No. 15 Jacks return to mat at Midlands

#15 South Dakota State at 55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships

When	Friday-Saturday, Dec. 29-30 \| 9:30 a.m./7 p.m. Central Time Friday	Noon/7 p.m. Saturday
Where	Sears Centre Arena \| Hoffman Estates, Illinois
TV	Video Streaming: FloWrestling.org (subscription) \| Big Ten Network Plus (subscription)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Tournament Notes	South Dakota State \| Midlands Preview (NUSports.com)
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

After a three-week layoff, the South Dakota State University wrestling team returns to competition this weekend by facing some of the top wrestlers in the country at the 55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University.
The two-day event begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with action on 10 mats. Friday's evening session is slated for a 7 p.m. start. Action Saturday is scheduled for a noon start time, followed by fifth-place, third-place and title matches at 7 p.m.
All four sessions will be available for viewing through subscription services offered by FloWrestling.org and BigTen Network Plus. Live scoring and tournament brackets will be updated through TrackWrestling.com.
SDSU enters the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships ranked 15th in the latest USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association top 25. The Jackrabbits are expected to be joined at the Midlands by 14 other nationally ranked teams, including five top-10 teams in Penn State (first), North Carolina State (fifth), Lehigh (sixth) Iowa (seventh) and Michigan (ninth). Numerous other individually ranked wrestlers from various teams across the country also are expected to be entered in the event.
The Jackrabbits are one of four Big 12 Conference squads entered in the tournament, along with Air Force, Iowa State and West Virginia.

MIDLANDS HISTORY: The Jackrabbits have sent a wrestler to the finals in each of the last three Midlands Championships en route to posting a pair of top-10 finishes in the team standings.
Cody Pack reached the 157-pound title bout in both 2014 and 2015, falling to Illinois' Isaiah Martinez, 6-3, in 2014 and North Carolina State's Thomas Gantt, 4-2, the next year.
Last year, 197-pounder Nate Rotert advanced to the championship match, where he dropped a 4-1 decision to Nebraska's Aaron Studebaker. Rotert, who entered the 2016 Midlands as the top seed, won three matches on the opening day by a combined 32-7 margin, then moved on to the finals after receiving a medical forfeit from Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley.
In addition, Seth Gross turned in a third-place finish in the 133-pound weight class. Gross suffered his first loss of the season in the semifinals as he was upended in overtime by Nebraska's Eric Montoya, 2-0, but came back with a 19-3 technical fall over Rutgers' Scott Delvecchio and a 13-1 major decision over Iowa State's Earl Hall.
SDSU finished eighth in the 2016 team standings with 66 points. The Jackrabbits placed 10th as a team in 2015 as Pack was joined on the podium by Rotert (seventh at 197) and David Kocer (sixth at 174).

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 USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, and have since moved up one spot to 15th in the final poll of the calendar year.
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 (14th) and Oklahoma (19th).
Other current top-25 opponents on the Jackrabbits' dual schedule this season include Minnesota (eighth), Arizona State (11th) and Central Michigan (21st).
The Jackrabbits also are ranked 11th by FloWrestling and 12th by TrackWrestling. SDSU stands 11th in tournament rankings conducted by both Intermat and WIN Magazine, as well as 15th in the dual rankings from both outlets.
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 all four rating services. A junior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross is undefeated so far this season with a 6-0 record.
Three-time NCAA qualifier Nate Rotert at 197 pounds is ranked sixth by both Intermat and FloWrestling, as well as eighth by WIN Magazine and TrackWrestling, Senior 174-pounder David Kocer is ranked as high as ninth by FloWrestling, followed by an 11th-place showing by Intermat and respective 15th- and 17th-place showings in the WIN Magazine and TrackWrestling 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. 9 in the WIN Magazine rankings, followed by a pair of No. 11 showings in the latest FloWrestling and Intermat rankings. He also stands 12th in the most recent TrackWrestling survey.

