SJU returns to Simpson Invitational Saint John’s
will travel to Indianola, Iowa this Saturday, Dec. 2 for the Simpson
Invitational at 9 a.m. The Johnnies finished second out of 14 teams at
the Invite last season. The competition will again be formidable as
last year’s meet champions Truman State, Mo. and #12 (Division III)
Coe, Iowa, which placed third last year, will both be returning. #2
(Division III) Wartburg College, Iowa placed fifth in the meet last
year and will also be returning. Division II Augustana College, Ill.
and Central Missouri State, among others, will form the competition
this Saturday.
SJU competes against no. 1 ranked Auggies
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Saint John’s tangled with Augsburg in a dual meet
on Wednesday, Nov. 22 in Minneapolis. The Auggies, ranked first
nationally for Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches
Association (NWCA), defeated SJU (43-0).
Malone looks to defend last year’s
title
Senior Jacob Malone (New York Mills, Minn./New York Mills) will look to
defend his individual championship at the 157-pound bracket this
Saturday at Indianola, Iowa. Last year, Malone went 4-0 at the Simpson
Invite to win his first of three tournament championships during the
2005-06 season.
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.