Wartburg Knights men's wrestling
American wrestling team of the Wartburg College Knights
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The Wartburg Knights men's wrestling program is one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division III. They are a member of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) and wrestle for Wartburg College. Wartburg has 17 NCAA DIII National Championships while finishing as a runner-up 11 times.[2] After the 2025 tournament they hold the record for most NCAA Team National Titles.[2] They have also won 13 NWCA National Duals titles.
Elard Coello
Brady Kyner
| Wartburg Knights men's wrestling | |
|---|---|
| |
| Head coach | Eric Keller (16th season) |
| Assistant coach | Trevor Kittleson Elard Coello Brady Kyner |
| Conference | A-R-C |
| Location | Waverly, IA |
| Arena | Levick Arena (capacity: 2,000) |
| Nickname | Knights |
| Colors | Orange and Black[1] |
| Team national championships | |
| 17 | |
| National championship years | |
| 1996, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2025, 2026 | |
| NCAA individual champions | |
| 54 | |
| All-Americans | |
| 260 | |
| Conference championships | |
| 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1960, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
This page is exclusive to Wartburg men's wrestling. The school announced the addition of women's wrestling in 2021, with varsity competition originally set to start in 2022–23[3] but delayed to 2023–24.[4] At the time, women's wrestling was part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program; it became an official NCAA championship sport in 2025–26.
History
Battle of the burgs
Since 1995 only two teams have won a DIII NCAA wrestling team title, those two being Wartburg College and Augsburg University. Both teams have gone back and forth since then, which created one of the greatest rivalries in any sport. The rivalry gained national attention when it was placed front and center on the New York Times sports section in 2012.[6] The two teams meet every year and wrestle for a belt in a dual aptly named "Battle of the Burgs",[7] with Wartburg winning straight, in 2023.[8] The rivalry was featured on LG's series "the rivalries" during the 2023-2024 season. The series followed both Augsburg and Wartburg throughout the season and their battle for supremacy in DIII wrestling.[9] Augsburg would go on to win the "Battle of the Burgs" that season and win the NCAA title, with Wartburg coming in 2nd.
Home meets
Home meets are held in the Levick Arena in Waverly, Iowa.[10]
Championships
NCAA team championships
| Year | Coach | NCAA Meet Points | Duals Record (W-L-T) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Jim Miller | 95.5 | 17-2 | ||
| 1999 | Jim Miller | 117.5 | 17-1 | ||
| 2003 | Jim Miller | 166.5 | 22-1 | ||
| 2004 | Jim Miller | 156.5 | 27-1 | ||
| 2006 | Jim Miller | 145.4 | 27-0 | ||
| 2008 | Jim Miller | 147 | 22-0 | ||
| 2009 | Jim Miller | 117.5 | 15-2-1 | ||
| 2011 | Jim Miller/Eric Keller | 117 | 19-1 | ||
| 2012 | Jim Miller/Eric Keller | 141.5 | 19-1 | ||
| 2013 | Jim Miller/Eric Keller | 103 | 19-0 | ||
| 2014 | Eric Keller | 103.5 | 18-0 | ||
| 2016 | Eric Keller | 129.5 | 19-0 | ||
| 2017 | Eric Keller | 129.5 | 20-0 | ||
| 2018 | Eric Keller | 136.5 | 18-2 | ||
| 2022 | Eric Keller | 79 | 13-1 | ||
| 2025 | Eric Keller | 83.5 | 14-2 | ||
| 2026 | Eric Keller | 110 | 15-1 | ||
| 17 NCAA Championships | |||||
NWCA Team Championships
2021 (no NCAA Championship was held due to the COVID-19 Pandemic)[12]
ARC/IIAC Conference Championships
1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1960, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026[13]
NWCA National Duals Championship
2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2024 [14][15]
NCAA Individual Champions
| Year | NCAA Champion | Weight Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dean Gavin | 190 lbs |
| 1993 | Tom Hogan | 150 lbs |
| 1993 | Lance Christensen | 167 lbs |
| 1994 | Zane Braggs | 118 lbs |
