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South Dakota State University Athletics
Thursday, March 16
St. Louis, Mo.
10 a.m./7 p.m.
South Dakota State University
at
NCAA Wrestling Championships
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
Five Jackrabbits to compete at NCAAs
3/13/2017 2:51:00 PM | Wrestling
Five South Dakota State University wrestlers will compete for All-America honors and individual national titles this week at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
Competition begins at 11 a.m. Thursday at Scottrade Center with first-round matches. This year's tournament will feature expanded television coverage, with both the Friday and Saturday night sessions slated for broadcast on ESPN. The entire tournament can be viewed on ESPN3.com, with additional coverage on ESPNU.
A complete tournament schedule follows:
2017 NCAA?DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday, March 16
Session 1: First-Round Matches – 11 a.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Session 2: Round of 16 Matches, Consolation Matches – 6 p.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Friday, March 17
Session 3: Quarterfinals, Consolation Matches – 10 a.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Session 4: Semifinals, Consolation Matches – 7 p.m.[ESPN/ESPN3]
Saturday, March 18
Session 5: Championship Medal Round – 10 a.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Session 6: Championship Finals – 7 p.m. (Parade of All-Americans at 6:35 p.m.) [ESPN/ESPN3]
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: South Dakota State's Seth Gross is seeded second at 133 pounds and Nate Rotert was awarded the No. 9 seed in the 197-pound weight class as pairings for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were announced March 8.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross enters the three-day tournament with a 30-1 overall record and will square off against Maryland's Billy Rappo, 16-13 overall. The two wrestlers met in the quarterfinals of the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29, with Gross recording an 11-3 major decision.
Gross holds a combined 9-1 record against other wrestlers in the tournament field, with his lone loss of the year coming in overtime against Nebraska's Eric Montoya in the Midlands semifinals. Gross and Montoya could meet in the quarterfinals, while a potential third meeting with Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock looms in the semifinals. Nathan Tomasello, who enters the NCAA Championships undefeated at 19-0, is the top seed in the 133-pound weight class.
The Most Outstanding Wrestler at last weekend's Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship, Gross qualified for the 2016 NCAA Championships at 141 pounds.
Rotert, a junior from Spearfish, will be making his third trip to nationals after posting a 21-7 overall record and fourth-place finish at the Big 12 tournament. Rotert will meet Daniel Chaid of North Carolina in opening-round action.
Three-time NCAA qualifier Alex Kocer will open his 2017 tournament run against eighth-seeded Patricio Lugo of Edinboro, 30-7 overall. A senior from Wagner, Kocer has compiled a 27-8 record during the 2016-17 season, with all eight of his losses coming against wrestlers in the 149-pound tournament field.
Younger brother, David, makes a return trip to the NCAA Championships in the 174-pound weight class and will meet fifth-seeded Mark Hall of tournament favorite Penn State. Hall is 26-3 overall, while Kocer enters the tournament with a 23-8 mark after a third-place finish at the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit list of qualifiers is 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg. A junior from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Zilverberg will be making his first NCAA Championship appearance after posting a 24-8 overall record. He will face Tyrel White, 22-13, of Columbia in an opening-round match for the right to face sixth-seeded Daniel Lewis of Missouri, 24-3 overall, in the Round of 32.
BIG 12 RECAP: Seth Gross became South Dakota State's first Big 12 Conference individual champion and was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship March 5 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Four other Jackrabbits earned automatic berths in the upcoming NCAA Championships on the final day of competition at the two-day tournament. SDSU's five total NCAA qualifiers matches a program best at the Division I level, which was first set last season.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, the top-seeded Gross defeated second-seeded Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State by a 9-7 decision in the 133-pound final. Brock scored the first takedown of the match and led 6-5 at the end of the first period. Gross countered with an escape and takedown in the second period to lead 8-7, then rode out the entire third period to pick up the final point of the match with a riding-time advantage of nearly three minutes.
The Jackrabbits began Sunday with six other wrestlers in the placing matches. Junior David Kocer and redshirt freshman Martin Mueller led SDSU in the morning session Sunday by posting third-place finishes. Kocer, who earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, earned a 3-2 decision over Kyle Pope of Wyoming, then defeated Iowa State's Lelund Weatherspoon for the second time this season with an 8-5 decision in the third-place match. A junior from Wagner, Kocer entered the tournament as the top seed at 174 pounds and went 3-1 in the tournament to run his season record to 23-8 overall.
