MINNEAPOLIS -- Several members of the Augsburg College wrestling team were honored recently at the team's annual postseason banquet, held at the college's Christensen Center. More than 125 guests attended the banquet.
Three-time All-American
Tony Valek (SR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) and two-time All-American and 2012 heavyweight national champion
Chad Johnson (SO, Ferryville, Wis./DeSoto HS) were named the team's co-Most Valuable Wrestlers.
A two-time national runner-up at 149 pounds, Valek capped his Auggie career with a third-place national tournament finish in 2012, finishing with a 34-1 record. Of his 34 victories, 29 were bonus-point victories (15 pins, two technical falls, 12 major decisions). Valek finished his career with a 136-25 record, with 87 bonus-point victories (60 pins, six technical falls, 21 major decisions). A three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American, Valek also received the NCAA Elite 89 award, as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average at the national championships.
Johnson earned Augsburg's 46th individual national title in program history, and record 42nd in NCAA Division III competition, in his second career appearance at the national tournament. Johnson finished the 2012 campaign at 36-1 and is 68-12 in his two seasons at Augsburg, including a seventh-place national finish at heavyweight last season.
Valek joined teammates
Zach Enrico (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS) and
Will Keeter (SO, Twin Falls, Idaho) as recipients of the team's Auggie Award, which honors the core values of the Augsburg wrestling program -- unselfish, team-first attitude, respect for the sport and working hard with a positive attitude every day.
A team co-captain this season, Enrico finished 19-12 this season and 54-52 in his Auggie career. Keeter earned his first trip to the national tournament in 2012 at 141 pounds, finishing third nationally to earn All-American honors. He finished this season 33-7 and is 59-26 in his career.
Brad Baus (SR, Mukwonago, Wis.) and
Tommy Teigen (SO, Ham Lake, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian HS) were named the team's Most Improved Wrestlers. Baus earned his first trip to the national tournament in 2012, finishing fourth nationally at 197 pounds to earn All-American honors. He finished 30-11 this season with a team-best 19 pins, and finished his career at 99-56.
Teigen moved into the starting spot at 165 pounds and earned his first trip to the national tournament with a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional. Teigen finished 24-14 on the year and is 39-23 in his Auggie career.
Tom Kuehn (FY, Fargo, N.D./West Fargo HS) and
Mike Fuenffinger (FY, Hibbing, Minn.) earned the team's Most Outstanding First-Year Wrestlers award. Fuenffinger transferred to Augsburg at the semester break and earned the starting spot at 125 pounds, qualifying for the national tournament and finishing 14-9. Kuehn finished 21-9 in his first collegiate season at Augsburg, placing fifth at 133 pounds at the Great Lakes Regional.
Winners of 11 national titles since 1991, Augsburg finished second at the NCAA Division III national championships, the program's 10th Division III national runner-up finish and 11th overall (also 2nd in NAIA in 1975). Augsburg won the Division III Great Lakes Regional championship for the 10th straight season and finished second at the NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals. Augsburg finished its dual-meet season at 10-3.
At the national tournament, Augsburg extended two streaks to 24 straight years -- finishing among the top four in NCAA team competition and finishing with five or more All-Americans. Augsburg has finished among the top four nationally every year since 1989 -- a 24-year streak that is the longest active streak among all NCAA wrestling programs in all divisions and the second-longest streak in NCAA wrestling history, behind the 29 of Oklahoma State from 1928-59.
With Valek, Johnson, Keeter, Baus and
Orlando Ponce (SR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS, second at 157) earning All-American honors for the Auggies, the team's five-All-Americans-or-more streak was also extended to 24 straight seasons.
Academically, Augsburg achieved the highest team grade-point average in Division III wrestling, earning the NWCA's Scholar All-America Team Award title for the second time in school history. Ten academic national team members combined for a team GPA of 3.7341 -- Valek, Baus, Keeter, Teigen, Johnson, Kuehn,
Kurt Knutsen (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS),
Chad Bartschenfeld (FY, Amery, Wis.),
Nick Dahlquist (FY, Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS) and
Ryan Cook (SO, Wetumpka, Ala.).
Valek and Baus were both named NWCA Scholar All-Americans for the third straight year, and Keeter, Teigen and Johnson earned Scholar All-America honors for the first time each.
At the season-ending banquet, Augsburg also honored its senior class, which finished with a team national title in 2010, national runner-up honors in 2009, 2011 and 2012, and a 41-10-1 dual-meet record. Seniors honored: Baus, Enrico, Ponce, Valek,
Brandon Bahr (SR, Bemidji, Minn.),
Alex Johnson (SR, Foxhome, Minn./Breckenridge HS),
Justin Koob (SR, New Ulm, Minn.),
Alex Krautkremer (SR, Jordan, Minn./Scott West),
Nathan Lexvold (SR, Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) and
Jake Saatzer (SR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS).
Named as captains for the 2012-13 season were Johnson, Keeter, Teigen and
Boyd Suparat (JR, North Branch, Minn.).
