Play-by-Play
On the strength of four major decisions the 10th-ranked Augustana wrestling team cruised past the University of Mary 31-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Friday night at the Elmen Center.
The Vikings improved to 8-4 overall and 4-0 in the NSIC. U-Mary slipped to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
With the dual starting at 125 pounds, the Vikings won the first seven matches of the dual to build a 25-0 lead. After
Al Meger opened the dual with a 6-3 win over UM's Matt Garcia at 125 pounds, Augustana reeled off three consecutive major decisions.
Laramie Shaffer began the run at 133 pounds when he beat Tanner Beaman 9-1. Shaffer used three takedowns, a reversal and a riding time point to earn the win.
Next up was
Jay Sherer, the eighth-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, who handled Cody Schmidt 18-4. Sherer led 6-1 after one period and added a 3-point near fall in the second period to open up a 9-1 lead. In the final period Sherer recorded four takedowns.
The 149-pound bout between Augustana's
Nate Herda and U-Mary's Landon Della Silva was a wild affair. Competing at a frantic pace, the wrestlers traded takedowns and escapes for two periods. Della Silva led 8-7 after the first period before Herda rebounded in the second to take a 13-11 edge.
Herda, who is ranked seventh in the nation, took control of the match in the final period as he registered four takedowns, an escape and a riding time point to pull away for the victory.
The Vikings' other major decision came at 174 pounds where
Carl Serck rolled past Shane Primeau 19-7. Serck dominated from the beginning, collecting four takedowns in the first period en route to an 8-3 lead. Serck led 10-4 after two periods before he picked up the pace in the third period as he put together four more takedowns.
The Vikings earned four other wins by decision.
Marcus Edgington, ranked No. 1 at 157 pounds, edged Collin Engelhardt 4-2 before
Gavin Nelson scored a 5-1 decision over Taylor Nagel at 165 pounds.
Ty Copsey, ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds, nearly earned a major decision but settled for a 10-4 victory over UM's Dusty Vliem. In the final match of the night, Augustana's
Lance Peters got a takedown with 4 seconds left in regulation to earn an 8-6 decision over Kriss McCleary.
Peters led 5-4 with 1:55 left in the bout. However, McCleary got a takedown with 30 seconds left to take a 6-5 lead. Peters quickly escaped to tie the score at 6-6. In the final seconds, McCleary took a shot but Peters was able to block the attempt and get a takedown of his own.
The only Viking who did not win was 184-pounder
Luke Heine, who fell 5-3 to Brady Anderson.
Augustana will be in action on Saturday when the Vikings entertain Northern State in their final home dual of the season. The Parents Day dual begins at 4 p.m. at the Elmen Center.
#10 Augustana 31, U-Mary 3
125 pounds: Al Meger (Augie) dec. Matt Garcia (U-Mary), 6-3
133 pounds: Laramie Shaffer (Augie) major dec. Tanner Beaman (U-Mary), 9-1
141 pounds: Jay Sherer (Augie) major dec. Cody Schmidt (U-Mary), 18-4
149 pounds: Nate Herda (Augie) major dec. Landon Della Silva (U-Mary), 23-14
157 pounds: Marcus Edgington (Augie) dec. Collin Engelhardt (U-Mary), 4-2
165 pounds: Gavin Nelson (Augie) dec. Taylor Nagel (U-Mary), 5-1
174 pounds: Carl Serck (Augie) major dec. Shane Primeau (U-Mary), 19-7
184 pounds: Brady Anderson (U-Mary) dec.
Luke Heine (Augie), 5-3
197 pounds: Ty Copsey (Augie) dec. Dusty Vliem (U-Mary), 10-4
285 pounds: Lance Peters (Augie) dec. Kriss McCleary (U-Mary), 8-6
