Wartburg wrestling takes second seed into National Duals

Ranked second on the current National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division III top 30, Wartburg College takes the second seed into the 2011 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals.

Coach Jim Miller's team, sporting an 8-1 record, faces 15th-seeded Heidelberg College of Ohio in the first round at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8. A win would move them into a quarterfinal round clash with either seventh-seeded Concordia University of Mequon, Mich., or 10th-seeded Dubuque at 3 p.m. Saturday, while a loss would send the Orange and Black into a consolation meeting with the loser of the Concordia-UD dual also at 3 p.m. The remaining schools on Wartburg's half of the draw include third-seeded St. John's University of Collegeville, Minn., 14th-seeded Johnson and Wales of Rhode Island, sixth-seeded Ithaca University of New York and 11th-seeded Wilkes University of Pennsylvania.

Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., the defending Division III National Duals and tradition tournament champion, is the top seed.

All action is set for the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls and runs through Sunday, Jan. 9. Fans can view brackets, round-by-round results, live video and more through the official web site of the National Duals at http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/Events/nwcanationalduals/NationalDualsCoverage.aspx.

KNIGHTS NOTES: Miller's program is a four-time NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals champion with its last title coming in 2008. The Knights were runners-up in 2009 and 2010. … Saturday's first round clash with Heidelberg marks the second meeting between the two schools in 2010-11. The Orange and Black took a 30-12 win at the Olivet College of Michigan Comet Duals Nov. 20. … Going into the duals, Wartburg has eight of its individuals ranked on the current NWCA poll. Junior 197-pounder Byron Tate of Clinton, senior heavyweight John Helgerson of West Union, and senior 157-pounder Carrington Banks of Stockbridge, Ga., are each No. 1. The remaining ranked wrestlers are senior 125-pounder Mark Kist of Eagle Grove (No. 3), junior 133-pounder Mike Kremer of Independence (No. 7), senior 149-pounder Jacob Groth of Marshalltown (No. 7), freshman 165-pounder Landon Williams of Davenport (No. 10), and junior 184-pounder Dylan Azinger of DeWitt (No. 5). … Tate and Helgerson enter the weekend on a roll. They both placed in the top five at the Midlands Invitational, hosted by Northwestern University of Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29 and 30. Tate was a runner-up, while Helgerson ended fifth. Helgerson earned co-Iowa Conference Male Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts. … Groth and Helgerson each have chances to reach individual milestones at the National Duals. Groth stands two wins shy of 100, while Helgerson needs only three more victories to reach the mark. … The Knights are also sending individuals to the William Penn Open Saturday, Jan. 8.

NEXT WEEK: The 2010-11 Iowa Conference duals schedule resumes with a 7 p.m. clash at Luther College's Regents Center in Decorah Friday, Jan. 14. The following day, the Orange and Black send wrestlers to Cornell College's Matman Invitational inside the Small Multi-Sports Center on Cornell's campus in Mount Vernon and the Central College Dutch Invitational inside Kuyper Fieldhouse on Central's campus in Pella.