Mueller recorded takedowns late in both of his matches Sunday morning to earn third place at 184 pounds. The Rapid City native and No. 3 seed knocked off Tyler McNutt of North Dakota State, 5-4, then defeated Parker VonEgidy of West Virginia for the second time in the tournament, 3-1, with a takedown with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to take third. The win over McNutt avenged a loss two weeks ago in the teams' season-ending dual.
Three other Jackrabbits wrestled for third place, but had to settle for fourth-place finishes. At 149 pounds, Alex Kocer survived a late rally by Utah Valley's Grant Lamont to turn in a 13-11 overtime decision in his first match of the day. In the third-place match, Kocer got caught in a headlock by Wyoming's Cole Mendenhall and was pinned in the first period, sending him to a true-fourth match against Jerry McGinty of Air Force.
A senior from Wagner, Kocer officially punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships for a third time with a 12-1 major decision in which he outscored McGinty, 10-1, in the final period.
Also earning fourth-place finishes were 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg and Nate Rotert at 197 pounds. Zilverberg began the day with a hard-fought 4-3 decision over third-seeded Branson Ashworth to lock up his first NCAA bid. He later was pinned by Northern Colorado's Keilan Torres in the third-place bout.
Rotert, seeded second at 197 pounds, opened the morning session with a 20-4 technical fall victory over Marcus Harrington of Iowa State. Rotert was never able to mount any sort of offensive attack against Oklahoma's Brad Johnson in the third-place match and dropped a 4-0 decision. Rotert, however, earned his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships with his fourth-place effort.
Also wrestling in the Sunday morning session was senior 125-pounder Ben Gillette, who wrapped up his Jackrabbit career with a sixth-place finish. The Redfield native dropped an 8-5 decision to Christian Moody of Oklahoma in his first match, then fell by a 9-3 decision to Kyle Larson of Iowa State in the fifth-place bout.
Oklahoma State, on the strength of winning eight individual titles, won the team championship with 176.5 points. Oklahoma was second 93.5 points, followed by the Jackrabbits in third with 90.5 points.
ACADEMIC HONORS: Seven South Dakota State University wrestlers, including four repeat first-team honorees, were named March 2 to the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Team.
Repeating on the first team for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better were:
• Ben Gillette, Sr., 3.771 GPA while majoring in biology and microbiology;
• Alex Macki, Jr., 3.444 in wildlife and fisheries;
• Nate Rotert, Jr., 3.587 in early childhood education, and
• Luke Zilverberg, Jr., 3.509 in wildlife and fisheries.
Also named to the first team was junior David Kocer with a 3.438 GPA while majoring in agriculture science.
Two other Jackrabbits earned second-team recognition for posting a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19. Senior Alex Kocer was honored with a 3.083 GPA as an agricultural business major, while sophomore Logan Peterson earned a spot on the honor squad with a 3.149 GPA as a history and political science major.
A total of 62 wrestling student-athletes from the 10 Big 12 Conference wrestling programs were honored between the first and second teams. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
All seven of SDSU honorees are starters who competed in the Big 12 tournament.
HOT STREAK: With a 14-5 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 27 of its last 33 duals, with five of the 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 15-3 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.
GROSS IN DOMINANT FORM: Jackrabbit 133-pounder Seth Gross leads the team with a 30-1 record after his championship run at the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship earlier this month.
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 18-match winning streak.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross has had only four matches end in a decision so far this season and enters the NCAA Championships ranked as the sixth-most dominant wrestler in all of Division I as he has averaged 4.66 team points in matches against D-I opponents. Overall, Gross has pinned 13 opponents and won another seven matches by technical fall.
With a 17-0 mark in duals this season, Gross became 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 56-15 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 three-time NCAA qualifier (2014, 2016, 2017), Alex Kocer has compiled a 93-41 overall record in his four seasons in a Jackrabbit singlet, moving into 16th place on the SDSU career victories list. He passed Josh Sammons (92-51 record from 1994-97) during the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship. A senior, Kocer has turned in a 27-8 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 79-41 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 17 times, including a program-best five wrestlers during both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
In dual competition, Bono has led the Jackrabbits to a 50-39 record that includes three consecutive winning seasons (2014-15 through 2016-17). 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.
