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Augsburg ranked No. 1 in preseason Division III national rankings
MINNEAPOLIS (10/26/04) -- Augsburg College, winners of eight NCAA Division III national titles in the last 14 seasons, is ranked No. 1 in the preseason Brute/ Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III wrestling national poll, it was announced this week.
The Auggies, national runners-up the last two seasons to perennial rival Wartburg (Iowa), is ranked ahead of the Knights in the initial 2004-05 rankings, done by a committee of six wrestling coaches from around the country.
Both Augsburg and Wartburg have eight wrestlers listed in the top eight in individual weight class rankings, with Augsburg claiming four top-ranked wrestlers and Wartburg claiming three. Luther (Iowa), ranked third in the preseason team rankings, has five wrestlers in the individual listings.
Augsburg's defending national champions: Matt Shankey (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn., 125 pounds), Mark Matzek (Sr., Ellsworth, Wis., 133), Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS, 157) and Joe Moon (Sr., Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS, 174), are all ranked No. 1 nationally in their respective weight classes in the initial 2004- 05 listing.
LeVesseur has won two straight national titles at 157 pounds and has yet to lose a collegiate match, with an 84-0 record through two seasons. He has a chance to become only the second wrestler in college history to go through four seasons unbeaten with four national titles -- Cael Sanderson of Iowa State was the first, going 159-0 from 1998-2002. This season, LeVesseur has become a two- sport athlete, as the starting quarterback for the Auggie football team.
Moon earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet honors at last season's national championships, after winning the 174-pound national title in dramatic fashion, dominating several higher-ranked opponents. The two-time All-American enters his final season, which he will begin after the semester break, with a 105-14 career record.
Shankey, who transferred to Augsburg from Division I Iowa last season, went 27- 1 and won the national title at 125 pounds last season. His collegiate record entering his final season is 55-16.
Matzek, a two-time All-American, won the national title at 133 pounds last season, finishing 34-4. He is 95-21 on his collegiate career.
Four other returning All-Americans are also ranked for the Auggies -- Jamell Tidwell (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) is ranked No. 2 at 141 pounds, Mark Simmonds (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Edison HS) is ranked fourth at heavyweight, Ryan Valek (Jr., Belle Plaine, Minn.) is ranked fourth at 165 and Joe Cullen (Sr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) is ranked fifth at 197.
Tidwell, a two-time All-American and three-time national tournament qualifier, finished second at 141 last season and has a 121-12 career record entering his senior year. Simmonds finished fourth nationally at heavyweight last season with a 36-9 record in his first Auggie season after transferring from Division II Southwest Minnesota State. Both Valek and Cullen finished seventh nationally in their respective weight classes last year.
Fellow Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school St. John's is ranked 16th in the initial team poll, with Dan Fiecke ranked third at 197 pounds in the preseason ranking. Fiecke placed fifth at last year's national championships at 197. The Johnnies finished 27th as a team at last year's national championships.
Augsburg opens its 2004-05 season with the Intrasquad Meet/Alumni and Parents Night on Saturday (10/30) at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. Augsburg's first competition will be the annual Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open on Nov. 20 at 9 a.m., also at Si Melby Hall.