Wrestling 2/13/04 -- Augsburg (Minn.) 37, Wisconsin-Stevens Point 6


MINNEAPOLIS (2/13/04) -- Marcus LeVesseur * (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) extended his school-record winning streak to 76 straight matches with a first-period pin on Friday night, leading Augsburg College to a 37-6 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in a nonconference wrestling match at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.

Augsburg, ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division III national poll, won nine of 10 matches in the dual to improve to 12-3 on the season in its final dual meet of the season. Wisconsin-Stevens Point, ranked No. 4 in the same poll, is now 7-3 on the season. Augsburg is 11-1 all-time against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, winning the last 10 duals in a row in the series.

Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg improves to 189-12 since 1989-90, losing just seven matches since the 1995-96 season. Against teams from Division III, Augsburg is now 210-17 since the 1979-80 season and 134-7 since 1989-90.

LeVesseur, the defending national champion and top-ranked wrestler nationally at 157 pounds, improved to 32-0 on the season with a 1:43 pin of Nate Kurszewski (Fr., Stevens Point, Wis.). LeVesseur has yet to lose a match in his two seasons as a collegiate wrestler.

In one of the most-anticipated matches of the evening, Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Cody Koenig (Jr., Underwood, Iowa), ranked No. 3 nationally at 174 pounds, avenged an earlier loss to Augsburg's Joe Moon * (Jr., Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS), the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the class, with a first-period pin (1:32), giving the Pointers their only team points of the match.

In the only other meeting of ranked wrestlers, Augsburg's Mark Matzek (Jr., Ellsworth, Wis.), currently the top-ranked wrestler nationally at 133, used three takedowns, a reversal and 3:35 of riding time to dominate in a 9-1, major-decision win over UWSP's Brady Holtz (Sr., Oconto Falls, Wis.), ranked No. 6 nationally.

Jamell Tidwell * (Jr., Burnsville, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), ranked No. 2 nationally at 141, scored a 10-4 victory to improve to 37-3 on the season and 114-11 on his career. Third-ranked Mark Simmonds (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Edison HS) used three takedowns, two escapes and 1:46 of riding time to improve to 29-7 on the season with a 9-3 triumph.

Ryan Valek (So., Belle Plaine, Minn.) improved to 35-9 on the year with a 16-1, third-period technical-fall victory at 165 pounds. Dustin Dahlblom (Fr., Stillwater, Minn.) earned a 13-2, major-decision win at 149, converting a takedown and three near-falls in the first period to build a 10-0 advantage.

Clint Hodgdon * (Jr., Ostrander, Minn./LeRoy-Ostrander HS), used three takedowns, an near fall and reversal to score a 12-5 victory at 184, and Ben Moss (Fr., Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central HS) earned a 9-5 win in the final match of the evening at 125.

Augsburg returns to action at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Invitational on Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis. Wisconsin-Stevens Point returns to action on Saturday (2/14) in a quadruple-dual event at Wisconsin-Eau Claire. UWSP faces Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 12 noon, faces St. John's at 2 p.m. and Concordia-Moorhead at 4 p.m.

Augsburg (Minn., 12-3) 37, Wisconsin-Stevens Point (7-3) 6
February 13, 2004 -- Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
Attendance: 264.
Official: Byron Olson
Action begins at 133 pounds.
133 -- Mark Matzek (AUG, 27-4) maj. dec. Brady Holtz (UWSP, 12-7) 9-1 (Augsburg 4-0).
141 -- Jamell Tidwell * (AUG, 37-3) dec. Joel Burdick (UWSP, 19-10) 10-4 (Augsburg 7-0).
149 -- Dustin Dahlblom (AUG, 23-6) maj. dec. Matt Lapinski (UWSP, 12-10) 13-2 (Augsburg 11-0).
157 -- Marcus LeVesseur * (AUG, 32-0) pinned Nate Kurszewski (UWSP, 8-11) 1:43 (Augsburg 17-0).
165 -- Ryan Valek (AUG, 35-9) tech. fall Josh Ison (UWSP, 5-7) 16-1 at 7:00 (Augsburg 22-0).
174 -- Cody Koenig (UWSP, 24-2) pinned Joe Moon * (AUG, 31-2) 1:34 (Augsburg 22-6).
184 -- Clint Hodgdon * (AUG, 26-9) dec. Tyler Wozniak (UWSP, 13-12) 12-5 (Augsburg 25-6).
197 -- Joe Cullen (AUG, 28-8) wins by forfeit (Augsburg 31-6).
HWT -- Mark Simmonds (AUG, 29-7) dec. Mike Hayes (UWSP, 14-7) 9-3 (Augsburg 34-6).
125 -- Ben Moss (AUG, 28-7) dec. David Davila (UWSP, 15-10) 9-5 (Augsburg 37-6).