SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Capped by an electric overtime victory at 285 pounds in front of an Alumni Weekend crowd, the No. 8 Augustana wrestling team took down Minot State, 36-6, on Saturday afternoon.
 
The victory pushes the Vikings to an even 7-7 on the season and 4-2 in conference action while the Beavers fall to 6-6 overall and 2-4 in the NSIC.
 
Action started off with a major exclamation point at 125 pounds, as No. 3 Jaxson Rohman logged an early takedown to take control. Mere seconds later, Rohman had his opponent flat to earn the first period pin in 1:42 and put AU on the scoreboard first.
 
Alex Mentzer struck next for the Vikings, taking the 8-1 advantage early on in dominant fashion with two takedowns and a two-point nearfall in the first period alone. He fought off three total escapes from his opponent and added in a reversal in the third period to secure the 10-3 decision at 141.
 
At 149 pounds, No. 2 Cael Larson put on a clinic as he took the 6-1 lead after two takedowns in the first period. He gained momentum heading into the second, totaling three more takedowns and an escape to go ahead 16-3. Larson added another takedown for good measure in the third, ending the match in 5:11 with the 19-4 tech fall and putting the Vikings ahead 14-3.
 
Following a victory for Payton Handevidt by injury default, Coy Gunderson took the mat at 174 pounds and quickly gained the upper hand with two takedowns and a three-point nearfall. He held his opponent scoreless in the second period while adding in another takedown and an escape for the 13-2 lead. Finally, in the third period, Gunderson collected another takedown and a bonus point for riding time to secure the 17-4 major decision.
 
No. 13 Cade Mueller came out strong at 184 pounds with a takedown and four-point nearfall within the first two minutes of competition. He added another takedown for the 10-1 advantage after the first period and went into the second period looking for the victory. Mueller would go on to earn three more takedowns in 52 seconds to secure the 19-3 tech fall in 3:52, putting Augustana up 29-6.
 
At 197 pounds, No. 4 Max Ramberg faced a gritty battle against Cannon Potts of MSU and held onto a 3-1 lead courtesy of a takedown after the first period. Despite giving up an escape to start the second, Ramberg added another takedown and eventually added in a takedown again in the third along with a bonus point for ride time, taking the 10-2 major decision.
 
In the final match of the afternoon, Max Balow faced No. 9 Jake Swirple at 285 pounds and had the crowd on its feet throughout. Following a scoreless and tightly-battled first period, Balow gave up an escape and was soon behind 1-0. He would get one back at the start of the third but the scoring would stop there, forcing sudden victory overtime. That period also stalled, resulting in further action where Balow dominated and grabbed a four-point nearfall in the first tie break period before adding an escape in the second tie break period. The convincing effort and upset victory secured the 36-6 dual victory for Augustana.
 
FULL RESULTS
125: No. 3 Jaxson Rohman (AUG) over Dylan McDonald (MSU) (Fall 1:42)
133: Wayne Joint (MSU) over Braiden Kort (AUG) (Dec. 3-2)
141: Alex Mentzer (AUG) over Adrian Chavez (MSU) (Dec. 10-3)
149: No. 2 Cael Larson (AUG) over Ethan Wonser (MSU) (TF 19-4 5:11)
157: Ryan Hrcka (MSU) over Davin Rose (AUG) (Dec. 3-2)
165: Payton Handevidt (AUG) over Brendan Barnes (MSU) (Inj. 1:51)
174: Coy Gunderson (AUG) over Gavin Turk (MSU) (MD 17-4)
184: No. 13 Cade Mueller (AUG) over Dom Howlett (MSU) (TF 19-3 3:52)
197: No. 4 Max Ramberg (AUG) over Cannon Potts (MSU) (MD 10-2)
285: Max Balow (AUG) over No. 9 Jake Swirple (MSU) (TB-1 6-1)
 
EXTRA MATCHES
165: Payton Anderson (AUG) over John Armstrong (MSU) (Dec. 8-2)
 
UP NEXT
Augustana will return to action on the road, with duals against Augsburg on Friday, Feb. 7 and Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 8.