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Vikings crown two champions to finish second at North Regional Championships
February 26, 2006
The Augustana College wrestling team crowned two individual champions, had three runners-up and had three others finish third as the Vikings finished second as a team at the North Region Championships Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
In all, Augustana had five wrestlers in the finals to go along with three third-place finishers. Those eight wrestlers advanced to the 2006 NCAA Division II Championships, scheduled for March 10-11 in Findlay, Ohio. The top four finishers advance to nationals.
Winning regional titles were Ryan King and Tim Boldt. King successfully defended his 149-pound title with a 5-3 sudden victory over Nebraska-Omaha's Shane Unger, while Boldt who scored a 19-4 technical fall over UNO's Nick Edmonds to win the 197-pound crown.
Boldt's technical fall helped Augustana edge out Minnesota State-Mankato for second place in the team standings. The Vikings finished with 119 points, while MSU-Mankato had 118.5 points. Nebraska-Omaha captured the team title with 139.5 points.
Also advancing to the finals were Andre VanderVelde (141), Nate Buys(184), and Cris Bietz (Hwt.).
VanderVelde, ranked No. 2 in the region dropped a 12-9 decision to top-ranked Mitch Waite of Nebraska-Omaha. Waite used two takedowns and a 3-point near fall in the first period to lead 7-1. VanderVelde trailed 8-3 heading into the final period before mounting a late rally.
At 149 pounds, King led 2-0 after one period but trailed 3-2 after two periods when Unger got a takedown with 17 seconds left in the second. King tied the score 3-3 with an escape early in the third period. In sudden victory, King scored a takedown with 14 seconds left.
In the 184-pound match, top-ranked John Koons of MSU-Mankato used a takedown early in the first period and another at the end of the second period to defeat Buys, who was ranked No. 2, 5-1. Buys trailed 5-0 heading into the third period. Needing back points, Buys chose the up position. He rode out Koons, but was unable to turn him. He did earn the riding time point.
At heavyweight, top-ranked Les Sigman recorded a 19-3 technical fall over Bietz. The match was close early on as Sigman held a slim 2-0 advantage after one period. He increased the lead to 9-1 after two periods before scoring 10 points in the final period.
The Vikings also had three wrestlers finish third. Chris Trampe (125), Austin Scarset and Cody Henriksen (165) all bounced back from semifinal losses to win the consolation bracket.
A fourth Augustana wrestler, Dusty Wilking, advanced to the consolation final, but he finished fourth. However, he did not advance to nationals after falling in a true fourth-place match.
In the third-place matches, Trampe held on for a 2-1 overtime win over Minnesota State-Mankato's Nick Smith. The score was tied 1-1 after regulation and the 1-minute sudden victory period. In the first overtime, Trampe got an escape with 3 seconds left in the 30-second period. Trampe then rode out Smith in the second OT to gain the win and his first berth in the national championships.
Scarset followed moments later with an 11-5 decision over Northern State's Dana Dargatz to qualify for his third national tournament.
Henriksen, the regional runner-up in 2005, then dropped a 3-1 decision to MSU-Moorhead's Nathan Baker. Baker, ranked No. 1 in the nation at 165 pounds, scored an escape and takedown in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. Henriksen got an escape early in the third period, but could not get they tying takedown.
In a rematch of a first-round match, Southwest Minnesota State's Tim Johns defeated Wilking 12-6. Wilking pinned Johns in the first round.
Wilking then faced Upper Iowa's Clinton Macnaught in a true fourth-place match to determine the final national qualifier. Macnaught used four takedowns and a near fall to defeat Wilking 11-2.
The only Viking who did not win a match was 133-pounder Jeremie Degen. Degen was leading Troy Macfarland of MSU-Moorhead 5-0 after one period. But at the outset of the second period, Macfarland turned Degen and recorded the fall in 3:13.
In the wrestlebacks, Degen held a 9-8 lead over Northern State's Logan Hayman, but Hayman scored a 3-point near fall in the final seconds of the match to claim an 11-9 win.