SUPER REGIONAL THREE CHAMPIONSHIP
This week: No. 2 Augustana begins postseason competition on Sunday, hosting the NCAA Super Regional Three Championship in the Elmen Center. Action will begin at 10 a.m.
Last time out: No. 1-ranked Nebraska-Omaha won seven of 10 matches en route to a 22-9 victory over the Vikings last Wednesday night in front of a record crowd of 2,003 in the Elmen Center. Augustana got wins from
Jason Jeremiason (133 pounds),
Gavin Nelson (165 pounds) and
Ty Copsey (197 pounds).
Super Regional Three: Sunday's regional tournament is one of four that will play out across the country before the NCAA Championship. A top-four finish advances a wrestler to the national tournament, which is hosted by Nebraska-Kearney on March 11 and 12.
Last year's regional: The Vikings are the defending Super Regional Three champions; they won last year's tournament by racking up 120.5 points. Augustana crowned four individual champions and advanced seven to the NCAA Championship. Six of those seven national qualifiers are back:
Al Meger (125 pounds),
Jay Sherer (141 pounds),
Nate Herda (149 pounds),
Marcus Edgington (157 pounds),
Gavin Nelson (165 pounds) and
Ty Copsey (197 pounds). To read about last year's regional, click
here.
More regional history: Augustana has one regional title in the program's history. That crown came last season when the Vikings won the Super Regional Three Championship in Aberdeen, S.D.
Expanded field: Super Regional Three has expanded for the 2011 Super Regional Three Championship. The region used to be comprised of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's eight teams; however, reallignment added Wisconsin-Parkside, Indianapolis and Newman (Kan.) to this year's field.
Dual record matched: Augustana finished the 2010-11 campaign with an overall dual record of 14-2, matching the season record for victories in a season. Augustana also reached 14 wins during the 2004-05 season--also under the guidance of head coach
Jason Reitmeier.
Streak snapped: Augustana's loss to No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha last Wednesday was its first defeat in the Elmen Center since the 2008-09 season. Heading into the contest with UNO, the last time Augustana had lost at home was on Feb. 6, 2009, when St. Cloud State topped the Vikings 17-16.
Conference title: The conference crown picked up by the Vikings on Feb. 11 was their first in the NSIC and their third overall. Augustana finished 7-0 in NSIC competition. The Vikings won the North Central Conference in 1981 and 2005--the latter also under head coach
Jason Reitmeier.
Northern Sun honors: Augustana has had four athletes named NSIC Wrestler of the Week this season.
By the numbers: Augustana's 14-2 record for the 2010-11 season included its fair share of one-sided wins this season. The Vikings pitched shutouts three times and held opponents to just six points six times. Augustana has outscored its opponents 466-115 this season.
Viking lineup:
National news: Augustana retained its No. 2 position in the final regular-season NCAA Division II wrestling rankings released last Wednesday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Vikings collected 152 points and all eight second-place votes. Nebraska-Omaha was the unanimous No. 1 selection, earning 160 points and all eight first-place votes. The Mavericks have held the top spot all season. To view the national poll, click
here.
Date
|
Ranking |
| Oct. 21 |
3rd |
| Dec. 8 |
3rd |
| Jan. 4 |
3rd |
| Jan. 2 |
2nd |
| Feb. 3 |
2nd |
| Feb. 16 |
2nd |
Who's ranked: The Vikings had seven individuals ranked in the final-regular NCAA Division II rankings of the season released last Wednesday.
Ty Copsey garnered the highest individual ranking with his No. 2 position at 197 pounds.
Jason Jeremiason, who made his debut in the national rankings, checked in at No. 3 at 133 pounds, while
Marcus Edgington earned the same spot at 157 pounds.
Jay Sherer (141 pounds) and
Gavin Nelson (165 pounds) were both No. 4.
Nate Herda was No. 5 at 149 pounds, while
Carl Serck was seventh at 174 pounds. To view the latest rankings, click
here.
According to the coaches: Augustana was been picked to finish second in the 200-11 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Vikings received 64 points—just three behind St. Cloud State.
| No. |
School |
Pts.
|
| 1. |
St. Cloud State |
67 |
| 2. |
Augustana |
64 |
| 3. |
Minnesota State |
37 |
| 4. |
Upper Iowa |
24 |
| 5. |
MSU Moorhead |
14 |
|
Southwest Minnesota State
|
14 |
| 6. |
Northern State |
12 |
| 7. |
U-Mary |
8 |
| |
first-place votes in () |
|
Take me to your leaders: Head coach Jason Reitmeier has announced that Al Meger, Jay Sherer, Gavin Nelson and Lance Peters will serve as his team's captains for the 2010-11 season.
All-Americans: The Vikings welcome back five individuals who earned All-America status last season. Jay Sherer, a two-time All-American who is the reigning Division II national champion at 141 pounds. Seniors Ty Copsey (197) and Gavin Nelson (165), along with sophomores Nate Herda (149) and Marcus Edgington (157) also earned All-America recognition a year ago.
Freshman phenoms: Augustana's incoming freshman class was ranked No. 4 nationally in the non-Division I category by Wrestling USA Magazine. The Vikings were the only NSIC team to be ranked. The rankings were based on Dan Fickel's final rankings of the Best 2010 High School Seniors that appeared on USA Wrestling Magazine's web site. Augustana had four recruits appear in Fickel's rankings, including Jayd Docken (No. 28 at 189 pounds), TJ North (No. 2 at 112 pounds), Jeremiah Peterson (special mention) and Jake Miller (special mention).
Roster breakdown: The 2010-11 Vikings feature six seniors, six juniors, five sophomores, five redshirt freshmen and nine freshmen. Team members hail from South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa.
New Vikings: Augustana head coach Jason Reitmeier has announced the signing of five outstanding high school wrestlers, who will join the Viking program next season. They are Shawn Hatlestad (New London, Minn.), Garret Heiberger (Hartford, S.D.), JD Herst (St. Louis, Mo.), Taylor Harris (Harrisburg, S.D.) and Bret Johnson (Story City, Iowa).
2009-10 in review: Augustana wrapped up the 2009-10 campaign with an overall record of 11-6 and an NSIC mark of 6-1. The Vikings finished second in the conference, first in Super Region Three and second in the country. Augustana placed six at the national tournament, including a national champion in Jay Sherer at 141 pounds.
Coaches' corner: Now in his eighth season, Jason Reitmeier has elevated Augustana to a national power. The former Viking wrestler has been honored as a coach of the year at the conference, regional and national level. Reitmemer is assisted by Tom Meester, Nate Buys, Mike Long, Brett Lutmer and Jeremie Degen.
Stay connected: Follow Augustana all season long at www.GoAugie.com. The Vikings are also on Facebook and Twitter; just log onto www.facebook.com/GoAugie and www.twitter.com/GoAugie. To catch even more Viking action log onto Augustana's official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/GoAugie.
