SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Augustana rising senior, and Sioux Falls native, Brandon Carroll burst onto the scene during the 2016-17 campaign. The then-freshman went 20-13 overall and 5-3 in NSIC duals at 125 pounds, becoming the first true freshman to qualify for nationals at Augustana in nearly 15 years. For his efforts, he was named Super Region 3 Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-NSIC honors.

"I really don't know," said Carroll when asked about what he did so well. "I didn't think about how good other teams were and how good other wrestlers were. I never counted myself out and I definitely had to prove myself. I still feel like that today. It just kind of happened."

It definitely wasn't supposed to happen, however. Carroll planned to redshirt during his freshman season, but decided to give it a go once the season started. 

"For me, I just had trust in the coaches," said Carroll on the decision to not redshirt. "I gave it my all in the open tournaments and when they brought up that conversation I just trusted them and said ok, let's do it." 

The trust between Carroll and the coaches had already been developed, long before Carroll was even a Viking. Carroll credits Assistant Coach Chism Fink with helping his decision to wrestle at Augustana.

"I had gone to camps at Augustana and Chism and I were pretty close during my high school career," Carroll said. "He helped me out a lot and helped out with training camps for big tournaments, so we were pretty close and built a relationship early.

"When I took my visit to Augustana, I was super comfortable with my hometown, the guys there and the people. It felt right for me."

After a stellar freshman campaign, Carroll faced some adversity during his next couple of seasons as a Viking. He finished 2-2 in the regionals during his sophomore season, narrowly missing out on another trip to nationals. 

"I had a great start to my sophomore year and was wrestling really well," said Carroll. "Then, I had to take some time off because my knee swelled up. Not sure if it was bursitis, but obviously there is no excuse from me.

"The rest of that year, I definitely felt the weight cut a little more, so that's why in my junior year, I decided to move up to 133 pounds. We also decided to redshirt my third year to try and get bigger and adjust to the weight class."

The move to 133 pounds paid big dividends for Carroll during the 2019-20 wrestling season. He posted a 15-3 overall record while going 4-0 in duals (including the lone Viking win against Division I North Dakota State) with five falls, two major decisions and one tech fall. Carroll also took home first place at the UNK Younes Hospitality Open on Nov. 23. 

Even more incredible, the senior logged three of his four dual wins on a torn ACL, which he suffered just before Christmas break. 

"When I tore my ACL, it was partially torn," said Carroll. "I was given all sorts of advice and options. With nationals in Sioux Falls, it was very important to me to give myself a chance at that. 

"I decided to keep wrestling and see what happens. I could have had surgery earlier or tried to get a medical redshirt, but I wanted to give myself a shot to wrestle in my hometown at nationals."

Carroll recorded his last win of the season on Feb. 8 in a 12-8 decision over Minot State's Oscar Nellis and did not participate in the Super Region 5 Tournament. He then had surgery in March to repair his ACL.   

Now, heading into his last wrestling season at Augustana, Carroll is on the road to recovery from his ACL tear and hopefully on the road back to nationals. 


"I have physical therapy at the Sanford Fieldhouse once a week and then every other weekday, I'm at Augustana working with Jordan (Lindberg, Assistant Athletic Trainer)," said Carroll. "He does a lot for me.

Carroll, and the rest of the Vikings, are hoping their collective offseason work and rehab show on the mat next season. 

"I'm trying to get my knee ready and I'm going to give it everything that I've got," said Carroll when asked about next season's expectations. "Hopefully that leads to me on the podium at nationals. I expect it for myself. For the team, we expect success, and to me, I think it means at least top 10 at nationals."

Carroll's expectations are certainly within reach. The Vikings went 10-4 in duals last season, finishing second in the NSIC, and return three national qualifiers in Carroll (from his freshman season), Hunter Burnett and Steven Hajas. Augustana has not only the roster to be national contenders, but the coaching staff as well. 

"I think our coaches do a really good job of running the program," said Carroll. "It's changed every single year I've been here, which is good, because it shows they are always trying to change things for the better.

"I am really proud to be on this team. Our coaches tell us to live by our principles and to stay strong when things get hard. I admire that and I think the team has really bought in the last couple of years."