Saint John’s 23, Augsburg 10

Johnnies Post 23-10 Upset of No. 7 Augsburg

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Saint John’s won seven matches in a 23-10 upset of No. 7 Augsburg on Saturday, Jan. 26, in Minneapolis.

Freshman John Wells (Janesville, Wis./Miltona) started the dual in fine fashion with a 9-7 upset of the Auggies’ Mike Fuenffinger, the sixth-ranked wrestler in NCAA Division III at 125 pounds. Sophomore Dalton Sowers (Long Lake, Minn./Delano) followed with a 6-5 win over Boyd Suparat at 133 before Augsburg posted wins at 141 and 149 pounds to tie it at 6-6.

“We got a big boost with two wins at the lower weights and our guys carried that momentum through the rest of the dual,” head coach Brandon Novak said. “It was a great win, but we need to improve and get better between now and the (March 2) NCAA Regional.”

Senior Chris Stevermer (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) started a string of five consecutive match wins with a 3-2 victory at 157 pounds. He is now 10-3 on the season. Junior Nick Schuler (Roseville, Minn./Totino-Grace) improved to 10-1 with a 10-2 major decision at 165 pounds, while freshman Josh Willaert (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) earned a 4-1 win over Josh Kohler in triple overtime at 174. Willaert is now 12-2 on the season.

Senior Mitch Hagen (Sunburg, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg), the fourth-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, posted a major decision of his own, 12-4. He is now 8-4. Sophomore Ryan Michaelis (Monticello, Minn.) tallied a 5-2 win at 197 pounds to improve to 7-2 on the year.

The top-ranked heavyweight in Division III, Chad Johnson ended the dual with a 13-2 major decision for Augsburg.

The Johnnies return home to host the annual North Country Open on Saturday, Feb. 2, in Sexton Arena.

Saint John’s 23, No. 7 Augsburg 10
125: John Wells (SJU) dec. Mike Fuenffinger (No. 6), 9-7
133: Dalton Sowers (SJU) dec. Boyd Suparat, 6-5
141: Tom Kuehn (AUG) dec. Evan Guffey, 11-4
149: Rashad Kennedy (AUG) dec. Cody Goldschmidt, 6-1
157: Chris Stevermer (SJU) dec. Kurt Knutsen, 3-2
165: Nick Schuler (SJU) major dec. Justin Bowland, 10-2
174: Josh Willaert (SJU) dec. Josh Kohler, 4-1 (3OT)
Click Here: Bape Kid 1st Camo Ape Head rompers 184: Mitch Hagen (No. 4, SJU) major dec. Noel Sweeney, 12-4
197: Ryan Michaelis (SJU) dec. Matt Hechsel, 5-2
285: Chad Johnson (No. 1, AUG) major dec. John Scepaniak, 13-2