Augsburg University Athletics

One of the best middleweight wrestlers ever at Augsburg, Matthew Kretlow '91 earned All-American honors three times and was a member of Augsburg’s first NCAA Division III wrestling national championship team in 1991. In national competition, he finished eighth at 158 pounds in 1988, fourth at 150 pounds in 1989 and second at 158 pounds in 1991. He also won three MIAC individual titles – at 158 pounds in 1989 and 1990, and at 167 pounds in 1991. He had a 49-4 record in his senior season and 40-4 record his junior campaign, en route to setting a school record for victories, with a 168-25-2 career mark. His Auggie squads finished in the top 10 each of his four years – eighth in 1988, third in 1989, second in 1990 and as national champions in 1991 – while winning the MIAC title each of those years and producing a dual-meet record of 51-4, including a perfect 40-0 record his final three seasons. A two-year captain for the Auggies, Kretlow spent two seasons as an Augsburg assistant coach following his career, then returned to his hometown of Owatonna, Minn., where he has spent 18 years as an assistant coach for the Owatonna High School wrestling program. In 2001, he was named Section 1AAA Assistant Coach of the Year by his fellow section coaches. Kretlow earned his degree in marketing and management from Augsburg in 1991, and has spent the past 18 years working for Federated Insurance in the claims function, most recently as a claims supervisor in the Environmental Claims department. He has been active as a slow-pitch softball player for the past 20 years, winning several Minnesota state titles and earning national runner-up honors in 2001, where he was named first-team All-American at the national tournament. He has also served as a youth sports coach and administrator, and has taught Sunday School at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna for eight years. Kretlow and his wife, Arla, have three children – Stephanie, Sydney and Drew – and live in Owatonna, Minn.