Having won nine national championships in the last 15 years, including 2005, the fact that Jeff Swenson's Augsburg Auggies are among the favorites to hold the trophy should be no surprise. How they will do so after losing three undefeated champions, and five All-Americans overall, is the major question facing them for the upcoming season. Oh, and will three-time undefeated National Champion 157-pounder Marcus LeVesseur be able to finish his college career without a loss?
Outlook:
Marcus LeVesseurWho will replace the lost All-Americans from last season (three of whom -- Joe Moon, Mark Matzek and Matt Shankey were undefeated national champions)? Well, as with most years in Minneapolis, it'll be a battle for spots. Returning at 125/133, will be junior Ben Moss, who had a solid 12-3 record last year. The Auggies hope he will be able to help ease the loss either Shankey or Matzek, depending on which weight he goes. At 141, Rich Taylor (Sr., last year's record: 12-11) and Josh Hansen (Jr., 23-10) will be fighting to fill in the considerable shoes left by two-time national runner-up Jamell Tidwell. Replacing a wrestler of Moon's credentials at 174 will be difficult, but either Travis Birhanzl (Sr., 14-3) or Robbie Gotreau (So., 24-11) -- both platooned during Moon's absence the first part of last season, should be effective. At heavyweight, Andrew Neumann (Jr., 16-7) seems to be the front-runner for departed fourth-place finisher Mark Simmonds.
The "other half" of the ‘Burg dynasty in Division III college wrestling, led by veteran coach Jim Miller, is just south of the Minnesota border in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg has been trading championships with Augsburg over the last decade. The Knights hope to improve upon their second-place finish from last year. Led by two two-time NCAA champions, 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger and 197-pounder Akeem Carter, the Knights have their aim squarely on the "Burg nemesis" to the north.
Outlook:
As with Augsburg, guaranteed spots are non-existent in Knight-land. There's a pretty good chance, however, that Hinschberger and Carter have a stranglehold on their weights. Other All-American's battling for a return trip to national prominence includes Heavyweight Blake Gillis (Jr., runner-up in '05), who will try all the tricks in his bag to try to topple UW-Lacrosse's Ryan Allen this year. Senior Scott Kauffman (184, 5th), a senior, will try to rise higher in the ranks, as will Jacob Naig (149, 6th) who is only a sophomore.
Akeem Carter
Eight-time defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion UW-Lacrosse has had a good run within the state's borders; yet, the school has yet to produce a National Championship team. Eagle faithful -- along with young coach Nate Skaar, are hoping this year's young and decorated UW-Lacrosse team will improve three spots from its fourth-place finish of 2005 -- I'm guessing they will. The team has perhaps the most celebrated Division III wrestler, along with Levesseur, in heavyweight Ryan Allen, who has won the past two national titles. There are a host of teammates who will be working to match their anchor's accomplishments.
Outlook:
Along with Allen, who has given both Steve Mocco (two-time Division I champion) and Cole Konrad (Divsion I runner-up) close matches, an astounding six 2005 All-Americans return for the Eagles. Youth is being served in LaCrosse, as five of those All-American's are underclassmen. Starting at 125 should be Jordan Kolinski, who took 7th as a freshman. Another sophomore, Mike Rohowetz, landed an 8th-place finish in a very tough 133 weight class last year. At 149, junior Jake Larsen finished 4th, and will look to improve upon that finish this year. There have been rumblings that senior Nick Ammerman (165, 6th) will not be competing this year; needless to say, Coach Skaar and all LaCrosse supporters are hoping this isn't the case. Other All-American's returning to the lineup in 05-06 are 174-pounder Josh Chelf (6th) and Jim Swanson (197, 5th) -- both juniors.
Nate SkaarAll this means that UW-LaCrosse likely returns its entire lineup. Also, coupled with the Eagles' massive recruiting class, this is a team to be reckoned with this year and the years to come.
Coach Dave Mitchell has produced some quality Norse teams in his ten-year tenure; in fact, Luther has placed in the top five nationally four times in that span; this includes a 3rd-place finish in 2005. This team might again be headed towards a high national finish, but they need to find some effective replacements for the wealth of talent they lost. Led by returning 149-pound NCAA champion Matt Pyle, a junior, Luther brings a mix of youth and experience into the 2005-06 campaign.
