Tony Valek recalls he wasn’t a big fan of sitting in the stands back in the mid-2000s watching his older brother, Ryan, wrestle for Augsburg University at the National Duals inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

To clarify, Valek liked the event. He liked the venue, liked the atmosphere.

But as a competitor, Valek wanted to be on the floor.

Eventually, Valek got his turn winning national dual team titles with the Auggies as a competitor in 2009 and 2010.

Now, 13 years after the national duals last appeared in Cedar Falls, Valek will be returning to the UNI-Dome as Augsburg’s head coach.

The U.S. Marine Corps/NWCA Multi-Division National Duals will kick off Friday in Cedar Falls and conclude Saturday as the event will be held inside the UNI-Dome for the first time since 2011.

Here are five storylines to follow this weekend in Cedar Falls. 

Augsburg’s Pursuit Of Another Title 

The Auggies are the defending champs, winning their eighth title last year in Louisville over Johnson and Wales, 35-8.

“I have some good memories of it being in the Dome,” Valek said. “First, Iowa wrestling fans are so knowledgeable, they know what they are talking about.

“But I was there to watch my brother (Ryan) wrestle for Augsburg, I won titles with Augsburg in 2009 and 2010. I remember the year Augsburg beat Wartburg, Minnesota beat Iowa and NDSU won the Division II title with a bunch of Minnesota kids.

“I also remember when Cole Konrad beat Steve Mocco to help Minnesota beat Oklahoma State for the title. There was a lot of excitement. We’re excited to come back to the UNI-Dome.”

Augsburg, which has not competed since winning the North Central College Invitational on Dec. 9, enters as the top seed.

The Auggies have earned that #1 seed with their body of work to date.

At NCC, Augsburg had five wrestlers win titles – Cooper Willis (165), Seth Goetzinger (174), Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (184), Parker Venz (197) and Tyler Kim (285). Additionally, Kaden Reetz took second at 157 and defending national champion Sam Stuhl bounced back from an early loss to finish third at 141.

Valek is not concerned about the Auggies long layoff, saying they usually compete in Florida between Christmas and the national duals but made a conscious decision not to do that this winter.

“We have a bunch of real committed guys who found their high school gyms, got workouts in, put in a ton of work,” Valek said. “And we have had plenty of competition…a lot of our guys already have 20-plus matches.”

And depending on where the matches start, Valek says he likes his potential lineup.

The numbers back up that confidence, especially at the top end. 

Beginning with Willis at 165, the combined record for the Auggies starters from 165 through 285 is 79-5 with four of the five losses coming at the Luther Open to Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers.

The only non-Division I loss amongst the five losses was Seth Goetzinger losing to 2023 national runner-up Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire in a dual.

“We’ve experienced a lot of good challenges already,” Valek said. “We understand what a good performance at the National Duals can do for you as a springboard.

“The energy brought to our team after winning last year over the next three to four weeks was impactful.”

Another Battle of The ‘Burgs?

After being stunned in the semifinals last year by Johnson and Wales, second-seeded Wartburg College, seeking its 13th NWCA National Dual title, also is looking forward to being tested.

“Obviously, this is an event we circle on our calendar,” Knight head coach Eric Keller said. “This is a competition where it gives you the opportunity to see exactly where you are at, allow you to make adjustments and to continue to evolve so you are at your best at the end of the year.”

Wartburg is 6-0 and last competed Dec. 17 with a 3-0 performance at the Desert Duals in Las Vegas with wins over Albion College, Saint Vincent College and the University of Chicago.

“I love the dual format,” Keller said. “I think this is an important event for Division III, and we are always excited for it. People say there isn’t enough crossover (East Coast programs against Midwest/West Coast programs) and we have that here.

“It is an opportunity to not only see the best teams but see some of the best individuals in the country. But I really love the team aspect of it over than wrestling in another individual tournament.

“When you are at an individual tournament, it is about each individual guy doing his own thing. At the National Duals, there is power in that team aspect where everyone is supporting each other.”

The Other Challengers 

Wisconsin-La Crosse is seeded third, and North Central is fourth. Baldwin Wallace, VTSU-Castleton, the College of New Jersey and Johnson and Wales round out the top eight seeds of the 24-team field.

UWL is 6-0 and that includes a 30-12 win over then third-ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire. North Central is also 4-0.

History Lesson

This marks the 22nd edition of the D3 NWCA National Duals. Wartburg and Augsburg have combined to win 20 of the previous 21 tournaments. The lone exception came in 2022 when the Knights and Auggies were absent from the field and UW-La Crosse took home the title. 

Wartburg has captured 12 titles, including six that came with wins over Augsburg in the finals. 

The Auggies have beaten the Knights six times in the championship round and own eight titles overall. 

Individual Firepower

Eight of the 10 top-ranked D3 individuals could be on display this weekend — Baldwin Wallace’s Jacob Decatur (125) and Michael Petrella (149), North Central’s Robbie Precin (133), UW-La Crosse’s Nolan Hertel (157), Wartburg’s Zane Mulder (174) and Massoma Endene (197) and 

Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (184) and Tyler Kim (285). 

There’s a potential #1 vs. #2 showdown looming in Friday afternoon’s quarterfinals at 125 pounds — with Decatur against Christian Guzman —  if Baldwin Wallace and North Central can navigate through the opening round.