A great honor for a great leader

Permit your friendly blogger a personal indulgence to share some of my thoughts about my boss, and my friend, Jeff Swenson ...

Last Friday was a very busy day for Augsburg sports. The athletic department staff had to prepare for two big home events going on at the same time -- a wrestling match against perennial rival Wartburg (Iowa) and a men's hockey game against Concordia-Moorhead. We also had a high school wrestling match in the Si Melby Hall gym, and the wrestling meet had a "major event" feel to it ... a raised stage for the mat, an anticipated huge crowd, our first-ever live video webcast, and a very special event prior to the meet honoring our department's boss, athletic director Jeff Swenson.

Jeff was being honored for his quarter-century as Augsburg's wrestling head coach with the unveiling of the "Jeff Swenson Wrestling Wall of Fame" in the Kennedy Center lobby, adjacent to the Alan and Gloria Rice Wrestling Center and the Lute Olson Hall of Champions. Knowing Jeff as I have for the last dozen years, I know that he was very humbled by the event, and given his druthers, he probably didn't want his name attached to the Wall of Fame ... he's a good Lutheran, and we Lutherans don't like attention drawn to ourselves. "Honor the history of the program, not one person," he probably said at first (I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that was the case).

But I'm glad that Jeff Swenson's name has a place on the Wrestling Wall of Fame, and that it is featured in such a prominent and public place in the athletic complex. Jeff has given nearly all of his adult life to Augsburg College. As a student, coach, alumni director, and now in his role as athletic director, he has lived and breathed this great place. And he has been one of the key elements in developing the success of not only our wrestling program, but now our entire athletic department.

Can you imagine what it was like to be Jeff Swenson back in 1980? Just a year removed from graduating from Augsburg, at the tender age of 22, he's asked by the college to take over the wrestling program that his coach and mentor, John Grygelko, had developed into a major player in the sport at the small-college level. John, or "G" as everyone knows him, has given his blessing to Jeff's taking over the program.

And what a job Jeff did. In 25 years, he took the program that "G" gave him and made it a national powerhouse. Ten national championships ... 39 individual national champs ... 158 All-Americans ... 321 dual-meet wins ... 20 MIAC team titles ... 14 MIAC Team Duals titles ... a reputation of athletic AND academic excellence ... and other records too numerous to count. And then, in 2007, after leading Augsburg to its 10th national title, he stepped down to take on the full-time responsibility of leading Augsburg's athletic department (a job he had done on a part-time basis since 2001).

Over the last decade, under Jeff's leadership, Augsburg's athletic department has shown tremendous growth and progress. The little school in the heart of Minneapolis has improved its facilities and staff, while making a commitment to develop our student-athletes into leaders, both on the field and off. He has brought our 18 teams together under one umbrella and has made our athletic department a true family. He's applied the lessons he taught hundreds of wrestlers through the years to our entire athletic endeavor, and we're all the better for it.

When you take the steps up into the Kennedy Center -- a building dreamed and realized under Jeff's leadership -- you now see the Jeff Swenson Wrestling Wall of Fame on your right. In the trophy case are more than 30 national trophies ... most of which earned under Jeff's leadership. It's a great tribute to a great leader.

Back to Friday night ... on that busy evening, many people gathered in the Kennedy Center to honor Jeff. The A-Club Suite was as full as I've ever seen it, with former wrestlers, coaches and friends all there to pay tribute to Jeff Swenson and his leadership. Former wrestlers Mark Matzek -- now Augsburg's head coach with Jeff as an assistant -- and Nick Slack delivered great tributes to Jeff, and how he played a key role in not only their lives, but in the lives of everyone around them. Then, Jeff took the stage, and of course, he deflected the attention from himself. He thanked everyone for their contributions to the growth and success of Auggie athletics, and paid special tribute to his family ... his parents, his sister, his wife Melissa and their young kids, Brady, Brett and Ethan.

