Three Saint John’s University wrestling student-athletes are set to compete at the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships this Friday and Saturday, March 5-6, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. – Championships Website
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John’s finished fourth out of 15 teams at the 2010 NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Feb. 20 in Minneapolis. Junior Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.), the defending national champion at 141 pounds, earned an automatic berth thanks to a win in the true-second match, senior Mogi Baatar (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) and junior Matt Baarson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) earned at-large bids. For Baatar, the bid is his fourth consecutive, while the berth is the second straight for Baarson. Freshman Mitch Hagen (Sunburg, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg) was selected as an alternate qualifier. SJU has now qualified two or more wrestlers to the NCAA Championships 20 of the last 21 seasons. Baatar, the No. 3 seed at 133 pounds, began the tournament with a technical fall and 9-2 decision before falling to the eventual runner-up, Paul Bjorkstrand of Augsburg, 5-0 in the semifinals. He then tallied decisions of 9-6 and 1-0 to claim third place. Batsukh posted a pin in his first match before falling to Jafari Vanier, 7-4, in the semifinal. He battled back with three consolation wins, including a 13-3 win over North Central’s (Ill.) John Starzyk in the true-second match. Baarson, meanwhile, posted back-to-back 15-0 technical falls in the first two matches at 165 pounds before dropping a tough-luck 11-10 decision in the semifinal. He then tallied a pin and 10-7 decision in the consolation bracket to earn third-place honors. Hagen recorded a major decision and 8-5 win over the No. 4 seed, Augsburg’s Brad Baus, in his first two matches before losing a tough 4-0 decision to top-seeded Gabe Youel of North Central (Ill.). He then tallied a pin and an 11-7 win over the No. 3 seed to claim third at 184 pounds. The surprise of the meet for SJU was junior John Vaith (Hastings, Minn.) at 157 pounds. Vaith upset the No. 6 seed 5-4 in the opening match before pinning the No. 3 seed, Elmhurst’s (Ill.) Dan Hamilton, in 6:12. He then lost a heartbreaking 11-9 decision in the semifinal and defeated the No. 6 seed, North Central’s (Ill.) Tim Gingerich, 8-2. Vaith then found himself on the wrong end of a 12-6 score to Hamilton in the third-place match. Sophomore Matt Pfarr (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson), who entered the tournament ranked No. 5 to earn the No. 1 seed at 174 pounds, competed with a high ankle sprain and finished sixth with a 2-3 record. Juniors James Carlson (Royalton, Minn.) and Tony Willaert (North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) finished sixth at 197 and heavyweight, respectively.
2010 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS: Batsukh enters the tournament with a 14-2 record and was ranked No. 2 in the latest Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches’ Association (NWCA) Division III individual rankings. Batsukh opened the Great Lakes Regional with a pin before falling to Augsburg’s Jafari Vanier, 7-4, in the semifinal. This was the second meeting between Batsukh and Vanier. Earlier in the season, Batsukh defeated Vanier 4-2. He then posted three consecutive consolation wins, including a 13-3 win over North Central’s (Ill.) John Starzyk in the true-second match, to earn his automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Batsukh received the top seed at the national championships.
Baatar, ranked No. 6 in the latest Brute-Adidas NWCA Division III rankings, posted a 4-1 finish at the Great Lakes Regional. He collected wins in his first two matches before falling to eventual runner-up Paul Bjorkstrand of Augsburg, 5-0, in the semifinal match. Baatar then defeated his next two opponents, 9-6 and 1-0, to claim third place. He is 22-8 on the year and will be the No. 6 seed at nationals..
Baarson, also ranked No. 6, claimed two wins in his first two matches before falling 11-10 in a tough semifinal match. He then recorded a pin and 10-7 decision to earn third-place honors and advance to the NCAA Championships. He has a 25-3 record on the season and will be the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
LAST YEAR’S NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS: Batsukh defeated Wartburg’s (Iowa) Zach McKray 5-2 to become the fourth wrestling national champion in the school’s history at the 2009 NCAA Division III championships Saturday, March 7, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Batsukh becomes the first national champion since current head coach Brandon Novak won the 197-pound title in 2001. Junior Dustin Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) finished seventh at 184 pounds to also earn All-American honors (top eight). Baxter fell to North Central’s (Ill.) Gabe Youel 3-1 in overtime before defeating Wheaton’s (Ill.) Toby Boltz, 7-4. Batsukh 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 on Friday, March 6. Batsukh upset top-seeded Austin Bautista of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3 in the 141-pound semifinals to advance to the championship match. Baxter, meanwhile, defeated the College of New Jersey’s Scott Kelley 6-2 in the first round at 184 before falling to top-seeded Michael Wilcox of Delaware Valley, 5-4 in triple overtime. Baxter then defeated Wartburg’s Romeo Djoumessi, the No. 2 seed, 13-11 in his first match of wrestlebacks on Friday. Senior Mogi Baatar broke his hand in a 6-1 loss to Wartburg’s Matt Kelly following his first-round bye at 133, and then lost to Ithaca’s Chad Winowich, 8-3. Junior Matt Baarson fell to Messiah’s (Pa.) Craig Gin 5-2 in the first round, before bouncing back with a 14-5 win over Jonas Flok of Lakeland (Wis.) in the consolation bracket of 157. Baarson then lost to Ithaca’s (N.Y.) Willie Horwath, 9-6.