DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Wartburg recovered from a sluggish, but effective team performance in Session One Friday to regain the lead from Augsburg at the halfway point of the 2004 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships.  The two wrestling powers separated themselves from the rest of the field as the Knights own first place (81.5 points) and the Augies have secured second (76.5 points).

 

Wartburg moved a tournament-high eight wrestlers through to the championship semifinals.  Augsburg advanced six in the championship bracket, as each team had nine wrestlers earn All-America honors.

 

The battle for places three through 11 include nine teams separated by only 16.5 points.

 

College of New Jersey currently stands in third place at 40.5 points, with Luther only a half-point behind in fourth (40.0).

 

125 - Top-seeded Tom Prairie (Williams) turned a 5-2 Justin McClintock (Wartburg) lead into a win by fall at the 4:07 mark to move through to the semifinals.  #5 Jason Peck (TCNJ) defeated Terry Morgan (Loras) 8-6.  #3 Simpson's Dustin Brewer earned his second win by fall of the day pinning Mitchell Marcks (King's) at 1:32.  #2 Matt Shankey (Augsburg) moved ahead with an 8-3 win over Eddie Murray (Ursinus).

 

133 - The top four seeds moved through to the semis.  #1 Ozzie Saxson (Wartburg) defeated Brockport State's Tony D'Ambra, 4-3.  #2 Mark Matzek (Augustana) defeated Cliff Medina (Hunter), 7-2.  #3 Barry Wise (Delaware Valley) pinned Brian Boland (Ursinus) at 6:41.  #4 Tenkoran Agyeman (Oswego State) defeated Brady Holtz (UW-Stevens Point), 6-3.

 

141 - The top four seeds moved through to the semis.  #1 Dustin Hinschberger (Wartburg) won by tech fall over Kevin Owens (Central), 20-5; 7:00.  #2 Jamell Tidwell (Augsburg) won by tech fall over Jeff Patzke (Luther), 19-1; 4:54.  #3 Pat Brady (TCNJ) defeated Dan Roberts (Brockport State), 7-5.  #4 Nick Karls (UW-Whitewater) won by fall over Taylor Wood (Buena Vista) at 4:36.

 

149 - Top-seeded Bart Mehlert (Wartburg) beat Rory Tobias (Oneonta State), 6-3.  #5 Matt Pyle (Luther) uspet #4 Zak Kallai (Case Western), 12-8.  David Icenhower (TCNJ) won a battle of unseeded wrestlers in overtime, 5-3, over Jason Roush (Mount St. Joseph).  #2 Clint Manny (Simpson) pinned Chicago's Ryan Hlinak at 1:15.

 

157 - The top four seeds moved through to the semis.  #1 Marcus LeVesseur (Augsburg) won his 82nd straight match without a collegiate loss with a 15-5 major decision over Ryan LeBeau (Luther).  #2 Greg Ilaria (TCNJ) defeated Joe Moskowitz (WPI), 5-2.  #3 Cory Connell (Wartburg) defeated Charlie Bishop (Loras), 3-2.  #4 Brent Rider (Cortland State) defeated Scott Roesch (Ursinus), 7-4.

 

165 - The top four seeds moved through to the semis.  #1 Artie Weidler (Brockport State) defeated Sean Howard (Ursinus), 10-3.  #2 Jarald Ridley (Manchester) defeated Ryan Ficco (John Carroll) 6-5.  #3 Garrett South (Luther) defeated Sean Flynn (TCNJ), 4-2.  #4 Pat Wilsbacher (Buena Vista) defeated Marc Israel (Ithaca), 14-10.

 

174 - The top four seeds moved through to the semis.  #1 Eduard Aliakeseynka (Montclair State) won by fall over Tim Ruberg (Johnson & Wales) at 1:21.  #2 Cody Koenig (UW-Stevens Point) defeated Chris Healy (Wabash), 3-1.  #3 Joe Moon (Augsburg) defeated Nick Patenaude (UW-LaCrosse), 4-0.  #4 Mark Sturm (Wartburg) defeated Jason Shivak (Delaware Valley), 7-6.

 

184 - Top-seeded Denny Gaul (Montclair State) cruised past Ben Dictus (Lawrence) in a tech fall, 16-0, at 3:09.  #2 Ryan Sturm (Wartburg) defeated Ken Ware (Coe), 10-6.  #6 Craig Buckley (Bridgewater State) defeated Pat Healy (Augustana), 3-2.  #4 Josh Housekeeper (Delaware Valley) won 9-8 over Artie Mauser (John Carroll).

 

197 - Top-seeded Akeem Carter (Wartburg) scored an 8-1 victory over Nick Vinciguerra (TCNJ).  #2 Yan White (UW-Stevens Point) defeated Tom Medonis (Springfield), 8-4.  #3 Robert Cuffie (Brockport State) won 16-9 over Joe Cullen (Augsburg).  #5 Andrew Helms (Delaware Valley) scored a sudden overtime victory, 5-3, over Wyatt Ryerson (Luther).

 

285 - The top four seeds moved through to the semis.  #1 Ryan Allen (UW-LaCrosse) won by major decision over Nick McTee (Coe), 18-4.  #2 Blake Gillis (Wartburg) won by tech fall over Matt Schoenherr (Milwaukee Engineering), 16-0, at 6:45.  #3 Mike Blair (Trinity) defeated Keith Bjorhus (TCNJ), 12-11.  #4 Mark Simmonds (Augsburg) defeated Justin Deveau (Rhode Island), 8-2.