FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Claiming seven champions/co-champions and 21 placewinners, the Augsburg University wrestling team claimed the title at the Citrus Open, held on Friday and Saturday at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

Augsburg wrestlers went 90-48 over the weekend, including 52 bonus-point victories — 34 pins, four technical falls and 14 major decisions. In addition to the champs in six weight classes, Augsburg had three runners-up, one third-place finisher and two fifth-place finishers among its 29 competitors at the tournament.

The Auggies, currently ranked No. 5 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, scored 211 points to win the 11 team tournament, bettering Upper Iowa, the No. 10-ranked team in Division II, which had 195 points. Eleven teams — eight Division III teams, two Division II teams and a club program — took part in the tournament.

Lucas Jeske (SO, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS), the top-ranked wrestler in Division III at 165 pounds, dominated his weight class with five first-period pins — including a 34-second match-ender — to claim the tournament title. Jeske is now 15-0 on the season with nine pins and 13 bonus-point wins.

Sam Bennyhoff (JR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS), ranked No. 5 nationally at 133 pounds, also had a dominating performance, collecting two pins and a technical fall among his four wins for the weight-class title. He pinned Matthew Noble of New York University, the No. 8-ranked 133-pounder in Division III, in 2:39 in the semifinals, then scored a 10-6 win over Josh Walker of Upper Iowa, ranked No. 5 in Division II, in the finals. Bennyhoff is now 14-0 on the season with seven pins, two technical falls and two major decisions.

Ryan Epps (SO, Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls HS), ranked No. 6 at 157 pounds, went 5-0 with a pin to score his weight class championship. He outscored his opponents 28-7 in four wins and had a 4:16 pin in the other match. In the finals, Epps scored a 3-1 win over Brock Benitz of Upper Iowa, ranked No. 12 nationally in Division II. Epps is now 13-0 on the year with two pins.

Victor Gliva (SO, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) scored two first-period pins and a 5-0 win over Matt Morris of Williams (Mass.) in the finals to claim the weight-class title at 125. Gliva is now 10-2 on the season with four pins.

Tanner Vassar (SO, Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS) scored the title at 174 pounds with five victories, including a technical fall and first-period pin. He scored a 13-7 win over Jordan Gundrum of Upper Iowa in the finals to improve to 16-2 on the season with six pins.

Twin brothers Aaron Wilson (SO, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) and Alex Wilson (JR, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) shared the title at 149 pounds, as both reached the final with 4-0 efforts, with both recording two pins and a major decision. Alex Wilson is now 16-3 on the year, while Aaron Wilson is 7-1.

David Flynn (SO, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)), who finished third at 141 pounds last season, saw his first action of the season over the weekend, finishing second at 141. He claimed a first-period pin and 8-0 and 11-0 major-decision wins to reach the finals, but dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 10-ranked Josh Martin of Cornell (Iowa) in the title match.

Brady McFarland (JR, Windlake, Wis./Muskego HS) finished second at 165 pounds, with his lone loss to teammate Jeske in the finals. McFarland had two pins to improve to 9-4 on the year.

Sebastian Larson (SR, River Falls, Wis./River Falls HS) finished second at 184 pounds, scoring three wins with a 17-4 margin before being edged 6-5 by Darian Edwards of Division II North Carolina-Pembroke in the finals. Larson is now 14-4 on the season.

Jackson Graham (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley HS) finished third at 174, going 4-1. He was one of four Auggies to place at 174, joining champion Vassar, fifth-place Tone Fuenffinger (SR, Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS) and ninth-place Solomon Nielsen (FY, Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS).

Wyatt Richardson (SO, Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow HS) placed fifth at 197, while Ethan Hofacker (SO, Spring Valley, Wis./Spring Valley HS) placed seventh at heavyweight and Mike Hayes (JR, Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) placed seventh at 141.

Placing eighth for Augsburg was Bryce Zdanovec (SR, Little Chute, Wis./Little Chute HS) at 157 and Tim Mandyck (FY, Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS) at heavyweight.

In the ninth-place bracket on Saturday, four Auggies finished ninth — Cruze Hulburt (FY, Spring Valley, Minn./Spring Valley HS) at 149, Joshua Verbeten (SO, Wrightstown, Wis./Wrightstown HS) at 157, Solomon Nielsen (FY, Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS) at 174 and Brent Chambers (SO, Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) at 197.

2017 Citrus Open Results

Augsburg will compete at the NWCA Division III National Duals next Thursday and Friday (1/4-5) at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.

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