And during halftime of the wrestling match -- a match Augsburg won 21-16 to secure the No. 1 ranking in the Division III national polls -- a public tribute was given to Jeff, in front of a nearly full house in Si Melby Hall. And he received a well-deserved standing ovation. A fitting honor for a great person, and someone I'm proud to call my friend, Jeff Swenson.

Battle of Burgs Maroon Out!

Two things in this post regarding Friday's Augsburg-vs.-Wartburg (Iowa) wrestling battle at Si Melby Hall (7:30 p.m. ... BE THERE!).

1. Do you want to look cool, like the model in this photo (wrestling manager and track/cross country student-athlete Kelsie Lungstrom)? Then buy the exclusive Battle of the Burgs t-shirt! Just $15 ... available by contacting Keith Bateman at 612-330-1395 or batemank@augsburg.edu.

2. Friday will feature another Maroon Out night, sponsored by the Augsburg Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Show up in your Auggie maroon (buy the Battle of the Burgs t-shirt and wear it later!) and pack the gym for the Augsburg-Wartburg meet! SAAC will also be selling the ever-popular Auggie SuperFan t-shirts during the meet.

Big events this week

A couple of big events this week for Auggie athletics ...

The Augsburg men's basketball team will have a huge home game against St. Thomas on Wednesday (1/28) at 7:30 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. The Auggies are on a serious roll, having won their last three straight games and six of their last seven to move into second place in the MIAC standings. Meanwhile, St. Thomas is 17-0 (the lone unbeaten men's team in Division III) and will likely move into the No. 1 spot in the D3hoops.com Division III national poll on Tuesday. It should be a great game!

Meanwhile, the Augsburg wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the Division III national poll, will have its annual "Battle of the Burgs" on Friday night, when No. 2-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) visits Si Melby Hall at 7:30 p.m. Augsburg valuted to the top spot in the national rankings after edging defending national champion Wartburg 21-20 in the finals of the NWCA Division III National Duals on Jan. 11 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Wartburg has nine individuals ranked nationally, while Augsburg has eight nationally-ranked wrestlers.

Before Friday's dual meet, there will be a battle of two highly-ranked high school squads, as Albert Lea faces Coon Rapids at 6 p.m. We're expecting a big crowd for the wrestling event on Friday, so get to Augsburg early!

Wrestling update

Augsburg wrestling update, courtesy of head coach Mark Matzek:

Wow! What an incredible weekend. We marched through the first day of the NWCA Division III National Duals, beating our opponents by a combined score of 110-0. The second day in the semifinals, we faced Delaware Valley (Pa.). Our guys fought hard and we came out on top with a 25-17 victory. In the finals, we faced our nemesis, No. 1-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa). With more than one swing in momentum, the meet was a roller coaster ride of emotions. We beat the Knights 21-20 to win the tournament and take over the No. 1 ranking in the country.

This Friday, we travel to Fargo, N.D., to wrestle the Bison of North Dakota State University. The Bison are a Division I opponent and will be a great test for the wrestlers on this team. We wrestled NDSU in the past when it was a Division II program. Assistant head coach Jared Evans and I were on the last two squads when we dueled them as athletes, and we ended up on the short end of the stick in both 2003 and 2004. Both of us want to turn the tables on them!

The other half of our squad will be competing at the Northwestern-Iowa Red Raider Invite in Orange City, Iowa. The field of competition looks to be a mix of very tough NAIA opponents.

The following two weeks after the NDSU dual will be a test of both talent and toughness for us. We go to Sioux Falls, S.D. to wrestle Division II Augustana (S.D.) on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Then we head out to wrestle the No. 2-ranked team in Division II, the University of Nebraska-Omaha. We have twice gone into their home in the past and come out on top (2005 and 2007).

