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South Dakota State University Athletics
Friday, February 3
Brookings, S.D.
8 p.m.
South Dakota State University
vs
Oklahoma
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
Wrestlers gear up for home duals
2/1/2017 2:30:00 PM | Wrestling
The 19th-ranked South Dakota State University wrestling team returns to Big 12 Conference action with a pair of home duals this weekend.
The Jackrabbits, 10-3 overall and 4-1 against Big 12 opponents, open the homestand by hosting 15th-ranked Oklahoma Friday night. The dual is slated for an 8 p.m. start at Frost Arena. The Sooners, who will be making their first-ever trip to Brookings, enter the weekend 8-4 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12.
Friday's dual is expected to feature nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes by Intermat. Head-to-head matchups between ranked wrestlers could take place at 149 and 197 pounds. The 149 clash would feature 13th-ranked Davion Jeffries of Oklahoma against the Jackrabbits' 19th-ranked Alex Kocer. At 197, Nate Rotert of SDSU is ranked seventh, while OU's Brad Johnson is 19th.
On Saturday, SDSU is slated to host Utah Valley State in a 7 p.m. dual. The matchup immediately follows the Jackrabbits' baskeball doubleheader against South Dakota (women) and Oral Roberts (men).
Video coverage of both duals will be available through the FloWrestling.org subscription service. Twitter updates also will be available through @GoJacksWrestle.
THE SERIES: Friday's dual against Oklahoma will mark the third meeting in a series that began with a 31-2 Sooner victory early in the 1969-70 season. The two squads did not meet again until last season, when the Jackrabbits joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member.
In their dual last season in Norman, Oklahoma, the seventh-ranked Sooners ended No. 24 SDSU's school-record 12-match winning streak with a 19-13 victory. Oklahoma won four of the final five bouts to claim the dual.
#7 Oklahoma 19, #24 South Dakota State 13 (Feb. 14, 2016)
125: #8 Ryan Millhof (OU) dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 10-3
133: #4 Cody Brewer (OU) major dec. Brance Simms (SDSU), 16-5
141: Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. Trae Blackwell (OU), 8-2
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) dec. Davion Jeffries (OU), 9-5
157: #5 Cody Pack (SDSU) major dec. Shayne Tucker (OU), 15-1
165: #13 Clark Glass (OU) dec. Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 6-1
174: Matt Reed (OU) dec. David Kocer (SDSU), 9-4
184: Andrew Dixon (OU) dec. Brady Ayers (SDSU), 4-3
197: #15 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Brad Johnson (OU), 6-2
285: #17 Ross Larson (OU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 4-0
SDSU and Utah Valley State have met every season since the 2005-06 campaign, when both squads became charter members of the Western Wrestling Conference. The Wolverines hold an 8-3 series adavantage, although SDSU has won the past two matchups — 27-10 at Frost Arena during the 2014-15 season and 28-13 last season in Orem, Utah.
Before the Jackrabbits' current series winning streak, Utah Valley had won seven duals in a row.
South Dakota State 28, Utah Valley 13 (Feb. 5, 2016)
133: Jade Rauser (UVU) def. Brance Simms (SDSU), by fall 2:16
141: Seth Gross (SDSU) major dec. Trevor Willson (UVU), 10-0
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) def. Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), by fall 2:40
157: #6 Cody Pack (SDSU) dec. Raider Lofthouse (UVU), 11-5
165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) dec. Brayden Humpherys (UVU), 9-4
174: David Kocer (SDSU) dec. Ross Taylor (UVU), 6-4
184: Brady Ayers (SDSU) dec. Will Sumner (UVU), 9-4
197: #15 Nate Rotert (SDSU) def. Aryton Almberg (UVU), by fall 1:14
285: Dustin Dennison (UVU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 5-0
125: #18 Chasen Tolbert (UVU) major dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 13-5
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. Individually, five different Jackrabbit wrestlers appear in at least one Division I poll.
Returning NCAA qualifier Seth Gross holds the highest ranking ever by a Jackrabbit wrestler in the Division I era with a second-place ranking in the 133-pound division by Intermat and Trackwrestling following his victory over then-No. 2 Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22. Gross, a national qualifier at 141 pounds last season, also is ranked fifth by WIN Magazine and FloWrestling.
