Jackrabbits take on No. 12 Arizona State

Sunday, November 26

Tempe, Ariz.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Arizona State

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

11/22/2017 2:04:00 PM | Wrestling

By: Jason Hove

DUAL 2: #16 South Dakota State (0-1) at #12 Arizona State (1-2)

When	Sunday, Nov. 26 \| 1 p.m. Central Time
Where	Wells Fargo Arena \| Tempe, Arizona
TV	Pac-12 Network \| Video Streaming: Pac-12.com
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Arizona State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

BROOKINGS, S.D. — For the second time in as many duals, the South Dakota State University wrestling team will face a ranked opponent. Sunday, the Jackrabbits will travel to Tempe, Arizona, for a matchup against 12th-ranked Arizona State.
Action is scheduled to begin at noon Mountain Time (1 p.m. Central) at Wells Fargo Arena on the ASU campus. The dual is to be televised on the Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Arizona, with live video streaming available at Pac-12.com or via the Pac-12 Now app.
SDSU, ranked 16th in the latest NWCA/USA Today poll, dropped its dual opener Nov. 17 to sixth-ranked Minnesota, 20-12. Arizona State, meanwhile, is 1-2 in duals after meeting three ranked opponents so far this season. The Sun Devils dropped a Nov. 10 decision to third-ranked Michigan, 21-18, then were defeated by second-ranked Ohio State, 31-12, on Nov. 12. ASU cracked the win column with a 32-6 home victory over No. 22 Pittsburgh on Nov. 19.
The Sun Devils feature six ranked wrestlers in their lineup, including top-ranked Zahid Valencia at 174 pounds. He is expected to face a challenge from the Jackrabbits' 10th-ranked David Kocer.
The 157-pound bout also is slated to be a matchup between ranked wrestlers as fifth-ranked Joshua Shields of Arizona State would meet the Jackrabbits' 11th-ranked Luke Zilverberg.

THE SERIES: Sunday's matchup will mark the first-ever dual between South Dakota State and Arizona State.
The Jackrabbits have met several other members of the Pac-12 Conference since moving to the Division I ranks at the start of the 2004-05 season. Most recently, SDSU defeated affiliate members Boise State (37-3, last season) and Cal State Bakersfield (23-10, during 2015-16 season). Boise State has since discontinued its wrestling program.
SDSU is scheduled to host Pac-12 member Oregon State in dual action Jan. 5 at Frost Arena.

RABBITS RANKED: South Dakota State is well represented both individually and as a team in rankings conducted by a number of wrestling-related media outlets.
The Jackrabbits opened the 2017-18 season with a No. 16 ranking in the first NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, and maintain that position in this week's rankings.
Defending national champion Penn State is the top-ranked team in the poll, followed by Ohio State. Reigning Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma State is third.
Besides Oklahoma State and the Jackrabbits, the Big 12 is represented in the poll by newcomer Northern Iowa (13th) and Oklahoma (20th).
Other current top-25 opponents on the Jackrabbits' dual schedule this season include Minnesota (sixth), Arizona State (12th), Central Michigan (17th) and Pittsburgh (24th).
The Jackrabbits also are ranked 14th by both FloWrestling and WIN Magazine, 15th by TrackWrestling and 16th Intermat.
Individually, all four of the Jackrabbits' returning national qualifiers appear in at least one Division I poll, highlighted by Seth Gross' No. 1 ranking by four rating services. The junior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, holds the top spot at 133 pounds in rankings condcuted by FloWrestling, Intermat, TrackWrestling and WIN Magazine.
Three-time NCAA qualifier Nate Rotert at 197 pounds is ranked seventh by both Intermat and FloWrestling, as well as eighth by WIN Magazine and 10th by TrackWrestling, while 174-pound senior David Kocer is ranked as high as 10th by FloWrestling, followed by a 14th-place showing by Intermat and 17th-place showings in the TrackWrestling and WIN Magazine rankings. A Wagner native, Kocer is a two-time national qualifier.
Completing the Jackrabbit rankings is Luke Zilverberg, who has dropped down to the 157-pound weight class for his senior season. An NCAA qualifer at 165 pounds during the 2016-17 season, the Belle Plaine, Minnesota, native checks in at No. 11 in this week's FloWrestling and TrackWrestling rankings. He also stands 13th in the Intermat rankings and 14th in the WIN Magazine survey.

