A win for head coach Jim Miller's team would mark the program's 100th consecutive dual victory against Iowa Conference competition. Buena Vista University was the last league team to knock off the Orange and Black, doing so by an 18-16 score in the final dual meet of the 1993-94 season.
Friday's meeting with the Norse marks the second time in five days the two league rivals have met on the mat. Wartburg rolled past Luther 35-6 in the semifinals of the 2006 National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls Jan. 15.
Wartburg follows up Friday's showdown with two contests in the UW-Stevens Point Pointer Duals Saturday, Jan. 21. The Knights will take on the host Pointers, ranked No. 22 in the recent NWCA/Brute-Adidas Division III top 30, at 4 p.m. and UW-Oshkosh at 6 p.m. in Quandt Fieldhouse on UW-Stevens Point's campus.
Knights rewind, notes – Wartburg kept the top seed true at the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals, upending mat rival Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., 29-6 in the championship dual Jan. 15.
The victory moved Wartburg's overall record to 17-0. Head coach Jim Miller's squad gained three major decisions and a technical fall en route to the victory.
Senior 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine, the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler, got the large Knights' contingent on their feet early, posting 12 points en route to a 12-2 win over the Auggies' Josh Hansen, while senior 174-pounder Scott Kauffman of Emmetsburg and junior 197-pounder T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls each racked up impressive major decisions as well. Junior heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer put an exclamation point on the largest victory in the five meetings between the two mat rivals in the finals of the National Duals by stopping Augsburg's Andrew Neumann on a technical fall in five minutes.
Wartburg reached the final by notching its 99th consecutive dual win against Iowa Conference competition with a 35-6 victory over Luther in the semifinals on Sunday. Senior 125-pounder Tyler Hubbard of Blue Springs, Mo., junior 197-pounder Ryan Phillips of Burlington and Gillis each gained falls in the win over the Norse. The Knights added a 51-0 win over Simpson in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Jan. 14, producing six bonus-point wins.
Hinschberger was named the conference's Male Athlete of the Week Jan. 16 due to his Outstanding Wrestler award at the National Duals. He's the fourth Knights wrestler to earn the league's top male athlete honor this season, joining Hubbard, Gillis and freshman 133-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City…The Orange and Black kept firm hold on their No. 1-ranking in the recent NWCA/Brute-Adidas top 30, released Jan. 16. Four individuals, Hubbard (125), Hinschberger (141), Miller (197) and Gillis (285), enter the weekend ranked No. 1 at their respective weights. Three more are in the top three as sophomore 149-pounder Jacob Naig of Emmetsburg is second, Kauffman is second at 174, and senior 184-pounder Akeem Carter of Waterloo is third at 184. McKray rounds out Wartburg's ranked individuals, coming in at No. 8 at 133…A sweep of this week's dual action would mark the third consecutive season of 20-or-more dual wins for the Knights. Wartburg's record in that span is 68-4.
Next up: Wartburg makes a trip to Simpson College in Indianola for a dual against the Storm Tuesday, Jan. 25. The Knights return home to host their section of the 2006 Iowa Conference Duals Saturday, Jan. 28.
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