SJU TRAVELS TO MANKATO FOR FIRST DUAL MEET Saint John’s
travels to Mankato to take on the Minnesota State- Mankato Mavericks in
its first dual meet of the 2006-07 season at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15.
SJU finished the 2005-06 season 5-4 in dual contests. The Johnnies will
then compete at the Auggie Open this Saturday, Nov. 18 beginning at 9
a.m. in Minneapolis.
SJU OPENS 2006-07 SEASON IN FARGO
FARGO, N.D. – Saint John’s opened its 2006-07 season at the
Bison Open on Saturday, November 11. Five Johnnies placed at the
star-studded Bison Open, as squads ranging from the University of
Minnesota, Stanford and NDSU, to Ridgewater College, SJU and Concordia
all competed in Fargo. Freshman Mogi Baatar (125; Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia/St. Benedict's), freshman Minga Batsukh (141; Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia/St. Benedict's) and sophomore Grant Eustice (174; Shoreview,
Minn./Mounds View) all finish fifth. Senior Jacob Malone (157; New York
Mills, Minn./New York Mills) and junior Jason Finley (197; Lake City,
Minn./Lake City) both finish sixth.
SJU’s YOUTH LOOKS STRONG IN OPENER
The freshmen-duo of Mogi Baatar (left) and Minga Batsukh (right), both
from Mongolia, and sophomore Grant Eustice (right, below) made an
immediate impact for the Johnnies last weekend. All three wrestlers
finished fifth at North Dakota State’s Bison Open last Saturday,
Nov. 11. For Baatar and Batsukh, it was their first appearance donning
the Cardinal and Blue. After an impressive off-season, Eustice notched
a 4-2 record in his first crack at the 174-pound weight class (up from
165 a year ago) last Saturday.
SJU HEAD COACH BRANDON NOVAK
Head Coach Brandon Novak is in his third season as the head wrestling
coach in Collegeville. A 2001 graduate of SJU, Novak won the NCAA
Division III Championship at 197 pounds in 2001 and was a three-time
All- American. As a football player at SJU, Novak was named MIAC
Most Valuable Player as a linebacker in 1999 and a first-team
All-America selection. Last year, Novak led the Johnnie grapplers
to a 16th place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 2005-06, Novak's
SJU wrestling team had the fifth-highest team grade point average in
NCAA Division III at 3.334.
For all the latest news on Johnnie Wrestling and other SJU sports,
visit the Saint John’s athletic Web site at
www.gojohnnies.com