Top-ranked wrestler Rohman leads Augustana's national title pursuit
Senior Jaxson Rohman takes to the mat for the 2024-25 season as the top-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds.
The Augustana wrestling team is starting the year ranked No. 7 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II preseason poll. The Vikings have four individually ranked wrestlers also on the preseason poll: Rohman, redshirt junior Cael Larson, senior Cade Mueller and junior Max Ramberg.
“I’ve really focused on getting better at bottom mat wrestling, getting away from [opponents] and then not being so one-dimensional when I’m on my feet,” Rohman said. “The ultimate goal for me as an individual and for the team is to get the national championship title.”
Rohman, the Augustana Preseason Wrestler to Watch and returning DII All-American, is chasing a National Championship title after claiming runner-up in the last two seasons.
Ramberg, a true junior weighing in at 197 pounds, ranks fifth after earning third place at the Super Region V Championships last year and sixth at nationals.
“This is the third team I have been a part of and this is the best I’ve felt,” Ramberg said. “The team has been working hard all offseason and we are looking forward to a really good year where we put all we have on display.”
Larson ranks sixth in the 149-pound class and Mueller ranks seventh at 184 pounds. Both come into this season after finishing last season as NCAA qualifiers and runners-up at the NCAA Super Regional V Championships in their respective weight class.
As the Vikings enter their 63rd season, head coach Jason Reitmeier notes that despite losing several upperclassmen from last year, he is proud of how hard-working and talented this year’s team is.
“[The team dynamic] is very tight,” Reitmeier said. “I would say the last three to four recruiting classes have been really outstanding. You have a lot of battles in the [wrestling] room, but it seems like they leave those battles in the room when they walk out.”
The team started their season with 10 athletes claiming podium placements at the Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, Minnesota, on Saturday, Nov. 2. Overall, 15 Viking wrestlers placed in the top four of their weight classes.
The team is set to have a difficult front end of the season, as they will compete against Division I teams SDSU and Lincoln-Nebraska, as well as St. Cloud, who claimed the first-place ranking on the DII preseason poll.
Rohman and Ramberg look forward to competing again alongside their teammates this season with the hopes of making individual and team runs for nationals.
The Vikings will take to the road for the Dakota Wesleyan University Open in Mitchell, South Dakota, on Nov. 9. The team will not see a home match until after the new year, which will be a dual against Southwest Minnesota State at the Elmen Center on Jan. 3, 2025.