Two-time NCAA qualifier Nate Rotert moved back up in the rankings following his Jan. 22 win over fourth-ranked Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22. A junior from Spearfish, Rotert is ranked sixth by WIN Magazine and seventh by Intermat, FloWrestling and Trackwrestling. Earlier this season, Rotert rose to as high as fourth in the Intermat rankings, which marked the highest individual ranking by a Jackrabbit before Gross' ascension two weeks ago.
At 174 pounds, junior David Kocer cracked the rankings after a strong opening weekend in which he knocked off two ranked opponents. The Wagner native upped his standing after upsetting fifth-ranked Kyle Crutchmer of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22 to 13th in the FloWrestling rankings, as well as 15th by Intermat, WIN Magazine and Trackwrestling. His older brother, Alex, appears in the 149-pound polls this week with rankings of 18th by FloWrestling, Trackwrestling and WIN Magazine, as well as 19th by Intermat.
Rounding out the list of ranked Jackrabbit wrestlers is junior 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg. The Belle Plaine, Minnesota, native stands 14th in the FloWrestling rankings and 19th by WIN Magazine.
After being the top team to receive votes in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll, SDSU held the No. 20 spot in the team rankings for eight weeks until moving up one spot to 19th on Jan. 17, a spot the Jackrabbits hold again this week. The Jackrabbits first cracked the rankings Nov. 8 following their season-opening dual victory over Iowa State.
SDSU also is ranked 14th in the team dual rankings by WIN Magazine and stands 16th by Trackwrestling 17th by Intermat and 19th by FloWrestling.
HOT STREAK: With a 10-3 record to start the 2016-17 season, the Jackrabbit wrestling team has continued an impressive run of success in dual meets. Dating back to December 6, 2015, when it won all three duals at the South Dakota Showcase in Sioux Falls, SDSU has won 23 of its last 27 duals, with all four losses against nationally ranked opponents.
The victories at the 2015 South Dakota Showcase began a school-record streak of 12 consecutive dual victories, which was eventually snapped on Feb. 14, 2016, with a 19-13 loss at Oklahoma. SDSU later closed the 2015-16 dual season with a 23-14 victory against North Dakota State.
SDSU also is 10-3 in duals against Big 12 Conference opponents since joining the league as an affiliate member at the start of the 2015-16 season. The Jackrabbits' losses have been to Oklahoma State (twice) and Oklahoma.
LAST WEEK: The South Dakota State University wrestling team returned to its winning ways Jan. 28 by defeating a pair of Southern Conference opponents at a triangular in Edwardsville, Illinois. The 19th-ranked Jackrabbits recorded a 34-9 victory over host SIUE in their first dual, followed by a 33-10 win against Gardner-Webb later in the day.
Against SIUE, the Jackrabbits won eight consecutive matches, six of which resulted in bonus points. Second-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross started the string with a 19-5 major decision over John Muldoon. Alex Kocer, ranked 20th at 149 pounds, and 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg also won by major decision, while backup 184-pounder Zac Carlson and seventh-ranked Nate Rotert at 197 pounds added back-to-back technical falls.
Logan Peterson completed the list of bonus-point victories for the Jackrabbits with a first-period pin of Karsten Van Velsor in the 157-pound bout.
Winning by decision for SDSU were Henry Pohlmeyer, who returned to the lineup at 141 pounds for the first time in a month, and 15th-ranked David Kocer at 174 pounds.
SDSU racked up four pins in its 33-10 win over Gardner-Webb, starting with a first-period fall by Gross. Isaac Andrade followed with a second-period pin at 141 pounds, with Zilverberg and Rotert also taking care of their opponents in short order.
The Jackrabbits' three other victories in the second dual of the day were all by decision as Ben Gillette (125 pounds) and the Kocer brothers came away with wins.
GROSS IN DOMINANT FORM: Jackrabbit 133-pounder Seth Gross leads the team with a 21-1 record after posting two convincing wins last weekend in a triangular hosted by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Gross's lone loss of the season was a 2-0 overtime decision to then-third-ranked Eric Montoya of Nebraska in the semifinals of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 30. Gross later defeated Iowa State's Earl Hall by major decision to claim third place at the Midlands as part of his current nine-match winning streak.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross has had only three matches end in a decision so far this season. He has five wins by major decision, six by technical fall and eight by fall.
An NCAA qualifier at 141 pounds last season, Gross has a 47-15 career record with the Jackrabbits. He began his transition to the lower weight class by earning a spot on Team USA at the UWW Junior World Championships this past summer.
THE BROTHERS KOCER: Brothers and Wagner natives Alex and David Kocer have taken over the top two spots among active Jackrabbit wrestlers in career victories.
