles, while Iowa has won 20 and Iowa State has won eight; in Division II, California State-Bakersfield and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo have won eight national titles apiece.
Augsburg and Wartburg have been the powers of small-college wrestling over the past decade. At least one of the two schools have finished among the top two in the NCAA Division III national championship race every year since 1990. Augsburg has won eight of the last 12 Division III national titles (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002), including the last three crowns in a row, while finishing second five times (1984, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1999). Wartburg won national titles in 1996 and 1999, finishing second six times (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002). Last season, Augsburg won the national title by six points over Wartburg and Upper Iowa, which tied for second.
Augsburg has six individuals ranked in the final Division III national rankings, released on Monday -- Marcus LeVesseur (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) is ranked first at 157, Ricky Crone (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.) is ranked fourth at 184 pounds, Jamell Tidwell (So., Burnsville, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) is ranked fourth at 141, Joe Moon (So., Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS) is ranked fourth at 174, Greg Brendemuehl (Fr., Medford, Minn.) is ranked fifth at 125 and Mike Flanagan (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) is ranked seventh at heavyweight.
Also qualified for the national championships from Augsburg are Mark Matzek (So., Ellsworth, Wis.) at 133, Ryan Stroud (So., Park Falls, Wis.) at 149, Billy Morgan (So., Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central HS) at 165 and Justin Sorensen (Fr., Owatonna, Minn.) at 197.
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has a total of 12 wrestlers at the national championship meet. Joining the 10 Auggies are Jason Moore from St. Olaf, ranked eighth nationally at 165 pounds, and Dan Fiecke of St. John's at 197.
125 - Greg Brendemuehl (Fr., Medford, Minn.) - 31-8 overall (Augsburg career 31-8), ranked No. 5 in nation. Record includes six pins (pinned once), one technical fall and one major decision (lost once). First national championship appearance. Has 1-3 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 0-2 against No. 2 Davey Starks of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (lost 8-4 on Nov. 16 and lost 7-4 on Feb. 1), 0-1 against No. 1 Heath Ropp (lost 9-3 on Nov. 27), and 1-0 against Nick Kehagias of Chicago (won 7-4 on Feb. 22). Has 3-1 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- beating NAIA tournament qualifier Dustin Grant of Jamestown (N.D.) three times (10-4 on Nov. 23, 4-2 on Dec. 7 and 8-1 on Dec. 14) and losing to Division II qualifier Matt Strawser of North Dakota State, ranked fourth in Division II, by 2:06 pin on Jan. 28. Missed nearly a month of the season due to injury, returned to action on Jan. 15, going 12-4 since returning to lineup. Won Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22 and Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23; finished second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7, Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29 and Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational on Feb. 1 (losing to Starks in the final). Finished third at St. Cloud State Invitational on Dec. 14 and fourth at North Country Invitational on Feb. 8. Has two sub-60-second pins -- a 57-second pin over Minnesota State-Moorhead's Desmond Radunz on Nov. 22 and a 25-second pin of Drew Carey (unattached) at the Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28. Earned national tournament berth with 3-0 record at Great Lakes Regional -- pinning Concordia-Moorhead's Rory Cantu in 2:37, beating Brian Taylor of North Central (Ill.) 10-3 and Kehagias 7-4 in the finals. Brendemuehl had an outstanding prep career, earning Minnesota state tournament berths three times, finishing second in 2000 and 2001 and third in 2002. As a team, Medford finished sixth in state in 2000 and 2001 and won the state team title in 2002. Also played football in high school. Management information systems major at Augsburg.
