Minneapolis -- Rallying from a 13-0 deficit with wins in six straight matches, including three pins in a row, the No. 2-ranked Augsburg College wrestling
team claimed a 29-16 dual-meet victory over the No. 7-ranked University
of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Friday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.
Starting with a 3-2 win by heavyweight Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.),
Augsburg claimed six straight victories to take control of the match.
Three straight pins followed Witzel's win -- a 4:40 pin by No. 6-ranked
Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125, a 2:20 triumph by
top-ranked Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.) at 133 and a 4:37 pin by
Jason Adams (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.) at 141.
Flodeen rallied from a 6-5 first-period deficit to score a pin off a
reversal in the second period. Lang built a 10-0 lead with a takedown
and three near-falls before ending his bout late in the first period,
and Adams scored a reversal and three-point near-fall to build a 7-0
lead before scoring his pin.
No. 2-ranked Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.) scored a third-period,
17-2 technical fall at 149, collecting four takedowns and two
near-falls along the way, and Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.)
claimed a 10-4 win at 157 to complete the comeback for Augsburg, which
finished its dual-meet season 10-2.
Augsburg is the defending NCAA Division III national champion and
winners of 10 of the last 17 national titles. Against teams from
Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 228-19 since the 1989-90 season,
losing just 14 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96
season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 235-22
since the 1979-80 season and 159-12 since the 1989-90 season. Augsburg
leads the all-time series with Wisconsin-Stevens Point 15-1, in a
series that dates to the 1992-93 season.
No. 2-ranked Eric Bath (SR, Pulaski, Wis.) opened the match with a 2:35
pin at 174 pounds for Wisconsin-Stevens Point, now 14-6-1 on the
season. Ben Engelland (FY, Neenah, Wis.), ranked No. 6 at 184, claimed
a 13-0, major-decision victory, and Craig Bollig (SR, Verona, Wis.),
ranked No. 4 at 197, scored a 7-3 win over Augsburg's Wallace O'Connor
(SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) to give the Pointers a 13-0 lead
after the first three bouts of the dual.
Jake Wozniak (SO, Stanley, Wis.), ranked No. 9 at 165, completed the
match with a 7-5 win over Augsburg's Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea,
Minn.).
Augsburg is idle until next Saturday (2/23) at 9 a.m., when it competes
at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional at St. John's University
in Collegeville, Minn. Wisconsin-Stevens Point completes its dual-meet
season this Saturday (2/16) at 1 p.m., with a match at Wisconsin-Eau
Claire.
College Wrestling -- No. 2 Augsburg (Minn., 10-2) 29, No. 7 Wisconsin-Stevens Point (14-6-1) 16
Friday, February 15, 2008 -- Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
Attendance: 127. Official: Jerry Reker.
Match begins at 174 pounds.