Outlook:
The loss of five starters, including four All-Americans (including one National Champion), is tough for any DIII program. It is the hope in Decorah, however, that the more experienced Norse will lead their fledgling teammates by example throughout the year. One comrade Pyle hopes will help him in this quest is All-American Michael Lopez, a senior, who placed 4th last year. There are rumors that Lopez may not be eligible for the upcoming season. If this is the case, then Luther will have another substantial hole to fill in the lineup. Other veterans on the squad include Nathan Evans (125, Sr., 12-15) and former national qualifier Lon Welsh (Sr., 174, 12-8).
The Norse had a successful national tournament in 2005, culminating in the aforementioned five All-Americans and third-place team finish. Who will they look to take those spots over? Starting at 141, Ben Kissling (Jr., 4-9) and Brad Ernst (So., 3-6) will be fighting to replace Jeff Patzke, who placed 3rd nationally in ‘05. Ryan Lebeau, 2005 runner-up at 157, is gone, leaving a void in the middle of the lineup. Perhaps look for Nate Van Dyke (Jr., 9-10 at 149) to move up a weight, or a new recruit to take the spot. At 165, the move might be the other way, as A.J. Gregg (So., 23-12 at 174) could look to replace Garrett South, the 2005 NCAA champion. 184 looks to be a wide-open weight for Luther, as all of the returning participants had sub-.500 records in 2005. Joe Postuma (Jr., 7-15) and Scott Jennings (So., 2-4) actually had the best-looking records at the weight behind graduated All-American Danny Adams (6th). The top highest weights look like they have serious holes. Gone is starter Wyatt Reyerson at 197, and his successor is a major question mark. Heavyweight also presents a problem, as Luther had no steady heavyweight during the 2004-05 season. How the team fills in those spots will be a good indicator of the team's success.
SUNY-Brockport was a wrestling powerhouse in the 1980s, winning three national titles during the decade (1980, 1982, and 1983). They have not tasted national glory since the 1992 season, however; this could be the year they put up a serious challenge. Veteran coach Don Murray, in his 36th season, is well-aware that returning four All-Americans is a very nice start. He hopes that there will be a glorious celebration near Rochester next March.
Outlook:
One person who won't be sad to see Augsburg's Mark Matzek graduate is junior Tony D'Ambra. Matzek won a tight 3-1 decision over D'Ambra in the 2005 finals match, giving D'Ambra a runner-up finish -- he will surely look to take it one step further this season. Joining him will be Shaheim Bradshaw, a sophomore, who took 5th place nationally in a meat-grinder of a weight class. Logic would dictate that a freshman, who did so well—at that weight, will be looking for a top-three finish this season. Brockport is well-represented at the upper-weights, as senior 197-pounder Will Weiss (3rd) and heavyweight Pat Bennett (Sr., 8th) anchor the Golden Eagles. Other returning wrestlers who saw time include Allan Boice (So., starter at 125, 15-13), Brett Giehl (So., 174, 11-10) and Donald Williams (So., 157/165, 17-9).
Brockport did lose two 2005 national qualifiers in Dan Roberts (141, four-time national qualifier) and Pat Hanscomb (149) after last season to graduation. They will look to Kyle Fried (So., 141/149, 14-6) and Andrew Grillo (So., 149, 7-2) to pick up the slack. At 184, the Golden Eagles will return sophomore Steve Speiseleiere, who went 3-13 during his freshman campaign.
Prediction for 2005-06:
1. UW-LaCrosse
2. Augsburg
3. Wartburg
4. SUNY-Brockport
5. Luther
Up-and-Comers:
Loras Duhawks
Coach Randy Steward's Duhawks have a nice mix of youth and experience coming back this season. Last year's team was laden with underclassmen, including junior All-American Terry Morgan, who took third place at the 2005 Championships. A year older and wiser, Loras could be a top-10 team come March.
Buena Vista Beavers
Mark SchwabConcordia-Moorhead Cobbers
Coach Clay Nagel is a well-known name in Minnesota high school wrestling circles. He coached small-town Frazee to numerous state titles. His last name might be more familiar in national circles -- as he's the father of current Gopher All-American Matt Nagel, and former two-time Division II All-American Travis Nagel. The name has meant something to the Cobbers: Nagel has brought a huge recruiting class with him, especially by Division III standards. Likely not this year. Maybe not next. But Concordia will be a force in the near future.
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