Wartburg nearly flawless, rolls into Division III semis

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CEDAR FALLS - Whether it is the first whistle or last, Jim Miller preaches to his disciples he wants complete domination from start to finish.

Delivering that message and seeing it come to fruition typically doesn't happen for the coach of the Wartburg Knights.

It did happen Saturday, however.

Top-ranked Wartburg sent a message to the rest of the Division III field at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals at the UNI-Dome.

The Knights won all 20 of their bouts while routing Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 52-0, and Olivet College, 47-0, to advance to today's semifinals.

"We competed hard," said Wartburg coach Jim Miller. "You never think you're going to win every single match. That is the goal, but in a tournament like this, where anything can happen and does happen, it doesn't happen very often where you go 20-0.

"Now, with that said, we know it is going to be a lot tougher tomorrow."

Wartburg overwhelmed both Oshkosh and Olivet, registering 10 falls, two technical falls and two major decisions. The closest match the Knights had all day was Robert Struthers' 7-4 victory over Olivet's Blair Mellish at 125.

"I thought we wrestled with good intensity," said Miller. "That was the biggest thing. We had good focus and wrestled hard. When you break it down, that is what it takes to win here."

Wartburg will face fourth-ranked Delaware Valley in the semifinals at 11 a.m. today on mat 5. The Aggies beat fifth-seeded Luther, 27-9, to reach the semifinals. Wartburg beat Delaware Valley, 41-6, last week at the North-South Duals at Ursinus College.

In the other semifinal, third-seeded Wisconsin-La Crosse advanced with a 24-12 victory over Heidelberg College, while second-seeded and defending champion Augsburg survived seventh-seeded Coe College, 27-18.

The Kohawks pushed the Auggies until the finish, when Augsburg heavyweight Andy Witzel scored a 3-minute and 19-second pin over Coe's Jared Carder to seal the victory. The score was 18-all through eight weights.

"We feel like we are getting better and can wrestle with a team like that," Coe coach John Oostendorp.

If both Wartburg and Augsburg win their semifinal matches, they will face off in the finals for the seventh consecutive tournament. Each program has won three national dual titles.

Luther, following its loss to Delaware Valley, bounced back with victories over Concordia-St. Paul and Johnson & Wales.

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com

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