| 1996 | Tom Smith | 126 lbs |
| 1996 | Jamal Fox | 142 lbs |
| 1997 | Tom Smith | 126 lbs |
| 1997 | Dusty Rhodes | 134 lbs |
| 1998 | Ben Shane | 142 lbs |
| 1999 | Zac Weiglein | 125 lbs |
| 1999 | Ben Shane | 149 lbs |
| 2000 | Zac Weiglein | 125 lbs |
| 2003 | Heath Ropp | 125 lbs |
| 2003 | Wil Kelly | 141 lbs |
| 2003 | LeRoy Gardner III | Hwt. |
| 2004 | Dustin Hinschberger | 141 lbs |
| 2004 | Bart Mehlert | 149 lbs |
| 2004 | Ryan Sturm | 184 lbs |
| 2004 | Akeem Carter | 197 lbs |
| 2005 | Dustin Hinschberger | 141 lbs |
| 2005 | Akeem Carter | 197 lbs |
| 2006 | Tyler Hubbard | 125 lbs |
| 2006 | Dustin Hinschberger | 141 lbs |
| 2007 | T.J. Miller | 197 lbs |
| 2007 | Blake Gillis | Hwt. |
| 2008 | Jacob Naig | 149 lbs |
| 2008 | Aaron Wernimont | 157 lbs |
| 2008 | Romeo Djoumessi | 184 lbs |
| 2009 | Aaron Wernimont | 157 lbs |
| 2009 | Justin Hanson | 197 lbs |
| 2010 | Byron Tate | 197 lbs |
| 2011 | Byron Tate | 197 lbs |
| 2011 | John Helgerson | Hwt. |
| 2012 | Kenny Anderson | 125 lbs |
| 2012 | Kodie Silvestri | 141 lbs |
| 2012 | Landon Williams | 165 lbs |
| 2012 | Byron Tate | 197 lbs |
| 2013 | Kenny Anderson | 133 lbs |
| 2014 | Kenny Anderson | 133 lbs |
| 2014 | Cole Welter | 165 lbs |
| 2014 | Landon Williams | 174 lbs |
| 2015 | Kenny Martin | 149 lbs |
| 2016 | Kenny Martin | 149 lbs |
| 2017 | Eric DeVos | 174 lbs |
| 2018 | Brock Rathbun | 133 lbs |
| 2018 | Cross Cannone | 149 lbs |
| 2018 | Kyle Fank | 197 lbs |
| 2023 | Zane Mulder | 174 lbs |
| 2023 | Massoma Endene | 197 lbs |
| 2024 | Massoma Endene | 197 lbs |
| 2025 | Massoma Endene | 197 lbs |
| 2025 | Mitchell Williamson | Hwt. |
| 2026 | Kade Blume | 141 lbs |
| 2026 | Kasey Ross | 184 lbs |
The following table counts the achievements of Wartburg Knight wrestlers by name as opposed to year.
| Wrestler | NCAA Championships | NCAA Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Kenny Anderson | 3 | 0 |
| Massoma Endene | 3 | 0 |
| Dustin Hinschberger | 3 | 0 |
| Byron Tate | 3 | 0 |
| Akeem Carter | 2 | 1 |
| Kenny Martin | 2 | 0 |
| Ben Shane | 2 | 0 |
| Tom Smith | 2 | 1 |
| Zac Weiglein | 2 | 0 |
| Aaron Wernimont | 2 | 0 |
| Landon Williams | 2 | 0 |
| Kade Blume | 1 | 0 |
| Zane Braggs | 1 | 1 |
| Cross Cannone | 1 | 1 |
| Lance Christensen | 1 | 0 |
| Eric DeVos | 1 | 1 |
| Romeo Djoumessi | 1 | 0 |
| Kyle Fank | 1 | 0 |
| Dean Gavin | 1 | 0 |
| LeRoy Gardner III | 1 | 0 |
| Blake Gillis | 1 | 3 |
| Justin Hanson | 1 | 0 |
| John Helgerson | 1 | 1 |
| Tom Hogan | 1 | 1 |
| Tyler Hubbard | 1 | 0 |
| Wil Kelly | 1 | 0 |
| Bart Mehlert | 1 | 0 |
| TJ Miller | 1 | 1 |
| Zane Mulder | 1 | 1 |
| Jacob Naig | 1 | 1 |
| Brock Rathbun | 1 | 0 |
| Dusty Rhodes | 1 | 0 |
| Heath Ropp | 1 | 0 |
| Kasey Ross | 1 | 0 |
| Kodi Silvestri | 1 | 1 |
| Ryan Sturm | 1 | 0 |
| Cole Welter | 1 | 0 |
| Mitchell Williamson | 1 | 1 |
| Bruce Brye | 0 | 2 |
| Jon Dawley | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Alesch | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Dodd | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Buskohl | 0 | 1 |
| Ozzie Saxon | 0 | 2 |
| Kevin Bratland | 0 | 1 |
| Sonny Alvarez | 0 | 1 |
| Cory Connell | 0 | 1 |
| Scott Kauffman | 0 | 1 |
| Jake Helvey | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Borchers | 0 | 1 |
| Drew Wagenhoffer | 0 | 1 |
| Zach McKray | 0 | 1 |
| Bradley Banks | 0 | 2 |
| Ryan Fank | 0 | 1 |
| Devin Peterson | 0 | 1 |
| Nick Michael | 0 | 1 |
| Gerard Roman | 0 | 1 |
| Logan Thomsen | 0 | 2 |
| Tyler Lutes | 0 | 1 |
| Zayren Terukina | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 54 | 41 |
Head coaching history
As of the completion of 2026 season[17]
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–1966, 1967-1968 | Norm Johansen | 10 | 50–49–7 | .505 |
| 1966–1967 | Kaye Young | 1 | 4–7–0 | .364 |
| 1968–1990 | Dick Walker | 22 | 175-85-4 | .670 |
| 1991-2013 | Jim Miller | 22 | 411–38–2 | .914 |
| 2010–present | Eric Keller | 16 | 262–14 | .949 |
| Totals | 5 coaches | 65 seasons | 845–193–14 | .810 |