AUGSBURG NATIONAL TOURNAMENT PAGE
TOURNAMENT RESULTS/BRACKETS/PPV VIDEO
CLEVELAND NATIONAL TOURNAMENT PAGE

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With five wrestlers earning All-American honors, the Augsburg University wrestling team stands in second place with 44.5 points after the first day of the NCAA Division III National Championships on Friday evening at the Cleveland Public Auditorium.

THE BASICS
TOP 10 TEAM SCORES AFTER FRIDAY'S ACTION: 1. Wartburg (Iowa) 76.5, 2. Augsburg (Minn.) 44.5, 3. Ithaca (N.Y.) 44.0, 4. Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 32.5, 5. Messiah (Pa.) 30.0, 6. Stevens Tech (N.J.) 29.0, 7. Brockport State (N.Y.) 25.0, 8. Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) 23.5, 9. Oneonta State (N.Y.) 22.0, 10. Mount Union (Ohio) 21.5.
LOCATION: Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg secured five All-Americans after the first day of the two-day tournament, with four wrestlers remaining in contention for an individual national title. Three Auggies were eliminated in the wrestlebacks on Friday evening.
• As a team, Augsburg, ranked No. 2 in the final National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, moved up to second place in the standings with 44.5 points, a half-point ahead of third-place Ithaca (N.Y.) with 44.0. Defending national champion and top-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) leads the field with 76.5 points, with eight of its nine wrestlers still alive after the first day, with seven in championship contention. Ithaca has five of its seven wrestlers still alive, with three in championship contention.
• Lucas Jeske (SO, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS), the No. 2-seed at 165 pounds, claimed his second All-America honors in impressive fashion on Friday with two pins -- a 4:52 win over Adrian Gonzalez of Johnson & Wales (R.I.) in his opening match, and a 2:47 win over Taylor Shay of Roger Williams (R.I.) in the quarterfinals. Against Shay, Jeske nearly got the pin midway through the first period on a lift and throw move, then secured the fall on a strong drive on a shoulder lift and throw to the back with 13 seconds left in the frame. Jeske, who finished third last year at 165, is now 37-1 on the season with a team-best 21 pins.
• Top-seeded 157-pounder Ryan Epps (SO, Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls HS) extended his winning streak to 24 straight matches and claimed All-American honors for the first time with an 8-5 win over Egan Berta of North Central (Ill.), his second win over Berta this season. Tied 4-4 after two periods, Epps got a quick escape and converted a single-leg takedown with 1:43 left in the match, building 1:32 riding time for the win. Epps opened the tournament with a 3:53 pin over Tyler Marsh of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Mass.). Epps is now 27-1 against Division III competition this season
• Sam Bennyhoff (JR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) took control early and never wavered in his 15-7 major decision win in the 133-pound quarterfinals over Anthony Munoz of North Central (Ill.), securing All-American honors for the first time in his third trip to the national tournament. Claiming his third win over Munoz this season, Bennyhoff claimed five takedowns and two reversals, building 2:39 riding time to improve to 34-5 on the season and 92-21 in his career. Earlier in the day, Bennyhoff scored a 1-0 victory over Owen McClave of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (N.Y.).
• Alex Wilson (JR, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS), competing in his first national tournament, earned All-American honors at 149 pounds with two wins on Friday -- a 6-1 win over Christopher Muce of Centenary (N.J.) and a 5-2 win over Trevor Corl of Lycoming (Pa.). Tied 2-2 after two periods against Corl, Wilson got an escape early in the third period and clinched the win with a takedown with 13 seconds left. Wilson is now 34-5 on the season and 92-29 in his career.
• Tanner Vassar (SO, Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS) claimed two wrestleback victories on Friday evening at 174 pounds to secure All-American honors for the first time in his first trip to the national tournament. After dropping a 9-0 major decision to No. 7-seed Daniel Kilroy of The College of New Jersey in the opening session, Vassar scored a 7-5 win over A.J. Aeberli of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (N.Y.), then claimed a 9-7 triumph over Brandon Conrad of Lycoming (Pa.). Against Aeberli, Vassar trailed 5-3 late in the second period, but rallied back with an escape, then a takedown with 52 seconds left in the match to take the lead. Against Conrad, Vassar overcame a 3-2 deficit to score the win, taking the lead for good with a reversal and two-point near-fall with 35 seconds left in the second period. Vassar is now 34-9 on the season.
• David Flynn (SO, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)) had his season end with two losses during the evening session, ending his year at 20-6 overall. He dropped a 6-4 decision to Joseph Ghione of Elizabethtown (Pa.) in the 141-pound quarterfinals, as Flynn could not recover from a 4-2, first-period deficit. In the wrestlebacks, Flynn built a 3-0 lead in the second period over Joseph Ferinde of Johnson & Wales (R.I.), but Ferinde rallied with two reversals and 1:29 riding time to score a 5-3 win. Flynn had opened his tournament with a 7-2 win over Austin Shorey of Southern Maine. An All-American with a third-place finish at 14 last year, Flynn is now 73-25 in his collegiate career, 45-11 at Augsburg.
• After suffering a 6:10 pin by Sean Redington of Messiah (Pa.) in his opener, 125-pounder Victor Gliva (SO, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) kept his tournament run alive with a 5-1 win over Josh Antoine of Cortland State (N.Y.) in the wrestlebacks, but ended his year with a 9-4 loss to Ferdinand Mase of Ithaca (N.Y.). Against Antoine, Gliva took the lead with a takedown late in the first period and never trailed after that, scoring a second takedown late in the second period. Mase pulled away from Gliva after a scoreless first period with three takedowns and a riding-time. An All-American with an eighth-place finish last season, Gliva finished this season at 29-8, and is 61-15 in his career.
• Sebastian Larson (SR, River Falls, Wis./River Falls HS) dropped both his matches on Friday at 184 pounds to end his collegiate career in his second trip to the national tournament. He was edged 3-2 by Christos Giatras of Augustana (Ill.) in his opening match, then was pinned with two seconds left in the match by Zeckary Lehman of Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) in the wrestlebacks. Leading 3-2 with 15 seconds left, Lehman converted a quick takedown into a pin at the 6:58 mark. Larson finished his senior season at 27-12, and ended his career at 86-57.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• This is the 28th time since Augsburg became a Division III member in 1983 that the Auggies have had five or more wrestling All-Americans. Augsburg has had at least two All-Americans every year since 1988 and at least one All-American in national competition (NAIA 1968-1983, NCAA 1983-present) every year since 1977 -- now a 42-year streak.
• Augsburg has now earned 242 wrestling All-Americans in program history (206 in NCAA competition, 36 in NAIA).

