MINNEAPOLIS -- Winning three regional championships and qualifying eight individuals to the NCAA Division III National Championships, the Augsburg University men's wrestling team finished in second place at the Region VII Regional, held on Friday and Saturday at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
TEAM RESULT: Augsburg 2nd/16 (186.0)
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The No. 3-ranked team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III tournament national poll and No. 1-ranked team in the NWCA Division III dual-meet poll, Augsburg finished second at the 16-team regional, as Wisconsin-La Crosse, ranked No. 1 in the NWCA tournament poll and No. 3 in the dual-meet poll, won the event with 192.5 points.
• With top-three regional finishes, eight Auggies qualified to compete at the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championships, which will be held March 14-15 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. Augsburg has had seven or more national tournament qualifiers in 21 of the last 22 seasons.
• Three Auggies won regional titles, each for the first-time in their careers. Chance Suddeth (SO, Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton HS) earned his second straight trip to the national tournament, winning the regional crown at 133 pounds. Suddeth, now 26-6 on the season and ranked No. 15 in the latest NWCA Division III national rankings at 133, opened his tournament with a second-period pin, then reached the finals with a takedown and near-fall in sudden-victory overtime in a 7-1 win over Brady Grennan of UW-Platteville. He scored a 6-3 win over Brody Toledo of UW-Oshkosh to win the regional title.
• Newcomer Matthew Randolph (FY, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)), ranked No. 6 nationally at 149, improved to 28-2 on the year with his regional crown. Randolph did not give up a point on the weekend, outscoring his opponents by a 43-0 margin. He opened with a pair of 15-0, second-period technical falls, then scored a 4-0 semifinal win over Josh Cherba of UW-La Crosse and a 9-0 major decision win over Aidan Ruddy of Concordia-Moorhead in the finals. Of Randolph's 28 wins, 17 are bonus-point triumphs (four pins, six technical falls, seven major decisions).
• Brandt Bombard (JR, North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS) earned his first national tournament trip with the regional title at 184. The No. 4-ranked 184-pounder nationally, Bombard opened with a 12-0 major decision, then advanced to the finals with an injury default and claimed the regional crown with a 5-3 victory over No. 3-ranked Marcus Orlandoni of UW-La Crosse. Bombard is now 24-5 on the season and 50-22 in his collegiate career.
• Two-time All-Americans Cooper Willis (JR, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) and Seth Goetzinger (SR, Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield HS) each earned their third straight trips to national tournament competition, both finishing as regional runners-up, at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively.
• Willis, ranked No. 2 nationally at 165, claimed a pair of pins in his matches on Friday, then scored a 4-0 semifinal win over Josh Heuss of UW-Stevens Point. In the finals against No. 3-ranked Tanner Gerber of UW-La Crosse, Willis suffered his first loss of the season in a 6-4 setback. Willis, who finished fifth nationally at 165 each of the last two seasons, is now 27-1 on the season with six pins, five technical falls and eight major decisions, and is now 95-14 in his collegiate career.
• The No. 6-ranked 174-pounder nationally, Goetzinger opened with a pair of technical fall wins on Friday, then edged No. 8-ranked Eddie Simes of UW-La Crosse 4-3 in the semifinals. He dropped a 9-3 decision to top-ranked and defending national champion Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire in the finals. A seventh-place national finisher at 174 each of the last two seasons, Goetzinger is now 21-4 on the season with six pins, five technical falls and two major decisions, and is now 93-25 in his collegiate career.
• All-American Parker Venz (SR, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) claimed his third career appearance at the national tournament with a second-place regional finish at 197 pounds. Ranked second nationally at 197, Venz reached the finals with a 16-1 technical fall and a pair of first-period pins, including a 46-second win over Ian Pepple of UW-Eau Claire in the semifinals. Venz was edged 4-1 by No. 4-ranked Ben Kawczynski of UW-La Crosse in the finals. A seventh-place national finisher at 197 last season, Venz is now 19-5 on the season with 10 pins, three technical falls and a major decision, and is 88-33 in his college career.
• Wyatt Kaczrowski (SR, Seymour, Wis./Seymour HS) qualified for the national tournament for the second time in his career, finishing in third place at the regional at 125 pounds. Ranked No. 12 nationally at 125, scored a pair of first-period pins in his opening matches, but fell in a 16-5 major decision to No. 11-ranked Quintin Wolbert of UW-La Crosse in the semifinals. He rebounded with a 9-5 win over No. 7-ranked Izzy Balsiger of UW-Eau Claire in the consolation semifinals, and clinched the national berth with a 4:49 pin of Thomas Holmquist of Saint John's in the third-place match. Kaczrowski is now 21-7 on the season and 92-50 in his college career.
• Cole Becker (JR, Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) reached the NCAA tournament for the first time, finishing in third place at the regional at 141. Becker had a pin in his opening match, but was edged 4-2 in the semifinals by No. 8-ranked Sam Lorenz of UW-La Crosse. He rallied with a 4-2 win in the consolations, then dominated in an 18-3 technical fall over Riese Thornberry of UW-Stevens Point in the third-place match. Becker is now 7-3 on the season and 67-13 in his college career.
• Two Auggies had their 2024-25 seasons end at the regional. Karsen Otis (SO, Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly HS) finished in fifth place at 157 pounds, going 3-2 at the tournament with two pins and a technical fall, finishing his season at 22-7. He is 51-12 in his college career. Tyler Raway (JR, Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake HS) went 3-2 with a pin at 285 pounds to finish fourth. He finished his season at 22-8 and is now 62-25 in his career.