Complete Results - PDF
Augsburg won three of the final four matches of the night to capture a 21-12 victory over Augustana in non-conference wrestling action Tuesday night at the Elmen Center.
Augustana, ranked 18th in the Division II top 20 poll, dropped to 6-3 on the season after its six-match winning streak was snapped, while Augsburg, ranked No. 1 in Division III, improved to 7-1.
The Vikings trailed 9-3 after four matches, but victories by
Nick Henning at 184 pounds and
Ty Copsey at 197 pounds knotted the team score at 9-9 with four matches remaining.
In a pivotal 285-pound matchup, Augsburg's Andy Witzel, ranked fourth in the nation, used a late takedown and a riding time point to hold off Augustana's
Lance Peters by a score of 6-2. Peters got an escape with 37 seconds left in the match to pull within 3-2. However, Peters was also trailing in riding time and needed a takedown to essentially tie the match and force overtime.
Peters took a shot but Witzel countered and was able to score a takedown of his own with 19 seconds on the clock.
Augsburg then clinched the dual when Seth Flodeen, ranked fifth at 125 pounds, earned a 16-2 major decision over
Al Meger and top-ranked and undefeated Travis Lang earned a 17-2 technical fall over
Sid Bice in the 133-pound match. Those three wins put the Auggies ahead 21-9.
Augustana's 141-pounder
Jay Sherer finished the dual on a strong note for the Vikings when he defeated seventh-ranked Tony Valek 6-4. Sherer used a pair of takedowns to take a 4-1 lead after one period. He added another takedown with 21 seconds left in the second period to lead 6-2.
Two matches featured battles between ranked wrestlers. In the opening match of the night, Augsburg's Willy Holst, ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds, defeated Augie's
Mike Long, ranked fifth in the nation, by a 7-3 count. Holst led 4-3 with 1:58 left in the third period after Long got a quick escape to start the period. Holst got a takedown with 1;28 left and was able to ride out Long for the riding time point.
At 197 pounds, Copsey, ranked fifth in the nation, earned a hard-fought 4-3 decision over No. 2 ranked Jared Massey, who entered the match with a 14-0 record. After a scoreless first period, Copsey scored an escape to start the second period. Massey then scored a takedown with 1:29 left in the period. However, Copsey landed hard on his neck. After using up his entire 2 minutes of injury time, Copsey returned to the mat. He shook off the injury to get an escape with 1:16 on the clock. He added a takedown with 20 seconds left to lead 4-2 after two periods.
Massey got an escape with 1:23 left in the match to make the score 4-3, but neither wrestler could manage to score the rest of the way.
Augustana's
Gavin Nelson, along with Henning picked up impressive wins for the Vikings. Nelson, the reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Week, defeated Brandon Bahr 10-6 at 165 pounds to put Augie on the board and cut Augsburg's lead in half at 6-3. Henning followed two matches later with an 8-2 victory over Garrett Long in the 184-pound contest.
The Vikings' other wrestlers each lost close matches. At 157 pounds,
Carl Serck fell 4-2 to fifth-ranked Jason Adams. Serck trailed 4-2 heading into the final period. Serck chose to start the period in the neutral position, but Adams fought off all of Serck's takedown attempts.
At 174 pounds,
Marcus Edgington dropped a 6-4 decision to seventh-ranked Zach Molitor. Edgington trailed 5-4 heading into the third period and chose the down position. However, he was unable to escape and Molitor picked up the extra riding time point.
The Vikings return to the mat on Friday, when they host Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Minnesota State University, Mankato, in a 7 p.m. dual. Minnesota State is ranked fourth in Division II.
Augsburg 21, Augustana 12
149: #1 Willy Holst (A’burg) dec. #5 Mike Long (Augie), 7-3
157: #5 Jason Adams (A’burg) dec. Carl Serck, 4-2
165: Gavin Nelson (Augie) dec. Brandon Bahr (A’burg), 10-6
174: #7 Zach Molitor dec. Marcus Edgington, 6-4
184: Nick Henning (Augie) dec. Garrett Long (A’burg), 8-2
197: #5 Ty Copsey (Augie) dec. #2 Jared Massey (A’burg), 4-3
285: #4 Andy Witzel (A’burg) dec. Lance Peters (Augie), 6-2
125: #5 Seth Flodeen (A’burg) major dec. Al Meger, 16-2
133: #1 Travis Lang (A’burg) tech. fall Sid Bice (Augie), 17-2 (5:24)
141: Jay Sherer (Augie) dec. #7 Tony Valek (A’burg), 6-4