DUBUQUE, Iowa (3/6/04) -- Augsburg College tied an NCAA Division III record with four individual national champions, finishing second in the team race for the second season in a row at the NCAA Division III National Championships on Saturday at the Five Flags Center.

Wartburg (Iowa), which also had four national champions, won the team title for the second season in a row with 156.5 points. Augsburg, winners of eight national titles in the last 14 seasons, finished second with 140.5 points. Both teams had nine All-Americans.

Augsburg now has the most individual national champions of any Division III school -- 31 -- eclipsing the previous record of 28 by Montclair State (N.J.). Augsburg has won 35 individual national championships -- four as an NAIA program (1968-83) and 31 in NCAA competition since 1983.

The point totals for both Wartburg and Augsburg produced the most dominant two-team performance in the 31-year history of the Division III national tournament. Wartburg fell just 10 points short of its previous championships record of 166.5, set last season.

Augsburg eclipsed its previous high point total for a championship, 136 in its title year of 2000, and put up more team points than any runner-up in championships history, the previous top runner-up mark being 116 by the Auggies in 1999. In fact, Augsburg's point total was more than all but three winning championship point-totals in Division III history.

Augsburg's Joe Moon * (Jr., Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS) earned the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler honors, after he scored a 13-6 upset victory of top-ranked Eduard Aliakseynka of Montclair State (N.J.) in the 174-pound national title match. Aliakseynka was a four-time All-American and won the national title in 2001.

The key to Moon's victory was a piece of strategy by head coach Jeff Swenson, who put Moon in the top position in the second period. Trailing 6-3, Moon rode Aliakseynka for the entire second period and earned a stalling penalty point against Aliakseynka, who entered the tournament with a reputation as a solid wrestler in the neutral position. Moon then dominated the third period, claiming a takedown and two 3-point near-falls in the final 1:26 to clinch the title.

Earlier, Moon had claimed a 4-2 victory over perennial nemesis Cody Koenig of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the semifinals. Moon and Koenig had split their previous two meetings this season, after Koenig had knocked Moon out of the championship race in last year's national semifinals. Moon finished his junior campaign with a 39-2 record and 105-14 career mark.

Marcus LeVesseur * (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) extended his school-record winning streak to 84 straight matches, finishing 40-0 on the year with an 8-4 win over Wartburg's Cory Connell in the 157-pound national championship match, repeating as national titlist.

Earlier on Saturday, he earned a 10-2, major-decision victory over Brent Rider of Cortland State (N.Y.) in the semifinals. LeVesseur has yet to lose a match in his two seasons of collegiate wrestling.

Mark Matzek (Jr., Ellsworth, Wis.) earned his first national championship at 133 pounds, scoring a takedown with 14 seconds left in the third period to claim a 4-3 win over Ozzie Saxson of Wartburg. Trailing 2-1 in the second period, Matzek forced an escape and fought off two solid shots to close the second period. The third period was a back-and-forth struggle until Matzek got the takedown on a double-leg drive to win the match.

Matzek beat Delaware Valley's (Pa.) Barry Wise 11-6 in the semifinals on Saturday. Matzek is now 34-4 on the season and 95-21 on his career.

At 125 pounds, Matt Shankey (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.), a transfer from the Division I University of Iowa, claimed his first national title with a 7-3 win over Jason Peck of Cortland State (N.Y.) in the finals. Shankey scored two takedowns in the second period to build a 6-3 lead, an advantage he would not lose.

Shankey scored a 3-2 semifinal win over Dustin Brewer of Simpson (Iowa) in the semifinals. He finished his first Auggie season 27-1 overall and 55-16 in his collegiate career.

Jamell Tidwell * (Jr., Richfield, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) suffered the lone Auggie loss in the championship matches, falling 9-1 to Dustin Hinschberger of Wartburg in the 141-pound title match for his second loss of the season to the Knight wrestler. Tidwell finished 44-4 on the season and is now 121-12 on his career. Earlier on Saturday, Tidwell defeated Pat Brady of the College of New Jersey 4-3 in the semifinals.

Heavyweight Mark Simmonds (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Edison HS) fell one second short of a third-place finish, as he surrendered a takedown in the final second of the first, sudden-victory overtime to Mike Blair of Trinity (Conn.). Tied 1-1 in the final 15 seconds, Simmonds tried a shot to the legs, but got caught and was twisted for a double-leg takedown with one second left.

Earlier in the day, Simmonds suffered his second loss to top-ranked Ryan Allen of Wisconsin-La Crosse this season in the semifinals, falling by a 12-2 major decision. By virtue of a medical forfeit, Simmonds advanced to the third-place match. Simmonds, who transferred from Division II Southwest State this season, finished his first Auggie campaign at 36-9 and is 70-41 in his collegiate career.

