College wrestling
Trio of MCW graduates are nationally ranked
Three Martin County West graduates are nationally ranked as competition in the college wrestling season starts Saturday.
Jaxson Rohman of Augustana University is rated first at 125 pounds in NCAA Division II men’s wrestling; Blake Jagodzinske is fourth at 157 in NCAA Division III; and Katie Lange is second at 138 in the women’s wrestling rankings.
Rohman No. 1
Rohman, a senior, has finished second in the national tournament at 125 the last two years. He was 22-5 overall last season and 13-3 record in duals. Rohman has a career record of 57-18.
Augustana is ranked seventh as a team.
A number of Vikings are competing at Saturday’s Yellowjacket Open in Rochester.
Among them are another pair of former Martin County Red Bulls, Connor Simmonds (157) and Payton Anderson (165).
There are also three Jackson County Central graduates wrestling at Augustana and they’re all scheduled to wrestle Saturday, Nolan Ambrose (unattached at 149), Logan Butzon (157) and Payton Handevidt (165).
Augustana will also have wrestlers competing will begin its season at the DWU Open in Mitchell next Saturday. The first dual for the Vikings is Friday, Nov. 15 at South Dakota State.
Jagodzinske 4th
MCW grad Blake Jagodzinske is ranked fourth at 157 pounds in NCAA Division III.
Jagodzinske was an all-American last season when he placed fifth in the national tournament at 157, finishing with a record of 20-8. His career record is 64-17.
Jagodzinske also received the NCAA Elite 90 Award as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing in the national tournament.
Augsburg is first in the team rankings. The Auggies host a tournament on Saturday, Nov. 16. Their first duals are the University of Olivet Duals on Saturday, Nov 23.
Lange second
After a year away from collegiate wrestling, Martin County West graduate Katie Lange will continue her career at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. This will be the first year of women’s wrestling at GVSU.
She is rated second at 138 pounds.
Lange is rejoining Jake Short, who was the coach at Augsburg University for her two seasons with the Auggies. He is the son of Simley High School coach Will Short and the grandson of former Simley coach Jim Short.
Lange was the 143-pound champion at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships as a sophomore with Augsburg in 2023, finishing the season with a 33-6 record with nine pins and 16 technical falls.
In two seasons at Augsburg, Lange had a 51-7 record with 16 pins and 23 technical falls.
She took an Olympic year this past season and trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. At the Olympic Trials in State College, Penn., Lange won her first match and then lost her next two.
Grand Valley is rated sixth as a team. The Lakers will open their season Saturday, Nov. 16 at Northern Michigan.