CEDAR RAPIDS - It's nearly impossible to forecast what will happen at a national tournament.TEAM STANDINGS

But if Wartburg College's Jim Miller could have mapped out his Knights' first day at the Division III Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center, it would have resembled what transpired Friday.

Top-ranked Wartburg distanced itself from the field in its quest for a sixth national title with a nearly flawless effort.

The Knights had all nine of their qualifiers secure all-America status as they built a commanding 20-point lead over Wisconsin-La Crosse in the team race, 77 1/2 to 55 1/2 after day one of the two-day championship event. Defending champion Augsburg is third with 45 points and has only five wrestlers left.

"I love it … love it," said Wartburg head coach Jim Miller. "It is awesome. All nine becoming all-Americans, that doesn't happen very often.

"I thought we wrestled hard. Some of our matches didn't go the way we wanted, but nine all-Americans is a lot of firepower left going into the semifinals."

Six Knights advanced to the semifinals - Jake Helvey at 133 pounds, Jacob Naig at 149, Aaron Wernimont at 157, Romeo Djoumessi at 184, T.J. Miller at 197 and Brian Borchers at heavyweight.

Robert Struthers at 125, Matt Kelly at 141 and Justin Hanson at 165 are alive on the back side and guaranteed of finishing no worse than eighth place.

Struthers, Kelly, Hanson and Borchers are all first-time all-Americans.

"I've been waiting for a long time for this, and I'm an all-American, but I'm not going to stop here," said Borchers. "I don't think any of us want to settle for one good day. We had some disappointing losses, but I think we have the potential to do some real damage tomorrow."

Wartburg won 16 of its 19 matches in the championship bracket and were 3-0 in the consolation round.

La Crosse has the most wrestlers left, with four in the semifinals and two in consolation, but the Eagles are still longshot to catch Wartburg.

"I thought we came out slow, but we've been resilient all year long, and it showed today," said La Crosse head coach Dave Malecek, the former Wartburg assistant. "We came out of here with six all-Americans, and I'm real proud of these guys. But we have a big day tomorrow. I feel like it was a good day, and I'm excited at where we are at."

Wartburg's Miller isn't making any congratulatory speeches, yet.

"I haven't seen anything, but we will see," said Miller. "If I knew with nine coming in that we'd have six in the semifinals and nine all-Americans, I'd feel pretty good, and I feel pretty good about it."

Wartburg cruised in the opening round, going 10-0, including a pair of victories by unseeded Justin Hanson at 165.

After winning his opening pigtail match, the junior from Humboldt stunned third-seeded Gino Russo of Baldwin Wallace, 5-2. Hanson scored a takedown off a Russo shot with less than a minute to go and rode him out to pull out the victory.

Hanson lost in the quarterfinals to North Central's Ben Youel, but bounced back in the consolations to earn his first all-America status.

The Knights got bonus-point victories in six of their nine first-round matches.

Wartburg almost lost top-seeded Djoumessi in the first round at 184. The undefeated junior had to rally from a 9-4 deficit and scored a reversal, three-point nearfall and a riding time point in the final minute to beat Bridgewater State's James Quinlan.

"I saw my dreams disappearing," said Djoumessi. "It definitely was a wake-up call. There is one thing my mom always says, 'When God gives you talent, it doesn't mean it is going to be easy, and you are going to have to fight for it every day.' So I had to come back really hard."

There were three big upsets in the opening round, one courtesy of Coe's Niles Mercer who toppled second-seeded Dan Hall of Delaware Valley at 141, 4-1.

At heavyweight, York's Luke Panizzi defeated top-seeded Trevor Hiffa of Oneonta St., 4-3.

Second-seeded Eric Bath of Wisconsin-Stevens Point lost, 7-3, to David Priest of Ithaca.

Former Cedar Falls standout Dan Twito opened the tournament with a thrilling 3-1 victory over Delaware Valley's Jesse Harrington, the sixth seed. Twito, a freshman at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, scored a takedown on the edge of the mat with one second remaining.

Twito, however, lost his next two matches and was eliminated from the tournament.

Luther stands in eighth place with four wrestlers guaranteed of all-America status - Zac Bartlett at 133, Travis Grawin at 141, Yonny Quist at 149 and Alec Bonander at 197.

The Iowa Conference had a strong day, as 25 of its 32 wrestlers earned all-America status.

Coe College stands in a tie for fourth with Delaware Valley as the Kohawks set a school record with five all-Americans, including four wrestlers in the semifinals.

