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This week
No. 3 Augustana (10-2, 2-1 NSIC) is home this weekend for a pair of conference duals. On Friday, the Vikings entertain Southwest Minnesota State (7-4, 1-2 NSIC) at 7 p.m. On Sunday at 2 p.m., Augustana takes on Northern State (3-6, 0-3).
Last time out
The Vikings suffered their first NSIC loss of the season at No. 1 and unbeaten Saint Cloud State last Friday with the host Huskies posting a 26-9 decision. Augustana rebounded with an 18-15 win at Minnesota State last Saturday.
Rematch
Augustana battles Northern State for the second time this season. The teams clashed earlier at the NWCA National Duals with the Vikings winning 25-15.
Cody Lensing (125),
Jason Jeremiason (133),
Chism Fink (141),
Nate Herda (149),
Marcus Edgington (157),
Carl Serck (174) and
Jeff Nielsen (197) posted wins for the Vikings. Jeremiason and Herda were awarded major decisions, while Fink notched a technical fall.
Strings snapped
Augustana had won six straight dual matches before its loss at St. Cloud State. In addition, 125-pounder
Cody Lensing and 133-pounder
Jason Jeremiason suffered their first setbacks of the season and take 10-win records into the weekend encounters with Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State.
Friendly confines
Augustana hasn't lost a home NSIC dual since the 2008-09 season. The Vikings have won their last eight conference duals in the Elmen Center and have went undefeated at home in NSIC action the past two seasons. The last time Augustana fell at home in a conference dual was on Feb. 6, 2009, when St. Cloud State topped the Vikings 17-16.
Outscoring opponents
Augustana has nearly doubled its opponents' points in dual contests this season. The Vikings are outscoring foes 287-153 for 2011-12. The largest margin of victory for
Jason Reitmeier's team this season was a 40-0 throttling of Dakota Wesleyan on Dec. 9.
Scouting Southwest Minnesota State
Southwest Minnesota State brings a 7-4 overall record and 1-2 NSIC mark (fourth in standigns) to Friday's dual. The Mustangs are 4-0 at home this season, including a 23-17 conference win over Northern State on Jan. 27. Head coach Jesse Nelson is 22-32-1 and is in his fourth season at SMSU.
Scouting Northern State
Northern State is 2-4 overall and sits in eighth in the NSIC standings at 0-3. The Wolves' two wins this season have come over Dakota Wesleyan and Chadron State. Heavweight Matt Meuleners is the defending national champion and is currently ranked second in the country. Patt Timm is in his 10th season as the head coach at NSU.
In the NSIC
Augustana sits at third in the NSIC with a 2-1 record, while St. Cloud State and Upper Iowa are first and second with 5-0 and 4-0 records, respectively. Three teams--MSU Moorhead, Minnesota State and Northern State--are winless in conference dual competition.
Winding down
The Vikings will have just two remaining duals on the schedule following this weekend's tilts with Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State. Upper Iowa and MSU Moorhead wrap up the regular dual season for Augustana. The Vikings will host an open tournament on Feb. 18, travel to the Super Region Three Championship on Feb. 26 and head to the NCAA Championship on March 10 and 11.
Double-figure wins
Jason Reitmeier has guided his team to 10 dual wins for the third-consecutive season and fourth time in his career. Reitmeier went 14-2 last season and 11-6 in 2009-10. Other years in double-figure wins for the ninth-year head coach include 2004-05 (14-2) and 2005-06 (12-5).
Viking lineup
Jason Reitmeier plans to field the following lineup this weekend:
NSIC honors
Augustana has had one NSIC Wrestler of the Week this season.
Jayd Docken earned the honor on Dec. 5.
National news
Augustana moved up two spots to No. 3 in the latest Division II national rankings released Jan. 25. The Vikings received 135 points to tie with Upper Iowa. St. Cloud State remained in the top position with 160 points. To view the complete poll, click
here.
|
Date |
Rk |
|
Oct. 26 (Preseason) |
6th |
|
Dec. 7 |
6th |
|
Jan. 11 |
5th |
|
Jan. 25 |
3rd |
Individual rankings
Six Augustana wrestlers are individually ranked in the top eight in the nation in their respective weight classes.
Regionally speaking
The latest Super Region Three rankings have Augustana second with 44 points. The Vikings fell in behind St. Cloud State. For the complete region rankings, click
here. The individual rankings breakdown as follows:
NSIC rankings
Augustana has three wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the conference in their respective weight classes. Chsim Fink (141),
Nate Herda (149) and
Marcus Edgington (157) hold that distinction. Several other Vikings also rank high. As a team, Augustana is ranked second with 58 points. To view the complete rankings, click
here.
According to the coaches
Augustana was picked third in the 2011-12 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Vikings, who are the defending conference champions, collected 44 points in the poll. St. Cloud State, the national preseason favorite, was the top choice in the NSIC with 55 points. The Huskies narrowly edged out Upper Iowa, which collected 54 points.
|
1. |
St. Cloud State |
55 |
|
2. |
Upper Iowa |
54 |
|
3. |
Augustana |
44 |
|
4. |
Minnesota State |
32 |
|
5. |
U-Mary |
20 |
|
6. |
MSU Moorhead |
17 |
|
7. |
Northern State |
11 |
|
8. |
Southwest Minnesota State |
7 |
Coaches' corner
2011-12 marks
Jason Reitmeier's ninth season as the head coach of the Augustana wrestling program. A former Viking wrestler, Reitmeier has mentored 39 All-Americans and guided his teams to six top-10 national finishes. He is assisted by
Tom Meester, Mike Long, Brett Lutmer, Nate Buys,
Al Meger and Jeremie Degen.
All-Americans
Of Augustana's seven All-America honorees last season, three return.
Jason Jeremiason (133),
Nate Herda (149) and
Marcus Edgington (157) are all back for the 2011-12 season.
A look back
Last season, Augustana finished third and had seven All-America honorees at the NCAA Championship. The Vikings, who took second at the Super Regional Three Championship, finished the dual season with a record of 14-2 and were the NSIC champions with a flawless 7-0 conference campaign.
Up next
Augustana travles to Upper Iowa on Feb. 10 for a 7 p.m. dual.