MINNESOTA DUAL RECAP: Tenth-ranked Minnesota won six matches, including two by major decision, to go on to defeat No. 14 South Dakota State, 20-12, in a college wrestling dual Nov. 17 at Frost Arena.
With the win, the Golden Gophers improved to 2-0 in duals. SDSU was wrestling its first dual of the season.
Minnesota claimed the first match of the night in the 184-pound division as Owen Webster scored a 6-2 decision over the Jackrabbits' Martin Mueller.
The Jackrabbits drew even with an overtime victory at 197 pounds. Senior Brady Ayers, who was wrestling up a weight class in place of eighth-ranked Nate Rotert, was taken down early in his match against Bobby Steveson and trailed by a 3-1 count entering the third period. Ayers picked up a stalling point and a late takedown to tie the bout at 6 in the closing seconds of regulation. Ayers sent the crowd of 3,063 – the second largest for a dual in program history — into a frenzy 13 seconds into the extra session with a takedown to pull out an 8-6 win.
SDSU's momentum, however, didn't last as the Golden Gophers took control of the dual by winning four of the next five matches. Rylee Streifel posted a 4-1 decision over Alex Macki at heavyweight, and fifth-ranked Ethan Lizak notched an 11-0 major decision over true freshman Connor Brown. Minnesota later received another major decision win from seventh-ranked Tommy Thorn over Henry Pohlmeyer at 141 pounds and 149-pounder Hunter Marko held off the Jackrabbits' Colten Carlson, 3-2, in the 149-pound division.
Each of the Jackrabbits' three ranked wrestlers who competed Friday won by decision, including two over ranked opponents. At 133 pounds, top-ranked Seth Gross fended off a late challenge from sixth-ranked Mitch McKee to win, 9-4. Gross recorded a takedown 40 seconds into the match and carried a 5-0 lead into the final period. McKee recorded a pair of third-period takedowns before Gross scored on a reversal and added another point for a riding-time advantage to make the final score 9-4.
The 157-pound matchup featured 10th-ranked Jake Short of Minnesota 14th-ranked Luke Zilverberg for the Jackrabbits. Zilverberg was the aggressor from the outset as he notched an early takedown to build a two-minute riding-time advantage en route to a 5-2 decision.
David Kocer, ranked 10th at 174 pounds, closed the dual with a 6-2 decision over Chris Pfarr.
Minnesota sealed the dual victory with an 8-5 decision by ninth-ranked Nick Wanzek over Zach Carlson.
#6 Minnesota 20, #16 South Dakota State 12
184: Owen Webster (MINN) dec. Martin Mueller (SDSU), 6-2
197: Brady Ayers (SDSU) dec. Bobby Steveson (MINN), 8-6 [SV-1]
285: Rylee Streifel (MINN) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 4-1
125: #5 Ethan Lizak (MINN) major dec. Connor Brown (SDSU), 11-0
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. #6 Mitch McKee (MINN), 9-4
141: #7 Tommy Thorn (MINN) major dec. Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 13-4
149: Hunter Marko (MINN) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 3-2
157: #14 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. #10 Jake Short (MINN), 5-2
165: #9 Nick Wanzek (MINN) dec. Zach Carlson (SDSU), 8-5
174: #10 David Kocer (SDSU) dec. Chris Pfarr (MINN), 6-2

GRINAKER OPEN RECAP: Five South Dakota State University wrestlers claimed individual titles during weekend competition at the Finn Grinaker Open hosted by Concordia University.
Four of the Jackrabbit victories came in the Maroon Division, while Brett Bye was victorious in the 165-pound weight class of the Gold Division. A sophomore from Vermillion, Bye posted a 3-0 record on the day. He recorded a first-period fall against Minot State's Frank Straka, then advanced to the championship round with an 8-2 decision over Travis Holt of St. Cloud State. In the finals, Bye defeated Devin Fitzpatrick of St. Cloud State, 6-1.
Teammate Garrett Jordan placed fourth at 165 pounds.
Redshirt freshman Michael Prieto advanced to the 149-pound finals of the Gold Division, where he dropped a 2-1 decision to Jake Barzowski of St. Cloud State. After receiving a first-round bye, Prieto reached the title bout with a 19-8 major decision over Concordia's Ben Baumgartner.
Other SDSU placewinners in the Gold Division were Rylee Molitor, third at 133 pounds; Blake Wolters, third at heavyweight, and Elias Vaoifi, fifth in the 174-pound weight class.
SDSU dominated the Maroon Division, with four first-year wrestlers winning titles in six contested weight classes.
Leading the Jackrabbits was heavyweight Kevin Vough, who pinned all five of his opponents in the round-robin format. Vough spent a total of only 5 minutes and 33 seconds on the mat as all of his victories occurred in the first period of his matches.
In his first action of the season, Hunter Shelton pinned two opponents, including Joseph Lopez of Minot State in the championship bout, to claim the 157-pound title. Shelton also posted wins by major decision and decision to finish 4-0 on the day.
Peyton Smith claimed the 149-pound title in the Maroon Division by outscoring his three opponents by a combined 48-4. Smith defeated Max Miller of Minot State by technical fall, 15-0, in the championship.
Rounding out Maroon Division titles for the Jackrabbits was Aric Williams in the 141-pound weight class. The Pierre native turned in a 4-0 record on the day, ending his tournament run with a 13-1 major decision over Griffin Hieb of Northern State.
The Jackrabbits received placing efforts in the Maroon Division from two other freshmen: Anders Lantz finished fourth at 165 pounds, while Alex Aarsvold was fourth at heavyweight.Gross became only the second Jackrabbit wrestler to compete in the prestigious preseason event, joining 157-pounder Cody Pack, who competed in the 2015 All-Star Classic in Atlanta.

