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LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Augsburg College wrestling team secured five All-Americans, including three in championship contention, after the first day of the NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships on Friday at the La Crosse Center.

The Auggie wrestling team extended a unique streak on Friday, claiming at least five All-Americans for the 24th straight season. Augsburg has had at least five All-Americans in NCAA national wrestling competition every year since 1989.

Through the first day of competition, Augsburg stands in third place with 47.0 points, behind leader Wartburg (Iowa) with 70.0 points and second-place Wisconsin-La Crosse with 48.0 points. Coe (Iowa) is fourth with 43.0 points and Ithaca (N.Y.) is fifth with 34.5 points.

On Saturday, Augsburg will have a chance to extend another streak to 24 straight years – a streak of finishing in the top four in NCAA national team competition. Augsburg's current 23-year top-four national team finishing streak is the longest active streak in NCAA wrestling among all divisions, and is the second-longest streak in NCAA wrestling history, behind the 29 of Oklahoma State from 1928-59.

Saturday's third session begins at 10 a.m., and features championship semifinals, consolation action and the third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches. Parade of All-Americans is at 6 p.m., with the championship matches scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Augsburg has three wrestlers remaining alive in championship brackets – 157-pounder Orlando Ponce  (SR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS), 197-pounder Brad Baus (SR, Mukwonago, Wis.) and heavyweight Chad Johnson (SO, Ferryville, Wis./De Soto HS).

Ponce, a two-time national runner-up, earned All-America honors for the third time with two bonus-point victories on Friday – a 16-8, major-decision win over Joseph Atwell of Central (Iowa) and a 2:48 pin of Derek Brenon of Ithaca (N.Y.) in the quarterfinals. Ponce is now 22-0 this season with 11 bonus-point wins (six pins, five major decisions) and is 114-31 in his career.

Heavyweight Johnson improved to 34-1 on the season and earned All-American honors for the second time with two major-decision victories – a 12-0 win over Conner Herman of Luther (Iowa) in his opening match and an 8-0 win over Logan Renas of Olivet (Mich.) in the quarterfinals.

Last year's seventh-place finisher at heavyweight, Johnson claimed his 21st bonus-point victory of the season (12 pins, nine major decisions) and improved to 66-12 in his career.

Brad Baus (SR, Mukwonago, Wis.), competing in his first national tournament, earned All-American honors with two victories on Friday – a 3:26 pin of Paul Glover of Brockport State (N.Y.) – his team-high 19th pin of the season – and a dramatic 3-0 win over Trent Flegel of Luther (Iowa) in the quarterfinals. Baus used a three-point near-fall midway through the second period to record the win.

Baus is now 29-9 on the season and 98-54 in his career. Baus now has 64 pins in his career.

Augsburg's No. 1-ranked 149-pounder, Tony Valek (SR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West), lost his first match of the season in the quarterfinals, as he was upset 3-2 in the second tiebreaker overtime session to Joe Wood of Loras (Iowa). But Valek, a national runner-up the last two seasons, rallied back and secured his third All-American honor with a 3:49 pin of Ryan Warczynski of Dubuque (Iowa) in the wrestlebacks. Earlier in the day, Valek scored a 9-1, major-decision win over Mike Willey of Plymouth State (N.H.).

Valek is now 31-1 on the season and 133-25 in his career. Of his 31 victories this season, 27 are bonus-point decisions (15 pins, two technical falls, 10 major decisions).

Augsburg 141-pounder Will Keeter (SO, Twin Falls, Idaho) also suffered a defeat in the quarterfinals, but rallied back with a pin in the wrestlebacks to secure All-American honors for the first time. Facing St. Olaf's Ryan Timmerman for the fourth time this season, Timmerman got the best of Keeter for the first time with an 8-4 decision. But in the wrestlebacks, Keeter claimed a 4:27 pin f Jake Denhof of Elmhurst (Ill.). Keeter also won his opening-round match in overtime, a 2-1 decision over Paul Marcello of Johns Hopkins (Md.).

Three Auggie first-time national tournament competitors saw their seasons end on Friday with two losses.

Augsburg 125-pounder Mike Fuenffinger (FY, Hibbing, Minn.) was defeated 10-6 by Grant Sutter of Wisconsin-Whitewater and lost 14-9 to Brandon Gauthier of Rhode Island College, finishing 14-9 in his first Auggie campaign.

At 165, Tommy Teigen (SO, Ham Lake, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian HS) gave top-seed Nick LeClere of Coe (Iowa) a close match, but could not overcome a first-period takedown in a 2-0 loss in his opening match, then fell 9-5 to Quint Eno of Elizabethtown (Pa.) in his second match. Teigen finished 24-14 on the year and is 39-23 in his Auggie career.

At 174, Josh Kohler (SR, Monticello, Minn.) fell 9-4 to top-seed Jules Doliscar of Ithaca (N.Y.), then was pinned in 1:03 by Dan Schiferl of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the wrestlebacks. Kohler finished this season 30-19 and finished his career at 61-51.

