WAVERLY, Iowa-- Top-ranked Wartburg (18-0 overall) will travel to Minneapolis to face No. 2 Augsburg (10-1) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the annual Battle of the 'Burgs. The winner of the dual will own the Swens-Milboy trophy belt for the next year.
This title belt is named for the two coaches who built the Lutheran colleges to national prominence in small-college wrestling -- Augsburg's Jeff Swenson (1980-84, 1986-2007) and Wartburg's Jim Miller (1991-2013). Both coaches led their teams to 10 NCAA Division III national titles during their careers.
In addition to the collegiate dual, there will also be a high school dual between two powers in Minnesota and Iowa, Scott West (Jordan/Belle Plaine, Minn.) and Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa), which will begin at 5:30 p.m. Scott West is currently ranked No. 2 in the Minnesota Class AA state rankings by The Guillotine newspaper, while Waverly-Shell Rock is ranked No. 5 in the latest Iowa Class 3A state rankings by The Predicament newspaper.
T
he rivalry between the two Lutheran schools is one of the most significant in all of NCAA Division III sports, as the DIII wrestling national championship has been won by either Augsburg or Wartburg every year since 1995. Both teams have 12 NCAA national titles.
The rivalry has been so significant that it was once featured on the front page of the sports section of the New York Times in 2012
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/sports/colleges-locked-in-struggle-for-wrestling-supremacy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0).
*Some text courtesy of Augsburg Sports Information.
Follow the Knights
Click here for the
live video, provided by Augsburg
Click here for the
live audio, provided by KWAY.
The Series
Wartburg holds the all-time series lead at 17-15, but Wartburg has won the last eight consecutive meetings. This includes the match up earlier this season at the NWCA National Duals finals.
Listen to Jim Miller on The Ice Hour podcast.
Click here to listen.
Augsburg's lineup
125 #5 Victor Gliva
133 Sam Bennyhoff
141 #7 David Flynn
149 #9 Ryan Epps
157 Tone Fuenffinger
or Tanner Vassar
165 Lucas Jeske
or Brady McFarland
174 Austin Boniface
or Jackson Graham
184 #1 Owen Webster
197 Logan Hortop
or Sebastian Larson
285 #3 Donny Longendyke
Wartburg's lineup
125 #6 Arnulfo Olea
133 Connor Campo
141 #4 Cross Cannone
149 #1 Kenny Martin
157 #2 Logan Thomsen
165 #3 Andrew Steiert or
Brady Meyer
174 #2 Eric DeVos
Or Brice Duhe
184 #5 Bryan Levsen
197 #2 Kyle Fank
285 #2 Lance Evans
Notes:
-Cannone has 22
nd win of the season.
-Cannone enters the week on a ten-match winning streak.
-Martin remains undefeated at 8-0 on the year.
-Martin has a winning streak of 24 which dates back to last season.
-Thomsen and Fank co-lead the team with 25 win on the season.
-Thomsen remains undefeated against Division III opponents.
-Thomsen has a winning streak of 23.
-Steiert has a winning streak of 15 which dates back to last season.
-Fank has a winning streak of 18.
-Evans remains undefeated at 19-0 on the season
-Evans has a winning streak of 18
-Wartburg has an overall winning streak of 53 straight duals.