133 - Mark Matzek (So., Ellsworth, Wis.) - 36-5 overall (Augsburg career 56-15). Record includes two pins, five technical falls (tied for most on team) and five major decisions. First national championship appearance. Has 5-1 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 2-0 vs. Brady Holtz of Wis.-Stevens Point (won 7-5 on Nov. 16 and 6-2 on Feb. 14), 1-0 vs. Larry Amedio of Augustana (Ill.) (won 12-3 on Feb. 22), 1-0 vs. No. 4 Dave Ilaria of the College of New Jersey (won 8-3 on Jan. 18), and 0-1 vs. No. 3 Ozzie Saxson of Wartburg (lost 10-7 on Jan. 19). Has 3-3 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- 1-1 against NAIA qualifier Michael Mathiason of Dickinson State (N.D.), ranked sixth in NAIA (lost 7-5 on Nov. 23 and winning with 5:58 pin on Jan. 11); 0-1 against NAIA qualifier Caleb Schaeffer of Montana State-Northern, ranked No. 2 in NAIA (lost 14-10 on Jan. 11); 1-1 against Division II qualifier Nick Maggee of North Dakota State (lost 5-2 on Nov. 13, won 4-3 on Jan. 28); and 1-0 against Division II qualifier Andre VandeVelde of Augustana (S.D.) (winning 15-12 on Jan. 9. Won titles at Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7. Placed second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, St. Cloud State Invitational on Dec. 14 (losing to Magee in the final), Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29 (losing title match 9-4 to Purdue's Rene Hernandez), and Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 11 (losing to Schaeffer in the final). Placed third at Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23. Earned national tournament berth with 3-0 record at Great Lakes Regional -- beating Chicago's Sam Kunkel 12-0, Pacific Lutheran's Garrett Miyake 5-2 and Amedio 12-3 in the finals. Primarily White Team (junior varsity) wrestler last season, won one individual championship and finished 20-10. Started the season at 141 pounds, moving down to 133 for second half of season. Two-time state high school champion at Ellsworth, Wis., HS, earned state runner-up honors his sophomore season. Three-time conference champion and two-time regional and sectional champion. Math and secondary education major who has a 3.56 college GPA, while compiling a 4.0 high school GPA.
141 - Jamell Tidwell (So., Richfield, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) - 45-1 record (Augsburg career 72-7), ranked No. 4 in nation. Record includes six pins, one technical fall and six major decisions. Has most wins of any Augsburg wrestler. Has won last 20 matches in a row. Second national championship appearance. Has 3-0 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers this season -- beating No. 5 Wil Kelly of Wartburg 7-5 on Nov. 27, No. 7 P.J. Morreale 7-5 on Jan. 18 and Matt Kapraun of Augustana (Ill.) 15-11 on Feb. 22. Has 6-0 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- 2-0 against NAIA qualifier Nate Gerrard of Jamestown (N.D.) (winning 6-0 on Nov. 23, 4-1 on Dec. 7), 2-0 vs. NAIA qualifier A.J. Fonseca of Dickinson State (N.D.) (winning by 6:55 pin on Dec. 14 and winning 5-2 on Feb. 8), 1-0 vs. NAIA qualifier Jake Esser of Jamestown (N.D.)(winning 5-3 on Jan. 11), and 1-0 vs. Division II qualifier Ryan King of Augustana (S..D.), ranked No. 7 in Division II (winning 8-4 on Jan. 9). Won titles at six of eight tournaments this season -- Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 22, Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7, St. Cloud State Invitational on Dec. 14, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Great lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Finished second at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open Dec. 28-29, with lone loss a non-countable defeat to an adult unattached wrestler (Evan Robinson, a former Division I wrestler from Purdue). Lone loss this season was a disqualification against Ben Lemieux of Dickinson State (N.D.) at the Dickinson State Classic (Jan. 11), where he finished third. Last year, started the season at 141 and moved up to 149 midway through the season, qualifying for the national tournament. Lost in two straight matches at national meet (losing 14-5 to Luther's Garrett Kurth and 8-3 to Oswego State's Frank Petrucci) to finish his freshman season with a 27-6 record. Earned championships at four tournaments, eventually being rated as high as fifth nationally. 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. Health and physical education major at Augsburg.
