Jacks open home slate with No. 4 OK State

Saturday, November 17

Brookings, S.D.

6:30 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oklahoma State

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Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

11/15/2018 2:34:00 PM | Wrestling

Dual 2: #4 Oklahoma State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. #22 South Dakota State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12)

When	Saturday, Nov. 17 \| 6:30 p.m. Central Time
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| Oklahoma State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

South Dakota State continues its run of wrestling duals against ranked opponents at the start of the 2018-19 season, hosting fourth-ranked Oklahoma State Saturday night at Frost Arena.

Action is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. The dual, which follows SDSU's Showdown Series football game against the University of South Dakota, can be viewed online via FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

The 22^nd-ranked Jackrabbits enter Saturday's dual with an 0-1 record iafter dropping a 30-9 decision to 11th-ranked Arizona State Nov. 11 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. SDSU received victories from top-ranked Seth Gross at 133 pounds and Zach Carlson, who moved up to 197 pounds.

Oklahoma State will be wrestling its first dual of the season. The Cowboys, who feature a ranked wrestler in all top 10 spots in the lineup, claimed nine individual titles at the season-opening OCU Open on Nov. 4. OSU will close out its road trip by wrestling Sunday afternoon at No. 13 Minnesota.

THE SERIES: Saturday's dual will mark the first time since the 2016-17 season and fourth time overall the Jackrabbits and Cowboys have met on the wrestling mat. Oklahoma State has won all three previous matchups, including a 31-9 victory by the top-ranked Cowboys on their home mat in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Jan. 22, 2017.

OSU won the initial meeting in the series, 25-9, during the 2014-15 season in a dual wrestled at Miami, Oklahoma. The Cowboys also claimed the first meeting between the two programs as Big 12 opponents, defeating SDSU by a 20-15 margin at Frost Arena on Nov. 27, 2015.

#1 Oklahoma State 31, #19 South Dakota State 9 (Jan. 22, 2017)
125: #11 Nick Piccininni (OKST) tech. fall Ben Gillette (SDSU), 15-0 (3:47)
133: #7 Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. #2 Kaid Brock (OKST), 6-4
141: #1 Dean Heil (OKST) major dec. Isaac Andrade (SDSU), 9-0
149: #2 Anthony Collica (OKST) tech. fall #20 Alex Kocer (SDSU), 23-8 (7:00)
157: #6 Joe Smith (OKST) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 10-3
165: #6 Chandler Rogers (OKST) dec. Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 8-3
174: #20 David Kocer (SDSU) dec. #5 Kyle Crutchmer (OKST), 7-2
184: #6 Nolan Boyd (OKST) tech. fall Martin Mueller (SDSU), 18-2 (5:25)
197: #8 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. #4 Preston Weigel (OKST), 3-1 (SV-1)
285: #7 Austin Schafer (OKST) def. Alex Macki (SDSU), by fall 2:46

DUAL STREAK ENDS: South Dakota State had its school-record 14-dual winning streak come to an end Nov. 11, when the Jackrabbits fell to Arizona State, 30-9. The streak began last Dec. 3, when the Jackrabbits won all three of their duals against in-state foes at the Dakota Showcase in Spearfish.

SDSU outscored the opposition, 426-129, during its winning streak, which included an 8-0 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents.

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its fourth season as an affiliate member of the Big 12 Conference for wrestling, South Dakota State has established itself as one of the top teams in the league.

Since joining the league at the start of the 2015-16 season, the Jackrabbits have combined to post a 22-3 record in duals against Big 12 foes, including a 15-1 mark over the last two seasons. SDSU's only losses have been to teams from the state of Oklahoma — two to Oklahoma State and one to Oklahoma.

The Jackrabbits also have turned in back-to-back third place efforts at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship the past two seasons after a fourth-place finish at their inaugural league meet in 2016.

RABBITS RANKED: The South Dakota State University wrestling team entered the 2018-19 season ranked in a tie for 20th place in the preseason poll conducted by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, but moved down to No. 22 in the Nov. 13 poll after its season-opening loss to Arizona State.

The Jackrabbits return three national qualifiers from a squad that posted a 14-2 dual record and turned in a 12th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Defending national champion Penn State received all 16 first-place votes to hold the top spot. Ohio State is second, followed by Iowa in the third spot.

SDSU is one of six Big 12 Conference programs to be included in this week's top 25. Oklahoma State is the highest-ranked team at No. 4, with Northern Iowa 14th. The other four are separated by five spots as Wyoming (18th), North Dakota State (20th), Utah Valley (21st) and the Jackrabbits (22nd) round out the poll.

Other Jackrabbit dual opponents currently ranked in the top 25 include No. 11 Arizona State and No. 13 Minnesota. Iowa State and Pittsburgh are receiving votes.

In other polls, the Jackrabbits are ranked 19th by both FloWrestling and The Open Mat, while standing 20th in the Intermat (tournament) and TrackWrestling rankings. SDSU also is 21st in the most recent WIN Magazine Tournament Power Index.

Individually, defending national champion Seth Gross is a unanimous No. 1 selection in the 133-pound weight class, receiving top billing from all major ranking services. Gross posted a 29-1 overall record during the 2017-18 season in making his second consecutive appearance in a national-title bout. He defeated Michigan's Stevan Micic, 13-8, in the 133-pound finale in Cleveland, Ohio, in March.

Junior 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer also appears in national rankings, checking in at No. 14 in the The Open Mat rankings, as well as No. 17 in both the FloWrestling and Intermat polls and 18th by TrackWrestling and WIN Magazine. Pohlmeyer previously was in the 141-pound preseason rankings.