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.
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 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship will conclude the season.
Competition begins at 11 a.m. Thursday at Scottrade Center with first-round matches. This year's tournament will feature expanded television coverage, with both the Friday and Saturday night sessions slated for broadcast on ESPN. The entire tournament can be viewed on ESPN3.com, with additional coverage on ESPNU.
A complete tournament schedule follows:
2017 NCAA?DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday, March 16
Session 1: First-Round Matches – 11 a.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Session 2: Round of 16 Matches, Consolation Matches – 6 p.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Friday, March 17
Session 3: Quarterfinals, Consolation Matches – 10 a.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Session 4: Semifinals, Consolation Matches – 7 p.m.[ESPN/ESPN3]
Saturday, March 18
Session 5: Championship Medal Round – 10 a.m. [ESPNU/ESPN3]
Session 6: Championship Finals – 7 p.m. (Parade of All-Americans at 6:35 p.m.) [ESPN/ESPN3]
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: South Dakota State's Seth Gross is seeded second at 133 pounds and Nate Rotert was awarded the No. 9 seed in the 197-pound weight class as pairings for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were announced March 8.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross enters the three-day tournament with a 30-1 overall record and will square off against Maryland's Billy Rappo, 16-13 overall. The two wrestlers met in the quarterfinals of the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29, with Gross recording an 11-3 major decision.
Gross holds a combined 9-1 record against other wrestlers in the tournament field, with his lone loss of the year coming in overtime against Nebraska's Eric Montoya in the Midlands semifinals. Gross and Montoya could meet in the quarterfinals, while a potential third meeting with Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock looms in the semifinals. Nathan Tomasello, who enters the NCAA Championships undefeated at 19-0, is the top seed in the 133-pound weight class.
The Most Outstanding Wrestler at last weekend's Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship, Gross qualified for the 2016 NCAA Championships at 141 pounds.
Rotert, a junior from Spearfish, will be making his third trip to nationals after posting a 21-7 overall record and fourth-place finish at the Big 12 tournament. Rotert will meet Daniel Chaid of North Carolina in opening-round action.
Three-time NCAA qualifier Alex Kocer will open his 2017 tournament run against eighth-seeded Patricio Lugo of Edinboro, 30-7 overall. A senior from Wagner, Kocer has compiled a 27-8 record during the 2016-17 season, with all eight of his losses coming against wrestlers in the 149-pound tournament field.
Younger brother, David, makes a return trip to the NCAA Championships in the 174-pound weight class and will meet fifth-seeded Mark Hall of tournament favorite Penn State. Hall is 26-3 overall, while Kocer enters the tournament with a 23-8 mark after a third-place finish at the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit list of qualifiers is 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg. A junior from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Zilverberg will be making his first NCAA Championship appearance after posting a 24-8 overall record. He will face Tyrel White, 22-13, of Columbia in an opening-round match for the right to face sixth-seeded Daniel Lewis of Missouri, 24-3 overall, in the Round of 32.
BIG 12 RECAP: Seth Gross became South Dakota State's first Big 12 Conference individual champion and was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship March 5 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Four other Jackrabbits earned automatic berths in the upcoming NCAA Championships on the final day of competition at the two-day tournament. SDSU's five total NCAA qualifiers matches a program best at the Division I level, which was first set last season.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, the top-seeded Gross defeated second-seeded Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State by a 9-7 decision in the 133-pound final. Brock scored the first takedown of the match and led 6-5 at the end of the first period. Gross countered with an escape and takedown in the second period to lead 8-7, then rode out the entire third period to pick up the final point of the match with a riding-time advantage of nearly three minutes.
The Jackrabbits began Sunday with six other wrestlers in the placing matches. Junior David Kocer and redshirt freshman Martin Mueller led SDSU in the morning session Sunday by posting third-place finishes. Kocer, who earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, earned a 3-2 decision over Kyle Pope of Wyoming, then defeated Iowa State's Lelund Weatherspoon for the second time this season with an 8-5 decision in the third-place match. A junior from Wagner, Kocer entered the tournament as the top seed at 174 pounds and went 3-1 in the tournament to run his season record to 23-8 overall.
