Wrestlers close dual season at home

Friday, February 17

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Purdue

Tickets

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

2/15/2017 9:48:00 PM | Wrestling

SDSU Wrestling Notes, 2-15-17

The South Dakota State University wrestling team will wrap up the 2016-17 dual season with a pair of home matches this weekend at Frost Arena.
The 17th-ranked Jackrabbits, 13-4 overall, have been selected as a host site for the 2017 National Duals Championship Series and will host Purdue at 7 p.m. Friday. The Boilermakers are 8-7 overall this season, including a 3-6 mark in the Big Ten Conference.
A total of 16 teams will compete in the 2017 Division I National Dual Championship Series, including No. 1 Oklahoma State hosting second-ranked Penn State.
2017 DIVISION I NATIONAL DUAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
presented by Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps
Friday, Feb. 17
• #12 Rutgers at #11 Lehigh, 7 p.m. ET
• #16 Michigan at #7 North Carolina State, 7 p.m. ET
• Purdue at #17 South Dakota State, 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 18
• #3 Iowa at #24 Edinboro, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 19
• #4 Ohio State at #8 Cornell (N.Y.), 1 p.m. ET
• Indiana at #20 Appalachian State, 3 p.m. ET
• #2 Penn State at #1 Oklahoma State, 3 p.m. CT
• #6 Nebraska at #5 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, the Jackrabbits meet 25th-ranked North Dakota State in a Big 12 Conference dual. The Bison enter the weekend 14-4 overall, including a 4-2 mark against league foes, while SDSU is 7-1 in Big 12 duals. Action on Military Appreciation Day is slated for a 2 p.m. start.
Jackrabbit seniors Ben Gillette and Alex Kocer also will be honored prior to the dual.
Both of SDSU's duals this weekend can be viewed live through FloWrestling.org (subscription required). Twitter updates are available at @GoJacksWrestle.

THE SERIES: Friday's dual against Purdue will mark the first-ever meeting between the Boilermakers and South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits will be in search of their first win over a Big Ten opponent this season after dropping a 18-17 decision at Minnesota on Nov. 19 and falling 29-8 to Iowa on Dec. 2.
On Sunday, South Dakota State and North Dakota State will meet for the 63rd time in dual competition. NDSU leads the all-time series between the two longtime rivals, 42-19-1, although the Jackrabbits swept the season series during the 2015-16 campaign.
The Jackrabbits won a non-conference dual, 24-15, at Frost Arena on Dec. 13, 2015, then claimed a 23-14 decision in Fargo on Feb. 21, 2016, to close out the Big 12 Conference dual slate.
Sunday's dual will mark the first time the two squads have faced off against each other with both teams in the Division I rankings.
South Dakota State 24, North Dakota State 15 (Dec. 13, 2015)
125: #13 Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) def. Ben Gillette (SDSU), by fall (4:34)
133: #16 Brance Simms (SDSU) major dec. Nico Colunga (NDSU), 11-2
141: Mitch Bengston (NDSU) dec. Seth Gross (SDSU), 5-4
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) dec. Clay Ream (NDSU), 13-6
157: #6 Cody Pack (SDSU) major dec. Grant Nehring (NDSU), 16-6
165: Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) tech. fall Tyler McNutt (NDSU), 15-0
174: David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Blake Thompson (NDSU), 10-1
184: #13 Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) dec. Brady Ayers (SDSU), 4-1
197: #13 Nate Rotert (SDSU) major dec. Logan Paxton (NDSU), 14-5
285: Ben Tynan (NDSU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 4-0
#22 South Dakota State 23, North Dakota State 14 (Feb. 21, 2016)
125: #17 Joshua Rodriguez (NDSU) def. Ben Gillette (SDSU), by fall 6:31
133: Brance Simms (SDSU) major dec. Nico Colunga (NDSU), 8-0
141: Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. Mitch Bengston (NDSU), 5-3
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) dec. Clay Ream (NDSU), 9-6
157: #5 Cody Pack (SDSU) dec. Kyle Gilva (NDSU), 8-2
165: Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. Grant Nehring (NDSU), 14-7
174: David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Tyler McNutt (NDSU), 10-2
184: #4 Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) tech. fall Brady Ayers (SDSU), 21-5 (6:24)
197: #15 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Charley Popp (NDSU), 10-4
285: Ben Tynan (NDSU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 5-3 [SV-1]

