Since 1995, only two schools have ever hoisted the Division III wrestling trophy. For 28 tournaments in a row, it was always Augsburg or Wartburg, never anyone else, until a small culinary school from Rhode Island snuck onto the belt.
Minneapolis, Minn. vs Waverly, Iowa · NCAA Division III Wrestling · Swens-Milboy Belt
Tale of the tape
| Augsburg | Wartburg | |
| Home | Minneapolis, Minn. | Waverly, Iowa |
| Colors | Maroon & Gray | Orange & Black |
| National team titles | 15 | 17 |
| All-time series wins | 19 | 26 |
| Jan. 30, 2026 dual | 9 | 21 |
Every sport has its blue bloods. Division III wrestling has exactly two, and they happen to be a Lutheran university in Minneapolis and a Lutheran college in a town of 10,000 in eastern Iowa. Since 1995, Augsburg and Wartburg haven’t just dominated the national championship, they’ve functionally owned it.
A streak that lasted three decades
From 1995 through 2024, the NCAA Division III wrestling championship went to Augsburg or Wartburg every single time it was contested, 28 tournaments in a row, counting two years canceled for COVID. No other program so much as shared the trophy.
95 AUG 96 WAR 97 AUG 98 AUG 99 WAR 00 AUG 03 WAR 07 AUG 14 WAR 19 AUG 22 WAR 25 TIE* 26 WAR
*In 2025, Johnson & Wales tied Wartburg atop the team standings, the first outside program to share the title since the streak began. Wartburg won it back outright in 2026, its 17th national title.
Augsburg now sits at 15 team titles, Wartburg at 17. Between them, their coaching legends account for two entirely different eras of the same dynasty.
The belt, and the friendship behind it
The rivalry’s trophy, the Swens-Milboy Trophy Belt, has only existed since 2015, which is almost funny given how long the rivalry itself has run. It’s named for Augsburg’s Jeff Swenson and Wartburg’s Jim Miller, nicknamed Milboy, who coached against each other for years and combined for 20 national championships, 10 apiece.
By most accounts the two men were genuine friends off the mat, reportedly meeting for lunch during the off-season even while trying to beat each other every winter. Wartburg currently holds the all-time series lead, 26-19, after a 21-9 win on January 30, 2026, and leads the specific Battle of the Burgs dual series 18-11 since it began in the 1996-97 season.
The dual that decided the belt
This year’s meeting lived up to the hype on paper: the No. 1/2-ranked team in the country traveling to face the No. 3-ranked team, both fielding nationally ranked wrestlers across nearly every weight class. Wartburg controlled the dual from the start and won 21-9 at Augsburg’s Si Melby Hall, reclaiming the belt after Augsburg had won the previous two meetings.
It was a bit of a role reversal from the year before, when top-ranked Augsburg had opened with four straight decisions to build an early lead and held off a late Wartburg push to win 22-13.
Moments that made the rivalry
A few results still get argued about at both schools. In 1993, Augsburg edged Wartburg for the national title by a single point, 93 to 92. In 1999, Wartburg denied Augsburg a shot at a fourth straight championship (and a since-unmatched sixth in a row) by half a point. In 2003, Wartburg set the all-time D3 scoring record for a championship, beating Augsburg by 82 points behind three individual champions and ten All-Americans.
The rivalry even made the front page of the New York Times sports section in March 2012, in a feature that reportedly outranked coverage of Tiger Woods and the NBA that day.
Wartburg’s Eric Keller reportedly swore off Hershey’s chocolate after Augsburg upset his heavily favored team at the 2015 championships, held in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Wrestlers worth knowing
Augsburg’s Marcus LeVesseur remains the program’s signature name: a four-time national champion who finished his college career undefeated at 155-0, then went on to a 22-7 professional MMA record. Wartburg counters with TJ Miller, the son of longtime coach Jim Miller, who won his own national title in 2007 and, according to wrestling media, once beat a college-age Jon Jones, years before Jones became a UFC heavyweight champion.
Quick answers
What is the Battle of the Burgs?
The annual wrestling dual between Augsburg University and Wartburg College, two Division III programs that have combined to win nearly every national title since 1995. The winner takes the Swens-Milboy Trophy Belt.
Who leads the all-time series?
Wartburg, 26-19 after a 21-9 win on January 30, 2026, and 18-11 in the specific Battle of the Burgs dual series since 1996-97.
What is the Swens-Milboy Trophy Belt?
The traveling trophy for the annual dual, named for former coaches Jeff Swenson (Augsburg) and Jim Miller, nicknamed Milboy (Wartburg), who combined for 20 national championships.
Has any other school broken the streak?
Not outright. Augsburg or Wartburg won every D3 title from 1995 through 2024. In 2025, Johnson & Wales tied Wartburg for the title, the first outside program to share it since the streak began. Wartburg won it alone again in 2026.
Did a Wartburg wrestler really beat a future UFC champion?
According to wrestling media coverage, Wartburg’s TJ Miller beat a college-age Jon Jones, who later became a UFC heavyweight champion, in a college match.
This is what fueling a wrestler looks like
Both rosters are stacked with nationally ranked wrestlers right now. If this rivalry has you paying attention, you can back a wrestler from either program directly on RallyFuel.
Back an Augsburg Auggie → rallyfuel.com/schools/augsburg
Back a Wartburg Knight → rallyfuel.com/schools/wartburg