We finish up January with duals against Wisconsin-LaCrosse on Sunday, Jan. 25, and a rematch of the NWCA National Duals finals against Wartburg on Friday, Jan. 30. There will also be a high school dual preceding the meet vs Wartburg. Coon Rapids and Albert Lea will wrestle at 6 p.m. and we will wrestle at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The wrestlers are not satisfied with their performance at the NWCA National Duals. It was great to win it and get that No. 1 ranking, but that is not their long-term goal for the season. Every single student-athlete in this program has their eyes set on the Great Lakes Regional and the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Auggie wrestling moves to No. 1 in rankings

After its impressive run to the championship at the NWCA Division III National Duals over the weekend, the Augsburg wrestling team has moved into the No. 1 spot in the latest Brute-Adidas NWCA Division III national rankings, released yesterday.

Augsburg supplanted defending national champion Wartburg (Iowa), which had occupied the No. 1 spot since last January. The Auggies topped Wartburg 21-20 in the finals of the National Duals on Sunday.

Eight Auggie wrestlers are ranked in the top 10 in their respective weight classes, led by No. 1-ranked Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) at 133 pounds and Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.) at 149. Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) is ranked No. 2 at 197, while Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.) is No. 4 at heavyweight. Ranked No. 5 is Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125 and Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) at 157, and ranked No. 7 is Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) at 141 and Zach Molitor (SO, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) at 174.

Augsburg has another big test this Friday, when it travels to face Division I North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D., resuming a series that ended in 2004, the last season NDSU was in Division II. The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 5-5.

Augsburg wrestling seeded No. 2 for National Duals

The Augsburg wrestling team is seeded No. 2 in the Division III field for the NWCA National Duals, coming up this Saturday and Sunday at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Brackets are posted here.

The Auggies will open against No. 15-seeded Buena Vista (Iowa) on Saturday at 11 a.m., in the 16-team Division III bracket. Defending national champion Wartburg (Iowa) is the No. 1 seed in the bracket, while Delaware Valley (Pa.) is No. 3 and Coe (Iowa) is No. 4.

After dropping to the No. 7 spot in the last national rankings following the Auggies' dual-meet loss to St. John's in November, the Auggies have returned to the No. 2 spot in the latest national rankings, released yesterday. Wartburg is in the top spot, with the rest of the top 10 made up with Augsburg, Delaware Valley, Coe, Wisconsin-Whitewater, North Central (Ill.), Wisconsin-La Crosse, Ithaca (N.Y.), St. John's and Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Augsburg has seven individuals ranked in the top 10 in their individual weight classes, including top-ranked wrestlers Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125 pounds and Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) at 133. Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.) is ranked No. 2 at 149 and Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) is ranked No. 2 at 197. Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.) is ranked No. 3 at heavyweight, Lucas Murray (SO, Anoka, Minn.) is ranked No. 4 at 141 and Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) is ranked No. 5 at 157.

Welcome back!

Welcome back to the second half of the Augsburg athletics year! Now that we're deep into the winter sports season and the holidays are behind us, we promise to be more vigilant with posts to the ol' AugBlog.

Some observations on the first portion of the winter sports season:

n The Augsburg wrestling team is heading into the upcoming Division III National Duals with renewed optimism, given the results from the team's last two tournaments. At the Sunshine Wrestling Classic at the end of December, Augsburg won seven individual titles and had 19 top-eight placewinners in a tournament that featured five schools rated in the top 25 in the Division III national poll. And this past Saturday, the Auggies shined against some solid NAIA and Division II competition at the Dickinson State (N.D.) Blue Hawk Classic, with six champs/co-champs and 18 placewinners.

The Auggies dropped to the No. 7 spot in the national polls after a dual-meet loss to in-state rival St. John's on Nov. 25, but hopefully should move back into the top four when the new poll comes out on Tuesday. Heading into the National Duals this coming weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, it should make for some interesting action.

n The Augsburg men's hockey team represented themselves very well over the weekend at the Pathfinder Bank/Oswego (N.Y.) Hockey Classic, taking second place with a 6-2 win over Babson (Mass.) in the opening game and a 5-2 loss to No. 11-ranked Oswego State (N.Y.) in the finals.