"The guys came, wrestled hard and did a great job," said Kohawks head coach John Oostendorp. "Hopefully we can keep it going tomorrow, but it was a good day for Coe College, today."

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

1. Wartburg 77.5; 2. UW-La Crosse 55.5; 3. Augsburg 45; 4. (tie) Coe College and Delaware Valley 44; 6. Cornell 35.5; 7. Luther 28; 8. Elmhurst 26.5; 9. North Central 26; 10. UW-Stevens Point 20; 11. Olivet 19; 12. New York University 17; 13. Heidelberg 15.5; 14. College of New Jersey 13; 15. Johnson and Wales 10.5; 16. King's College 10; 17. (tie) Buena Vista, Ithaca, UW-Whitewater, 9.5; 20. (tie) Maranatha Baptist Bible, Mount St. Joseph, Rhode Island, Stevens Institute 9; 24. SUNY-Brockport 8.5; 25. (tie) Lycoming, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Platteville, Dubuque 8; 29. St. John's 7.5; 30. (tie) MIT, SUNY-Cortland 7; 32. (tie) Johns Hopkins and Oneonta State 6; 34. (tie) Case Western, Springfield 5.5; 36. Baldwin Wallace, Concordia Moorhead, Gettysburg 4.5; 39. Merchant Marine Academy 4; 41. (tie) Lakeland, Rochester Institute 3; 43. (tie) Messiah and Ursinus 2; 45. (tie) Bridgewater State and York College 1.5; 47. (tie) John Carroll, Loras, Manchester, Ohio Northern, Williams 1; 52. (tie) Centernary and Thiel .5.

125 POUNDS

PIGTAIL ROUND - Stephen Kingsland (Ursinus) dec. Kyle Flickinger (York) 3-2; Jake Oster (Elmhurst) technical fall over Ethan Cohen (Williams), 18-3, 5:13.

FIRST ROUND - Chris Heilman (Cornell) technical fall over Jacob Calhoun (UW-Stevens Point), 16-0, 7:00; Jon Gregory (Ithaca) dec. Kingsland 2-1; Seth Flodeen (Augsburg) dec. David Penny (Ohio Northern) 14-0; Robert Struthers (Wartburg) pinned Jerrad Hoxie (Heidelberg), 2:28; Oster pinned Eracleo Vallejo (Manchester), 2:51; Chris Scheetz (Delaware Valley) pinned Brandon Music (UW-La Crosse), 2;52; Munkhbaatar Baatar (St. John's) dec. Rob Miller (Theil) 10-4; Clayton Rush (Coe) dec. Mike McInally (Rochester Institute) 15-7.

QUARTERFINALS - Heilman dec. Gregory 10-2; Flodeen dec. Struthers 5-4; Sheetz pinned Oster, 5:28; Rush dec. Baatar 3-2.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Struthers dec. McInally 8-6; Gregory dec. Vallejo 16-3; Baatar dec. Penny 7-1; Oster pinned Kingsland, 6:30.

133 POUNDS

FIRST ROUND - Adam Johnson (North Central) dec. Brian Zane (Norwich) 7-2; Phillip Greene (Merchant Marine Academy) dec. Jestin Hulegaard 8-4; Jordan Kolinski (UW-La Crosse) dec. Dave Colagiovanni (SUNY-Cortland) 7-4; Jake Helvey (Wartburg) dec. Anthony Gummerson (Centenary) 9-4; Travis Lang (Augsburg) dec. Brandon Clemmer (Delaware Valley) 13-7; Nick Nothern (Cornell) dec. Adam Pizzurro (John Carroll) 8-3; Ray Sarinelli (TCNJ) dec. Zac Bartlett (Luther) 7-2; David Morgan (King's) bye.

QUARTERFINALS - Johnson dec. Greene 9-2; Helvey dec. Kolinski 17-9; Nothern dec. Lang 3-1 OT; Morgan dec. Sarinelli 9-3.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Hulegaard dec. Sarinelli 7-4; Lang pinned Gummerson, 2:16; Kolinski pinned Clemmer, 5:14; Bartlett pinned Greene, 3:51.

141 POUNDS

PIGTAIL ROUND - Nicholas Sanchez (Heidelberg) dec. James Beshada (Merchant Marine) 7-4.