LAST ACTION: In a back-and-forth dual between nationally ranked teams, 17th-ranked South Dakota State won the final two matches to pull out a 23-16 victory over No. 18 Central Michigan Dec. 8 at Frost Arena.
In running their dual win streak to four, the Jackrabbits improved to 4-2 on the season. Central Michigan dropped to 1-2.
Heading into the last two matches tied at 16, the Jackrabbits turned to fifth-year seniors Nate Rotert and Alex Macki to lead them to victory. The sixth-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds, Rotert remained unbeaten in duals this season at 5-0 with a convincing 16-5 major decision over Jordan Atienza to give SDSU a 20-16 victory.
With Macki needing only to prevent a bonus-point victory by CMU to secure the team dual win, the Jackrabbit heavyweight spotted Matt Stencel a 2-1 lead through the first period. Macki drew even at 3-all through two periods. Stencel scored a takedown early in the third before Macki escaped and later tied the bout at 5 on a stalling call against Stencel. Aided by a boisterous crowd of 1,738, Macki took down a tiring Stencel in the closing seconds for a 7-5 victory.
The Jackrabbits took an early 7-0 lead by winning the first two matches. True freshman Connor Brown opened with a 5-3 decision over Drew Hildebrandt at 125 pounds. Top-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross followed with a 16-2 major decision over Dresden Simon, extending his winning streak in dual matches to 25.
SDSU's Henry Pohlmeyer had his upset bid against ninth-ranked Mason Smith come up a point short, 5-4, in the 141-pound match to put the Chippewas on the board. Third-ranked Justin Oliver of CMU tied the match at 7-all with a 10-2 major decision over Colten Carlson.
Luke Zilverberg, the 11th-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, put SDSU ahead 13-7 heading into intermission with a pin of Blake Montrie early in the second period of their match.
The Jackrabbit momentum evaporated quickly, however, as Logan Parks countered with a first-period pin of Zach Carlson.
In the lone matchup of the dual featuring a pair of ranked wrestlers, ninth-ranked David Kocer of SDSU recorded three second-period takedowns in the second period en route to a 10-5 decision over No. 15 C.J. Brucki.
The Chippewas tied the match for the final time at 16 as No. 15 Jordan Ellingwood downed the Jackrabbits' Brady Ayers, 9-4.

KOCER HONORED: South Dakota State University 174-pounder David Kocer was honored Dec. 13 as Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week.
A senior from Wagner, Kocer earned the award after defeating 15th-ranked C.J. Brucki, 10-5, in dual action Dec. 8. Kocer, who is ranked ninth by FloWrestling, improved to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in duals in helping the Jackrabbits defeat Central Michigan, 23-15, in a battle between nationally ranked teams. It marked the second time in Kocer's career that he has been named Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week.

DUAL STREAK: Seth Gross brings a streak of 25 consecutive victories in dual competition into the new year. 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 this season and extended his winning streak to 25 with a 16-2 major decision over Central Michigan's Dresden Simon in his most recent action Dec. 8.
Of his 25 consecutive dual wins, 11 have been by fall, six by major decision, and four each by decision and technical fall to total 122 team dual points.
Gross' last dual loss was a 6-4 setback to Wyoming's Bryce Meredith on Jan. 29, 2016. Overall, he holds a 31-6 record in duals during his Jackrabbit career.

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 on Nov. 11. With a 9-2 record this season, Kocer has upped his career mark to 89-45 to move him into sole possession of 18th place on the SDSU all-time victories list, breaking a tie with two-time NCAA Division II national champion Jeff Hohertz (88-23-1 record from 1977-81) in his win over Central Michigan's Christian Brucki on Dec. 8.
David Kocer 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.
Two other Jackrabbit wrestlers could move into the top 25 this weekend at the Midlands Championships as Luke Zilverberg enters the tournament with 81 career victories and Nate Rotert has compiled 80 career wins. Pat Timm (83-42-13 record from 1994-98) and Jason Stripling (83-41 record from 2004-09) share the 24th spot with 83 wins as a Jackrabbit.

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 54-41 record that includes three consecutive winning seasons for the first time at the Division I level. Bono's career dual record stands at 93-58, 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.

THE ROSTER: The 2017-18 SDSU wrestling roster features 32 student-athletes from 10 different states. Of the 33 wrestlers, 10 are from Minnesota, with nine from South Dakota. Missouri is represented by four wrestlers, while two wrestlers hail from California and Iowa. Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin each have one wrestler.
By class, seven are seniors, four are juniors, five are sophomores, five are redshirt freshmen and 11 are true freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: SDSU resumes dual action Jan. 5 by hosting Oregon State. The nonconference dual is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Frost Arena.

-GoJacks.com-

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