Saint John’s Wrestling Update
November 21, 2008
JOHNNIES SET TO COMPETE AT AUGGIE OPEN SATURDAY
The Johnnies
return to action at the annual Augsburg Open next Saturday, Nov. 22.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Si Melby Hall in
Minneapolis. Last year, sophomore Drew Larson (Willmar, Minn.) won the
149-lb. bracket by defeating Ben Knight of Morningside (Iowa), 8-2.
Sophomore James Carlson (Royalton, Minn.) finished second at 184,
falling to Josh Hall of Itasca C.C., 7-5 in the finals. Sophomore
Dustin Raygor (St. Croix Falls, Minn.) left the Open with a record of
4-1 and a fifth-place finish in the 165-pound bracket, while junior
Jacob Evenson (Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley) took fourth at 197
pounds. Junior Mogi Baatar (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s, N.J.)
went 3-1 overall with his lone loss being a 3-1 decision to Chris
Heilman of Cornell, Iowa, who finished fourth in the nation in 2006-07.
SJU GOES 4-0 AT LAKELAND, UPSETS TWO TOP-10 TEAMS
PLYMOUTH, Wis. - No. 22 Saint John's
opened its 2008-09 wrestling season by defeating both the No. 6- and
No. 7-ranked teams at the Lakeland Duals Nov. 15. The Johnnies knocked
off No. 6 Luther (Iowa) and No. 7 North Central (Ill.) to the tune of
19-18. SJU also defeated Wis.-Eau Claire, 36-7, and Lakeland (Wis.),
28-13. Sophomore Minga Batsukh (left; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St.
Benedict’s, N.J.), who is ranked No. 7 in the latest NWCA Division III
rankings, went 4-0 at 141 pounds, including two pins and a major
decision. Freshman Kyle Schumm (right; Buffalo, Minn./St.
Michael-Albertville) went 3-0 in his SJU debut, including a 5-2 win
over No. 8-ranked Nic Barclay of Luther, Iowa. Senior Matt Schrupp
(Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) and sophomore Tony Willaert (North
Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) each went 2-1 at 165 and
197 pounds, respectively. Schrupp’s lone loss was a 2-0 decision to No.
3 Ben Youel of North Central (Ill.), while Willaert’s was an 8-2
decision to top-ranked Alec Bonander of Luther (Iowa). Senior Grant
Eustice (Shoreview, Minn.) went 2-0 at 174 pounds, while freshman Chad
Henle (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) ended the day 2-2 in his
collegiate debut at 125 pounds (both wins were pins).
HEAD COACH BRANDON NOVAK
Brandon Novak is in
his fifth season as head coach of the SJU wrestling program in 2008-09.
Last year, Novak led the Johnnies to a 30th-place finish (60 teams) at
the NCAA Championships. Keeping the academic standards high in 2005-06,
Novak's SJU wrestling team had the fifth-highest team grade point
average in NCAA Division III at 3.334. Prior to becoming the head coach
in 2004-05, Novak assisted 2007 NCAA Division III Wrestling Coaches’
Hall of Fame inductee John Elton, who was head wrestling coach from
1981-2004. Novak, a 2001 graduate of SJU, won the NCAA Wrestling
Championship at 197 pounds in 2001 and was a three-time All-American.
Novak currently owns a 29-31 career dual record as head coach of the
Johnnies.
For all the latest news on Johnnie Wrestling and other SJU sports, visit the Saint John’s athletic Web site at gojohnnies.com