Mueller recorded takedowns late in both of his matches Sunday morning to earn third place at 184 pounds. The Rapid City native and No. 3 seed knocked off Tyler McNutt of North Dakota State, 5-4, then defeated Parker VonEgidy of West Virginia for the second time in the tournament, 3-1, with a takedown with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to take third. The win over McNutt avenged a loss two weeks ago in the teams' season-ending dual.
Three other Jackrabbits wrestled for third place, but had to settle for fourth-place finishes. At 149 pounds, Alex Kocer survived a late rally by Utah Valley's Grant Lamont to turn in a 13-11 overtime decision in his first match of the day. In the third-place match, Kocer got caught in a headlock by Wyoming's Cole Mendenhall and was pinned in the first period, sending him to a true-fourth match against Jerry McGinty of Air Force.
A senior from Wagner, Kocer officially punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships for a third time with a 12-1 major decision in which he outscored McGinty, 10-1, in the final period.
Also earning fourth-place finishes were 165-pounder Luke Zilverberg and Nate Rotert at 197 pounds. Zilverberg began the day with a hard-fought 4-3 decision over third-seeded Branson Ashworth to lock up his first NCAA bid. He later was pinned by Northern Colorado's Keilan Torres in the third-place bout.
Rotert, seeded second at 197 pounds, opened the morning session with a 20-4 technical fall victory over Marcus Harrington of Iowa State. Rotert was never able to mount any sort of offensive attack against Oklahoma's Brad Johnson in the third-place match and dropped a 4-0 decision. Rotert, however, earned his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships with his fourth-place effort.
Also wrestling in the Sunday morning session was senior 125-pounder Ben Gillette, who wrapped up his Jackrabbit career with a sixth-place finish. The Redfield native dropped an 8-5 decision to Christian Moody of Oklahoma in his first match, then fell by a 9-3 decision to Kyle Larson of Iowa State in the fifth-place bout.
Oklahoma State, on the strength of winning eight individual titles, won the team championship with 176.5 points. Oklahoma was second 93.5 points, followed by the Jackrabbits in third with 90.5 points.
ACADEMIC HONORS: Seven South Dakota State University wrestlers, including four repeat first-team honorees, were named March 2 to the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Team.
Repeating on the first team for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better were:
• Ben Gillette, Sr., 3.771 GPA while majoring in biology and microbiology;
• Alex Macki, Jr., 3.444 in wildlife and fisheries;
• Nate Rotert, Jr., 3.587 in early childhood education, and
• Luke Zilverberg, Jr., 3.509 in wildlife and fisheries.
Also named to the first team was junior David Kocer with a 3.438 GPA while majoring in agriculture science.
Two other Jackrabbits earned second-team recognition for posting a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19. Senior Alex Kocer was honored with a 3.083 GPA as an agricultural business major, while sophomore Logan Peterson earned a spot on the honor squad with a 3.149 GPA as a history and political science major.
A total of 62 wrestling student-athletes from the 10 Big 12 Conference wrestling programs were honored between the first and second teams. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
All seven of SDSU honorees are starters who competed in the Big 12 tournament.
HOT STREAK: With a 14-5 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 27 of its last 33 duals, with five of the 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 15-3 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.
GROSS IN DOMINANT FORM: Jackrabbit 133-pounder Seth Gross leads the team with a 30-1 record after his championship run at the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship earlier this month.
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 18-match winning streak.
A sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross has had only four matches end in a decision so far this season and enters the NCAA Championships ranked as the sixth-most dominant wrestler in all of Division I as he has averaged 4.66 team points in matches against D-I opponents. Overall, Gross has pinned 13 opponents and won another seven matches by technical fall.
With a 17-0 mark in duals this season, Gross became 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 56-15 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 three-time NCAA qualifier (2014, 2016, 2017), Alex Kocer has compiled a 93-41 overall record in his four seasons in a Jackrabbit singlet, moving into 16th place on the SDSU career victories list. He passed Josh Sammons (92-51 record from 1994-97) during the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship. A senior, Kocer has turned in a 27-8 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 79-41 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 17 times, including a program-best five wrestlers during both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
In dual competition, Bono has led the Jackrabbits to a 50-39 record that includes three consecutive winning seasons (2014-15 through 2016-17). 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.
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.
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 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship will conclude the season.
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