Nine Auggies to compete at FILA Junior World Team Training Camp and Trials
May 17, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS -- Nine members of the NCAA Division III national champion Augsburg College
wrestling team will be training and competing with some of the top
amateur wrestlers in the country at the FILA Junior World Team Trials,
to be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,
Colo., from Sunday to next Saturday (5/20-26).
Five All-Americans and two national champions will be among the nine
Augsburg individuals competing at the meet. National champions Quincy
Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn., 141 pounds) and Jeremy Anderson (Jr.,
Thief River Falls, Minn., 157 pounds) will compete, along with national
runner-up Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn., 125 pounds),
fifth-place finisher Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
HS, 174 pounds) and eighth-place finisher Wally O'Connor (Jr., Oshkosh,
Wis./Oshkosh West HS, 197 pounds).
Other Auggies competing will be Paul Bjorkstrand (So., Burnsville,
Minn., 125 pounds), Jason Adams (Fr., Coon Rapids, Minn., 141 pounds),
Matt Curtis (Fr., Coon Rapids, Minn., 165 pounds) and Jake Grygelko
(So., Loretto, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS, 165 pounds).
Sam Barber, who was named the new head coach of the Augsburg wrestling
team in March, will accompany the Augsburg contingent to Colorado
Springs for the week of action and training.
"This experience will allow our athletes to see first-hand how Olympic
hopefuls live and train," Barber said. "It is also an awesome
opportunity to be coached by the national coaching staff, and to
wrestle with and compete against the very best wrestlers in the entire
United States."
Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling practice will begin on Monday and
run through Wednesday. Competition in both classes will take place on
Friday and Saturday. Winners in each of the eight FILA weight classes
(four in Freestyle, four in Greco-Roman) will advance to the FILA
Junior World Championships Aug. 21-26 in Beijing, China. Champions from
April's FILA Junior Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev., earn automatic berths
into the best-of-three finals in each weight class, and will face the
champions from the Friday-Saturday tournament.