FIRST ROUND - Michael Bonora (Rhode Island) dec. Chase DeCleene (UW-Stevens Point) 8-5; Travis Grawin (Luther) dec. Willam Horwath (Ithaca) 8-2; David Manoogian (Case Western) dec. Derrick Smith (Oswego St.) 11-9; Stephen Hult (New York U) dec. Luke Baum (Rochester Institute) -0; Matt Kelly (Wartburg) dec. Dylan Rittenberg (Williams) 10-2; Jason Adams (Augsburg) dec. Sanchez 9-1; Austin Bautista (UW-Whitewater) pinned Ben Anderson (Concordia), 3:50; Niles Mercer (Coe) dec. Dan Hall (Delaware Valley) 4-1.

QUARTERFINALS - Bonara dec. Grawin 11-8; Hult dec. Manoogian 6-4; Adams dec. Kelly 3-2; Mercer dec. Bautista 10-8 OT.

SECOND ROUND QUARTERFINALS - Manoogian dec. Hall 3-2; Grawin pinned Ritteburgh, 6:57; Bautista dec. Baum 6-2; Kelly dec. DeCleene 9-7 OT.

149 POUNDS

PIGTAIL ROUND - Yonni Quist (Luther) dec. John Barnett (TCNJ) 4-2.

FIRST ROUND - Jacob Naig (Wartburg) dec. Ryan Higgins (UW-Platteville) 9-2; Matt Mauseth (UW-La Crosse) dec. Aaron Cook (Buena Vista) 5-1; Paul LeBlanc (SUNY-Cortland) dec. Matt Shank (Gettysburg) 8-4; Elliott Spence (Mt. St. Joseph) dec. Blaine Woszczak (Ithaca) 13-10; Dan Twito (Merchant Marine) dec. Jesse Harrington (Delaware Valley) 3-1; Quist dec. Frank Cammisa (Bridgewater St.) 12-10; Willy Holst (Augsburg) pinned Erik Smith (Wilkes), 4:21.

QUARTERFINALS - Naig dec. Mauseth 9-4; Kastel dec. LeBlanc 6-3; Spence dec. Twito 4-2; Holst technical fall over Quist, 18-2, 7:00.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - LeBlanc dec. Cammisa 12-3; Mauseth dec. Woszozak 5-3; Quist dec. Mitzer 6-1; Cook dec. Twito 2-1.

157 POUNDS

FIRST ROUND - Aaron Wernimont (Wartburg) dec. Patrick Minner (Muskingum) 14-2; Andrew Goldstein (Gettysburg) dec. John Niedrich (York) 5-3; Erik Hanson (Loras) dec. Mike Martini (Rhode Island) 8-2; Jesse Milks (UW-Platteville) dec. Ryan Herwig (Delaware Valley) 9-4; Kyle Katz (Elmhurst) pinned Josh Terrell (Dubuque), 3:59; Takfumi Hashimoto (New York U) dec. Beau Hanson (Augsburg) 9-4; Pat McAuley (Cornell) dec. Nathan Bachmann (Rochester Inst.) 10-2; Jason Brew (Olivet) dec. Jay Milz (UW-La Crosse) 8-3.

QUARTERFINALS - Wernimont dec. Goldstein 6-3; Milks dec. Hanson 5-4; Hashimoto dec. Katz 6-4 OT; Brew dec. McAuley 6-4 TB2.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - McAuley dec. Niedrich 14-7; Herwig pinned Katz, :23; Terrell won by inj default over Hanson; Goldstein dec. Milz 3-2.

165 POUNDS

PIGTAIL ROUND - Justin Hanson (Wartburg) technical fall over Daron Cruickshank (Olivet), 16-0, 5:37; Trent Zempel (Messiah) dec. Michael Morin (S. Maine) 4-2.

FIRST ROUND - Tim Palmer (UW-La Crosse) dec. Julian Mancha (Buena Vista) 11-1; Zempel dec. Matt Schrupp (St. John's) 3-2; Justin Bonituts (TCNJ) dec. Shaheim Bradshaw (SUNY-Brockport) 5-4; Ben Hoover (Maranath Baptist) dec. Jason Wozniak (UW-Stevens Point) 11-6; Hanson dec. Gino Russo (Baldwin Wallace) 5-2; Ben Youel (North Central) dec. Frank Heffernan (Wilkes) 7-3; Patrick Nagel (UW-Whitewater) dec. Zach Bogardus (SUNY-Cortland) 10-3; Tyler Burkle (Coe) pinned Pat Stanley (Johns Hopkins), 5:46.

QUARTERFINALS - Palmer dec. Zempel 13-2; Hoover dec. Bonitatas 8-7; Youel dec. Hanson 7-4; Burkle dec. Nagel

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Bonitatis dec. Stanley 10-5; Russo dec. Hefernan 9-7; Bradshaw dec. Nagel 14-5; Hanson dec. Schrupp 8-1.

