EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -- Qualifying individuals in all 10 weight classes to the upcoming national championships and winning seven individual titles, the Augsburg University men's wrestling team won its 22nd regional championship in the last 23 seasons, claiming top honors at the NCAA Division III Region VII Regional, held Friday and Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

THE BASICS
TEAM SCORES: Augsburg 1st/16 (213.0)
LOCATION: McPhee Physical Education Center, Eau Claire, Wis.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• For the sixth time since the 2002-03 season, Augsburg qualified wrestlers in all 10 weight classes to the NCAA Division III National Championships, which will be held March 13-14 at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Augsburg has had seven or more national tournament qualifiers in 22 of the last 23 seasons. The last four times Augsburg has had 10 national qualifiers, it has won the team national title (2004-05, 2006-07, 2014-15 and 2023-24). Augsburg also had 10 qualifiers in 2002-03, when it finished second nationally. 
• With six of the seven NCAA regionals completed (Region I finishes on Sunday), Augsburg is the lone school to have qualifiers in all 10 weight classes. Defending co-national champion Wartburg (Iowa) and Roanoke (Va.) have nine qualifiers each, with Wisconsin-La Crosse claiming eight qualfiers. Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) and Loras (Iowa) have seven qualifiers each.
• The No. 5-ranked team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III tournament national poll and No. 3-ranked team in the NWCA dual-meet poll, Augsburg won the 16-team Region VII Regional with 213.0 points, ahead of second-place Wisconsin-La Crosse's 165.0 points. Augsburg has won the team title in its NCAA regional all but once since starting regional competition in the 2002-03 season.
• Auggie wrestlers went 38-3 in the two-day tournament, claiming nine pins, 10 technical falls and five major decisions.
• Augsburg Head Coach Tony Valek earned Regional Head Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in his seven seasons as head coach, with Associate Head Coach Jim Moulsoff earning Assistant/Staff Person of the Year honors.
• Augsburg earned seven regional titles, its most since recording seven in the 2016-17 season. The Auggies also had one runner-up and two third-place finishes. The top three regional finishers in each weight class qualify for the national tournament.
• Three-time All-American Cooper Willis (SR, Kansasville, Wis./Union Grove HS) earned his fourth straight trip to the national championships, winning the regional title at 165 pounds for the first time in his college career. Willis, ranked No. 3 nationally at 165, won all three of his matches, opening with a 14-0 major decision win, then topping No. 13-ranked Jonathon Harvey of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 5-3 in the semifinals and No. 2-ranked Tanner Gerber of UW-La Crosse 4-1 in sudden-victory overtime in the finals. Willis, who earned a national runner-up finish at 165 last year and finished fifth nationally his first two seasons, is now 26-3 with nine pins, three technical falls and six major decisions this season, and is now 124-18 with 32 pins, 15 technical falls and 29 major decisions in his career.
• Chance Suddeth (JR, Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton HS) will compete in his third national tournament after winning the regional title for the second straight year at 133 pounds. Suddeth scored a technical fall and pin on Friday, then reached the finals with a 9-1 major decision win over No. 12-ranked Wyatt Unser of UW-Eau Claire in the semifinals. In the finals, he scored an 8-5 sudden-victory overtime win over Connor Krueger. Suddeth, who placed seventh nationally last year at 133, is now 23-11 on the season and 73-29 in his career.
• No. 3-ranked 149-pounder Matthew Randolph (SO, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)) earned his second straight trip to the national tournament with his second straight regional title. Randolph recorded a pin and two third-period technical falls in his run to the title, improving to 25-2 on the season and 46-6 in his career. Randolph finished fourth nationally at 149 last year to earn All-American honors for the first time.
• No. 10-ranked 141-pounder Cole Becker (SR, Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) will compete at the national tournament for the second straight year after winning the regional title for the first time. Becker had a pin in his opening match, then claimed third-period technical falls in the semifinals and finals to win the regional crown, improving to 27-6 on the season and 96-21 in his college career.
• Ethan Winkelman (SO, Hudson, Wis./Hudson HS) claimed his first national tournament berth with the regional title at 197 pounds. Ranked No. 7 nationally, Winkelman scored two technical falls and a major decision to reach the finals, where he edged No. 5-ranked Tyler Dormanen of UW-La Crosse 3-2. Winkelman is now 29-4 this season with 14 pins, five technical falls and three major decisions, and is now 51-6 in his career.
• No. 6-ranked 285-pounder Tyler Raway (SR, Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake HS) earned a national tournament berth for the first time in his career, winning the heavyweight crown with a 4-0 effort, including an opening-match pin and a 7-4 win over No. 9-ranked Sloan Welch of UW-Eau Claire in the finals. Raway is now 27-4 on the season and 88-29 in his college career.
• Karsen Otis (JR, Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly HS) claimed his first national tournament appearance with the regional title at 157 pounds, going 4-0 with two technical falls on Friday, and an overtime win and injury default on Saturday. Otis is now 28-6 on the season and 79-18 in his career.
• Defending 184-pound national runner-up Brandt Bombard (SR, North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS) will compete in his second straight national tournament, after finishing second at the regional. He had a pin and major decision on Friday, then reached the title match with a 4-2 win over No. 15-ranked Zak McPhee of UW-Eau Claire. In the finals, he was edged 8-6 by Easton Hull of UW-Stevens Point, who was named the regional's Outstanding Wrestler. Bombard is now 25-4 on the season and 79-27 in his career.
• Keno Vanier (SR, Edina, Minn./Richfield HS) continued his late-season run of success, qualifying for the national tournament for the first time with a third-place finish at 125 pounds. He rallied back from a semifinal loss on Saturday with a 20-6 major decision and a 4-2 win to improve to 18-12 on the season and 54-37 in his career. Vanier, the son of two-time national runner-up Jafari Vanier '07, could become part of Auggie men's wrestling history as potentially the third father-son duo to both earn All-American honors. Bob Adams '83 and Jason Adams '10 were the first father-son All-American duo, joined by Steve Gliva '85 and Victor Gliva '20.
• Nick Alexander (JR, Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown HS) had a huge run on Saturday to earn his first national tournament berth, finishing in third place at 174 pounds. After dropping a 9-4 decision to No. 2-ranked Noah Leisgang of UW-La Crosse in the semifinals, he scored a pair of pins in the wrestlebacks to finish third, including a 4:05 pin of No. 13-ranked Carson Trotzer of UW-Stevens Point in the finals. Alexander is now 18-15 on the season and 65-29 in his career.