149 - Ryan Stroud (So., Park Falls, Wis.) - 28-7 record (Augsburg career 56-15). Record includes nine pins, no technical falls (lost once) and two major decisions. First national championship appearance. Has 1-1 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- lost by 19-4 technical fall to No. 4 Bart Mehlert of Wartburg (Iowa) in dual meet on Nov. 27, and beat Sean Collins of Wheaton (Ill.) 5-2 on Feb. 22. Has 4-4 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- 0-2 to Division II qualifier Zach Stevens of North Dakota State (losing 3-1 in one overtime on Dec. 14 and 6-1 on Jan. 28), 0-1 to Division II qualifier Austin Scarset of Augustana (S.D.), ranked No. 7 in Division II (losing 6-4 on Jan. 9); 0-1 to Division II qualifier Jared Barnes of South Dakota State (losing 5-3 in one overtime on Feb. 4); 1-0 against each of the following NAIA national qualifiers, Billy Chisholm of William Penn (Iowa) (4-1 on Nov. 23), Justin Hood of Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (3-0 on Jan. 11), 10-2 over Mike Champagne of Mary (N.D.) (10-2 on Feb. 8) and Tyrone Martinez of Dickinson State (N.D.), ranked fifth in NAIA (4:28 pin on Feb. 8). Won championships at Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23, Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 11, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Finished second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16 and fourth at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29. Went 4-0 at Great Lakes Regional to earn national tournament berth, beaing Bryant Johnson of Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) 9-0, Wade Brozowski of Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) 8-0, Alex Morf of St. Olaf (Minn.) 8-6 and Collins 5-2 in the final. Has nine-match winning streak entering national meet. Last season, earned championships at four tournaments en route to a 22-8 record, primarily on Auggie White Team (junior varsity). Prep record of 124-20, placing second in Wisconsin state championship in 2001 and third in 2000. Earned Lumberjack Conference Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the Year honors in 2001. Business administration and economics major.
157 - Marcus LeVesseur (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) - 40-0 record (Augsburg career 40-0), ranked No. 1 in nation. Record includes 18 pins (tied for most on team), four technical falls and six major decisions. Only unbeaten wrestler on Augsburg roster. Could become only the second Augsburg wrestler to ever go through a single season unbeaten (Augsburg 133-pounder Henry Gerten went 44-0 to win national championship in 1996-97 season, en route to a school-record 64-match winning streak from 1996-98.). First national championship appearance. Wrestled as unattached, independent wrestler in fall semester, became eligible to wrestle on Augsburg roster at end of fall semester (Dec. 20). In first Augsburg competition at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open (Dec. 28-29), won title at 157 with a major decision, pin and 5-0 win over Navy's Mike Carbonaro in finals. Has earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at three tournaments -- Dickinson State Classic on Jan. 11, NWCA Division III National Duals on Jan. 18-19 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Has 6-0 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 2-0 vs. No. 3 Aaron Loewens of Buena Vista (Iowa) (3:41 pin on Jan. 18 and 5-3 win on Feb. 8), and wins over No. 2 Kevin Bratland of Wartburg (Iowa) (8-3 on Jan. 19), No. 4 Garrett South of Luther (Iowa) (4-1 on Nov. 16), No. 5 Greg Ilaria of College of New Jersey (9-0 on Jan. 18) and Brian Daly of Augustana (Ill.) (1:59 pin on Feb. 22). Has 5-0 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- 2-0 vs. NAIA qualifier James Meland of Jamestown (N.D.) (won 7-2 on Dec. 7 and 5:28 pin on Jan. 11), 1-0 vs. NAIA qualifier Andy Bartlett of Dickinson State (N.D.), ranked No. 2 in NAIA (9-2 on Nov. 23), 1-0 vs. Division II Dan Duch of St. Cloud State (Minn.) (won 7-4 on Feb. 4) and 1-0 vs. Division II qualifier Paul Carlson of North Dakota State, ranked No. 1 in Division II (won 10-3 on Jan. 28). Has won each of seven tournaments entered -- Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23, Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7, Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29 (four wins, all over Division I opponents), Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 11, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Went 4-0 at regional to earn national tournament berth with three first-period pins and a technical fall to earn Outstanding Wrestler honors. Earned Rory Jordan Award (most pins in shortest time) at MIAC Team Duals on Jan. 25, with two pins in 2:39. Transferred to Augsburg from Division I Minnesota after enrolling at Minnesota for one semester (fall 2001). Was considered one of the top recruits in the country in 2001, listed by the InterMat wrestling service as the nation's No. 2-ranked recruit, among all weight classes, in the 2000-01 Top 200 Recruit Rankings. LeVesseur was one of the most-decorated prep wrestlers in Minnesota history. Accumulated a state-record 212 wins (212-17) and is one of only 10 wrestlers in Minnesota history to win four state high school titles -- winning titles at Minneapolis Roosevelt HS in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and at Bloomington Kennedy HS in 2001. Set a state record with 141 straight victories to close out his career, finishing his senior year with a 46-0 record. Registered state-record 110 pins in his career, including 28 in his senior season. Named Minnesota's "Mr. Wrestler" by the state high school coaches association in 2001, after earning MVP honors at the Minnesota-Wisconsin All-Star Meet (held at River Falls, Wis., and at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall). Earned All-City and All-Conference honors six times, All-County honors three times and All-State and All-America four times. Also played football for three seasons and track and field for one season in high school, earning Metro Athlete of the Week and All-State honors in football. Health and physical education major at Augsburg.
