No. 8 Augsburg edges No. 4 Concordia on criteria

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Both teams won five bouts in the dual meet, but the No. 8-ranked Augsburg College wrestling team edged No. 4-ranked Concordia College-Moorhead on tiebreaker criteria, claiming a 16-15 win in the dual on Friday evening at Concordia’s Memorial Auditorium.

The teams both claimed five wins by decision, but Augsburg was able to gain the bonus point for the win on the third tiebreaker criteria, total points. Augsburg had 34 individual points, compared to 32 for Concordia. Augsburg, the defending NCAA Division III national champion, entered the match ranked No. 8 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings while Concordia entered the match ranked No. 4 in the national poll.

Trailing 9-3 after the first four bouts, Augsburg collected four straight victories to pull ahead 15-9. Concordia tied the match with wins from its two nationally-ranked wrestlers at 125 and 133. Austin Boniface (JR, Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake HS) began the Auggie run with a 4-0 win over Jake Johnson at 174 pounds, followed by a 4-1 win by Sebastian Larson (SO, River Falls, Wis.) over Ricky Briggs at 184. Larson scored all four of his points in the third period, with an escape, takedown and riding time point. Logan Hortop (JR, Faribault, Minn.) improved to 16-11 on the season with a 1-0 decision over Jacob Briggs at 197, with the lone point coming on a second-period escape.

No. 1-ranked and defending heavyweight national champion Donny Longendyke (JR, Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) scored his 20th win of the season, improving to 20-2 with a 7-1 win over Justice Davis, a national tournament qualifier from last season. Longendyke is now 64-4 in his Augsburg career and 104-25 in his collegiate career. Rashad Kennedy (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) improved to 9-2 on the season and 75-50 in his college career with a 5-2 win over Ty Johnson at 149.

Concordia built a 9-3 lead with wins in three of the first four bouts. Starting at 141, Blaine Tschida scored a 3-2 win over Aaron Wilson (FY, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS), Ben Cousins claimed a 7-3 win over Grant Parker (JR, Onalaska, Wis.) at 157, and Cole Sladek used two third-period takedowns to score a 7-3 upset win over No. 5-ranked Eric Hensel (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) at 165. The Cobbers closed the match with two wins from their nationally-ranked wrestlers, as No. 6-ranked Jakob Stageberg scored a 6-2 win over James Goman (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Trinity-River Ridge HS) at 125, and No. 5-ranked Gabe Foltz scored a 5-3 win over Sam Bennyhoff (FY, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) at 133.

Augsburg travels to face Saint John’s in a dual on Sunday (1/24) at 2 p.m. The Augsburg White Team (junior varsity) competes at the Minnesota-Iowa Duals at Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College on Saturday (1/23) at 9 a.m. Concordia hosts Dickinson State (N.D.) in a dual on Thursday (1/28) at 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 — Memorial Coliseum, Moorhead, Minn.
Action begins at 141 pounds.

RECORDS: Augsburg 10-2 overall, Concordia 11-5 overall

Augsburg 16, Concordia-Moorhead 15
141 — Blaine Tschida (CC) dec. Aaron Wilson (AUG, 10-11) 3-2 (Concordia 3-0)
149 — Rashad Kennedy (AUG, 9-2) dec. Ty Johnson (CC) 5-2 (TIED 3-3)
157 — Ben Cousins (CC) dec. Grant Parker (AUG, 18-9) 7-3 (Concordia 6-3)
165 — Cole Sladek (CC) dec. No. 5 Eric Hensel (AUG, 16-3) 7-3 (Concordia 9-3)
174 — Austin Boniface (AUG, 14-7) dec. Jake Johnson (CC) 4-0 (Concordia 9-6)
184 — Sebastian Larson (AUG, 15-9) dec. Jake Johnson (CC) 4-1 (TIED 9-9)
197 — Logan Hortop (AUG, 16-11) dec. Jacob Briggs (CC) 1-0 (Augsburg 12-9)
HWT — No. 1 Donny Longendyke (AUG, 20-2) dec. Justice Davis (CC) 7-1 (Augsburg 15-9)
125 — No. 6 Jakob Stageberg (CC) dec. James Goman (AUG, 11-13) 6-2 (Augsburg 15-12)
133 — No. 5 Gabe Foltz (CC) dec. Sam Bennyhoff (AUG, 14-3) 5-3 (TIED 15-15)

Augsburg wins on tiebreaker criteria No. 3 – total team points (34-32) (Augsburg 16-15)

View more college results

Click Here: Cardiff Blues Store