And a solid weekend for Chris Johnson. The junior forward scored two goals and had three assists to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Also, another solid weekend for goalie Andrew Kent. Playing every minute in goal for the Auggies thus far this season, he has produced a solid 3.84 GAA and .888 save percentage, and he came up with 60 saves on the weekend.

n The Auggie women's hockey team has a lot of traveling this weekend ... five games in a seven-day span! Two games at Lake Forest (Ill.), then a day to travel north to Hancock, Mich., for two games against Finlandia (Mich.), and a day of traveling back to Minneapolis for a home game against Plymouth State (N.H.) on Saturday afternoon. A total of 1,110 miles on the bus during the week.

The Auggies are still in search of their first win of the season, but are coming off a close 2-1 loss to Lake Forest yesterday afternoon. Hopefully, the first win comes this week!

n The Auggie men's basketball team has also been a victim of some close results, with three two-point games in a row -- a 52-50 win over Gustavus on Dec. 10, a 76-74 loss to Northwestern-Roseville on Dec. 13 and a 57-55 loss to St. Olaf on Saturday.

Junior point guard Jon Cassens has had another solid start to the season, averaging a team-best 14.7 points-per-game while also contributing 41 assists. David Olson has also been solid at the guard spot, averaging 10.3 ppg, and center Nate Alm has been outstanding, averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per-game. And the Auggies may have found another scoring threat in newcomer Anthony Humphrey, a transfer from Bemidji State who joined the team at the semester break. In his first Auggie game on Saturday against the Oles, he connected on four clutch 3-pointers and had 14 points.

n The Auggie women's basketball team has had a tough start to MIAC play, with five straight losses, including a 76-63 setback to St. Olaf this past Saturday, with the Auggies missing center Christa Sudebeck due to injury. However, coach Jennifer Britz's squad hung tough all game, despite being at a height disadvantage. Here's hoping that Suedbeck and her 10.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per-game come back to the Auggie lineup soon!

Meanwhile, guards Shannon Renne and Serenae Levine have put together solid seasons, averaging 10.4 and 10.5 points per-game, respectively. Levine has the potential to be one of the top first-year players in the conference, and her 23-point, five-assist, two-steal effort against St. Olaf was incredible. Another player who is having the best year of her career is senior swing-player Michelle Richter, who has contributed a solid 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per-game thus far.

Huge incoming class for Augsburg wrestling

MINNEAPOLIS (10/29/08) -- At 23 student-athletes strong, one of the largest recruiting and transfer classes in program history will take the mat for the Augsburg College wrestling team in 2008-09, head coach Mark Matzek has announced. Among them are six state champions and 16 state tournament placewinners, along with two transfers from Division I programs.

Full season preview for Augsburg wrestling will be online tomorrow. The Auggies open their season with the annual Alumni Day/Parents' Day/Open Practice on Saturday (11/1) at 4:30 p.m. at Si Melby Hall.

Travis Anderson (141, FY, White Bear Lake, Minn.) -- Two-time state tournament qualifier (Class AAA 145 in 2008, Class AAA 140 in 2007) and two-time All-Suburban East Conference competitor.

Brandon Bahr (174, FY, Bemidji, Minn.) -- Two-time state tournament placewinner (Class AAA 171 third place in 2008, Class AAA 160 fourth place in 2007), Guillotine Academic All-State second-team recipient in 2008, 88-36 high school record.

Brad Baus (184, FY, Mukwonago, Wis.) -- Two-time Wisconsin state tournament placewinner (Division I 189 sixth place in 2008, Division I 189 fifth place in 2007) and three-time state tournament qualifier, placed fourth in 189 junior folkstyle class at ASICS/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in 2007.