174 POUNDS

PIGTAIL ROUND - Kyle Vanderhyde (Olivet) pinned Andre DeCristo (Hunter), :37.

FIRST ROUND - Josh Chelf (UW-La Crosse) pinned Ben Plowman (Ohio Northern), 1:45; Jerome Owens (Johnson & Wales) dec. Kyle Kehrli (Cornell) 9-6; Brandon MacWhinnie (Stevens Institute) dec. Greg Osgoodby (TCNJ) 10-3; Eric Van Patten (Brockport) dec. George Lynaugh (Augsburg) 4-2; Vanderhyde dec. Evan Brown (Dubuque) 7-5; Michael Reilly (Kings) dec. Phil Moenkedick (Concordia) 11-7; Tyler Jentz (Coe) dec. Jared Czarneski (Roger Williams) 4-1; David Priest (Ithaca) dec. Eric Bath (UW-Stevens Point) 7-3.

QUARTERFINALS - Chelf pinned Owens, 6:11; MacWhinnie dec. Van Patten 4-2 OT; Vanderhyde dec. Reilly 14-7; Jentz dec. Priest 5-3 3 OT.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Bath pinned Van Patten, 4:56; Owens dec. Brown 10-1; Osgoodby dec. Priest 11-6; Kehrli dec. Reilly 11-6.

184 POUNDS

FIRST ROUND - Romeo Djoumessi (Wartburg) dec. James Quinlan (Bridgewater St.) 10-9; Elliot Smith (Springfield) dec. Jay Figgins (Loras) 7-6; Dustin Baxter (St. John's) 5-2 TB1; Josh Zabel (UW-La Crosse) pinned Eric Fishel (Johns Hopkins), :48; Gabe Youel (North Central) dec. Bryan Lenhardt (Johnson & Wales) 18-6; Ben Adams (John Carroll) dec. Nick Coleman (New York U) 10-6; Robert Gotreau (Augsburg) dec. Treavor LeBlanc (Cortland) 6-0; Mike Wilcox (Delaware Valley) pinned Nic Barclay (Luther), 5:26.

QUARTERFINALS - Djoumessi pinned Smith, 6:50; Zabel dec. Baxter 9-1; Youel dec. Adams 7-5 OT; Wilcox dec. Gotreau 2-1.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Gotreau dec. Quinlan 7-4; Fishel dec. Adams 15-7; Lenhardt dec. Baxter 12-5; Smith dec. Barclay 11-2.

197 POUNDS

FIRST ROUND - T.J. Miller (Wartburg) pinned Ben Bonaventura (Hunter), 1:44; Diego Crespo (Johnson and Wales) bye; Anthony Neumann (Concordia) dec. Ryan Fogliano (Heidelberg) 7-4; Craig Bollig (UW-Stevens Point) bye; Paul Hartt (Lakeland) pinned Eric Vincent (Merchant Marine), 6:00; Matt Miller (Lycoming) dec. Joe West (Delaware Valley) 3-1; Josh Holforty (UW-Eau Claire) dec. Rob Kramer (Coe) 4-2; Alec Bonander (Luther) bye.

QUARTERFINALS - Miller dec. Crespo 1-0; Bollig pinned Neumann, 1:43; Miller dec. Hartt 6-1; Holforty dec. Bonander 5-1.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Bonander pinned Bonaventura, 3:16; Fogliano dec. Hartt 10-4; Neumann dec. West 6-1; Kramer dec. Crespo 3-2.

HEAVYWEIGHT

FIRST ROUND - Luke Panizzi (York) dec. Trevor Hiffa (Oneonta St.) 4-3; Dan Laurent (UW-La Crosse) bye; Ryan Bowers (Heidelberg) dec. Josiah Payne (Cornell) 2-0; Jaran Rutledge (Knox) bye; Brian Borchers (Wartburg) technical fall over Matt Williams (Ursinus), 17-0, 5:56; Mark CorsellO (Elmhurst) bye; John Miller (Luther) pinned Jake Taylor (Oswego St.), :18; Kyle Bilquist (Delaware Valley) dec. Glenn Geesman (Mass Institute) 6-2.

QUARTERFINALS - Laurent dec. Panizzi 3-2; Bowers dec. Rutledge 3-1; Borchers dec. Corsell 5-4; Bilquist dec. Miller 12-4.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Hiffa pinned Miller, :38; Corsello dec. Payne 5-2 OT; Rutledge dec. Williams 3-2 TB; Geesman pinned Panizzi, 2:27.