Brute/Adidas NWCA Preseason Rankings | D3wrestle.com Preseason Rankings
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - The Saint John’s University wrestling team was ranked No. 5 in the 2009-10 Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches’ Association (NWCA) Division III preseason team rankings released Oct. 27.
Other teams ranked from the NCAA Great Lakes Region included Augsburg (No. 2), Concordia-Moorhead (No. 8), North Central (Ill.; No. 10), and Elmhurst (Ill.; No. 13). The Johnnies are also scheduled to compete against Wartburg (Iowa; No. 6), Cornell (Iowa; No. 9), Wisconsin-Stevens Point (No. 17) and Loras (Iowa; No. 25) in 2009-10.
In addition to the team rankings, four Johnnies were ranked individually: junior Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict's Prep, N.J.), first at 141 pounds; senior Mogi Baatar (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.), fourth at 133 pounds; junior Dustin Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley), fifth at 184 pounds; and sophomore Matt Baarson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park), seventh at 157 pounds.
Batsukh became the fourth wrestling national champion in the school’s history at the 2009 NCAA Division III championships last March and finished with a 19-4 record overall. He defeated Nick Garber of Waynesburg (Pa.) and Jordan Loy of Loras (Iowa) by scores of 14-9 and 9-3, respectively, to advance to the semifinals, where he upset top-seeded Austin Bautista of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3 to advance to the championship match. Batsukh then defeated Wartburg’s (Iowa) Zach McKray 5-2 for the title. Batsukh claimed his second consecutive regional championship to the national tournament.
Baatar claimed the regional championship to advance to the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships, for the third consecutive time. He ran into some trouble when he broke his hand against Warburg’s Matt Kelly following his first round bye at 133. He finished his junior year with a 23-9 record.
Baxter finished seventh at 184 pounds to earn All-America honors (top eight). He claimed second place with a 5-1 record at regionals to earn his second consecutive appearance at the national tournament. He finished the 2008-09 season with a 26-8 record.
Baarson finished third at regionals and later earned a wild-card entry to nationals at 157 pounds. He went 1-2 at his first national-tournament appearance and ended the year with a 27-11 record.
The same four individuals were also ranked in the D3wrestle.com preseason rankings released Oct. 27. Batsukh was ranked first at 141 pounds, Baxter fourth at 184 pounds, Baatar seventh at 133 pounds, and Baarson ninth at 157 pounds.
D3wrestle.com also listed sophomore Chad Henle (125 pounds; Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) and junior Tony Willaert (197 pounds; North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) as contenders. Henle went 2-2 at regionals and finished his freshman season with a 21-11 record. Willaert claimed fourth place at regionals and finished his sophomore season with a 24-12 record.
Freshman Chris Stevermer (Prior Lake, Minn.) was noted as a “Newcomer” to watch at 165 pounds this winter. Stevermer finished sixth at the Minnesota state tournament his sophomore year, fifth his junior year, and third last year as a senior. He ended his high-school career with a 173-41 record.
The Johnnies are scheduled to begin their 2009-10 season on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Augsburg College Open in Minneapolis. SJU will compete at the NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals Jan. 9-10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, before returning home to host Augsburg for a dual on Jan. 14. The 2010 NCAA Great Lakes Regional is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Minneapolis, with the NCAA Division III Championships scheduled two weeks later on March 5-6 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.