A two-time NCAA qualifier (2014, 2016), Alex Kocer has compiled an 85-38 overall record in his four seasons in a Jackrabbit singlet, moving into a four-way tie for 19th place on the SDSU career victories list with Brian Loeffler (1990-93), Kirk Simet (1976-80) and Howard Fullhart (1995-98). A senior, Kocer has turned in a 19-5 overall record at 149 pounds so this season, after a 24-12 mark during the 2015-16 campaign.
David Kocer has held down the starting spot at 174 pounds each of his three seasons at SDSU and has combined to go 72-38 during his Jackrabbit career. He led the Jackrabbits in victories last season and made his first NCAA appearance, finishing with a 30-13 record.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State University's Seth Gross was named Jan. 23 as Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week after winning a top-10 matchup against top-ranked Oklahoma State.
The seventh-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, Gross defeated second-ranked Kaid Brock of OSU, 6-4, in dual action on Jan. 22. A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, and a returning NCAA qualifier, Gross has posted a 19-1 overall record so far this season, including a 9-0 mark in duals.
Gross, who also was honored as FloWrestler of the Week by FloWrestling.org, is the third Jackrabbit wrestler to be named Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week this season. David Kocer (174 pounds) received the award Nov. 7, with Luke Zilverberg (165 pounds) earning the recognition on Jan. 9.
Kocer put together a 4-1 record over two events, including defeating two ranked opponents, during the opening weekend of the season. He recorded a takedown with two seconds remaining in his Nov. 4 dual match against seventh-ranked Lelund Weatherspoon of Iowa State to pull out a 3-1 victory and help spark the Jackrabbits to a 27-9 team win.
At the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 6, Kocer turned in a runner-up finish. He recorded technical falls in his first two matches before defeating 14th-ranked Micah Barnes of Nebraska by a 3-1 decision in the semifinals. Kocer fell to 15th-ranked Zahid Valencia of Arizona State in the finals.
A junior 165-pounder from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Zilverberg, a junior 165-pounder from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, helped the 20th-ranked Jackrabbits to convincing home victories over Boise State (37-3) and Northern Colorado (34-6).
After giving up a takedown late in regulation in his match against Boise State's Demetrius Romero that forced overtime, Zilverberg came up with a takedown of his own midway through the extra session to pull out the 5-3 win on Jan. 6.
Against Northern Colorado's Keilan Torres — ranked 14th by FloWrestling — on Jan. 8, Zilverberg trailed 3-1 in the waning seconds of regulation, but came up with a reversal to send the match to overtime. He then came away with his second 5-3 victory of the weekend with a takedown of Torres 14 seconds into the sudden-victory period.
ATTENDANCE RECORD FALLS AGAIN: South Dakota State shattered its home dual attendance record Dec. 2 as it drew 4,087 fans to Frost Arena for a matchup against third-ranked Iowa. The previous record of 1,814 was set in the Nov. 4 season opener versus Iowa State.
COACH BONO: Chris Bono has engineered a successful rebuilding process during his tenure as head coach of the South Dakota State University wrestling program
Now in his fifth season, Bono has helped mentor Jackrabbit wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA Championships 12 times, including a program-best five wrestlers during the 2015-16 season.
In dual competition, Bono has led the Jackrabbits to a 46-37 record that includes back-to-back winning seasons for the first time at the Division I level. Bono's career dual record stands at 85-54, 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.
At the 2016 Big 12 Championship, SDSU turned in a fourth-place finish as Seth Gross (141 pounds), Cody Pack (157) and Nate Rotert (197) all finished as runners-up in their respective weight classes. That Jackrabbit trio were joined by brothers Alex and David Kocer from the 149- and 174-pound weight classes, respectively, as qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in New York City.
Four of the five Jackrabbit wrestlers won at least one match at the NCAA Championships as the Jackrabbits finished in a tie for 39th place. Gross and Pack each finished one win away from achieving All-America status. Pack was making his fourth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships.
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 two 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 two seasons. Individually, eight Jackrabbit wrestlers were honored on the 2016 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 2016-17 SDSU wrestling roster features 25 student-athletes from eight different states. Of the 25 wrestlers, eight are from South Dakota, seven are from Minnesota and four are from Iowa. California is represented by two wrestlers, while Colorado, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio each have one wrestler.