Nick Creamier (197, FY, Coon Rapids, Minn.) -- 2008 state tournament placewinner (Class AAA 189 fifth place), earned an honorable-mention spot in Wrestling USA's Top High School Juniors list at 285 in 2007, 70-25 high school record, also 2006 Cadet Greco-Roman All-American (eighth place at 215).

Alex Diaz (HWT, FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan HS) -- Two-time state tournament qualifier (Class AAA 275 in 2006 and 2007) and 2008 placewinner (Class AAA 275 fourth place in 2007).

Trevor Dyreson (141, FY, Deerfield, Wis.) -- Four-time Wisconsin state tournament qualifier and three-time state placewinner (Division 3 112 sixth place in 2006, Division 3 119 third place in 2007, Division 3 125 second place in 2008), finished 46-3 in 2007-08, three-time conference champion and two-time Trailways Conference South Division MVP, two-time regional champion and one-time sectional champion; three-time All-State Scholastic Wrestling first-team honoree.

Zach Enrico (165, FY, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS) -- 2007 state tournament entrant (Class AA 160), 97-55 career record.

Mitch Gerold (197, FY, Braham, Minn.) -- Two-time state tournament entrant (Class A 215 in 2008, Class A 189 in 2007), 113-41 career record, two-time all-conference and team MVP, also broke school's pin record (73), also a member of Augsburg's football team.

Minh Huynh (125, FY, Eagan, Minn./Eastview HS) -- Three-time state tournament qualifier (Class AAA 112 in 2006, Class AAA 103 in 2005 and 2004), placed 4th at Class AAA 103 in 2005.

Alex Johnson (133, FY, Foxhome, Minn./Breckenridge HS) -- 2008 state tournament placewinner (Class A 135 fifth place) and two-time state tournament qualifier (Class A 135 in 2008 and 2007), 116-55 career record, Guillotine Academic All-State honorable-mention in 2008.

Josh Kohler (174, FY, Monticello, Minn.) -- Two-time state tournament qualifier (Class AA 171 in 2008, Class AAA 171 in 2007), team MVP in both 2007 and 2008.

Justin Koob (141, FY, New Ulm, Minn.) -- Two-time state tournament qualifier (Class AA 112 in 2007, Class AA 103 in 2006), 110-44 career record, three-time all-conference wrestler.

Alex Krautkremer (184, FY, Jordan, Minn./Scott West-Jordan/Belle Plaine) -- 2007 state tournament qualifier (Class AA 189), also member of teams that placed third and sixth in state team tournament, also a member of Augsburg's football team.

Brett Landrum (157, SO, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) -- Transfer from Division I Nebraska (redshirted in 2007-08), two-time state tournament qualifier (Class AAA 160 in 2007, Class AAA 152 in 2006) and 2007 state tournament placewinner (Class AAA 160 third place), two-time section champion and four-time all-conference recipient.

Trenton Larrieu (165, FY, Spring Valley, Wis.) -- 2008 Wisconsin state champion (Division 3, 160), 2007 Wisconsin state tournament placewinner (Division 3, 160, fourth place), two-time section champion, one-time regional champion, 2008 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals fourth place at Junior 160.

Nathan Lexvold (133, FY, Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) -- 2008 Minnesota state champion (Class A 135), three-time state tournament placewinner (Class A 103 second place in 2006, Class A 103 fifth place in 2005), 186-47 career record.

Jared Massey (197, JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) -- Transfer from Division I Wisconsin (competed in 2003-04 season, 5-2 record at 197), four-time state tournament qualifier (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003), two-time state champion (Class AAA 189 in 2003, Class AAA 171 in 2002), 48-0 in 2002-03 season, 49-1 in 2001-02 season, 175-23 record in high school career, including 110 career pins, 2003 Wrestling USA Magazine All-America team.

Jackson Mboma (174, FY, Maple Grove, Minn.) -- 2008 state tournament qualifier (Class AAA 171), all-conference wrestler in 2007-08, set single-season takedown record for Maple Grove (131), 33 wins in 2007-08.

