No. 1 Augsburg edges No. 2 Wartburg 16-15 in front of 2,000 fans

WAVERLY, Iowa - As in many of the prior 23 duals between two of the top NCAA Division III programs in the nation, it came down to the wire No. 2-ranked and top-ranked Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn.

In front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 cheering fans, the Auggies used a major decision from third-ranked 174-pounder Zach Molitor and a key pair of third period takedowns from top-ranked 197-pounder Jarod Massey to help turn the tide in a 16-15 win over their hosts. Molitor's 11-2 win over sophomore 174-pounder Dylan Azinger of DeWitt was fueled by a five-point move late in the second period, while Massey, the defending national champion, held off a valiant charge from sophomore 197-pounder Byron Tate of Clinton to win 5-3.

Both teams gained five wins in the showdown. Wartburg opened well with second-ranked 125-pounder Mark Kist of Eagle Grove defeating Josh Roberts 3-1. Augsburg countered with a 5-2 win from fourth-ranked 133-pounder Paul Bjorkstrand over senior Sean White of Grand Junction, Colo. The decision theme for the visitors resumed with wins from No. 5-ranked 141-pounder Jafari Vanier and second-ranked 149-pounder Tony Valek to move in front 9-3.

The Knights came roaring back on the heels of the night's lone upset. Junior 157-pounder Adam Weber of Gilbertville, ranked No. 9, knocked off No. 6-ranked Jason Adams 8-6, and after top-ranked 165-pounder Carrington Banks of Stockbridge, Ga., won a decision at 165, it was 9-9. Enter Molitor with the major decision at 174 for a 13-9 Augsburg lead.

Junior 184-pounder Todd Becker of Gilbertville, ranked No. 7, brought the home crowd to its feet with a 3-1 win to close the margin to 13-12. Massey held off a furious flurry of shot attempts from Tate at 197 for the win, and senior heavyweight David Wyper of Perrysburg, Ohio, nearly took the roof off Levick Arena, putting No. 7-ranked Andrew Witzel to his back in the second period for a nearfall but couldn't close the pin during a 6-1 decision win.

Wartburg (15-2) closes its pre-Iowa Conference Championships schedule with action at UW-Eau Claire's Blugold Invitational and the Loras College Duhawk Open in Dubuque Saturday, Feb. 6. Augsburg, improving to 11-0, readies for the UW-Eau tourney as well and its final dual of the year against UW-Stevens Point Friday, Feb. 12.

NOTES - Augsburg now leads 15-9 all-time and has a slim 9-8 edge in the last 17 duals. … The last four match-ups, all won by the Auggies, have been decided by five points or less. … It's the third time in the series history the match has been decided by a single point.

#1 AUGSBURG 16, #2 WARTBURG 15

Levick Arena

Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center

Attendance: 1950

Officials: Eric Eckerman and Curt Frost

125 - Mark Kist (#2 - 16-2) of Wartburg dec. Josh Roberts (16-9), 3-1

133 - Paul Bjorkstrand (#4 - 27-7) of Augsburg dec. Sean White (25-7), 5-2

141 - Jafari Vanier (#5 - 8-4) of Augsburg dec. Matt Kelly (9-4), 6-5

149 - Tony Valek (#2 - 17-0) of Augsburg dec. Jacob Groth (#6 - 18-7) 7-2

157 - Adam Weber (#9 - 23-7) of Wartburg dec. Jason Adams (#6 - 34-4), 8-6

165 - Carrington Banks (#1 - 19-2) of Wartburg dec. Orlando Ponce (#6 - 23-10), 4-1

174 - Zach Molitor (#3 - 22-3) of Augsburg maj. Dec. Dylan Azinger (28-8), 11-2

184 - Todd Becker (#7 - 23-8) of Wartburg dec. Brad Baus (16-13), 3-1

197 - Jarrod Massey (#1 - 17-0) of Augsburg dec. Byron Tate (#4 - 31-6), 5-3

HWT - David Wyper (20-9) of Wartburg dec. Andrew Witzel (#7 - 18-8), 6-1