Wrestling 1/23/07 -- Augsburg 35, Minnesota State Moorhead 3

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/23/07) -- Scoring nine of 10 individual match victories, the Augsburg College wrestling team scored a 35-3 victory over Minnesota State University Moorhead in a nonconference dual meet on Tuesday night at MSU Moorhead's Alex Nemzek Hall.

Augsburg, ranked No. 1 nationally in the NCAA Division III national rankings, won nine of 10 matches against the Division II Dragons for the second straight year. Augsburg is now 10-0 in the all-time dual-meet series with the Dragons, a series that dates to the 1991-92 season. Minnesota State Moorhead, ranked No. 19 in the NCAA Division II national poll, is now 7-5 overall.

The Auggies are now 8-0 on the season, having won 69 of 80 individual matches in its seven team victories this season. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 215-16 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.

Augsburg's Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), ranked No. 1 nationally at 165 pounds, claimed victory in the highlight match of the evening, a 3-2 triumph over Nate Baker of MSU Moorhead, ranked No. 1 nationally in Division II and the defending Division II national champion in his weight class. (Watch the LeVesseur-Baker match by clicking on this link -- YouTube from MSU video).

LeVesseur, who won Division III national titles at 157 pounds three times (2003, 2004, 2005), improved to 16-0 on the season and improved his collegiate career record to 140-0, 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.

Augsburg claimed two pins on the evening and three major decisions. Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 141 pounds, scored a 4:01 pin victory, while Josh Hansen (Sr., Albert Lea, Minn.) also claimed a pin win, in 5:37 at 157.

Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 3 at 125, scored a 10-2 major-decision victory, while Jared Evans (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), ranked No. 4 at 149, scored an 8-0 win and Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, scored a 10-1 win.

Paul Bjorkstrand (So., Burnsville, Minn., 133), George Lynaugh (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS, 184) and Wally O'Connor (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS, 197) claimed decision wins for the Auggies.

The lone MSU Moorhead win came at 174, as Tyler Tubbs upset Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 3 at 174, 6-5.

Augsburg returns to action on Friday (1/26) at 7 p.m., with a dual meet at Nebraska-Omaha, the three-time defending NCAA Division II national champions, currently ranked No. 4 in the latest national rankings. MSU Moorhead hosts Northern State (S.D.) on Wednesday (1/24) at 7 p.m.

College Wrestling -- No. 1 in D-III Augsburg (8-0) 35, No. 19 in D-II Minnesota State Moorhead 3
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 -- Alex Nemzek Hall, Moorhead, Minn.
Action begins at 125 pounds.

125 -- No. 3 Seth Flodeen (AUG, 13-3) maj. dec. Casey Dschaak (MSUM) 10-2 (Augsburg 4-0).
133 -- Paul Bjorkstrand (AUG, 20-7) dec. Troy MacFarland (MSUM) 13-6 (Augsburg 7-0).
141 -- No. 2 Quincy Osborn (AUG, 29-2) pinned Kelly Janke (MSUM) 4:01 (Augsburg 13-0).
149 -- No. 4 Jared Evans (AUG, 25-2) maj. dec. Shane Walton (MSUM) 8-0 (Augsburg 17-0).
157 -- Josh Hansen (AUG, 18-4) pinned Kyle Trout (MSUM) 5:37 (Augsburg 23-0).
165 -- No. 1 Marcus LeVesseur (AUG, 16-0) dec. No. 1 Nate Baker (MSUM) 3-2 (Augsburg 26-0).
174 -- Tyler Tubbs (MSUM) dec. No. 3 Robbie Gotreau (AUG, 28-3) 6-5 (Augsburg 26-3).
184 -- George Lynaugh (AUG, 21-4) dec. Matt Nelson (MSUM) 6-1 (Augsburg 29-3).
197 -- Wally O'Connor (AUG, 13-10) dec. Josiah Bush (MSUM) 4-2 (Augsburg 32-3).
HWT -- No. 6 Andrew Neumann (AUG, 24-4) maj. dec. Joe Facchinni (MSUM) 10-1 (Augsburg 35-3).