165 - Billy Morgan (So., Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central Area HS) - 24-8 record (Augsburg career 42-11). Record includes eight pins, two technical falls and two major decisions (lost once). First national championship appearance. Has 2-4 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 0-2 against Jason Moore of St. Olaf (Minn.) (lost 3-1 on Jan. 2 and 13-3 on Feb. 22), 0-2 against No. 1 Ryan Sturm of Wartburg (Iowa) (lost 6-2 on Nov. 27 and 7-5 on Jan. 18), 1-0 against Richard Schroeder of Loras (Iowa) (won 12-0 on Nov. 16) and 1-0 against No. 8 Pat Wilsbacher of Buena Vista (Iowa) (won 7-4 on Jan. 18). Has 1-0 record against national tournament qualifier in other division, an 8-2 win over Lucas Lucier of Jamestown (N.D.), an NAIA qualifier, on Dec. 14. Hs won titles at the Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16 and the Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7. Placed second at the Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22 and third at the St. Cloud State Invitational on Dec. 14. Won 165-pound title in dominating fashion at the Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, with two 16-0 technical falls in his first two matches and a 12-0, major-decision win in the final. Earned trip to national tournament as a wildcard qualifier after finishing second at the Great Lakes Regional. Pinned Andrew Batt of Knox (Ill.) in 3:41, beat Andy Opsahl of Lakeland (Wis.) 8-2 and Sean Hoover of Augustana (Ill.) 14-7 before losing 13-3 to Moore in the final. Was not on team last season. Finished 18-3 in 2000-01 season, primarily as a White Team (junior varsity) wrestler. Was a four-time state tournament placewinner (sixth, second, third, second) in prep career, earning prep All-American honors in his amateur career. Also a football player on a state championship team in high school. Business management/marketing major at Augsburg with a 3.0 GPA.
174 - Joe Moon (So., Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS) - 35-5 record (Augsburg career 63- 10), ranked No. 4 in nation. Record includes 11 pins (pinned twice), three technical falls and nine major decisions (most on team). First national championship appearance. Has 4-2 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 2-0 against Mark Sturm of Wartburg (Iowa) (won 8-5 on Nov. 27 when Sturm was ranked No. 3 nationally, won 11-2 on Jan. 19), 1-0 vs. No. 8 Paul Vaccaro of College of New Jersey (won 8-3 on Jan. 17), 1-0 vs. Josh Rhoden of Pacific Lutheran (won 12-0 on Feb. 22) and 0-2 against No. 3 Cody Koenig of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (lost 6-5 on Nov. 16 and lost 8-4 on Feb. 14). Has 2-2 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- beat Kyle Fisher of Montana State-Northern, ranked No. 6 in NAIA, 8-0 on Jan. 11; beat Bryan Cowdin of South Dakota State, ranked No. 8 in Division II, 8-5 on Feb. 4; lost 9-8 to Larry Johnson of Dickinson State (N.D.), top-ranked wrestler in NAIA, on Nov. 23; and lost 2-1 in two overtimes to Division II Thad Pike of North Dakota State on Jan. 28. Claimed championships at Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 11, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Finished second at Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23. Earned trip to national meet with 4-0 record at Great Lakes Regional with all extra-point victories -- a 2:33 pin of Dimitry Shuster of Chicago, an 18-1, 5:05 technical fall over Skip Sandberg of St. Olaf, a 13-2 win over Shamar Bailey of Marantha (Wis.) and the 12-0 win over Rhoden in the final. Team co-captain (with Ricky Crone) in 2002-03, first time that a sophomore has been a team co-captain in the history of Augsburg's wrestling program. Received a medical redshirt season last year, finished with a 28-5 record in freshman campaign in 2000-01, earning team's Outstanding Freshman award. Earned three prep All-American honors and three national titles as an amateur wrestler. Won two state championships, placing at state tournaments three times (also fifth place as sophomore) in high school career, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Minnesota-Wisconsin All-Star Meet in 2001. Also was an all-area and all-conference selection in both football and baseball in high school. Business administration/marketing major at Augsburg.
