Wartburg hopes to reclaim team title at NCAA Div. III Nationals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this weekend
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by Jon Gremmels, Special to TheMat.com
Wartburg hopes that its nine NCAA qualifiers can bring it an NCAA Div. III team title this year. Photo by Julie Drewes from Wartburg’s Athletics Website
Wartburg's domination on the mats this year shouldn't prevent the Knights' main competition from having hope they can knock off the top-ranked team at this weekend's NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
After all, the picture looked the same last year, when the Knights were the overwhelming favorite to win a fifth consecutive national title, only to finish second behind longtime rival Augsburg.
Wartburg Coach Eric Keller sees one big difference this year, however.
“Last year, basically everybody but (Drew) Wagenhoffer had never been on the (awards) stand,” Keller said Tuesday. “We had eight All-Americans, but they were happy (just) to place.
“It's different this year. The attitude is different. The approach is different. Lesson learned. We've got to get bonus points. Our focus is we've got to do more.”
Augsburg showed everyone in the 2015 field the importance of bonus points. Even though the Auggies had two fewer All-Americans than Wartburg — albeit one more than any of the other teams — they recorded seven pins, two technical falls and seven major decisions, and outscored Wartburg 100-89.5 to claim a record 12th national title.
But Keller feels a little more comfortable with his team entering this year's tournament. The Knights have one returning champion — Kenny Martin at 149 — and three other All-Americans in their lineup: Connor Campo at 133, Wagenhoffer at 157 and Gerard Roman at 197. Campo and Eric Devos (174) enter the tournament as top seeds for the Knights.
“I love where this team is at,” Keller said. “They came together and jelled. They were there for each other. That's a big thing because you can dig a little deeper when that happens.”
Although Augsburg has the same number of national qualifiers as Wartburg (9), it has turned over much of its lineup. Two-time national champion Mike Fuenffinger (125 pounds) and national runner-up Chad Bartschenfeld (133) have graduated, leaving national champion Donny Longendyke (heavyweight) and Eric Hensel (165) as the only returning All-Americans.
This year, Messiah might be the top threat for Wartburg with seven qualifiers, led by two-time national runner-up Lucas Malmberg (125) and three-time All-American Josh Thomson (184). Wabash has six qualifiers, led by junior Riley Lefever (184), a two-time national champion.
Other returning champions are Coe's Farai Sewera at 165 and Cortland' Joe Giaramita at 197. Luther's Drew VanAnrooy is a returning runner-up at 141, and Tyler Schneider (174) of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Robert Dierna (157) of Cortland are returning runners-up who have moved up in weight.
But, past performance and seeding sometimes mean little in Division III. Last year, only four No. 1 seeds even made it to the finals, and two fourth seeds and two fifth seeds won titles.
Friday morning's opening session will feature several matchups of ranked wrestlers, including:
• No. 10 Rob Murray of Stevens Institute of Technology vs. No. 4 Bobby Jordan of Johnson & Wales at 125.
• No. 4 Dustin Weinmann of Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. No. 2 Jesse Gunter of Baldwin Wallace at 133.
• No. 8 Ben Henle of St. John's vs. No. 6 Ryan Budzek of The College of New Jersey at 141.
• No. 6 Joey Gaccione of Johnson & Wales vs. No. 2 Dan Mirman of John Carroll at 149.
• No. 8 Ryan Vandall of Central vs. No. 4 Nick Herring of The College of New Jersey and No. 6 Nick Velez of Ithaca vs. No. 5 Colin Navickas of Stevens at 165.
• No. 1 Lefever vs. No. 10 Ron Tassoni of Washington & Lee and No. 3 Thomson vs. No. 5 Bryan Levsen of Wartburg at 184.
• No. 8 Kyle Koser of Messiah vs. No. 5 Angus Arthur of Adrian at 197.
And, if Van Anrooy wins his pigtail match, he must face returning All-American Layten Binion of North Central in the first round.
There's even a chance of former champions squaring off in Friday night's session because Longendyke and 2015 national champion James Buss are in the same quarter of the bracket at heavyweight.
“I guarantee you'll see upsets in the first round,” Keller said. “You're going to have to be at your best. Nothing is going to be easy. It shouldn't be.”
