D3WRESTLE.COM WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
WRESTLER REPORT WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg University men's wrestler Cooper Willis (SO, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) was named Wrestler of the Week by the D3wrestle.com website and by Wrestler Report, it was announced this week.

Last Saturday, Willis claimed the 165-pound Gold title at the Augsburg Invitational, going 4-0. He opened with a 16-1, 5:34 technical fall, then scored a 3:56 pin and a 12-6 win to reach the finals. In the title bout, he faced Chase Luensman of Upper Iowa, the defending NCAA Division II national champion and current top-ranked wrestler in the division, and scored an 11-1 major decision win. It was his second straight victory over Luensman, after a 13-7 decision in the third-place match at the Luther (Iowa) Open on Nov. 11.

Willis, ranked No. 4 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division III preseason national rankings at 165, followed up his Augsburg Invitational win with a 9-3 triumph over Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Tristan Massie, ranked No. 7 nationally, in a dual meet on Tuesday, his third collegiate career win over Massie.

An All-American with a sixth-place finish in last year's NCAA Division III national tournament at 165 pounds, Willis is now 9-1 this season, with two pins, two technical falls and a major decision. In his second season as an Auggie, he is 41-10 in his career with nine pins, three technical falls and nine major decisions.

Augsburg will host Loras College (Iowa) in a dual meet next Thursday (11/30) at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. Also, the Auggie White Team (JV) will face Rochester Community and Technical College in a dual at 5 p.m.