Augustana's quest for an outright Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wrestling championship ended with a disappointing 19-18 loss at Upper Iowa Sunday afternoon in Fayette, Iowa.
The sixth-ranked Vikings won more matches (6) than the third-ranked Peacocks (4), but Upper Iowa got bonus points in three of its wins to take over sole possession of the NSIC lead. Augustana slipped to 10-5 in duals this season and 5-1 in the NSIC. UIU improved to 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the league.
Augustana appeared in control of the dual heading into the final two matches. The Vikings led 15-13 and had
Ty Copsey, ranked No. 3 in the nation at 197 pounds, taking the mat against unranked Nick Shandri.
Copsey was in total control of the match late in the second period. Leading 6-1 Copsey took Shandri down at the edge of the mat. However, the takedown came after the whistle and Shandri was injured on the play. Shandri was unable to continue and as a result was awarded the injury default victory. Instead of leading by at least an 18-13 margin, Augustana found itself trailing 19-15.
Needing a major decision to force a tie in the team score, Augustana's
Lance Peters defeated Arron Cramer 4-2 to make it a 1-point margin.
Upper Iowa grabbed the early momentum. At 125 pounds, No. 5 Tyler Mumbulo and Augustana's
Al Meger locked up in a tight match. With the score tied 4-4 late in the third period, Mumbulo took down Meger to his back and recorded a pin at the 6:25 mark, staking the Peacocks to a 6-0 lead.
But Augustana responded with four-straight victories to grab a 12-6 advantage. At 133 pounds,
Laramie Shaffer upended No. 8 Kyle Pedretti 5-3. Pedretti got a late takedown to tie the score 3-3, but Shaffer got a quick escape and added a riding time point to claim the win.
The 141-pound bout featured a matchup of nationally-ranked wrestlers. Augustana's
Jay Sherer, ranked seventh in the nation, used a third-period takedown to grab the lead as he hung on for a 6-5 decision over eighth-ranked J.R. Baker.
Augie's
Nate Herda, ranked fifth in the country at 149 pounds, then scored an 8-5 victory over Derek Stolarzyk to give the Vikings a 9-6 lead.
Marcus Edgington, the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, then edged UIU's Justin Decker 2-1 in a hard-fought match. Edgington scored an escape from the down position to start the second period. Leading 1-0 in the third period, Edgington rode Decker for almost the entire period. He surrendered an escape with 13 seconds left but won the match with a riding-time point.
Upper Iowa stopped Augustana's string of wins at 165 pounds, where No. 2 Travis Eggers defeated
Gavin Nelson by major decision 16-4 to make the score 12-10 in favor of the Vikings.
Carl Serck scored the biggest win of the dual for the Vikings. Serck, who is unranked, upset No. 3 Mitch Norton 4-3, extending the Viking lead to 15-10.
UIU's Mitch Schultz, ranked No. 2 at 184 pounds, kept the Peacocks in the dual when he defeated Augie's
Nick Henning 4-1, making the score 15-13 and setting the stage for the bizarre ending.
Augustana can still claim a share of the NSIC title. The Vikings' final conference dual is Thursday at Minnesota State Moorhead. A win over the Dragons, coupled with an Upper Iowa loss to St. Cloud State next Sunday would force a tie for the league crown.
#3 Upper Iowa 19, #6 Augustana 18
125 pounds: #5 Tyler Mumbulo (UIU) pinned
Al Meger (Augie), 6:25
133 pounds: Laramie Shaffer (Augie) dec. #8 Kyle Pedretti (UIU), 5-3
141 pounds: #7
Jay Sherer (Augie) dec. #8 J.R. Baker (UIU), 6-5
149 pounds: #5
Nate Herda (Augie) dec. Derek Stolarzyk (UIU), 8-5
157 pounds: #1
Marcus Edgington (Augie) dec. Justin Decker (UIU), 2-1
165 pounds: #2 Travis Eggers (UIU) major dec.
Gavin Nelson (Augie), 16-4
174 pounds: Carl Serck (Augie) dec. #3 Mitch Norton (UIU), 4-2
184 pounds: #2 Mitch Schultz (UIU) dec.
Nick Henning (Augie), 4-1
197 pounds: Nick Shandri (UIU) won by injury def. #3
Ty Copsey (Augie)
285 pounds: Lance Peters (Augie) dec. Arron Cramer (UIU), 4-2
