MINNEAPOLIS -- Collecting wins in eight of the nine matches wrestled, including bonus-point wins in six matches, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its 21st straight victory over Southwest Minnesota State University with a 41-3 dual-meet triumph on Tuesday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.
Augsburg's young lineup, including three sophomores and three first-year wrestlers, collected three major decisions, two pins and a technical fall -- in addition to an opening-bout forfeit -- to improve to 1-1 on the season. Division II Southwest Minnesota State dropped to 1-1 on the year with the loss. Augsburg now leads the all-time series against Southwest Minnesota State by a 22-3 margin, dating to the 1984-85 season. Augsburg has now won 21 straight matches between the two schools, dating to the 1988-89 season.
The Auggies, ranked No. 2 in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings and winners of 10 of the last 18 Division III national titles, is now 229-20 against Divisions II and III teams since the 1989-90 season, losing just 15 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season.
Jake Saatzer (SO, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) and Brandon Bahr (FY, Bemidji, Minn.) both claimed first-period pins for the Auggies, Saatzer with a 2:54 match-ender at 157 pounds and Bahr with a 44-second pin at 184.
Top-ranked Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) collected his second-straight bonus-point win over SMSU's Michal Barrie (SR, Westbrook, Minn./Adrian HS) at 133 pounds, using three takedowns and three 3-point near-falls to score a 16-1, second-period technical fall. Lang, now 9-0 on the year, had beaten Barrie by a 15-6, major-decision win in the finals of the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragon Open on Saturday. Of Lang's nine wins, eight are bonus-point triumphs (six pins, one major decision, one technical fall).
Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 3 nationally at 157, moved up a weight class to 165 and scored an 8-0, major-decision victory for the Auggies, while Andy Peterson (SO, Grand Marais, Minn./Milaca HS) collected an 11-0, major-decision win at 197 and Brett Landrum (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) scored a 15-5, major-decision win at 174.
At heavyweight, No. 5-ranked Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.) improved to 9-0 on the season with a 6-0 win over SMSU's Carter Ash (FY, Milaca, Minn.). Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West HS) scored a 9-2 decision over Brandan Schunk (JR, Wabasso, Minn.) at 141.
SMSU's lone victory came from Garrett Rozeboom (FY, Mason, Mich.), who improved to 11-5 on the season with a 9-4 win over Augsburg's Torey Stewart (FY, Jackson, Minn./Jackson County Central HS) at 149.
Both teams will compete at the St. Cloud State Open on Saturday (12/13). Augsburg's varsity will compete at St. Cloud State, with its White Team (junior varsity) traveling to compete at the Wartburg (Iowa) Dick Walker Invitational, also on Saturday.