DUAL STREAK: Seth Gross brings a streak of 23 consecutive victories in dual competition into Sunday's matchup at Arizona State. After winning his final five dual bouts at 141 pounds during the 2015-16 season, Gross posted a perfect 17-0 record in duals last season while wrestling at 133 pounds. He stayed unbeaten at 133 pounds and extended his winning streak to 23 with a 9-4 decision over sixth-ranked Mitch McKee of Minnesota on Nov. 17.
Of his 23 consecutive dual wins, 11 have been by fall, five by major decision, four by decision and and three by technical fall and decision to total 113 team dual points.
Gross' last dual loss was a 6-4 setback to Wyoming's Bryce Meredith on Jan. 29, 2016.

KOCER JOINS TOP 25: Senior 174-pounder David Kocer moved into the Jackrabbit top 25 for career wins during competition Nov. 5 at the season-opening Warren Williamson/ Daktronics Open. Kocer followed a runner-up finish at the Daktronics Open by winning his weight class at the Bison Open last weekend. With a 7-1 record this season, Kocer has upped his career mark to 87-44 to move him into sole possession of 19th place on the Jackrabbit victories chart.
He also joins his older brother, Alex, in the top 25. Alex Kocer compiled a 96-44 record from 2014-17, ending his career with an eighth-place All-America finish at 149 pounds in 2017.

COACH BONO: Chris Bono has engineered a successful rebuilding process during his tenure as head coach of the South Dakota State University wrestling team and has the
program's sights set high for the 2017-18 campaign.
Entering his sixth season, Bono has helped mentor Jackrabbit wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA Championships 17 times, including a program-best five wrestlers during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. At the 2017 NCAA Championships, Seth Gross finished as runner-up at 133 pounds and Alex Kocer placed eighth at 149 pounds, giving SDSU its first All-Americans in the Division I era. As a team, the Jackrabbits posted their highest-ever finish at the NCAA Division I Championships with a 16th-place showing.
SDSU was ranked nationally for all but the first week of the 2016-17 season, climbing as high as No. 16 in the USA Today/NWCA Top 25. Facing a challenging schedule, the Jackrabbits posted a 14-5 dual record, including an 8-1 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents. SDSU also was selected as a host site for the 2017 NWCA National Duals Championship Series.
The Jackrabbits notched a third-place finish at the 2017 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, with Seth Gross being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 133-pound title. Bono was also honored as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
In dual competition, Bono has led the Jackrabbits to a 50-39 record that includes three consecutive winning seasons for the first time at the Division I level. Bono's career dual record stands at 89-56, including a highly successful three-year run at Chattanooga.
The Jackrabbits entered a new era during the 2015-16 season by joining the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member. After dropping early season duals to nationally ranked Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Iowa, the Jackrabbits reeled off a school-record 12 consecutive dual victories that propelled them into the top 25 of the Division I team rankings for the first time.
While leading the Jackrabbits, Bono was also tabbed as coach for the U.S. Men's Freestyle team at the 2013 Pan American Championships. In the world event, Bono led Team USA to a 13-point victory.
Under Bono's leadership, the Jackrabbit wrestling program has consistently raised the bar in promoting the sport through innovative social media strategies. SDSU has received the Gold Standard honor from the National Wrestling Coaches Association and Elite Level Sport Marketing three times as part of their Best of Brand Awards.
His teams also have performed well in the classroom, placing in the top 25 for team grade-point average in rankings compiled by the National Wrestling Coaches Association each of the past three seasons. Individually, seven Jackrabbits wrestlers were honored on the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 Conference Wrestling Team.
Bono joined the UTC staff in 2005 after serving nine years as an assistant coach at Iowa State. He was the Cyclones' head assistant coach for five seasons.
Bono lettered at Iowa State from 1994-97 and ranks fifth on the program's all-time wins list with 130 victories. He won the NCAA 150-pound title as a junior and was a four-time NCAA?participant. Bono won the Big Eight title as a junior and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the inaugural Big 12 Conference Championship in 1997.
He later served as an assistant coach at Iowa State for nine years, including holding the title of head assistant coach for five seasons before moving on to Chattanooga.
Bono earned his bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science from Iowa State in 1997.

THE ROSTER: The 2017-18 SDSU wrestling roster features 33 student-athletes from 10 different states. Of the 33 wrestlers, 10 are from Minnesota, with nine from South Dakota and Minnesota. Missouri is represented by four wrestlers, while two wrestlers hail from California, Iowa and Ohio. Colorado, Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin each have one wrestler.
By class, seven are seniors, four are juniors, five are sophomores, five are redshirt freshmen and 12 are true freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue dual action Dec. 3 by competing in the Dakota Showcase in Spearfish. The day-long event is scheduled to begin at noon Mountain (1 p.m. Central) at Spearfish High School, with action on two mats.

-GoJacks.com-