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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jackrabbits head west for pair of duals
2/11/2009 1:00:00 AM | Wrestling
BROOKINGS, S.D. ? The South Dakota State wrestling team will head west to Oregon to take on Pacific and Portland State in non-conference wrestling Friday.
The Pacific Boxers are 1-11 on the season as an Independent at the NCAA Division III level. Their only win was over Yakima Valley Community College on Jan. 22 . Kody Kramer leads the Boxers in wins with a record of 13-16 overall. The 157-pound wrestler is 4-8 in duals and has won six of his last 10 matches overall.
The Portland State Vikings are 6-8 overall and 1-4 in the Pac. 10. They are led by Bryan Cantrell with a record of 16-9 including 8-6 in duals. Brady Garner also has 16 wins on the season to 11 losses with a 7-6 record in duals.
The Vikings and Jackrabbits have two common opponents this season in Utah Valley and Wyoming. The Jacks dropped their match to Utah Valley 35-14 on February 6 while the Viks lost 32-7 back in November. Against Wyoming, the Jacks lost 38-7 in Laramie while Portland State lost at home to the Cowboys 31-6.
SERIES RECORDS: SDSU holds a 1-1 record against the Boxers dating back to the 2004-05 season. In the first match between the two schools, Pacific escaped with a 22-20 win. In 2006-07, the Jacks dominated the Boxers 41-6.
This year marks the fifth year in a row that SDSU and Portland State have squared off in wrestling. The Jacks hold a 4-0 record over the Viks, notching a 31-15 win last year.
RABBITS IN THE RANKINGS: Several national wrestling polls have two wrestlers ranked this week.
Junior Tyler Sorenson is rated in the latest Intermat/USA Today poll coming in at No. 14. That ranking marks the highest ever by an SDSU wrestler in a national poll. The 197-pounder is 10-0 after coming back from injury to start the season. Other national polls:
NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings - 33
Wrestling Report - 31
Amateur Wrestling News - 19
WIN Magazine - 20
Senior Jason Stripling is also receiving national attention in the rankings. Stripling, a heavyweight, leads the team in overall and dual victories at 28-9 overall and 16-1 in duals with his last loss at Nebraska to then No. 17 rated Tucker Lane on January 18. Rankings in national polls:
NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings - 33
Wrestling Report - 29
STRIPLING CRACKS TOP-25: Senior heavyweight Jason Stripling currently ranks 23rd at SDSU in career victories. The Minneota, Minn. native currently holds a 79-39-0 record. He overtook Doug Cox who wrestled at 158 pounds from 1983-86 and had a record of 75-59-2.
LAST WEEK: Utah Valley University - The South Dakota State wrestling team won two of their first three matches but dropped their next six, as the Jackrabbits fell 35-14 to Utah Valley University Friday night at Frost Arena in Western Wrestling Conference action.
The Wolverines drew first blood notching a major decision at 184 pounds to start the dual, but the Jacks would go on to score two straight victories at 197 pounds and at heavyweight.
No. 16 rated Tyler Sorenson once again dominated his opponent at 197 pounds, winning by technical fall at 5:33. Sorenson would score four takedowns, three near-falls and an escape in a match that he never trailed. Sorenson extends his perfect record to 10-0, with all his victories coming in duals.
Jason Stripling won his match at heavyweight by forfeit to extend the lead to 11-4.
Utah Valley would then take control of the match, rattling off 31-unanswered points in six straight matches, making the score 35-11. The Wolverines won three matches by fall, one my major decision, one by decision and one by forfeit during the run.
In the final match, freshman Scott Elliott recorded his 24th victory of the season, as he went on to beat Brad Darrington 5-1. After a stalemate in the first period, the 174 pounder scored two takedowns and received a point for riding time while only giving up an escape, ending the scoring at 5-1. Elliott is now 24-5 on the season and improves to 9-2 in duals.
The loss drops the Jacks to 7-9-1 overall and 0-4 in the Western Wrestling Conference. Utah Valley, winners of eight straight, improve to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the WWC.
FRESHMAN IMPACT: Head coach Jason Liles has brought in seven freshman for the 2008-09 wrestling season, all of which have had an immediate impact.
Scott Elliot, from Derby, Kan., has had a breakout freshman campaign notching a 24-5 record, including a 8-2 record in duals. The 174 pounder is second on the team in wins with 24 behind only senior Jason Stripling with 28.
South Dakota native, Dustin Walraven, has had a similar impact on the wrestling program in his inaugural campaign, cracking the 20-win mark against Air Force. The Huron native has complied an 20-15 record. His 20 wins rank him third on the team while wrestling at 141 pounds for most of the season. He is 8-8 on the season with one loss coming at 149 pounds.
Zach Blindert, from Salem, S.D., has found his form at 184 pounds for the Jacks. His 15-9 record is fouth best on the team in the wins category. Blindert is 7-4 in duals on the season at 184 pounds and 2-1 when wrestling up a class at 197. His nine dual victories are good for third on the team.
Weston Ginther, a native of Lemmon, S.D., is 7-20 midway through the season with a 3-12 record in duals. Ginther has worked his ways into the lineup as a true freshman at 165 pounds this season.
Nick Flynn, a 149-pound freshman, has entered the starting line up and posted a 2-11 record in duals and is 9-18 overall on the season.
Cord Willers and Aaron Pickrel round out the Jackrabbit freshman class. Pickrel is 11-7 at 125 pounds while Willers is 1-5 at 165 pounds this season. Both are backups at their respective weights this season.
LILES HONORED: On Jan. 7, 2009, head wrestling coach Jason Liles became the all-time leader in wins at SDSU with 135, recording a 31-15 win over the Delaware St. Hornets. Liles was honored before Thursday's match against Northern State with an etched trophy to commemorate his accomplishment.
The win over took long-time Jackrabbit coach Warren Williamson. The seasoned coached led SDSU for 16 seasons from 1957-68 and 70-73. During his run, he amassed a 134-74-9 record and three North Central Conference titles.
Liles' record currently stands at 139-108-3 in his 16th season with the Jacks.
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