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AUGSBURG NATIONAL TOURNAMENT PAGE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Augsburg University men's wrestling team claimed five All-Americans, including four remaining in championship contention, moving into third place in the team standings after the first day of the NCAA Division III National Championships on Friday morning at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

THE BASICS
TOP 10 TEAM SCORES AFTER FRIDAY'S ACTION: 1. Johnson & Wales (R.I) 49.5; 2. Wartburg (Iowa) 48.5; 3. Augsburg (Minn.) 46.0; 4. Wisconsin-La Crosse 43.0; 5. North Central (Ill.) 42.0; 6. Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) 40.5; 7t. Alvernia (Pa.) 39.0; 7t. Coe (Iowa) 39.0; 9. College of New Jersey 35.0; 10. Wisconsin-Whitewater 24.5.
LOCATION: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, R.I.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Four of the eight Augsburg wrestlers in competition remained alive for individual national championships, advancing to Saturday's semifinals, while another Auggie remained alive in the wrestlebacks. Three Auggies ended their seasons in Friday's action.
• Seth Goetzinger (SR, Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield HS), the No. 7 seed at 174 pounds, earned his third career All-American honor with a pair of impressive victories, opening with a 4:15 pin of Cale Callahan of Otterbein (Ohio) and claiming an 8-2 victory over No. 2 seed Zeb Gnida of Loras (Iowa) -- his first career win over Gnida in four tries, including once earlier this season. Goetzinger used a pair of takedowns, including one wiht 40 seconds left, and 2:20 of riding time to clinch his spot in the semifinals. Goetzinger, who finished seventh at 184 in the last two national tournaments, is now 23-4 on the season and 95-25 in his career.
• At 165, No. 3-seed Cooper Willis (JR, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) also earned his third career All-American honor. He opened the day with his 20th bonus-point win of the season, a 10-1 major decision of Brian Petry of Cornell (Iowa), then improved to 29-1 on the season with a 5-0 win over No. 5-seed Jack Richardson of Johnson & Wales (R.I.) in the quarterfinals. A fifth-place finisher at 165 each of the last two years, Willis is now 97-14 in his college career.
• No. 3-seed Brandt Bombard (JR, North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS), went 3-0 on the day to earn his first career All-American honor. He opened with a 14-3 major decision victory over Willis Bronson of John Carroll in his pigtail-round match, then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-4 win over Jaime Evarts of Williams (Mass.). Bombard built a 4-1 lead after two periods and held on for a 5-2 win over No. 6-seed Jared Voss of Coe (Iowa), improving to 27-5 on the year and 53-22 in his career.
• First-year 149-pounder Matthew Randolph (FY, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)), seeded No. 4, earned his first All-American honor. He claimed a 7-0 win over Xavier Pena of Centenary (N.J.) in his opening match, then had to go to overtime for a win over Brett Back of Dubuque (Iowa). Randolph trailed 3-2 after a Back takedown with 11 seconds left in the third period, but Randolph gained a point at the end of regulation on a clasped-hands technical violation.The two wrestlers were scoreless through the two-minute sudden-victory session, and in the two 30-second tiebreaker rounds, Randolph earned the win with a 14-second riding-time advantage. Randolph is now 30-2 on the year. 
• Competing in his second national tournament, Chance Suddeth (SO, Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton HS) earned his first career All-American honor with two wrestleback wins in Friday evening's session. After a 5-3 loss to James Day of Wabash (Ind.) in his opener, Suddeth rallied back, scoring a 10-9 win over Jacob Blair of Delaware Valley (Pa.), using a double-leg takedown in the final second of the match to claim the victory. In the "blood round" against No. 6 seed Jonah Paulino of Roanoke (Va.), Suddeth again rallied from a deficit, claiming two takedowns in the third period to score a 12-10 victory, improving to 28-7 on the season and 49-17 in his career.
• Three Auggies saw their seasons end on Friday. Parker Venz (SR, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS), the No. 4 seed at 197, was upset by a 2:30 pin from Pilo Perez of Dubuque (Iowa) in his opening match, and fell 15-12 to Blaise Wagner of Stevens (N.J.) in the wretslebacks. Venz finished his senior season at 19-7 and his collegiate career at 88-35.
• At 141, Cole Becker (JR, Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) dropped his pigtail match 13-6 to fifth-seeded Mark Samuel of Roanoke (Va.), scored a 9-8 win over Sam Kotch of the College of New Jersey and a 4-2 win over James Rodriguez of Vermont State-Castleton, but dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 8-seed Luke Hoerle of Stevens to end his season at 9-5. He is now 69-15 in his career.
• Wyatt Kaczrowski (SR, Seymour, Wis./Seymour HS) ended his college career with a pair of losses in the first round. In a pigtail match, he was edged 4-1 on a takedown with 11 seconds left in sudden-victory overtime by Tomah Gummow of Ithaca (N.Y.), then lost in a 13-4 major decision to Jalen Dunson of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Kaczrowski ended his senior season at 21-9 and his college career at 92-52.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg has now had at least one All-American in national competition every year since 1977 -- 49 straight years. Augsburg has now earned 286 men's wrestling All-Americans in school history (235 in NCAA competition. 38 in NAIA, 13 by the NWCA in 2020 and 2021). 
• Augsburg has now earned at least two All-Americans every year since 1988, and has had at least five All-Americans in 33 of the last 36 seasons.

UP NEXT
• Saturday's action begins at 9 a.m. (Central time) with championship semifinals, consolation action and placing matches for third-, fifth- and seventh places. The final round, with the 10 national title matches, begins at 6 p.m. (Central time).

AUGSBURG FIRST DAY RESULTS
• 125 -- Tomam Gummow (Ithaca) dec. Wyatt Kaczrowski (Augsburg) 4-1 (OT-SV1); No. 8 Jalen Dunson (Wisconsin-Whitewater) maj. dec. Kaczrowski 13-4 (Kaczrowski eliminated).
• 133 -- No. 8 James Day (Wabash) dec. Chance Suddeth (Augsburg) 5-3; Suddeth dec. Jacob Blair (Delaware Valley) 10-9; Suddeth dec. No. 6 Jonah Paulino (Roanoke) 12-10.
• 141 -- No. 5 Mark Samuel (Roanoke) dec. Cole Becker (Augsburg) 13-6; Becker dec. Sam Kotch (College of New Jersey) 9-8; Becker dec. James Rodriguez (Vermont State-Castleton) 4-2; No. 8 Luke Hoerle (Stevens) dec. Becker 4-3 (Becker eliminated).
• 149 -- No. 4 Matthew Randolph (Augsburg) dec. Xavier Pena (Centenary-N.J.) 7-0; Randolph dec. Brett Back (Dubuque) 4-4 (OT-TB3 on riding time).
• 165 -- No. 3 Cooper Willis (Augsburg) maj. dec. Brian Petry (Cornell) 10-1; Willis dec. No. 6 Jack Richardson (Johnson & Wales) 5-0.
• 174 -- No. 7 Seth Goetzinger (Augsburg) pinned Cale Callahan (Otterbein) 4:15; Goetzinger dec. No. 2 Zeb Gnida (Loras) 8-2.
• 184 -- No. 3 Brandt Bombard (Augsburg) maj. dec. Wills Bronson (John Carroll) 14-3; Bombard dec. Jamie Evarts (Williams) 5-4; Bombard dec. No. 6 Jared Voss (Coe) 5-2.
• 197 -- Pilo Perez (Dubuque) pinned No. 4 Parker Venz (Augsburg) 2:30; Blaise Wagner (Stevens) dec. Venz 15-12 (Venz eliminated).