By class, three are seniors, six are juniors, four are sophomores, five are redshirt freshmen and seven are true freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will head east for two duals. SDSU is slated to take on Big 12 opponent West Virginia Feb. 9 in Morgantown, followed by a Feb. 12 dual at top-10 Virginia Tech.
-GoJacks.com-
The Jackrabbits, 10-3 overall and 4-1 against Big 12 opponents, open the homestand by hosting 15th-ranked Oklahoma Friday night. The dual is slated for an 8 p.m. start at Frost Arena. The Sooners, who will be making their first-ever trip to Brookings, enter the weekend 8-4 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12.
Friday's dual is expected to feature nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes by Intermat. Head-to-head matchups between ranked wrestlers could take place at 149 and 197 pounds. The 149 clash would feature 13th-ranked Davion Jeffries of Oklahoma against the Jackrabbits' 19th-ranked Alex Kocer. At 197, Nate Rotert of SDSU is ranked seventh, while OU's Brad Johnson is 19th.
On Saturday, SDSU is slated to host Utah Valley State in a 7 p.m. dual. The matchup immediately follows the Jackrabbits' baskeball doubleheader against South Dakota (women) and Oral Roberts (men).
Video coverage of both duals will be available through the FloWrestling.org subscription service. Twitter updates also will be available through @GoJacksWrestle.
THE SERIES: Friday's dual against Oklahoma will mark the third meeting in a series that began with a 31-2 Sooner victory early in the 1969-70 season. The two squads did not meet again until last season, when the Jackrabbits joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member.
In their dual last season in Norman, Oklahoma, the seventh-ranked Sooners ended No. 24 SDSU's school-record 12-match winning streak with a 19-13 victory. Oklahoma won four of the final five bouts to claim the dual.
#7 Oklahoma 19, #24 South Dakota State 13 (Feb. 14, 2016)
125: #8 Ryan Millhof (OU) dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 10-3
133: #4 Cody Brewer (OU) major dec. Brance Simms (SDSU), 16-5
141: Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. Trae Blackwell (OU), 8-2
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) dec. Davion Jeffries (OU), 9-5
157: #5 Cody Pack (SDSU) major dec. Shayne Tucker (OU), 15-1
165: #13 Clark Glass (OU) dec. Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 6-1
174: Matt Reed (OU) dec. David Kocer (SDSU), 9-4
184: Andrew Dixon (OU) dec. Brady Ayers (SDSU), 4-3
197: #15 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Brad Johnson (OU), 6-2
285: #17 Ross Larson (OU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 4-0
SDSU and Utah Valley State have met every season since the 2005-06 campaign, when both squads became charter members of the Western Wrestling Conference. The Wolverines hold an 8-3 series adavantage, although SDSU has won the past two matchups — 27-10 at Frost Arena during the 2014-15 season and 28-13 last season in Orem, Utah.
Before the Jackrabbits' current series winning streak, Utah Valley had won seven duals in a row.
South Dakota State 28, Utah Valley 13 (Feb. 5, 2016)
133: Jade Rauser (UVU) def. Brance Simms (SDSU), by fall 2:16
141: Seth Gross (SDSU) major dec. Trevor Willson (UVU), 10-0
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) def. Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), by fall 2:40
157: #6 Cody Pack (SDSU) dec. Raider Lofthouse (UVU), 11-5
165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) dec. Brayden Humpherys (UVU), 9-4
174: David Kocer (SDSU) dec. Ross Taylor (UVU), 6-4
184: Brady Ayers (SDSU) dec. Will Sumner (UVU), 9-4
197: #15 Nate Rotert (SDSU) def. Aryton Almberg (UVU), by fall 1:14
285: Dustin Dennison (UVU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 5-0
125: #18 Chasen Tolbert (UVU) major dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 13-5
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. Individually, five different Jackrabbit wrestlers appear in at least one Division I poll.
Returning NCAA qualifier Seth Gross holds the highest ranking ever by a Jackrabbit wrestler in the Division I era with a second-place ranking in the 133-pound division by Intermat and Trackwrestling following his victory over then-No. 2 Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22. Gross, a national qualifier at 141 pounds last season, also is ranked fifth by WIN Magazine and FloWrestling.
Two-time NCAA qualifier Nate Rotert moved back up in the rankings following his Jan. 22 win over fourth-ranked Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22. A junior from Spearfish, Rotert is ranked sixth by WIN Magazine and seventh by Intermat, FloWrestling and Trackwrestling. Earlier this season, Rotert rose to as high as fourth in the Intermat rankings, which marked the highest individual ranking by a Jackrabbit before Gross' ascension two weeks ago.
