Favorite topics

April 1, 2003

2002-03 WRESTLING REVIEW

2002-03 WRESTLING REVIEW

MATT KAPRAUN EARNS NCAA DIVISION III ALL-AMERICAN HONORS AS AUGUSTANA FINISHES YEAR WITH 15-6-1 DUAL MEET RECORD AND SIXTH STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLE; PAT MARSH IS NAMED CCIW “COACH OF THE YEAR”

Senior Matt Kapraun (St. John’s Military Academy, Harvard, IL) earned All-American honors at 141 pounds with a sixth place finish in the NCAA Division III national meet on March 8 in Ada, Ohio. The hard working Kapraun finished the year with a 39-9 record and epitomized the entire program under the direction of head coach Pat Marsh.

Marsh completed his third year as the head coach of his alma mater and in keeping with the tradition that is Augustana wrestling, it was another outstanding campaign. The Vikings had another stellar year, finishing with a 15-6-1 dual meet record and winning the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin title with 93 points. That was 24 points better than second place Millikin and it was the sixth consecutive CCIW title for Augustana and the 35^th in school history since the first championship in 1963. Since that first title in 1963, the Vikings have won 35 of 41 league titles.

During the first month of the season Augustana started slowly and on December 7 the record stood at just 5-5. From that point forward, the Vikings went 10-1-1 over the final 12 dual matches. Besides winning the CCIW title, Augustana was second in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional, second in the Elmhurst Invitational, second in the Augustana Invitational, third in the Citrus Open and third in the Dick Walker Invitational.

This was an interesting year as Marsh was forced to blend seasoned veterans such as Kapraun, Sean Hoover (Rock Island Alleman HS, Milan, IL) and Aaron Granell (J.D. Darnall HS, Geneseo, IL) with promising newcomers like Larry Amedio (DeLaSalle HS, Chicago, IL), Dan Stanton (Lincoln Way HS, New Lenox, IL) and Brian Daly (DeLaSalle HS, Chicago, IL). The result was a very successful season.

Seniors Kapraun and Hoover certainly left their mark on the program and they have been rewarded by moving into the top 20 in career victories. Kapraun posted a 39-9 record at 141 pounds while Hoover went 34-9 at 165 pounds. Hoover leaves Augustana in 15^th place on the career victory list with a record of 93-41 while Hoover is right behind him in 16^th place with a record of 91-45.

There were seven Vikings, including Kapraun and Hoover, who compiled at least 33 victories during the 2002-03 season. The leader was Amedio, who finished 41-17 at 133 pounds and moved into a tie for 13^th place on the school’s single season victory list. Also over 30 wins were Kapraun (39-9), Stanton (37-9 at 125), Pat Healy (Fenwick HS, Riverside, IL – 36-18 at 184), Granell (36-8 at 197), Hoover (34-9 at 165), and Daly (33-13 at 157). It was this combination of depth and talent that led to the team’s success.

One of the top goals before every season is to win the CCIW title and the Vikings left no doubt as they rolled to the championship. On Saturday, February 15, in the friendly confines of the Carver PE Center, Marsh watched as his club claimed six individual titles. The leader was Granell, who won his third straight CCIW title with a victory over Michael Mays of Millikin via medical forfeit at 197 pounds. Joining Granell in the championship circle were Stanton at 125, Kapraun at 141, Daly at 157, Hoover at 165 and Healy at 184. Amedio at 133 and Tyler Brucker (Gibson City HS, Gibson City, IL) at 149 both placed third while Jason Kral (Lake Zurich HS, Lake Zurich, IL) was fourth at 174 and Brett Henderson (Normal West HS, Normal, IL) took fourth at 285.

Augustana scored 93 points to easily outdistance Millikin’s second place total of 69. Wheaton was third with 56, North Central fourth with 54.5 and Elmhurst placed fifth with 48. North Park, Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage failed to field teams. Following the meet Marsh was tabbed “Coach of the Year”.

The Vikings hosted the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional on February 22 and placed an impressive second in the 16 team field. Augsburg, which was the three time defending national champion at the time, won the meet with 173 points while Augustana took second with 102 while St. John’s was third with 77 and Concordia fourth with 61.

Although Augustana did not crown any individual champions, three wrestlers were able to finish second and qualify for the national tournament. Amedio (133), Kapraun (141) and Daly (157) were all selected as at-large participants for the national meet.

COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN TOURNAMENT

February 15, 2003

Carver PE Center @ Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

TEAM SCORES: 1. AUGUSTANA 93; 2. Millikin 69; 3. Wheaton 56; 4. North Central 54.5; 5. Elmhurst 48.

INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT CLASS RESULTS

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: Sean Collins, Wheaton at 149 pounds

COACH OF THE YEAR: Pat Marsh, Augustana College

2003 AUGUSTANA SUPERLATIVES

NCAA DIVISION III ALL-AMERICAN: Matt Kapraun, 141 pounds

CCIW INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS: Dan Stanton, 125 pounds; Matt Kapraun, 141 pounds; Brian Daly, 157 pounds; Sean Hoover, 165 pounds; Pat Healy, 184 pounds; Aaron Granell, 197 pounds

CCIW “COACH OF THE YEAR”: Pat Marsh

CAREER TOP 20 VICTORY LIST: Sean Hoover 15^th place with 93-41 record…Matt Kapraun 16^th place with 91-45 record.

SINGLE SEASON TOP 20 VICTORY LIST: Larry Amedio tied for 13^th place with 41-17 record.

CITRUS OPEN INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION: Matt Kapraun – 141 pounds

AUGUSTANA INVITATIONAL INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION: Dan Stanton – 125 pounds; Aaron Granell – 197 pounds

ELMHURST INVITATIONAL INDIVDUAL CHAMPION: Matt Kapraun – 141 pounds; Sean Hoover – 165 pounds

MOST VALUABLE: Sean Hoover

MOST OUTSTANDING: Matt Kapraun

HARDEST WORKER: Dan Stanton

MOST IMPROVED: Pat Healy

MOST VALUABLE FRESHMEN: Dan Stanton, Larry Amedio & Brian Daly

MOST IMPROVED FRESHMAN: Keith Witalka

COACHES AWARD: Sean Hoover