Joe Meyer (165, FY, Lakeville, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) -- Two-year varsity letterwinner, section medalist in 2007-08.

Josh Roberts (133, FY, Grand Forks, N.D./Central HS) -- 2007 North Dakota Class A state tournament champion (130), four-time North Dakota state tournament placewinner (Class A 130 third place in 2008, Class A 125 second place in 2006, Class A 119 fourth place in 2005), honorable-mention on USA Wrestling Top 30 Juniors list for 130 in 2007, Greco-Roman All-American in 2005 (sixth place at USA Wrestling Cadet Greco-Roman Championships).

Torey Stewart (141, FY, Jackson, Minn./Jackson County Central HS) -- Two-time state tournament champion (Class A 145 in 2008, Class AA 130 in 2006), two-time state tournament runner-up (Class AA 135 in 2007, Class AA 119 in 2005), No. 9 on Amateur Wrestling News Senior All-American list at 145 in 2008, ranked No. 9 in 145 on Wrestling USA Magazine list of 2008 Best High School Seniors and No. 15 in 145 on Wrestling USA list of 2008 Best High School All-Class Wrestlers, listed in "151-200" section of Intermat Top 200 Recruits listing for 2008, 198-23 high school career record, 2007 USA Wrestling All-American in Junior Freestyle National Championships (fourth place at 145).

Ben Thone (141, FY, Fond du Lac, Wis.) -- 2008 Wisconsin state tournament runner-up (Division 1 135), two-time Wisconsin state tournament placewinner (Division I 135 sixth place in 2007), three-time Wisconsin state tournament qualifier (2006, 2007, 2008, all Division I 135), three-time regional champion, two-time sectional champion, 142-34 high school record.

Tony Valek (141, FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West-Jordan/Belle Plaine) -- 2007 state tournament champion (Class AA 135), two-time state tournament placewinner (Class AA 125 third place in 2006), three-time state tournament qualifier (also Class AA 112 in 2005), ranked No. 18 in Wrestling USA Magazine list of 2007 Nation's Best High School Juniors at 135, listed in "151-200" section of Intermat Top 200 Recruits listing for 2008, Guillotine Academic All-State third team in 2008, USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle All-American (seventh place at 140 in 2008).

So what did you do last summer?

Well, here's what some Auggies did ...

The volleyball team traveled to Brazil in May, played some matches against some local club teams, saw some incredible scenery, and took part in a community service project for underprivileged children in Rio de Janiero (Click here for more).

Four members of the wrestling team went to central Asia (specifically, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) for a training, competition, mission and service trip. They took part in a tournament, trained with local wrestlers and enjoyed the scenery (Click here for more).

Baseball coach Keith Bateman had fun with the minor league St. Paul Saints, volunteering to throw batting practice before several games, including the American Association All-Star Game in July (Click here for a Star-Tribune story about the All-Star Game; Click here for a photo gallery -- in the eighth photo on the gallery, you can see Bateman on the left edge of the photo, just hangin' out in the dugout with former major leaguer Daryl Strawberry). And speaking of the Saints, former Augsburg Campus Ministry pastoral intern (and yes, he was a St. Olaf baseball player, too) Charlie Ruud started the American Association All-Star Game and was one of the top pitchers for the Saints this year.

The Augsburg softball team, coming off an incredible season and a trip to the MIAC playoffs in 2008, was honored in August before a Minnesota Twins game as part of Lutheran Night at the Metrodome. Pitchers Sarah Green and Melissa Larsen threw the ceremonial first pitches before a crowd of 35,256 Twins fans.

The Augsburg men's and women's soccer teams hosted a unique Soccer Mom Camp in August, and more than 30 moms took part in the event, which was a fundraiser for breast cancer research.

Speaking of men's soccer ... 12 current and former Auggies were members of the MASL Minnesota Cup champion Inferno '98 team, winning the top title for amateur soccer in Minnesota.

-- Don Stoner