184 - Ricky Crone (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.) - 36-6 record (Augsburg career 69-9), ranked No. 4 in nation. Record includes seven pins, five technical falls (tied for most on team) and six major decisions. Second national tournament appearance, All-American last year with second-place national finish. Team co-captain (with Joe Moon). Started the season top-ranked in nation. Five of his six losses this season have come to ranked wrestlers. Has 2-3 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 1-1 to No. 2 Sonny Alvarez of Wartburg (Iowa) lost 2-1 on Nov. 27, won 3-2 on Jan. 19); 0-1 to No. 1 Paul Cleary of Loras (Iowa) (lost 2-1 in two overtimes on Nov. 16), 0-1 to No. 3 Brad Marten of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (lost 4-1 on Feb. 14) and 1-0 against No. 7 David Hirt of Wheaton (Ill.) (won 4-0 on Feb. 22). Has 2-2 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- lost 4-2 to Tyler Jones of South Dakota State, ranked No. 1 in Division II, on Feb. 4; beat Mike Lester of Montana State-Northern, ranked No. 3 in NAIA, 5- 3 on Jan. 11; beat Aaron Schmidt of Northwestern (Iowa), ranked No. 7 in NAIA, 5-3 on Dec. 7; and lost to Sam Kenton of Augustana (S.D.), ranked No. 7 in Division II, 7-3 on Jan. 9. Won title at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29, beating four Division I wrestlers, including a 3-1 win over Purdue's Ben Wissel in the finals. Also won championships at Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23, Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7, Dickinson State Classic on Jan. 11, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Finished second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16 (loss to Cleary in finals) and St. Cloud State Invitational on Dec. 14 (lost 3-1 to Joey Krause of Northern State-S.D.). Has four sub-60-second pins on the season, including pins of 17 and 30 seconds. Earned second trip to national tournament with 4-0 record at Great Lakes Regional -- winning 13-0 over Ed Oehlers of Concordia-Moorhead, 15-0, 6:15 technical fall over Pat O'Connor of North Central (Ill.), and 6:35 pin of Andy Peterson of Marantha (Wis.) before the 4-0 win over Hirt in the finals. In his two seasons at Augsburg, Crone is 4-1 against Wartburg's Alvarez (3-0 last year, including 2-1 win in national semifinal match). Earned championships at five tournaments last season, en route to a second-place national finish, finishing the season 34-3. Lost 4-2 to Lawrence (Wis.)wrestler Andy Kazik in national championship match. Transferred to Augsburg last 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. Marketing major with 3.2 GPA at Augsburg.
