Coe continues to climb in Division III wrestling ranks

For the second straight year, Coe College reached a new level.

The Kohawks earned their best finish ever, claiming third in the NCAA Division III tournament of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Sunday at the UNI-Dome.

Coe beat Delaware Valley, 22-13, in the final round, improving on last year's fourth-place finish. The win avenged a loss to Delaware Valley in last year's third-place bout.

“It shows where we're at and where we need to improve the next two months,” Oostendorp said. “Honestly, I'm excited to get back to work. I know our kids are hungry and they're willing to work.”

The Kohawks won six bouts, including the last five weight classes. Tyler Burkle (184), Robbie Kramer (197) and heavyweight Mitch Sander closed out Delaware Valley with three straight decisions.

Burkle trailed entering the final period and scored in the final minute for a 6-4 decision. Kramer used a four-point move in the first to win, 8-4. Seth Rehn's decision at 174 followed a forfeit for Nick LeClere at 165. Clayton Rush gave Coe a 4-0 lead with a 21-9 major at 125. Rush sets the tone for the Kohawks.

“He always does,” Oostendorp said. “He works extremely hard to score points and get us going.”

The Kohawks (11-2) showed resolve, rebounding from a tough 22-14 semifinal loss to second-seeded Augsburg, which won six matches, including one by fall.

“You work hard and you have a lot of pride every time you take the mat,” Oostendorp said. “Hopefully, you compete hard enough in the room all the time that there's one way to compete and that's at a high level.”

Augsburg advanced to the final and won the title with a second-straight victory over an Iowa Conference team, beating Wartburg, 18-15. It was the seventh time the two teams have met in the national dual finals and eighth time Wartburg (10-1) has placed in the top two.

“It was a real good tournament for us,” said Wartburg Coach Jim Miller. “We've grown a lot since the beginning of the year, and we're very, very happy with that.

“We started out this year with a lot of kids that were very inexperienced and unsure of themselves, and I think for the most part they've got in there and represented themselves very well.”

Cornell gave the IIAC a third placewinning team. The Rams posted a 3-2 record and finished in seventh place.

Peacock improvement

Upper Iowa moved up a couple more rungs on the NCAA Division II ladder this weekend.

After finishing eighth and seventh the previous two years, the Peacocks placed fifth in the D-II field this year, beating Wisconsin-Parkside, 27-15. The Peacocks also beat UWP, the sixth-seed, 27-7, in the opening round.

Upper Iowa entered the tournament unseeded, but also claimed wins over No. 7 Augustana (31-10) and No. 4 Central Oklahoma, posting a 4-1 mark. The fifth-place finish is the school's highest as a Division II program.