Tears were shed and thank you was uttered several times as wrestlers from section one of the Minnesota State High School League were honored at the Southeast Minnesota Wrestling Senior Honor Banquet.

The message from the evening was simple. Wrestle hard and celebrate a few of southeast Minnesota’s best on the mat.

Between bites of burgers and sips of soda, wrestlers shared stories of their time in gym and celebrated what they achieved.

Austin Goergen was one of eight inductees into this year’s hall of fame class. He graduated from Caledonia High School in 2012 before finishing his college career at St. Cloud State as a four-time All-American.

Goergen said he credits his dad, who was dubbed the nickname the cowboy coach of the south, for a lot of his success.

“With my dad being my coach, he said that everyday in life you’re not going to feel 100%. But if you go out there and give it your hundred percent, that’s all I can ask.”

Goergen won a state title with his dad as his coach and joins him as a member of the 2025 hall of fame class.

“It’s very cool to share another memorable memory here with my dad,” Goergen said.

While the marquee attraction for the event was the hall of fame induction, the awards didn’t stop there. Four wrestlers received Wrestler of the Year awards for their respective classes. coaches from the section made shouted out their seniors and explained what their plans are after graduation.

MSHSL Section 1 Hall of Fame Class of 2025

• Hank Friederichs – Chatfield – Athlete
• Austin Goergen – Caledonia – Athlete
• Dan Goergen – Caledonia – Coach
• Travis Bartels – Caledonia – Assistant Coach
• Terry Carlson – Austin and Hayfield – Assistant Coach
• Mike Hamilton – Plainview-Elgin-Millville – Contributor/Official/Coach
• Steve Graff – Owatonna – Official
• Annette Olson – Hayfield – Meritorious Service

Related: Prep of the Week: Carson Rowland

Wrestler of the Year Winners

• Carson Rowlands – Chatfield – Class A
• Sam Winkels – Austin – Class AA
• Logan Davis – Albert Lea – Class AAA
• Ella Pagel – Northfield – Girls