Wrestling 1/11/05 -- Augustana (S.D.) 22, Augsburg 13

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (1/11/05) -- Marcus LeVesseur * (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) extended his three-season collegiate unbeaten streak to 100 straight matches, but his Augsburg College wrestling team lost four of the final five individual matches of the evening to fall 22-13 to Augustana College (S.D.) in a nonconference dual meet before 1,232 fans on Tuesday night at Augustana's Elmen Center.

LeVesseur, a two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion at 157 pounds, reached a significant milestone, tying American wrestling legend Dan Gable with the second-longest consecutive-match winning streak in college wrestling history with a 15-3, major-decision win over Augustana's Austin Scarset in Tuesday's dual meet. LeVesseur used five takedowns and a three-point near-fall to build an insurmountable lead, controlling Scarset for 3:12 of riding time to improve to 16-0 on the season.

LeVesseur has yet to lose a collegiate wrestling match in his three seasons of competition at Augsburg. The all-time record for college wrestling consecutive victories is 159, set by Iowa State's Cael Sanderson from 1998-2002. Sanderson is the only college wrestler ever to win four consecutive national titles without losing a match in his career. Carlton Haselrig of Pitt-Johnstown (Pa., 1985-89) claimed 122 straight matches without a defeat in his career, with one tie (121-0-1).

Competing in three seasons at Iowa State University from 1967-70 (freshmen were ineligible to compete on the varsity level in his era), Gable won 100 straight matches, with his lone loss coming in his final college match. According to published reports, Iowa State officially lists Gable's winning streak at 100 straight matches, though the record total has varied, depending on wrestling historian and media sources, from 98 to 116 straight matches.

While LeVesseur's victory was a highlight for Augsburg, the host Vikings prevailed, winning six of the 10 matches, including a forfeit victory at 125 pounds to open the match.

Augsburg, ranked No. 1 all season long in the NCAA Division III national polls, dropped to 6-1 in dual meets this season. Augustana, ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II national rankings, is now 4-0 in dual meets. The win was Augustana's first over Augsburg in the team's six dual meet matchups since the 1999-2000 season. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is 191-13 since 1989-90, losing just eight matches since the 1995-96 season.

After the opening forfeit gave Augustana a 6-0 lead, Augsburg's Mark Matzek * (Sr., Ellsworth, Wis.), the defending Division III national champion and current top-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, improved to 16-0 on the season with a 6-3 triumph over Augustana's Chris Trampe. Matzek built a 4-1 period on two takedowns in the first period and claimed the win.

Jamell Tidwell * (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS), a three-time All-American currently ranked second nationally at 141, tied the match for the Auggies at 6-6 with a 15-8 victory over Augustana's Andre Vander Velde, currently ranked eighth in Division II. Tidwell scored three takedowns in the third period to build the big victory and improve to 16-1 on the season.

In the other two meetings of ranked wrestlers, Augustana wrestlers claimed victories. At 165, the Vikings' Cody Henriksen, ranked No. 6 in Division II, built a 7-2 second period lead and held on for a 7-5 win over the Auggies' Ryan Valek (Jr., Belle Plaine, Minn.), ranked No. 3 in Division III.

The 197-pound match was a meeting of the No. 4-ranked wrestlers in the two divisions, with Augustana's Tim Boldt overcoming a 5-3 second-period deficit with an escape, takedown and 2:30 riding-time advantage in the third period to win 7-5 over Augsburg's Justin Sorensen (Jr., Owatonna, Minn.).

Leading 19-13, the Vikings clinched the win in the final match of the night at heavyweight, as Augustana's Chris Bietz used two takedowns, a reversal and 4:05 of riding time to score a 7-1 upset of Augsburg's Mark Simmonds (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Edison HS), ranked No. 4 in Division III.

Augustana's two Division II top-ranked wrestlers scored victories on Tuesday, as Ryan King topped Augsburg's Ryan Stroud (Jr., Park Falls, Wis.) at 149 and Tom Meester scored an 18-6, major-decision win over Augsburg's Brad Tupa (Jr., Dundas, Minn./Faribault HS) at 184.

Augsburg's Casey Flaherty (Sr., Big Lake, Minn.), a transfer from Division I Minnesota, scored an upset victory at 174 pounds, taking a 3-1 lead after two periods and clinching the win with a takedown with 33 seconds left to top Augustana's Dusty Wilking, ranked No. 2 in Division II.

Augustana's Aaron Graumann, ranked fourth nationally in Division II, scored the forfeit win at 125.

Augsburg will return to action on Saturday (1/15) at 10 a.m. at the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Invitational. Augustana is back in action on Friday (1/14) at 8 p.m. with a dual meet against Northern State (S.D.) at Aberdeen, S.D. 

Wrestling -- Augustana (S.D., 4-0) 22, Augsburg (6-1) 13
January 11, 2005 – Elmen Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Action begins at 125 pounds.
Attendance: 1,232.
Match Duration: 1:35.
Official: Rod Earlywine.

125 -- No. 4 Aaron Graumann (Augustana, 15-4) wins by forfeit (Augustana 6-0).
133 -- No. 1 Mark Matzek * (Augsburg, 16-0) dec. Chris Trampe (Augustana, 12-5) 6-3 (Augustana 6-3).
141 -- No. 2 Jamell Tidwell * (Augsburg, 16-1) dec. No. 8 Andre Vander Velde (Augustana, 14-5) 15-8 (TIED 6-6).
149 -- No. 1 Ryan King (Augustana, 5-1) dec. Ryan Stroud (Augsburg, 8-4) 6-3 (Augustana 9-6).
157 -- No. 1 Marcus LeVesseur * (Augsburg, 16-0) maj. dec. Austin Scarset (Augustana, 12-7) 15-3 (Augsburg 10-9).
165 -- No. 6 Cody Henriksen (Augustana, 5-1) dec. Ryan Valek (Augsburg, 15-3) 7-5 (Augustana 12-10).
174 -- Casey Flaherty (Augsburg, 14-4) dec. No. 2 Dusty Wilking (Augustana, 2-1) 5-2 (Augsburg 13-12).
184 -- No. 1 Tom Meester (Augustana, 18-2) maj. dec. Brad Tupa (Augsburg, 12-5) 18-6 (Augustana 16-13).
197 -- No. 4 Tim Boldt (Augustana, 11-4) dec. No. 4 Justin Sorensen (Augsburg, 14-4) 7-5 (Augustana 19-13).
HWT -- Cris Bietz (Augustana, 17-5) dec. No. 4 Mark Simmonds (Augsburg, 13-4) 7-1 (Augustana 22-13).