Takedown Report

Five Things You Need To Know About D3 Wrestling This Season

Six national champions and more than 40 All-Americans are back in Division III, and the stage is set for another battle between the D3 power programs

The Division III wrestling season has gotten into full swing over the last two weekends. Six national champions return, four national runner-ups and more than 40 All-Americans return, which means the 2023-24 season is poised to be a wild, crazy and entertaining season that will feature twists at every turn. 
The national championships will be held March 15-16 in La Crosse, Wisconsin at the La Crosse Convention Center. Flowrestling breaks down some of the storylines that will play out this season.

Team To Beat

Defending national champion Augsburg University is the easy choice here. Head coach Tony Valek’s team returns six All-Americans, including defending 141-pound national champion Sam Stuhl. Stuhl, a transfer from North Dakota State, won last year’s title after entering the championships in Roanoke, Va., unseeded. Tyler Kim is a three-time All-American and opens the season ranked #1 at heavyweight. Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann, another three-time All-American, is the preseason #1 at 184.
Cooper Willis at 165, Charlie Stuhl at 149 and Seth Goetzinger at 174 are the other returning All-Americans. Additionally, the Auggies return lineup veterans Derek Steele, Cade Willis, Parker Venz and Blake Jagodzinske. With that much experience and production returning, Augsburg is easily favored to win its 15th NCAA championship.

Top Contenders

Any conversation about the favorite to win the Division III crown that starts with Augsburg will always include Wartburg College. The Knights finished second to the Auggies last year, but just a half-point ahead of Baldwin Wallace, three ahead of North Central College and just 5.5 in front of Wisconsin-La Crosse. That was the top-five in 2023, but it would not be shocking if those five teams, perhaps in a different order, all reside in the top five in 2024. Wartburg returns a pair of national champions in Zane Mulder at 174 and Massoma Endene at 197. Joe Pins at 133 (2022) and Nathan Fuller at 165 give the Knights four returning All-Americans. Whom else will help the Knights make up the 40-point difference in La Crosse is yet to be determined, but head coach Eric Keller has a roster of nearly 70 to reload with. … story at … Flowrestling.org/Five-things-you-need-to-know-about-d3-wrestling-this-season

November 30, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized