No. 17 Augustana (11-4, 4-1 NSIC) closes out the season on a three-dual road swing beginning with a trip to No. 4 St. Cloud State (15-1, 4-0 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
Scouting the competition
St. Cloud State enters the weekend with a 15-1 overall record, 4-0 in the NSIC. The Huskies’ Division II-record 54-match dual win streak was snapped with their loss to No. 1 Notre Dame. After that loss, SCSU is on a seven match winning streak.
Five St. Cloud State wrestlers are currently ranked in the top eight nationally of their respective weight class. Leading the way is the second-ranked 133-pounder, Andy Pokorny, who owns a 10-0 record this season. Ranked third at 285 pounds, Austin Goergen is 23-4, undefeated against Division II opponents at 13-0. At 141 pounds, Matt Nelson is ranked fourth with an 8-4 record on the season. 157-pounder Clint Poster is 22-6 on the season and ranked fifth — Poster lost to Shawn Hatlestad 5-4 in SCSU’s win. The final Husky ranked is Gabe Fogarty, ranked seventh at 165 pounds, with a 4-3 record.
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Series: Augustana holds a 20-13 edge in the series dating back to a 44-7 win over the Huskies on Dec. 1 1981. The Vikings are 6-5 in duals hosted by SCSU and have a 16-11 lead in the series in conference duals. St. Cloud State has won the past two meetings, including a 19-12 win last season while they were ranked No. 1. The series features four winning streaks by the Vikings including a six-dual span from Jan. 2002 to Jan. 2007.
Vikings flex muscles in win over Northern State
Augustana nearly shut out their neighbors from Aberdeen in a 41-3 win over Northern State. The Vikings won nine bouts, three by forfeit, and scored bonus points in four. Morgan Engbrecht continued his hot streak at 133 pounds, earning his first tech fall this season. At 285 pounds, Michael Lowman notched his first major decision, nearly earning a pin. Tim Weber (165) and Drake Fanslau (174) rounded out the Viking domination with their own major decisions. Shawn Hatlestad missed a major decision by just one point at 149 pounds and Bradyn Neises bounced back from a loss with a decision victory at 157 pounds. With the blowout win, the Vikings improved to 25-0 against Northern State all-time.
Steady as the North star
In his sophomore campaign, TJ North has already turned in a dominating performance. Hailing from Elk Point, S.D. is tied with senior Sean Derry for Augustana’s best record at 23-3 Against Division II competition, North is 11-0 with and has earned the No. 4 ranking at 125 pounds. 13 of the Vikings’ 14 duals, the action has started at 125 pounds and North has started the Vikings off with 56 points in those 14 matches, second on the team.
North has scored on 52 takedowns, second on the team, while allowing just eight by his opponents. Proving his dominance on top, North has also scored points on riding time in 17 matches. To close the season, North will face the fourth and eighth ranked wrestlers in the Super Region 3 rankings.
Derry’s dominating senior season
After qualifying but not able to compete due to injury at the NCAA Championships, Sean Derry is on a war path in his senior season, despite being dropped from the 184-pound rankings. Tied with TJ North, Derry owns a 23-3 and holds an 11-0 mark against Division II competition. Derry’s takedown ability is shining through with 92 so far this season, while being taken down just five times. With 59 team points scored, Derry leads the Vikings and has proven to be a rock at the 184-pound class. Derry joins North with a perfect 14-0 dual record, giving the Vikings a chance in every match. Derry’s competition stiffens as he will face Upper Iowa’s Blake Sorensen, who is ranked fourth in Division II.
Vikings hit double-digit wins, within striking distance of program record
Augustana’s 30-10 win over Minnesota State on Jan. 25 the Vikings reached 10 wins for the fifth straight season. Currently at 11 wins, the Vikings have a chance to tie the program record of 14 dual wins. The task will be tough with a pair of top-10 opponents on the road. Under head coach Jason Reitmeier, the Vikings have reached double-digit wins seven times now. Augustana has twice reached 14 wins under Reitemeier, posting 14-2 records in both 2004-05 and 2010-11.
Augustana debuts in NCAA poll at 17th, North and Docken remain top-five
Augustana broke into the NCAA Division II Wrestling poll top 20 after three consecutive releases of receiving votes but not enough points to earn a top-20 spot. The Vikings earned 26 points, tying them at No. 17 with Ashland (Ohio) while Notre Dame (Ohio) remained No. 1.
TJ North moved up one spot to No. 4 at 125 pounds after he took down previous No. 1 Alex Johns of Indianapolis. Suffering his first loss of the year, Jayd Docken dropped one spot to fifth after losing to now-No. 4 Julian Smith. Despite a 23-3 record, 11-0 against D2 competition, Sean Derry dropped out of the 184-pound rankings.
Up next
Augustana finished the season on the road with a pair of important NSIC duals. The Vikings head North to face Minnesota State Moorhead on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. To close the season, Augustana heads to Fayette, Iowa to face No. 8 Upper Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.