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 fourth by WIN Magazine and fifth by FloWrestling.
Two-time NCAA qualifier Nate Rotert moved 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 seventh by all four ranking services. 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 three 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, who upset fifth-ranked Kyle Crutchmer of Oklahoma State on Jan. 22, is currently 15th in the FloWrestling rankings, as well as 16th by Intermat and WIN Magazine, and 18th by Trackwrestling. His older brother, Alex, appears in the 149-pound polls this week with rankings of 15th by FloWrestling and Trackwrestling, 16th by Intermat and 17th by WIN Magazine.
Rounding out the list of ranked Jackrabbit wrestlers is junior 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg. The Belle Plaine, Minnesota, native stands 15th in the FloWrestling rankings, 20th by WIN Magazine and 23rd by Trackwrestling.
After being the top team to receive votes in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll, SDSU currently is 17th in the Division I team rankings. SDSU held the No. 20 spot in the team rankings for eight weeks until moving up one spot to 19th on Jan. 17. Following their wins over then-No. 15 Oklahoma and Utah Valley in early February, SDSU rose to its highest-ever spot in the poll at 16th. 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 Intermat and WIN Magazine and stands 15th in the FloWrestling and Trackwrestling polls.

PANEL RANKINGS: Five South Dakota State University wrestlers remain in the top 20 of their respective weight classes in the second installment of the coaches' panel Division I rankings, which were announced Feb. 10.
Seth Gross is the highest-ranked Jackrabbit with a second-place showing in the 133-pound weight class. The sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, moved up four spots from the initial panel rankings on Jan. 20.
At 197 pounds, two-time NCAA qualifier Nate Rotert held steady in the coaches' panel rankings with an eighth-place showing. Brothers and Wagner natives Alex and David Kocer are ranked 15th and 16th in their respective weight classes.
Rounding out the Jackrabbits in the panel rankings is Luke Zilverberg, a junior from Belle Plaine, Minnesota. Zilverberg stands 18th in the 165-pound weight class.
The next panel rankings, along with the list of weight-class allocations per conference, will be released Feb. 23. The final rankings following qualifying tournaments in early March will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year's event is March 16-18 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
A total of 33 wrestlers in each of 10 weight classes are included in the coaches' panel rankings. Wrestlers are measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. In order to be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.

HOT STREAK: With a 13-4 record during 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 26 of its last 31 duals, with all five 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 13-3 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 Jackrabbits split a pair of duals last week, downing West Virginia by a 32-9 count and falling to fifth-ranked Virginia Tech, 29-15.
Seth Gross and Luke Zilverberg were the only two Jackrabbits to win both of their matches last week. Gross claimed a 9-1 major decision over Cory Stainbrook in the West Virginia dual on Feb. 9, then posted a third-period pin of Virginia Tech's Dennis Gustafson on Feb. 12. Henry Pohlmeyer followed with a pin for the Jackrabbits at 141 pounds for the third SDSU win versus the Hokies.
Zilverberg scored a 17-4 major decision over Ryan Lopez in the West Virginia dual, then opened the Virginia Tech dual with a 9-4 decision over David Bergida at 165 pounds.
SDSU won seven of 10 matches in defeating West Virginia for the second year in a row. Each of the Jackrabbits' first five wins were bonus-point victories — three major decisions, a technical fall and a fall.

GROSS IN DOMINANT FORM: Jackrabbit 133-pounder Seth Gross leads the team with a 25-1 record after posting two more wins last week in dual action at West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
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 and entered last weekend's duals ranked as the seventh most-dominant wrestler among all Division I competitors with an average of 4.59 team points per match against D-I competition. He has six wins by major decision, six by technical fall and 11 by fall.
With a 15-0 mark in duals, Gross will attempt to become the first Jackrabbit wrestler to post an undefeated record in dual competition (minimum of 10 matches) in the Division I era and the first overall since Aaron Veskrna went 15-0 in duals in 2001-02 and Tyler Jones was 14-0 that same season.
An NCAA?qualifier at 141 pounds last season, Gross has a 51-15 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 88-39 overall record in his four seasons in a Jackrabbit singlet, moving into a tie for 17th place on the SDSU career victories list with Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame inductee and two-time NCAA Division II individual champion Jeff Hohertz (88-23-1 record from 1977-81). A senior, Kocer has turned in a 22-6 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 74-40 during his Jackrabbit career. He led the Jackrabbits in victories last season and made his first NCAA appearance, finishing with a 30-13 record.

WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK: Three Jackrabbits have been honored as Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week during the 2016-17 season.
Seth Gross was the most recent award winner, earning the honor Jan. 23 after knocking off then-second-ranked Kaid Brock of OSU, 6-4, in dual action on Jan. 22.
David Kocer (174 pounds) received the award Nov. 7, with Luke Zilverberg (165 pounds) earning the recognition on Jan. 9.

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 49-38 record that includes three consecutive winning seasons (2014-15 through 2016-17). Bono's career dual record stands at 88-55, 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 Jackrabbits 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: SDSU will have a week off before returning to competition March 4-5 at the Big 12 Championship at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

-GoJacks.com-