Augsburg's Dustin Dahlblom (Fr., Stillwater, Minn.) finished sixth place, losing in the second overtime tiebreaker 3-2 to Troy Fabry of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Dahlblom rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit to tie the match with escapes in the second and third periods, but gave up an escape to Fabry in the tiebreaker session.

Earlier in the day, Dahlblom claimed a 15-2, major-decison win over Ross Babcock of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the wrestlebacks, but lost to Matt Pyle of Luther 9-8 in his second match of the day to fall to the fifth-place match. Dahlblom finished 31-9.

At 165, Ryan Valek (So., Belle Plaine, Minn.) also competed in double-overtime tiebreaker in his final match, and scored a takedown with one second left in the second tiebreaker to earn a 5-3 win over Brad Bishop of Loras (Iowa) in the seventh-place match. Earlier in the day, Valek lost 12-6 to Derek Sikora of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the wrestlebacks. Valek finished 38-10 on the season and is 58-28 on his career.

Augsburg's Joe Cullen (Jr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) completed his first national championship experience on a positive note, scoring a 3-1 win over Bart George of Simpson (Iowa) in the seventh-place match at 197. Cullen scored a takedown with 38 seconds left in the third period to clinch the victory. Cullen is now 34-10 this season and 71-37 on his career.

Earlier in the day, Cullen dropped a 4-2 decision to Dan Fiecke of St. John's in the wrestlebacks. Fiecke ended up with a fifth-place finish, topping Wyatt Reyerson of Luther (Iowa) 7-3. Earlier in the day, Fiecke lost 12-8 to Andrew Helms of Delaware Valley (Pa.) in the wrestlebacks.

2004 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships
Saturday, March 6, 2004 at Dubuque, Iowa.
Final Results.
Top 10 teams: 1. Wartburg (Iowa) 156.5; 2. Augsburg (Minn.) 140.5; 3. Luther (Iowa) 68.5; 4. Delaware Valley (Pa.) 58.0; 5. Simpson (Iowa) 55.5; 6. Brockport State (N.Y.) 54.5; 7. Wisconsin-La Crosse 50.5; 8. College of New Jersey 49.5; 9. Wisconsin-Stevens Point 40.5; 10. Cortland State (N.Y.) 33.0.
Other MIAC schools: 27t. St. John's 10.5.

Saturday's results involving Augsburg and MIAC wrestlers:
125 pounds -- Matt Shankey (Augsburg) dec. Dustin Brewer (Simpson) 3-2. Championship match -- Shankey dec. Jason Peck (Cortland State) 7-3.
133 pounds -- Mark Matzek (Augsburg) dec. Barry Wise (Delaware Valley) 11-6. Championship match -- Matzek dec. Ozzie Saxson (Wartburg) 4-3.
141 pounds -- Jamell Tidwell * (Augsburg) dec. Pat Brady (College of New Jersey) 4-3. Championship match -- Dustin Hinschberger (Wartburg) maj. dec. Tidwell 9-1.
149 pounds -- Dustin Dahlblom (Augsburg) maj. dec. Ross Babcock (Wisconsin-Whitewater) 15-2; Matt Pyle (Luther) dec. Dahlblom 9-8. Fifth-place match -- Troy Fabry (Wisconsin-La Crosse) dec. Dahlblom 3-2 (2OT-TB).
157 pounds -- Marcus LeVesseur * (Augsburg) maj. dec. Brent Rider (Cortland State) 10-2. Championship match -- LeVesseur dec. Cory Connell (Wartburg) 8-4.
165 pounds -- Derek Sikora (Wisconsin-Eau Claire) dec. Ryan Valek (Augsburg) 12-6. Seventh-place match -- Valek dec. Brad Bishop (Loras) 5-3 (2OT-TB).
174 pounds -- Joe Moon * (Augsburg) dec. Cody Koenig (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) 4-2. Tonight's championship match -- Moon dec. Eduard Aliakseynka (Montclair State) 13-6.
184 pounds -- No wrestlers.
197 pounds -- Dan Fiecke (St. John's) dec. Joe Cullen (Augsburg) 4-2; Andrew Helms (Delaware Valley) dec. Fiecke 12-8. Fifth-place match -- Fiecke dec. Wyatt Reyerson (Luther) 7-3. Seventh-place match -- Cullen dec. Bart George (Simpson) 3-1.
Heavyweight -- Ryan Allen (Wisconsin-La Crosse) maj. dec. Mark Simmonds (Augsburg) 12-2; Simmonds advances on medical forfeit over Arnold Frost (Brockport State). Third-place match -- Mike Blair (Trinity) dec. Simmonds 3-1 (1OT).