UP NEXT
• The third session of the national tournament starts at 9 a.m. (Central time) on Saturday (3/10), with championship semifinals, consolation rounds and placing matches for third, fifth and seventh places. Championship finals begin at 6 p.m. (Central time).

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AUGSBURG FIRST-DAY RESULTS
• 125: Sean Redington (Messiah) pinned Victor Gliva (Augsburg) 6:10; Gliva dec. Joseph Antoine (Cortland State) 5-1; Ferdinand Mase (Ithaca) dec. Gliva 9-4 (Gliva eliminated).
• 133: Sam Bennyhoff (Augsburg) dec. Owen McClave (Coast Guard) 1-0; Bennyhoff maj. dec. Anthony Munoz (Elmhurst) 15-7.
• 141: David Flynn (Augsburg) dec. Austin Shorey (Southern Maine) 7-2; Joseph Ghione (Elizabethtown) dec. Flynn 6-4; Joseph Ferinde (Johnson & Wales) dec. Flynn 5-3 (Flynn eliminated).
• 149: Alex Wilson (Augsburg) dec. Christopher Muce (Centenary-N.J.) 6-1; Wilson dec. Trevor Corl (Lycoming) 5-2.
• 157: Ryan Epps (Augsburg) pinned Tyler Marsh (WPI) 3:53; Epps dec. Egan Berta (North Central-Ill.)  8-5.
• 165: Lucas Jeske (Augsburg) pinned Adrian Gonzalez (Johnson & Wales) 4:52; Jeske pinned Taylor Shay (Roger Williams) 2:47.
• 174: Daniel Kilroy (College of New Jersey) maj. dec. Tanner Vassar (Augsburg) 9-0; Vassar dec. A.J. Aeberli (Coast Guard) 7-5; Vassar dec. Brandon Conrad (Lycoming) 9-7.
• 184: Christos Giatras (Augustana-Ill.) dec. Sebastian Larson (Augsburg) 3-2; Zeckary Lehman (Baldwin-Wallace) pinned Larson 6:58 (Larson eliminated).