Last time out: The Vikings shutout the University of Sioux Falls 47-0 in dual action on last Wednesday and crowned three champions at the MSU Moorhead Open last Saturday. Chism Fink (149), Austin Carmichael (157), Sean Derry (174), and Lance Peters (heavyweight) registered pins against USF. Cody Lensing (133) posted a technical fall, while Jay Sherer (141) and Ty Copsey (197) delivered major decisions. Al Meger (125), Michael Edgington (165), and Tom Davis (184) all earned decisions. The Vikings have won the last three battles with the Cougars by a combined score of 138-9. The Vikings had 11 place winners at the MSU Moorhead Open. Notching pins for Augustana were Carl Serck (174) in the Red Division, and Parker Swanson (149) and Kale Merrell (157) in the White Division. Serck went 3-0 during the competition, while Swanson and Merrell were each 4-0. Runner-up honors in the Red Division went to Marcus Edgington (157), Tom Davies (184), and heavyweight Mike Roberts. Earning third-place finishes in the Red Division were TJ North (125), Carmichael (157), and Gavin Nelson (165). Derry (174) finished fourth in the Red Division, while Bradyn Neises (157) was fourth in the White Division.
About Northwestern: The Red Raiders split their season-opening duals and are 1-1 on the young season. NWC's lone win of the season came against Wayne State (Neb.) (an institution that is an NCAA Division II member but does not field sanctioned DII wrestling program). The Red Raiders have already qualified three wrestlers for the NAIA national tournament.
The lineups: The projected lineups for Thursday night's dual are as follows...
Wt. Wrestlers
125 Angelo Quintana (NWC) vs. Al Meger (Augie)
133 Tyler Hatch (NWC) vs. Cody Lensing (Augie)
141 Matt Dowell (NWC) vs. Jason Jeremiason (Augie)
149 Jerod Flores (NWC) vs. Nate Herda (Augie)
157 Mark Evjen (NWC) vs. Marcus Edgington (Augie)
165 Aaron Ruskell (NWC) vs. Gavin Nelson (Augie)
174 Open (NWC) vs. Carl Serck (Augie)
184 Luke Evjen (NWC) vs. Brian Schultz (Augie)
197 Ryan McLaurin OR Chris Michael (NWC) vs. Ty Copsey (Augie)
285 Brad Hughes (NWC) vs. Mike Roberts (Augie)
Flawless so far: The Vikings have yet to experience a blemish on their dual record in 2010-11. In fact, Augustana outscored its two opponents, Augsburg and the University of Sioux Falls, 72-6. Dual competition thus far has been limited to nonconference contests, but the Vikings open NSIC action on Jan. 15 when they host MSU Moorhead.
Holiday break: Following Thursday's dual with Northwestern, Augustana will have nearly a month to rest and heal from the 2010 portion of its schedule. The Vikings' next action will not be until Jan. 8, 2011, when they make the trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.
Take me to your leaders: Head coach Jason Reitmeier has announced that Al Meger, Jay Sherer, Gavin Nelson and Lance Peters will serve as his team's captains for the 2010-11 season. Meger, a 125-pound senior from Owatonna, Minn., posted a 21-11 record last season and grabbed a third-place finish at Super Region Three Tournament. He was a national qualifier in 2010. A native of Columbus, Neb., Sherer was crowned national champion at 141 pounds a year ago. The senior compiled 25-9 and became Augustana's first national champion since 2005. Nelson, a senior from Missouri Valley, Iowa, was an eighth-place national finisher last season at 165 pounds. He finished with a 19-2 record. Peters is a senior heavyweight from LeRoy, Minn. He charted an 18-14 record last season.
National news: Augustana was ranked third in the first NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll released Oct. 21. The Vikings, who received 144 points, also have six wrestlers individually ranked. Two-time defending national champion Nebraska-Omaha took the No. 1 spot with 160 points, while Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference neighbor St. Cloud State is No. 2 with 150 points. To view the complete poll, click here.
Who's ranked: The Vikings had half a dozen wrestlers ranked in the first Division II rankings of the year. Jay Sherer, the defending national champion at 141 pounds, was the preseason favorite in his weight class. Other ranked Vikings included Al Meger (No. 5 at 125 pounds), Nate Herda (No. 3 at 149 pounds), Marcus Edgington (No. 2 at 157 pounds), Gavin Nelson (No. 6 at 165 pounds) and Ty Copsey (No. 2 at 197 pounds).
According to the coaches: Augustana was been picked to finish second in the 200-11 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Vikings received 64 points—just three behind St. Cloud State.
No. School - Pts.
1. St. Cloud State - 67
2. Augustana - 64
3. Minnesota State - 37
4. Upper Iowa - 24
5. MSU Moorhead - 14
5. Southwest Minnesota State - 14
6. Northern State - 12
7. U-Mary - 8
first-place votes in ()
All-Americans: The Vikings welcome back five individuals who earned All-America status last season. Jay Sherer, a two-time All-American who is the reigning Division II national champion at 141 pounds. Seniors Ty Copsey (197) and Gavin Nelson (165), along with sophomores Nate Herda (149) and Marcus Edgington (157) also earned All-America recognition a year ago.
Freshman phenoms: Augustana's incoming freshman class was ranked No. 4 nationally in the non-Division I category by Wrestling USA Magazine. The Vikings were the only NSIC team to be ranked. The rankings were based on Dan Fickel's final rankings of the Best 2010 High School Seniors that appeared on USA Wrestling Magazine's web site. Augustana had four recruits appear in Fickel's rankings, including Jayd Docken (No. 28 at 189 pounds), TJ North (No. 2 at 112 pounds), Jeremiah Peterson (special mention) and Jake Miller (special mention).
Roster breakdown: The 2010-11 Vikings feature six seniors, six juniors, five sophomores, five redshirt freshmen and 10 freshmen. Team members hail from South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa.
New Vikings: Augustana head coach Jason Reitmeier last week announced the signing of five outstanding high school wrestlers, who will join the Viking program next season. They are Shawn Hatlestad (New London, Minn.), Garret Heiberger (Hartford, S.D.), JD Herst (St. Louis, Mo.), Taylor Harris (Harrisburg, S.D.), and Bret Johnson, (Story City, Iowa).
2009-10 in review: Augustana wrapped up the 2009-10 campaign with an overall record of 11-6 and an NSIC mark of 6-1. The Vikings finished second in the conference, first in Super Region Three and second in the country. Augustana placed six at the national tournament, including a national champion in Jay Sherer at 141 pounds.
Coaches' corner: Now in his eighth season, Jason Reitmeier has elevated Augustana to a national power. The former Viking wrestler has been honored as a coach of the year at the conference, regional and national level. Reitmemer is assisted by Tom Meester, Nate Buys, Mike Long and Jeremie Degen.
Stay connected: Follow Augustana all season long at www.GoAugie.com. The Vikings are also on Facebook and Twitter; just log onto www.facebook.com/GoAugie and www.twitter.com/GoAugie. To catch even more Viking action log onto Augustana's official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/GoAugie.
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