Jon Gremmels is covering the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships for the 25th consecutive year. Follow his tournament coverage at themat.com and on Twitter at d3onthemat
Wartburg's domination on the mats this year shouldn't prevent the Knights' main competition from having hope they can knock off the top-ranked team at this weekend's NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
After all, the picture looked the same last year, when the Knights were the overwhelming favorite to win a fifth consecutive national title, only to finish second behind longtime rival Augsburg.
Wartburg Coach Eric Keller sees one big difference this year, however.
“Last year, basically everybody but (Drew) Wagenhoffer had never been on the (awards) stand,” Keller said Tuesday. “We had eight All-Americans, but they were happy (just) to place.
“It's different this year. The attitude is different. The approach is different. Lesson learned. We've got to get bonus points. Our focus is we've got to do more.”
Augsburg showed everyone in the 2015 field the importance of bonus points. Even though the Auggies had two fewer All-Americans than Wartburg — albeit one more than any of the other teams — they recorded seven pins, two technical falls and seven major decisions, and outscored Wartburg 100-89.5 to claim a record 12th national title.
But Keller feels a little more comfortable with his team entering this year's tournament. The Knights have one returning champion — Kenny Martin at 149 — and three other All-Americans in their lineup: Connor Campo at 133, Wagenhoffer at 157 and Gerard Roman at 197. Campo and Eric Devos (174) enter the tournament as top seeds for the Knights.
“I love where this team is at,” Keller said. “They came together and jelled. They were there for each other. That's a big thing because you can dig a little deeper when that happens.”
Although Augsburg has the same number of national qualifiers as Wartburg (9), it has turned over much of its lineup. Two-time national champion Mike Fuenffinger (125 pounds) and national runner-up Chad Bartschenfeld (133) have graduated, leaving national champion Donny Longendyke (heavyweight) and Eric Hensel (165) as the only returning All-Americans.
This year, Messiah might be the top threat for Wartburg with seven qualifiers, led by two-time national runner-up Lucas Malmberg (125) and three-time All-American Josh Thomson (184). Wabash has six qualifiers, led by junior Riley Lefever (184), a two-time national champion.
Other returning champions are Coe's Farai Sewera at 165 and Cortland' Joe Giaramita at 197. Luther's Drew VanAnrooy is a returning runner-up at 141, and Tyler Schneider (174) of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Robert Dierna (157) of Cortland are returning runners-up who have moved up in weight.
But, past performance and seeding sometimes mean little in Division III. Last year, only four No. 1 seeds even made it to the finals, and two fourth seeds and two fifth seeds won titles.
Friday morning's opening session will feature several matchups of ranked wrestlers, including:
• No. 10 Rob Murray of Stevens Institute of Technology vs. No. 4 Bobby Jordan of Johnson & Wales at 125.
• No. 4 Dustin Weinmann of Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. No. 2 Jesse Gunter of Baldwin Wallace at 133.
• No. 8 Ben Henle of St. John's vs. No. 6 Ryan Budzek of The College of New Jersey at 141.
• No. 6 Joey Gaccione of Johnson & Wales vs. No. 2 Dan Mirman of John Carroll at 149.
• No. 8 Ryan Vandall of Central vs. No. 4 Nick Herring of The College of New Jersey and No. 6 Nick Velez of Ithaca vs. No. 5 Colin Navickas of Stevens at 165.
• No. 1 Lefever vs. No. 10 Ron Tassoni of Washington & Lee and No. 3 Thomson vs. No. 5 Bryan Levsen of Wartburg at 184.
• No. 8 Kyle Koser of Messiah vs. No. 5 Angus Arthur of Adrian at 197.
And, if Van Anrooy wins his pigtail match, he must face returning All-American Layten Binion of North Central in the first round.
There's even a chance of former champions squaring off in Friday night's session because Longendyke and 2015 national champion James Buss are in the same quarter of the bracket at heavyweight.
“I guarantee you'll see upsets in the first round,” Keller said. “You're going to have to be at your best. Nothing is going to be easy. It shouldn't be.”
Jon Gremmels is covering the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships for the 25th consecutive year. Follow his tournament coverage at themat.com and on Twitter at d3onthemat
