Wrestling 1/3/07 -- Augsburg 31, Augustana (S.D.) 10

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (1/3/07) -- Winning seven of 10 matches, including two by pin and the last four straight duels, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed a 31-10 victory over Augustana College (S.D.) in a nonconference wrestling match on Wednesday night at Augustana's Elmen Center.

The Auggies, ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division III national rankings by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, improved 3-0 in dual meets. Augsburg has won 26 of 30 individual matches in its three team victories this season.

Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 210-16 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 11 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Augsburg has won nine Division III national titles in the last 16 seasons.

Augustana, ranked No. 11 in the latest NCAA Division II national rankings, is now 3-1 overall. Augsburg is now 7-1 in its dual-meet history against Augustana, a series dating to the 1999-2000 season.

The match was tied 10-10 after six matches, but Augsburg won the final four matches to clinch the win. After Paul Bjorkstrand (So., Burnsville, Minn.) claimed a forfeit victory at 133 pounds, Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.) scored a 6:06 pin of Mike Long at 141. Osborn is ranked No. 2 nationally at 141.

At 149, Jared Evans (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), ranked No. 4 nationally, scored a 5-1 win over Augustana's Brandon Kruger, and top-ranked 157-pounder Jeremy Anderson (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.) claimed a 5:23 pin over Austin Scarset, ranked No. 3 in Division II. Anderson built a 5-0 lead after two periods, and scored a takedown and pin in a 10-second span early in the third period.

The match opened at 165 pounds, where Augsburg's three-time national champion, Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), improved to 5-0 on the season with a 6-3 win over Augustana's Aaron Haddorff. LeVesseur, who won Division III national titles at 157 pounds three times (2003, 2004, 2005), extended his collegiate unbeaten streak to 129, the second-longest winning streak in college wrestling history, behind the 159 of Cael Sanderson at Iowa State (1998-2002). LeVesseur has yet to lose a college wrestling match.

In the only other meeting of ranked wrestlers on the evening, Augustana's Cody Henriksen, ranked No. 5 in Division II at 174, used a takedown with one second left in the second period to take the lead and claim a 3-1 win over Augsburg's Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS). Gotreau is ranked No. 6 nationally at 184.

George Lynaugh (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) improved to 11-2 on the season with a 10-2, major-decision win over Augustana's Tom Nesseth, ranked No. 6 in Division III at 184. No. 3-ranked Nate Buys of Augustana scored a 13-0, major-decision win over Augsburg's Andy Robinson (Fr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) at 197.

At heavyweight, No. 4-ranked Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) of Augsburg shut out Ray O'Connor 6-0 to improve to 13-1 on the season, and at 125, Augustana's No. 8-ranked Chris Trampe built a 5-2 second-period lead and hung on for a 7-6 win over Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.).

Augsburg competes at the Dickinson State (N.D.) Blue Hawk Classic on Saturday (1/6) at 9 a.m. in Dickinson, N.D. Augustana will also compete on Saturday, at the Dana Open in Blair, Neb.

College Wrestling -- No. 1 in D-III Augsburg (Minn., 3-0) 31, No. 11 in D-II Augustana (S.D., 3-1) 10
Wednesday, January 3, 2007 -- Elmen Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Action begins at 165 pounds.
Time of match: 1:28.
Official: Rick Fink.
Attendance: 526.

165 -- Marcus LeVesseur (Augsburg, 5-0) dec. Aaron Haddorff (Augustana, 9-8) 6-3 (Augsburg 3-0).
174 -- No. 5 Cody Henriksen (Augustana, 10-4) dec. No. 6 (at 184) Robbie Gotreau (Augsburg, 17-3) 3-1 (TIED 3-3).
184 -- George Lynaugh (Augsburg, 11-2) maj. dec. No. 6 Tom Nesseth (Augustana, 10-2) 10-2 (Augsburg 7-3).
197 -- No. 3 Nate Buys (Augustana, 14-2) maj. dec. Andy Robinson (Augsburg, 6-7) 13-0 (TIED 7-7).
HWT -- No. 4 Andrew Neumann (Augsburg, 13-1) dec. Ray O'Connor (Augustana, 10-4) 6-0 (Augsburg 10-7).
125 -- No. 8 Chris Trampe (Augustana, 15-6) dec. Seth Flodeen (Augsburg, 12-1) 7-6 (TIED 10-10).
133 -- No. 8 Paul Bjorkstrand (Augsburg, 15-3) wins by forfeit (Augsburg 16-10).
141 -- No. 2 Quincy Osborn (Augsburg, 17-1) pinned Mike Long (Augustana, 11-4) 6:06 (Augsburg 22-10).
149 -- No. 4 Jared Evans (Augsburg, 14-1) dec. Brandon Kruger (Augustana, 11-6) 5-1 (Augsburg 25-10).
157 -- No. 1 Jeremy Anderson (Augsburg, 15-1) pinned No. 3 Austin Scarset (Augustana, 8-1) 5:23 (Augsburg 31-10).