2005-06 Wrestling Media Guide - Augustana College

THE VIKING STAFF
4 - AUGUSTANA VIKINGS
ERIC JUERGENS –
Head Wrestling Coach
After serving as Augustana’s interim
head coach for the 2007-08 season,
Eric Juergens, a two time NCAA Division
I national champion, was hired
as the school’s full time wrestling
coach on April 4, 2008. He heads
into his sixth season at the helm of
the Vikings in 2012-13. Juergens
has the Vikings coming off their best
campaign in eight years, leading
them to a 11-4 dual meet record and
a second place finish in the College
Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
(CCIW). The 2011-12 season
also saw Juergens’ team produce
Augustana’s first All-American (Jordan
Richardson) since the 2002-03
season, as well as three individual conference champions (Alberto Quiros,
Richardson, and Matt Burns).
Augustana went 2-9 in dual meets and finished fourth in the College Conference
of Illinois & Wisconsin during Juergens’ interim season of 2007-08.
In his second year (2008-09), the Vikings went 4-11 in dual meets and
moved up to third in the CCIW. 2009-2010 brought an improved record
of 5-10 in dual meets and another third place conference finish, building
up to the success the program experienced during the 2010-11 season.
The 2010-11 season saw Juergens’ team achieve a new high, producing
Augustana’s first two conference champions (freshmen Jacob Scholten
and Jordan Graham) since the 2005-06 season, as well as two Scholar All-
Americans in Hunter Feraco and Tim Day.
In September of 2008, the head wrestling coaching position at Augustana
was fully endowed thanks to a generous gift from Terry and Sandy Shockley.
Juergens becomes the first “Terry and Sandy Shockley Head Wrestling
Coach” in school history. Augustana is the first school in the CCIW and
one of a select few in NCAA Division III to have an endowed coaching
position in its athletic department.
“I want to thank the administration for giving me the chance as a head
coach,” said Juergens when the interim tag was removed from his title in
the spring of 2008. “My intentions and goals will be very simple. I have
been coached by some of the greatest names in the sport of wrestling,
guys like Dan Gable, Jim Zalesky, Tom and Terry Brands and Lincoln McIlravy
just to name a few. I want to take the very methods and techniques
that I have learned over the course of my own career and implement
them at Augustana.”
Juergens had a prolific career as a competitor. Wrestling at the University
of Iowa, he won individual national titles both as a junior (1999-00) and
as a senior (2000-01). He was third in the NCAA tournament in his freshman
(1997-98) and sophomore (1998-99) seasons. As a senior he served
as team captain and was the Hawkeye’s Most Valuable Performer. He was
the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and selected as the University of Iowa’s
“Male Athlete of the Year”.
During his junior campaign he had an undefeated 33-0 record en route to
his first national title. Along the way he won the Big Ten title and was the
champion at the Midlands Tournament. He was given the Art Kraft “Champion
of Champions” award at the Midlands.
He finished third in the Big Ten both his freshman and sophomore seasons
prior to placing third in the national meet each year. He was named the
NCAA “Freshman of the Year” at the completion of the 1997-98 season.
His high school career at Maquoketa High School in Maquoketa, Iowa was
one of unparalleled success. He was 144-0 during his four year, compiling
100 pins and winning four straight state titles. He was the Northern Plains
Regional champion and was first team Amateur Wrestling News All-American.
He was a second team Asics Tiger All-American as well. He placed
second at Cadet Nationals as a sophomore and was an honor roll student.
Juergens graduated from the University of Iowa in 2001 with a B.A.
degree in English. He served as a volunteer assistant coach at Augustana
in 2006-07 and before that he spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant
at Loras. He is the owner of Young Guns Wrestling Club and served as the
camp director for the University of Iowa Wrestling Camps from 1998 until
2002.
He leads an Augustana program that has won a total of 36 CCIW titles,
more than any other school in the conference.
YEAR W L .PCT CCIW REGIONAL NCAA CCIW NCAA
FINISH FINISH FINISH CHAMP ALL-AMERICANS
2007-08 2 9 .182 Fourth 12th --- --- ---
2008-09 4 11 .267 Third 12th --- --- ---
2009-10 5 10 .333 Third 10th --- --- ---
2010-11 9 6 .600 Third 7th --- 2 ---
2011-12 11 4 .733 Second 6th 36 3 1
CAREER 31 40 .436
Eric Juergens was a two time NCAA Division I national champion at Iowa...
He was the first head wrestling coach at Augustana to be awarded the
title of “Terry & Sandy Head Wrestling Coach” in September of 2008 and
has compiled a career record of 31-40.