At 174 pounds, junior David Kocer cracked the rankings after a strong opening weekend in which he knocked off two ranked opponents. The Wagner native upped his standing after upsetting fifth-ranked Kyle Crutchmer of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22 to 13th in the FloWrestling rankings, as well as 15th by Intermat, WIN Magazine and Trackwrestling. His older brother, Alex, appears in the 149-pound polls this week with rankings of 18th by FloWrestling, Trackwrestling and WIN Magazine, as well as 19th by Intermat.
Rounding out the list of ranked Jackrabbit wrestlers is junior 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg. The Belle Plaine, Minnesota, native stands 14th in the FloWrestling rankings and 19th by WIN Magazine.
After being the top team to receive votes in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll, SDSU held the No. 20 spot in the team rankings for eight weeks until moving up one spot to 19th on Jan. 17, a spot the Jackrabbits hold again this week. The Jackrabbits first cracked the rankings Nov. 8 following their season-opening dual victory over Iowa State.
SDSU also is ranked 14th in the team dual rankings by WIN Magazine and stands 16th by Trackwrestling 17th by Intermat and 19th by FloWrestling.
HOT STREAK: With a 10-3 record to start the 2016-17 season, the Jackrabbit wrestling team has continued an impressive run of success in dual meets. Dating back to December 6, 2015, when it won all three duals at the South Dakota Showcase in Sioux Falls, SDSU has won 23 of its last 27 duals, with all four losses against nationally ranked opponents.
The victories at the 2015 South Dakota Showcase began a school-record streak of 12 consecutive dual victories, which was eventually snapped on Feb. 14, 2016, with a 19-13 loss at Oklahoma. SDSU later closed the 2015-16 dual season with a 23-14 victory against North Dakota State.
SDSU also is 10-3 in duals against Big 12 Conference opponents since joining the league as an affiliate member at the start of the 2015-16 season. The Jackrabbits' losses have been to Oklahoma State (twice) and Oklahoma.
LAST WEEK: The South Dakota State University wrestling team returned to its winning ways Jan. 28 by defeating a pair of Southern Conference opponents at a triangular in Edwardsville, Illinois. The 19th-ranked Jackrabbits recorded a 34-9 victory over host SIUE in their first dual, followed by a 33-10 win against Gardner-Webb later in the day.
Against SIUE, the Jackrabbits won eight consecutive matches, six of which resulted in bonus points. Second-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross started the string with a 19-5 major decision over John Muldoon. Alex Kocer, ranked 20th at 149 pounds, and 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg also won by major decision, while backup 184-pounder Zac Carlson and seventh-ranked Nate Rotert at 197 pounds added back-to-back technical falls.
Logan Peterson completed the list of bonus-point victories for the Jackrabbits with a first-period pin of Karsten Van Velsor in the 157-pound bout.
Winning by decision for SDSU were Henry Pohlmeyer, who returned to the lineup at 141 pounds for the first time in a month, and 15th-ranked David Kocer at 174 pounds.
SDSU racked up four pins in its 33-10 win over Gardner-Webb, starting with a first-period fall by Gross. Isaac Andrade followed with a second-period pin at 141 pounds, with Zilverberg and Rotert also taking care of their opponents in short order.
The Jackrabbits' three other victories in the second dual of the day were all by decision as Ben Gillette (125 pounds) and the Kocer brothers came away with wins.
GROSS IN DOMINANT FORM: Jackrabbit 133-pounder Seth Gross leads the team with a 21-1 record after posting two convincing wins last weekend in a triangular hosted by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Gross's lone loss of the season was a 2-0 overtime decision to then-third-ranked Eric Montoya of Nebraska in the semifinals of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 30. Gross later defeated Iowa State's Earl Hall by major decision to claim third place at the Midlands as part of his current nine-match winning streak.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross has had only three matches end in a decision so far this season. He has five wins by major decision, six by technical fall and eight by fall.
An NCAA qualifier at 141 pounds last season, Gross has a 47-15 career record with the Jackrabbits. He began his transition to the lower weight class by earning a spot on Team USA at the UWW Junior World Championships this past summer.
THE BROTHERS KOCER: Brothers and Wagner natives Alex and David Kocer have taken over the top two spots among active Jackrabbit wrestlers in career victories.