197 - Justin Sorensen (Fr., Owatonna, Minn.) - 36-15 overall (Augsburg career 36-15). Record includes nine pins, no technical falls and two major decisions (lost twice). Has wrestled most matches (51) of any Augsburg wrestler this season. First national championship appearance. Has 1-7 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 0-3 to No. 3 Yan White of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (lost 7-0 on Nov. 16, 9-1 on Feb. 1 and 9-3 on Feb. 14), 1-0 vs. No. 7 Jeremy Kosch of Ohio Northern (won 6-4 in two overtimes on Jan. 18), 0-1 to No. 2 Alain Djournessi of Wartburg (lost 9-4 on Jan. 19), 0-1 to No. 5 Rich Gildner of College of New Jersey (lost 6-4 on Jan. 18), 0-1 to Dan Fiecke of St. John's (lost 4-0 on Jan. 25) and 0-1 to Matt Huset of Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) (lost 5-4 on Feb. 22). Has 1-4 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- 0-2 against Jesse Laber of Mary (N.D.), ranked fifth in NAIA (lost 3-0 on Jan. 11 and lost 6-4 on Feb. 8), won 11-9 in one overtime over Joe Vincent of NAIA Jamestown (N.D.) on Jan. 11, lost 4-3 to Brian Kraemer of Division II North Dakota State on Jan. 28, and lost 12-4 to South Dakota State's Tim Boldt, ranked No. 5 in Division II, on Feb. 4. Won championship at Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7. Placed second at Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 11. Placed third at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23 and Orange Bowl Sunshine Open Dec. 28-29 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Placed fourth at Dick Walker (Wartburg) Invitational on Dec. 14. Qualified for national tournament as a wildcard entrant after finishing third at the Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22 -- winning 6-3 over Aaron Grannell of Augustana (Ill.), losing 5-4 to Huset of MSOE, winning 12- 2 over Dennis Kline of Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) and 10-1 over Grannell in the third-place match. Primarily a White Team (junior varsity) wrestler early this season, moved into varsity lineup after third-place finish at Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29. Two-time state tournament qualifier in high school, placed second in state tournament as a senior. Undecided major at Augsburg.
HWT - Mike Flanagan (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) - 38-7 record (Augsburg career 49-13), ranked No. 7 in nation. Record includes 18 pins (tied for most on team), no technical falls and one major decision (lost once). Second national tournament appearance, All-American last year with eighth-place national finish. Has 1-3 record against NCAA Division III national championship wrestlers -- 0-2 to No. 1-ranked LeRoy Gardner of Wartburg (Iowa) (lost 4-0 on Nov. 27 and 2-0 on Jan. 19), won 2-1 over Carlos Panfili of College of New Jersey on Jan. 18, and lost 2-1 in two overtimes to No. 8 Matt Schoenherr of Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) on Feb. 22. Has 10-3 record against national tournament qualifiers in other divisions -- 4-1 over Brandon Lemer of Jamestown (N.D.), ranked No. 5 in NAIA (won 3-0 on Nov. 16, 3-2 on Nov. 23, lost 7-0 on Dec. 14, won by injury default on Dec. 14 and won 8-5 on Jan. 11); 3-0 vs. Matt Benjamin of Dickinson State (N.D.) (all pins, 1:23 on Nov. 23, 4:29 on Dec. 14 and 4:07 on Feb. 8); pinned Dan Williams of NAIA William Penn (Iowa) in 4:51; pinned Zach Pierson of NAIA Jamestown (N.D.) in 1:14; defeated Tom Schweitzer of NAIA Mary (N.D.) 3-1 on Jan. 11; lost 3-1 in one overtime to Joe Bryce of Division II North Dakota State on Jan. 28; lost 12-2 to Dustin Darveaux of St. Cloud State, ranked No. 2 in Division II, on Feb. 4. Won championships at Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Open on Nov. 23, Minnesota-Morris Cougar Open on Dec. 7 and Dickinson State (N.D.) Classic on Jan. 11. Finished second at Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 16, Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29, North Country Invitational on Feb. 8 and Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22. Finished fifth at St. Cloud State Invitational on Dec. 14. Scored pins of 46 seconds and 1:56 over Division I opponents, before losing 7-2 to Purdue's Israel Blevins in finals of Orange Bowl Sunshine Open on Dec. 28-29.Qualified for national tournament as a wildcard entrant after finishing second at the Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 22 -- pinning Juderson Desile of Lakeland (Wis.) in 1:06 and beating Ryan Weinandt of St. John's (Minn.) before losing 2-1 in overtime to MSOE's Schoenherr in the finals. Has five sub-60-second pins this season, including the quickest pin for an Auggie this season, a 12-second pin of Matt Nore of William Penn (Iowa) on Nov. 23. Has 13 sub-two-minute pins. Is 0-3 against Gardner of Wartburg all-time. Finished eighth in nation last season, after transferring to Augsburg in January 2002 after competing for two seasons at University of Minnesota. Compiled Minnesota career record of 18-22 (four pins), including a 2-4 record in 2001-02 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 two-time all-conference selection at St. Thomas Academy HS. Sociology major at Augsburg, his career goal is to be a police officer.