Auggies lead field after first day of Citrus Open

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — With 12 wrestlers in championship contention and four more in consolation brackets, the Augsburg College wrestling team stood in first place after the first day of the Citrus Open on Thursday at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

Twelve Auggies — at least one in each of the 10 weight classes — went unbeaten on the first day of competition to remain in contention for individual titles. Four others are in consolation brackets, and 12 Auggies will compete in ninth-place brackets on Friday.

Augsburg, ranked No. 8 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, leads the 12-team meet with 109 points, ahead of No. 21-ranked Cornell (Iowa) with 95.5 and No. 4-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse with 74.0. Oneonta State (N.Y.) is fourth with 71 points. There are eight Division III teams, one Division II team (No. 21-ranked North Carolina-Pembroke) and three club programs with wrestlers in the meet.

Tone Fuenffinger (JR, Hibbing, Minn.) recorded three pins on Thursday to advance to the 157-pound semifinals, joining teammate Grant Parker (SR, Onalaska, Wis.), the No. 10-ranked 157-pounder nationally, who recorded a first-period pin and a 10-4 decision to reach the semifinals. Parker is now 13-3 on the season, while Fuenffinger is 5-3 with four pins.

Sam Bennyhoff (SO, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS), ranked No. 4 nationally at 133, improved to 9-2 on the season with two victories, advancing to the semifinals in his weight class.

Making his season debut for his final semester of collegiate wrestling, Donny Longendyke (SR, Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) scored two first-period pins on Thursday to reach the semifinals. Longendyke, an NCAA Division III national titlist and national runner-up in his two prior Auggie seasons, is now 85-5 with 48 pins in his Augsburg career, and 125-26 with 71 pins in his overall collegiate career.

David Flynn (FY, Jordan, Minn./Scott West), a transfer who competed as a redshirt last season and on the varsity in the first half of this season at Division I North Dakota State, made his Augsburg debut on Thursday, going 2-0 with a first-period pin and 9-1 major-decision win at 141 pounds. Flynn is now 11-3 this season (9-3 at NDSU) with five pins, and 30-14 in his collegiate career with eight pins.

Ryan Epps (FY, Cannon Falls, Minn.) recorded three wins on Thursday, including a 15-0, technical-fall win in his second bout, to advance to the 149-pound semifinals and improve to 9-0 in his first collegiate campaign.

Two 165-pounders also claimed three wins on Thursday. Lucas Jeske (FY, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) made his college debut with a pin and two wins by decision at 165, and Brady McFarland (SO, Windlake, Wis./Muskego HS) had a major-decision win and two decisions to improve to 11-4 on the season.

Owen Webster (FY, Shakopee, Minn.) went 2-0 with a pin to advance to the 184-pound semifinals, improving to 13-1 on the season with 10 straight wins. Austin Boniface (SR, Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake HS) also went 2-0 with a pin to reach the 174-pound semifinals.

Two Auggies advanced to the semifinals with one victory — Victor Gliva (FY, Farmington, Minn.) with a technical-fall win at 125 and Sebastian Larson (JR, River Falls, Wis.) with a pin at 197.

Four Auggies are still alive in consolation brackets — Mike Hayes (SO, Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) at 141, Tanner Vassar (FY, Maple Lake, Minn.) at 149, Jackson Graham (JR, Apple Valley, Minn.) at 174 and Ethan Hofacker (FY, Spring Valley, Wis.) at heavyweight.

CITRUS OPEN – DAY 1 RESULTS/BRACKETS

AUGSBURG FIRST-DAY RESULTS BY WEIGHT CLASS

• 125: Victor Gliva 1-0.
• 133: Sam Bennyhoff 2-0, Monty Frederiksen 1-2.
• 141: David Flynn 2-0, Mike Hayes 2-1, Bryon Simmons 1-2.
• 149: Ryan Epps 3-0, Tanner Vassar 2-1, Alex Wilson 3-2, Joshua Verbeten 0-2.
• 157: Tone Fuenffinger 3-0, Grant Parker 2-0, Bryce Zdanovec 2-2, Boone Young 0-2.
• 165: Lucas Jeske 3-0, Brady McFarland 3-0, Gable Frandsen 2-2.
• 174: Austin Boniface 2-0, Jackson Graham 21, Cameron Schmitz 0-2, Julian Georgescu 0-2.
• 184: Owen Webster 2-0, Niko Anderson 0-2, Jonny Zarnke 0-2.
• 197: Sebastian Larson 1-0, Brent Chambers 0-2.
• HWT: Donny Longendyke 2-0, Ethan Hofacker 2-1.

View More College News

Click Here: cheap all stars rugby jersey