A two-time NCAA qualifier (2014, 2016), Alex Kocer has compiled an 85-38 overall record in his four seasons in a Jackrabbit singlet, moving into a four-way tie for 19th place on the SDSU career victories list with Brian Loeffler (1990-93), Kirk Simet (1976-80) and Howard Fullhart (1995-98). A senior, Kocer has turned in a 19-5 overall record at 149 pounds so this season, after a 24-12 mark during the 2015-16 campaign.
David Kocer has held down the starting spot at 174 pounds each of his three seasons at SDSU and has combined to go 72-38 during his Jackrabbit career. He led the Jackrabbits in victories last season and made his first NCAA appearance, finishing with a 30-13 record.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State University's Seth Gross was named Jan. 23 as Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week after winning a top-10 matchup against top-ranked Oklahoma State.
The seventh-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, Gross defeated second-ranked Kaid Brock of OSU, 6-4, in dual action on Jan. 22. A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, and a returning NCAA qualifier, Gross has posted a 19-1 overall record so far this season, including a 9-0 mark in duals.
Gross, who also was honored as FloWrestler of the Week by FloWrestling.org, is the third Jackrabbit wrestler to be named Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week this season. David Kocer (174 pounds) received the award Nov. 7, with Luke Zilverberg (165 pounds) earning the recognition on Jan. 9.
Kocer put together a 4-1 record over two events, including defeating two ranked opponents, during the opening weekend of the season. He recorded a takedown with two seconds remaining in his Nov. 4 dual match against seventh-ranked Lelund Weatherspoon of Iowa State to pull out a 3-1 victory and help spark the Jackrabbits to a 27-9 team win.
At the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 6, Kocer turned in a runner-up finish. He recorded technical falls in his first two matches before defeating 14th-ranked Micah Barnes of Nebraska by a 3-1 decision in the semifinals. Kocer fell to 15th-ranked Zahid Valencia of Arizona State in the finals.
A junior 165-pounder from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Zilverberg, a junior 165-pounder from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, helped the 20th-ranked Jackrabbits to convincing home victories over Boise State (37-3) and Northern Colorado (34-6).
After giving up a takedown late in regulation in his match against Boise State's Demetrius Romero that forced overtime, Zilverberg came up with a takedown of his own midway through the extra session to pull out the 5-3 win on Jan. 6.
Against Northern Colorado's Keilan Torres — ranked 14th by FloWrestling — on Jan. 8, Zilverberg trailed 3-1 in the waning seconds of regulation, but came up with a reversal to send the match to overtime. He then came away with his second 5-3 victory of the weekend with a takedown of Torres 14 seconds into the sudden-victory period.
ATTENDANCE RECORD FALLS AGAIN: South Dakota State shattered its home dual attendance record Dec. 2 as it drew 4,087 fans to Frost Arena for a matchup against third-ranked Iowa. The previous record of 1,814 was set in the Nov. 4 season opener versus Iowa State.
COACH BONO: Chris Bono has engineered a successful rebuilding process during his tenure as head coach of the South Dakota State University wrestling program
Now in his fifth season, Bono has helped mentor Jackrabbit wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA Championships 12 times, including a program-best five wrestlers during the 2015-16 season.
In dual competition, Bono has led the Jackrabbits to a 46-37 record that includes back-to-back winning seasons for the first time at the Division I level. Bono's career dual record stands at 85-54, 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.
At the 2016 Big 12 Championship, SDSU turned in a fourth-place finish as Seth Gross (141 pounds), Cody Pack (157) and Nate Rotert (197) all finished as runners-up in their respective weight classes. That Jackrabbit trio were joined by brothers Alex and David Kocer from the 149- and 174-pound weight classes, respectively, as qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in New York City.
Four of the five Jackrabbit wrestlers won at least one match at the NCAA Championships as the Jackrabbits finished in a tie for 39th place. Gross and Pack each finished one win away from achieving All-America status. Pack was making his fourth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships.
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 two 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 two seasons. Individually, eight Jackrabbit wrestlers were honored on the 2016 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 2016-17 SDSU wrestling roster features 25 student-athletes from eight different states. Of the 25 wrestlers, eight are from South Dakota, seven are from Minnesota and four are from Iowa. California is represented by two wrestlers, while Colorado, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio each have one wrestler.
By class, three are seniors, six are juniors, four are sophomores, five are redshirt freshmen and seven are true freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will head east for two duals. SDSU is slated to take on Big 12 opponent West Virginia Feb. 9 in Morgantown, followed by a Feb. 12 dual at top-10 Virginia Tech.
-GoJacks.com-
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