March 2, 2007

DUBUQUE, IOWA . . . Five Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) schools are among the top-10 after day one of the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa. Nineteen of the IIAC’s 32 national qualifiers have earned All-American honors by finishing in the top-eight of their weight class.

Defending National Champion Wartburg College is currently second with 62.5 points, 13 points behind perennial power Augsburg College, which leads the team race with 75.5 points. Luther College is fourth in the team standings with 47.0 points, 4.5 points behind third-place UW-LaCrosse. Buena Vista University sits in a sixth-place tie with SUNY-Cortland with 22.0 points. Cornell College (8th with 20.5 points) and Coe College (10th with 19.0 points) are also in the top-10 after Friday’s competition. Host Loras College (t-40th with 4.0 points) also scored.

Individually, 10 of the Conference’s 19 All-Americans are in the Championship bracket and six have previously earned All-American honors. Luther’s Matt Pyle (149-pounds) and Wartburg’s Blake Gillis (heavyweight) have both earned their fourth All-American honor, becoming the Conference’s fourth and fifth four-time All-Americans, first since Wartburg’s Joe Dawley (1991-94). Buena Vista’s Jestin Hulegaard (133-pounds) is a three-time All-American, the Conference’s 34th overall. Two-time All-Americans include: Luther’s Nate Hansen and Cornell’s Chris Heilman, who will meet in the 125-pound semifinals on Saturday, and defending National Champion at 197-pounds, Wartburg’s T.J. Miller. All six are in the Championship bracket.

Wartburg has six All-Americans, including five in the Championship bracket. Luther has four All-Americans, Buena Vista and Coe each have three, Cornell has two, and Loras has one All-American. Coe’s three All-Americans are the most the Kohawks have had in one Championship, bettering the two from 1977 and 2003.

Other IIAC wrestlers in the Championship bracket include: Buena Vista’s Ben Strandberg (197-pounds) and Wartburg’s Jake Helvey (133-pounds), Jason Knipp (165-pounds) and Romeo Djoumessi (184-pounds).

IIAC wrestlers in the Consolation bracket include: Buena Vista’s Wade Hammen (heavyweight), Coe’s Brian Clement (125-pounds), Gannon Hjerleid (133-pounds) and Jared Creason (141-pounds), Cornell’s Pat McAuley (157-pounds), Loras’ Jay Figgins (184-pounds), Luther’s Travis Grawin (141-pounds) and Alec Bonander (197-pounds), and Wartburg’s Aaron Wernimont (157-pounds).

Complete Championship results are here.

Championship semifinals, and consolation quarterfinals and semifinals are Saturday beginning at 10:30 a.m. Third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches begin at 4:00 p.m. and the Championship matches are set for 7:00 p.m.

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