By Tim Glon

ADA — Top-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) did Friday what no team has done before.

The Knights advanced all 10 of its wrestlers into the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, becoming the first school in history to accomplish the feat.

The only other school to advance all 10 wrestlers into the All-America round was the University of Minnesota, who accomplished the feat at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2002.

Nine of the Wartburg wrestlers won their Championship Quarterfinal round matches and advanced into Saturday afternoon's Championship Semifinals.

Three-time defending champion Augsburg (Minn.) held the previous record with nine All-Americans in the 1998 NCAA Division III Championships.

In the team competition, Wartburg has 94.5 points and holds a commanding lead No. 2-ranked Augsburg (Minn.), who has 51 points, and No. 7-ranked Montclair State (N.J.), who has 40.5.

All 10 of the top seeds and eight of the 10 number-two seeds advanced to the Championship Semifinals.

Augsburg is second with six All-Americans, marking the eighth consecutive year the Auggies have accomplished the feat.

Three of the six wrestlers who entered the Championships undefeated advanced to the semifinals and a fourth remained alive in the Consolations.

Top-seeded Remi Ratel of Montclair State won three times at 149, with a fall and two tech falls, to improve his record to 35-0.

Augsburg's Marcus LeVesseur, the top-seeded wrestler at 157 pounds, posted two decisions to improve to 42-0.

Second-seeded Cody Koenig of Wisconsin-Stevens Point had a fall and a decision at 174 pounds to improve to 34-0.

Fifth-seeded Tom Prairie (28-1) of Williams (Mass.) lost his Championships Quarterfinal match, but rallied with two Consolation victories to acheive All-America honors.

Second-seeded Davey Starks of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (32-2) and un-seeded Peter Krzyzewski (18-2) of WPI each lost twice to end their seasons.

The Championship Semifinals and Consolation Quarterfinals and Semifinals will get underway in Session 3 at 11 am on Saturday.