BRACKETS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Augsburg College wrestling team claimed four champions and one runner-up in open brackets at the Citrus Open, held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Winning individual titles in open brackets were Josh Roberts (SO, Grand Forks, N.D./Central HS) at 125 pounds, Tony Valek (JR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) at 149, Zach Molitor (SR, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) at 174 and Brad Baus (JR, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 184. Chad Johnson (FY, Ferryville, Wis./DeSoto HS) earned runner-up honors at heavyweight.

Defending NCAA Division III national champion Augsburg, currently ranked No. 6 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association of America national rankings, claimed 21 placewinners among its 28 wrestlers competing in the open tournament.

As a team, Augsburg placed second in the 14-team tournament, which featured teams from Divisions II and III. Upper Iowa, ranked No. 10 in the latest Division II national rankings, won the tournament with 174 pounds, while Augsburg was second with 168. Mount Union (Ohio), currently ranked No. 16 nationally in Division III, was third with 151.5 points, while No. 11 Cornell (Iowa) was fourth with 142 and No. 12 Dubuque (Iowa) was fifth with 105.5.

Valek, ranked No. 2 in the latest Division III national rankings at 149, claimed four pins among his five victories, including a 3:38 pin in the championship match. Valek is now 17-1 on the season.

Baus, who moved into the No. 10 spot in the national rankings at 197, dropped to 184 and claimed three pins leading up to the championship, improving to 16-3 on the season. He scored a 7-0 win over Mitch Schultz of Division II Upper Iowa in the finals.

Roberts, ranked No. 5 nationally at 125, scored four wins and outscored his opponents by a 28-3 margin, including three shutouts, to claim the championship in his weight class. Roberts is now 11-3 on the season.

Molitor, a two-time All-American, saw his first action for the Auggies this season in the Citrus Open meet, going 4-0 with two first-period pins and two shutout wins to score the title at 174. He won the title with an 8-0, major-decision win over Wade Gobin of Upper Iowa in the finals. 

Johnson and fellow first-year wrestler Niko Bogojevic (FY, Superior, Wis.) had strong efforts at heavyweight, with Johnson going 4-1 with two pins to place second, and Bogojevic going 5-1 with three pins to place third.

Brandon Bahr (JR, Bemidji, Minn.) placed third at 174, going 4-1 with all four of his victories by pin.

Boyd Suparat (SO, North Branch, Minn.) placed fourth for Augsburg at 133, while Zach Enrico (JR, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS) placed fifth at 157. Orlando Ponce (SR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS) placed sixth at 165 and Jared Massey (SR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) placed sixth at 197. Mike Orange (SO, Southfield, Mich.) placed seventh at 133, Justin Bowland (FY, Foley, Minn.) placed eighth at 165, Will Keeter (FY, Twin Falls, Idaho) placed ninth at 141, Jordan Campa (FY, Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) placed ninth at 157, Nick Creamier (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) placed ninth at heavyweight, and Alex Johnson (JR, Foxhome, Minn./Breckenridge HS) and Jackson Mboma (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.) placed 10th at 133 and 174, respectively.

In B brackets, Tony Castro (FY, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS) won the title at 157, with Tommy Teigen (FY, Ham Lake, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian HS) finishing second. Ryan Cook (FY, Wetumpka, Ala.) placed seventh at 141B.

Augsburg competes at the NWCA Division III National Duals next Saturday and Sunday (1/8-9) at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

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Team Results:  1. Upper Iowa 174; 2. Augsburg 168; 3. Mount Union (Ohio) 151.5; 4. Cornell (Iowa) 142; 5. Dubuque (Iowa) 105.5; 6. Rhode Island College 89; 7. Colorado School of Mines 70.5; 8. Washington and Jefferson (Pa.) 54; 9. John Carroll (Ohio) 38; 10. Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) 36; 11. Wilmington (Ohio) 31.5; 12. Ursinus (Pa.) 28.5; 13. Case Western Reserve (Ohio) 13; 14. Knox (Ill.) 3.

Augsburg Individuals:
125 – Josh Roberts 4-0 (1st), Ky Olsen 2-3
133 – Boyd Suparat 4-2 (4th), Michael Orange 5-2 (7th), Alex Johnson 3-3 (10th)
141 – Will Keeter 4-2 (9th), Justin Koob 1-2
141B – Ryan Cook 1-2 (7th)
149 – Tony Valek 5-0 (1st)
157 – Zach Enrico 5-2 (5th), Jordan Campa 4-2 (9th), Jon Priess 3-3
157B – Tony Castro 3-0 (1st), Tommy Teigen 3-1 (2nd)
165 – Orlando Ponce 2-1 (6th), Justin Bowland 2-3 (8th)
174 – Zach Molitor 4-0 (1st), Brandon Bahr 4-1 (3rd), Jackson Mboma 3-3 (10th), Josh Jacobson 2-3
184 – Brad Baus 4-0 (1st), Alex Krautkremer 0-3, Joe Meyer 0-3
197 – Jared Massey 1-1 (6th)
HWT – Chad Johnson 4-1 (2nd), Niko Bogojevic 5-1 (3rd), Nick Creamier 4-2 (9th), Pat Fletcher 2-1