Augsburg College Sports Information
MINNEAPOLIS — The interim tag has been removed from Augsburg College wrestling head coach Mark Matzek’s title.

Matzek, who guided the Auggies on an interim basis last season, has accepted the head coaching position on a permanent basis, Augsburg athletic director Jeff Swenson has announced. In addition, assistant head coach Jared Evans has also accepted a permanent position on the Auggie coaching staff.

Named interim head coach in July 2008, Matzek led the Auggies to a second-place NCAA Division III national tournament finish in the 2008-2009 season, finishing 11-2 in dual meets with a squad that included five new starters among the 10 weight classes. Along the way, the Auggies won the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals championship, topped perennial rival and eventual national champion Wartburg (Iowa) twice in dual meets, won the Great Lakes Regional and finished with seven All-Americans and one individual national champion. Academically, Augsburg finished 13th in the NWCA’s Division III academic national listings with a 3.346 team grade-point average.  Read more... (678 words, estimated 2:43 mins reading time)

Augsburg College has been one of the most successful wrestling programs on the Division III level. Now the school will be at the center of wrestling promotion as KAUG, the student-run campus radio station, will be the host studio for Wrestling 411′s twice weekly radio program beginning November 11.

Wrestling 411, the brand operating under the wrestling marketing and promotions company Media Sports Production, is launching its first full season of its made for television wrestling highlights show. The made for television show, Wrestling 411, will be complimented by a timely twice weekly show airing on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the season.

“We’re excited about having KAUG as our studio host,” said Jason Bryant, Production Manager and Writer for the Wrestling 411 television show. “KAUG offers the flexibility we desire and the ability to stream and archive our shows for a nationwide audience. We also felt Augsburg was a natural fit because the school’s strong presence within the sport of wrestling. It just makes perfect sense.”

Tom Brands, the head coach of the defending Division I NCAA team champion Iowa Hawkeyes, will be the show’s first guest on Nov. 11.  Read more... (509 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Ackerman’s win recognized by magazine

Simpson College Sports Information

NCAA Champion Magazine has named Simpson College wrestler Nick Ackerman’s 2001 National Championship victory the No. 1 most dramatic championship victory in NCAA history. Ackerman, who lost his legs due ot bacterial meningitis as a baby, won the 174-pound national championship 13-11 over Nick Slack of Augsburg. At the time, Slack was the defending national champion and entered the contest on a 60-match winning streak.

NCAA Champion Magazine’s top 10 list encompasses championships over since the start of the 1982-83 season, which also marked the beginning of NCAA Women’s Championships.

‘Don’t call me disabled. Call me national champion.’
When fans of your conference rival are standing to applaud, you know you’ve accomplished something great.

Simpson wrestler Nick Ackerman’s 13-11 victory in the final of the 174-pound weight division over defending Division III national champion Nick Slack of Augsburg, winner of 60 straight matches, was an upset in itself.

But what makes this the most memorable championship performance of the past 25 years is that Ackerman won the title despite having his lower legs amputated when he was 18 months old to stop an aggressive form of bacterial meningitis.  Read more... (492 words, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)