This week: Augustana (3-0), ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, competes in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's (NWCA) Cliff Keen National Duals this Saturday and Sunday at the Northern Iowa Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Last time out: The Vikings blanked Northwestern 42-0 in Orange City, Iowa.
Gavin Nelson (165) and
Ty Copsey (197) registered pins, while
Austin Carmichael (157) earned a technical fall. Posting decisions were
Al Meger (125),
Cody Lensing (133),
Jason Jeremiason (141),
Nate Herda (149),
Brian Schultz (184), and
Mike Roberts (285).
Carl Serck (174) won by forfeit.
Loaded division: Joining Augustana in the Division II class at the Cliff Keen National Duals are Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri, Findlay (Ohio), Grand Canyon (Ariz.), Limestone (S.C.), Minnesota State, Minnesota State Moorhead, Newberry (S.C.), San Francisco State, St. Could State, North Carolina-Pembroke, Nebraska-Omaha, Wisconsin-Parkside, Upper Iowa and Western State (Colo.). Nebraska-Omaha holds the No. 1 ranking nationally, while St. Cloud State is No. 2, Western State No. 4, Newberry No. 5, Findlay No. 7, Upper Iowa No. 10, Grand Canyon No. 11, Central Oklahoma No. 12, UW-Parkside No. 13, San Francisco No. 19, and North Carolina Pembroke No. 20. To view the national duals home page, click
here.
The great unknown: Augustana will not know who it faces at the NWCA National Duals until late in the week. The pairings are determined by national rankings and who is invited to participate. The Vikings' matchups will immediately be posted
here when they are determined.
Dominating: Augustana has tossed shutouts in two of its three dual wins this season and has outscored its opponents 114-6.
Back in action: The Vikings return to the mat after nearly a month-long hiatus for the holiday break. Augustana's last competition was its 42-0 rout of Northwestern (Iowa) on Dec. 9.
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 retained its No. 3 spot in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Rankings released Dec. 8 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Vikings received 141 points. Nebraska-Omaha remained No. 1 with 160 points, while conference neighbor St. Cloud State again took the No. 2 spot with 150 points. In the NSIC,
Who's ranked: Augustana had six individuals ranked in the latest NCAA Division II rankings, highlighted by
Jay Sherer's No. 1 position at 141 pounds. The senior also held the No. 1 position in the inaugural poll of the season. The Vikings also had a trio of wrestler ranked No. 2 as
Nate Herda (149 pounds)
Marcus Edgington (157 pounds) and
Ty Copsey (197 pounds) held that position. Herda climbed up one spot from the previous rankings. Other ranked wrestlers included
Al Meger (No. 5 at 125 pounds) and
Gavin Nelson (No. 7 at 165 pounds). To view the latest national rankings, click
here.
Northern Sun rankings: Augustana is ranked No. 2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Vikings accumulated 61 points in the conference rankings and 56 in the region rankings. Individually,
Jay Sherer (141 pounds),
Nate Herda (149 pounds),
Marcus Edgington (157 pounds) and
Ty Copsey (197 pounds) each took the No. 1 position. Others in the top five included
Al Meger (No. 3 at 125 pounds),
Cody Lensing (No. 3 at 133 pounds),
Gavin Nelson (No. 2 at 165 pounds),
Carl Serck (No. 3 at 174 pounds) and
Lance Peters (No. 4 at 285 pounds). To view the complete conference rankings, click
here.
Regionally speaking: The Vikings are No. 2 in Super Regional Three after earning 56 points in the inaugural rankings released Dec. 9.
Jay Sherer,
Nate Herda,
Marcus Edgington and
Ty Copsey were all ranked No. 1. Others in the top five were
Al Meger (No. 3 at 125 pounds),
Cody Lensing (No. 3 at 133 pounds),
Gavin Nelson (No. 3 at 165 pounds),
Carl Serck (No. 4 at 174 pounds) and
Lance Peters (No. 4 at 285 pounds). To view the complete region rankings, click
here.
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 |
|
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.