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NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships
Friday, March 9 at La Crosse Center, La Crosse, Wis.

Top 10 Team Scores after first day of competition: 1. Wartburg (Iowa) 70.0; 2. Wisconsin-La Crosse 48.0; 3. Augsburg (Minn.) 47.0; 4. Coe (Iowa) 43.0; 5. Ithaca (N.Y.) 34.5; 6. College of New Jersey 27.6; 7. York (Pa.) 27.0; 8. Cortland State (N.Y.) 25.0; 9. Wisconsin-Whitewater (24.0); 10. Delaware Valley (Pa.) 20.5. Other Minnesota schools – 11. St. John's 19.0; 13t. Concordia-Moorhead 17.5; 27t. St. Olaf 9.0.

Results from Minnesota college wrestlers:
125 – Grant Sutter (Wis.-Whitewater) dec. Mike Fuenffinger (Augsburg) 10-6; Ben Presler (Concordia-Moorhead) tech. fall Stephen Hinton (Lycoming) 17-0; Nathan Fitzenreider (North Central) dec. Presler 9-6; Brandon Gauthier (Rhode Island Coll.) pinned Fuenffinger 3:49 (Fuenffinger eliminated); Presler pinned Gauthier 4:03.
133 – Corey Brown (Thiel) maj. dec. Chad Henle (St. John's) 13-4; Joe Mileski (Wis.-Stevens Point) dec. Daron Hohbein (Concordia-Moorhead) 8-6 (OT); Thomas Mirocha (Wartburg) dec. Henle 5-3 (Henle eliminated); Hohbein maj. dec. Eric McCann (Delaware Valley) 10-1; Brown dec. Hohbein 9-3 (Hohbein eliminated).
141 – Will Keeter (Augsburg) dec. Paul Marcello (Johns Hopkins) 2-1 (OT-TB2); Ryan Timmerman (St. Olaf) dec. Ces Anista (Williams) 6-5; Timmerman dec. Keeter 8-4; Keeter pinned Jake Denhof (Elmhurst) 4:27.
149 – Tony Valek (Augsburg) maj. dec. Mike Willey (Plymouth State) 9-1; Joe Wood (Loras) dec. Valek 3-2 (OT-TB2); Valek pnned Ryan Warczynski (Dubuque) 3:49.
157 – Orlando Ponce (Augsburg) maj. dec. Joseph Atwell (Central) 16-8; Dale Handley (Coe) dec. Chris Stevermer (St. John's) 12-5; John Darling (College of New Jersey) dec. Jacob Bohler (St. Olaf) 8-6; Isaac Dukes (Case Western Reserve) dec. Stevermer 12-5 (Stevermer eliminated); Ponce pinned Derek Brenon (Ithaca) 2:48; Michael Lechter (Ohio Northern) dec. Bohler 13-6 (Bohler eliminated).
165 – Nick LeClere (Coe) dec. Tommy Teigen (Augsburg) 2-0; Quint Eno (Elizabethtown) dec. Teigen 9-5 (Teigen eliminated).
174 – Jules Doliscar (Ithaca) dec. Josh Kohler (Augsburg) 9-4; Mathew Pfarr (St. John's) dec. Dan Schiferl (Wis.-Oshkosh) 9-4; James Roach (St. Olaf) dec. Logan Einerson (Dubuque) 4-3; Schiferl pinned Kohler 1:03 (Kohler eliminated); Pfarr dec. Jules Doliscar (Ithaca) 9-6; Kyle Kwiat (Ohio Norhern) tech. fall Roach 17-0; Jordan Richardson (Augustana-Ill.) pinned Roach 6:27 (Roach eliminated).
184 – Mitchell Hagen (St. John's) dec. Ryan Pieper (Trine) 5-1; Mike Denver (College of New Jersey) maj. dec. Hagen 13-2; Dylan Azinger (Wartburg) dec. Hagen 8-2 (Hagen eliminated).
197 – Brad Baus (Augsburg) pinned Paul Glover (Brockport State) 3:26; Nathan Schmitz (Concordia-Moorhead) dec. Reid Mosquera (Johns Hopkins) 5-2; Dustin Baxter (St. John's) dec. Sam Johnson (Dubuque) 3-1; Baus dec. Trent Flegel (Luther) 3-0; Baxter dec. Schmitz 5-4; Schmitz maj. dec. Andrew Lovins (Heidelberg) 10-2.
HWT – Chad Johnson (Augsburg) maj. dec. Conner Herman (Luther) 12-0; Joey Giaramita (Cortland State) dec. Tom Bouressa (Concordia-Moorhead) 4-3; Johnson maj. dec. Logan Renas (Olivet) 8-0; Derick Hesson (Mount Union) dec. Bouressa 4-3 (OT) (Bouressa eliminated).