AUGSBURG CITRUS OPEN RESULTS
TOURNAMENT RESULTS/BRACKETS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Claiming seven champions/co-champions and 21 placewinners, the Augsburg University wrestling team claimed the title at the Citrus Open, held on Friday and Saturday at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

THE BASICS
TEAM SCORES: Augsburg 1st/11 (211 points)
LOCATION: Cardinal Gibbons HS, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg wrestlers went 90-48 over the weekend, including 52 bonus-point victories -- 34 pins, four technical falls and 14 major decisions. In addition to the champs in six weight classes, Augsburg had three runners-up, one third-place finisher and two fifth-place finishers among its 29 competitors at the tournament.
• The Auggies, currently ranked No. 5 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, scored 211 points to win the 11 team tournament, bettering Upper Iowa, the No. 10-ranked team in Division II, which had 195 points. Eleven teams -- eight Division III teams, two Division II teams and a club program -- took part in the tournament.
• Lucas Jeske (SO, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS), the top-ranked wrestler in Division III at 165 pounds, dominated his weight class with five first-period pins -- including a 34-second match-ender -- to claim the tournament title. Jeske is now 15-0 on the season with nine pins and 13 bonus-point wins.
• Sam Bennyhoff (JR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS), ranked No. 5 nationally at 133 pounds, also had a dominating performance, collecting two pins and a technical fall among his four wins for the weight-class title. He pinned Matthew Noble of New York University, the No. 8-ranked 133-pounder in Division III, in 2:39 in the semifinals, then scored a 10-6 win over Josh Walker of Upper Iowa, ranked No. 5 in Division II, in the finals. Bennyhoff is now 14-0 on the season with seven pins, two technical falls and two major decisions.
• Ryan Epps (SO, Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls HS), ranked No. 6 at 157 pounds, went 5-0 with a pin to score his weight class championship. He outscored his opponents 28-7 in four wins and had a 4:16 pin in the other match. In the finals, Epps scored a 3-1 win over Brock Benitz of Upper Iowa, ranked No. 12 nationally in Division II. Epps is now 13-0 on the year with two pins.
• Victor Gliva (SO, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) scored two first-period pins and a 5-0 win over Matt Morris of Williams (Mass.) in the finals to claim the weight-class title at 125. Gliva is now 10-2 on the season with four pins.
• Tanner Vassar (SO, Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS) scored the title at 174 pounds with five victories, including a technical fall and first-period pin. He scored a 13-7 win over Jordan Gundrum of Upper Iowa in the finals to improve to 16-2 on the season with six pins.
• Twin brothers Aaron Wilson (SO, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) and Alex Wilson (JR, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) shared the title at 149 pounds, as both reached the final with 4-0 efforts, with both recording two pins and a major decision. Alex Wilson is now 16-3 on the year, while Aaron Wilson is 7-1.
• David Flynn (SO, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)), who finished third at 141 pounds last season, saw his first action of the season over the weekend, finishing second at 141. He claimed a first-period pin and 8-0 and 11-0 major-decision wins to reach the finals, but dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 10-ranked Josh Martin of Cornell (Iowa) in the title match.
• Brady McFarland (JR, Windlake, Wis./Muskego HS) finished second at 165 pounds, with his lone loss to teammate Jeske in the finals. McFarland had two pins to improve to 9-4 on the year.
• Sebastian Larson (SR, River Falls, Wis./River Falls HS) finished second at 184 pounds, scoring three wins with a 17-4 margin before being edged 6-5 by Darian Edwards of Division II North Carolina-Pembroke in the finals. Larson is now 14-4 on the season.
• Jackson Graham (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley HS) finished third at 174, going 4-1. He was one of four Auggies to place at 174, joining champion Vassar, fifth-place Tone Fuenffinger (SR, Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS) and ninth-place Solomon Nielsen (FY, Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS).
• Wyatt Richardson (SO, Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow HS) placed fifth at 197, while Ethan Hofacker (SO, Spring Valley, Wis./Spring Valley HS) placed seventh at heavyweight and Mike Hayes (JR, Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) placed seventh at 141.
• Placing eighth for Augsburg was Bryce Zdanovec (SR, Little Chute, Wis./Little Chute HS) at 157 and Tim Mandyck (FY, Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS) at heavyweight. 
• In the ninth-place bracket on Saturday, four Auggies finished ninth -- Cruze Hulburt (FY, Spring Valley, Minn./Spring Valley HS) at 149, Joshua Verbeten (SO, Wrightstown, Wis./Wrightstown HS) at 157, Solomon Nielsen (FY, Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS) at 174 and Brent Chambers (SO, Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) at 197.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg will compete at the NWCA Division III National Duals next Thursday and Friday (1/4-5) at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.

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TEAM RESULTS
1. Augsburg (Minn.) 211, 2. Upper Iowa 195, 3. New York University 120.5, 4. Cornell (Iowa) 96.5, 5. North Carolina-Pembroke 92.5, 6. Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y.) 60, 7. Muhlenberg (Pa.) 55, 8. Liberty (Va., club program) 52, 9. Williams (Mass.) 50.5, 10. John Carroll (Ohio) 33.5, 11. Ursinus (Pa.) 16.5.

AUGSBURG RESULTS BY WEIGHT CLASS
• 125: Victor Gliva 3-0, champion.
• 133: Sam Bennyhoff 4-0, champion.
• 141: David Flynn 3-1, 2nd place; Mike Hayes 4-2, 7th place; Charlie DesMarais 1-3.
• 149: Aaron Wilson 4-0, co-champion; Alex Wilson 4-0, co-champion; Cruze Hulburt 6-2, 9th place; Shawn Barth 2-3; Boone Young 2-3.
• 157: Ryan Epps 5-0, champion; Bryce Zdanovec 3-3, 8th place; Josh Verbeten 5-2, 9th place.
• 165: Lucas Jeske 5-0, champion; Brady McFarland 3-1, 2nd place; Luke Wilson 0-3.
• 174: Tanner Vassar 5-0, champion; Jackson Graham 4-1, 3rd place; Tone Fuenffinger 4-2, 5th place; Solomon Nielsen 5-2, 9th place; Julian Georgescu 2-3; Cameron Schmitz 1-2.
• 184: Sebastian Larson 3-1, 2nd place; Lorenzo Hernandez 0-3; Jonny Zarnke 0-3.
• 197: Wyatt Richardson 4-2, 5th place; Brent Chambers 3-2, 9th place.
• HWT: Ethan Hofacker 3-2, 7th place, Tim Mandyck 2-3, 8th place.