SDSU's third returning national qualifier, Martin Mueller, was tabbed 16th in WIN Magazine's preseason 184-pound rankings, but is moving up to the 197 weight class during his junior campaign.

LAST WEEK: The Jackrabbits competed at a pair of events, sending younger wrestlers to the Bison Open before opening dual action against Arizona State.

Bison Open Recap
Freshmen Clay Carlson and Tanner Sloan each won individual titles to pace the South Dakota State University wrestling team during action Nov. 10 at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D.

Carlson claimed the 141-pound title, while Sloan reached the championship round for the second tournament in a row, this time winning the 197-pound division.

A native of Willmar, Minnesota, Carlson pulled out a 3-2 victory via tiebreaker against Arizona State's Cory Crooks in the championship match. After receiving a first-round bye, Carlson advanced to the title round after posting decisions over host North Dakota State's Samuel Stuhl and Sawyer Degen by respective scores of 9-5 and 4-2.

Sloan, from Alburnett, Iowa, continued his impressive start to his collegiate career by defeating a pair of wrestlers from the University of Minnesota in his final two matches. He opened the day with a 20-3 technical fall against Jake Erckenbrack of Minnesota State, Moorhead, then recorded a 9-5 decision over Garrett Joles of Minnesota in the semifinals. Sloan dominated his title match against Minnesota's Bobby Steveson, winning by technical fall by a 16-1 margin.

Also at 141 pounds, fellow freshman Zach Price finished third by winning his final four matches. Laken Cook added a third-place effort in the 157-pound weight class.

Other placewinners for the Jackrabbits were Kenny O'Neil, fifth and 165 pounds, and Peyton Smith, sixth at 149.

Arizona State 30, SDSU 9
South Dakota State's Seth Gross began his national title defense with a first-period pin, but No. 11 Arizona State countered with three bonus-point victories of its own to defeat the 19th-ranked Jackrabbits, 30-9, in the season-opening dual for both squads before a crowd of 1,853 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

The loss snapped the Jackrabbits' school-record 14-match dual winning streak that began after a loss at Arizona State last November. It also marked the first dual for SDSU under head coach Damion Hahn.

A senior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross gave the Jackrabbits their only lead of the dual at 6-5 when he pinned Josiah Kline in 2 minutes and 22 seconds. It was the 90th victory of Gross' career with the Jackrabbits.

The Sun Devils took control of the dual by winning the next six bouts. Cory Crooks began the streak with a 10-4 decision over Rylee Molitor at 141 pounds.

In the lone battle between nationally ranked wrestlers, Arizona State's Joshua Maruca, ranked 11th, held off 17th-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer, 5-3.

The Sun Devils posted back-to-back bonus-point wins at 165 and 174 pounds. Joshua Shields, ranked third at 157 pounds, moved up to 165 for Arizona State and turned in a 16-4 major decision over Logan Peterson. Top-ranked and defending national champion Zahid Valencia followed with a first-period pin of Brett Bye.

SDSU's only other victory came at 197 pounds, where Zach Carlson moved up a weight class and tallied a 9-1 major decision over Austyn Harris.

Arizona State's other bonus-point win was an 18-0 technical fall victory by sixth-ranked Ryan Millhof in the opening bout at 125 pounds.

#11 Arizona State 30, #19 South Dakota State 9
125: #6 Ryan Millhof (ASU) tech. fall Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), 18-0 [2:05]
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Josiah Kline (ASU), by fall 2:22
141: Cory Crooks (ASU) dec. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), 10-4
149: #11 Joshua Maruca (ASU) dec. #17 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 5-3
157: Christian Pagdilao (ASU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-5
165: Joshua Shields (ASU) major dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 16-4
174: #1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) def. Brett Bye (SDSU), by fall 1:18
184: Kordell Norfleet (ASU) major dec. Samuel Grove (SDSU), 16-5
197: Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Austyn Harris (ASU), 9-1
285: Brady Daniel (ASU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 9-8 [TB-1]
NOTES: Each team deducted one team point for mat control violations; Shields ranked third at 157 pounds
Team rankings from the NWCA coaches' poll; individual rankings by FloWrestling

GROSS SEEKS REPEAT: South Dakota State's Seth Gross will seek to repeat as national champion in the 133-pound division during his senior season in 2018-19.

Gross, a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, qualified for nationals each of his first three seasons, competing at 141 pounds during the 2015-16 season before making back-to-back appearances in the 133-pound finals as a sophomore and junior.

Last season, Gross was honored as the Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Year after repeating as 133-pound champion and was a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top collegiate wrestler. In posting a 29-1 overall record, Gross' only loss came when he moved up a weight class to take on top-ranked 141-pounder Bryce Meredith of Wyoming in dual action, dropping a 4-2 decision.

Gross' victory in the 2018 title match marked SDSU's first national championship — team or individual — in the Division I era, which began during the 2004-05 athletics season. He also became the Jackrabbits' first two-time All-American at the Division I level.

CARLSON OFF TO FAST START: Junior Zach Carlson is off to a strong start to the 2018-19 season, posting a 4-0 record through the first two weekends while splitting time at 184 and 197 pounds.

A native of Kerkhoven, Minnesota, Carlson opened the year by winning the 184-pound title at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 4. He held off 15th-ranked Owen Webster in the title match to win by a 4-3 count. Carlson began his tournament run with a 12-4 major decision over Daniel Bishop of Augustana, followed by a 5-1 decision versus Caden Steffen of Minnesota.

Last week, in a dual against Arizona State, Carlson moved up to the 197-pound weight class and recorded a 9-1 major decision over Austyn Harris.

Carlson entered his junior season with a 9-11 career record, seeing action at all weights between 165 and 197 pounds.

COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn, who helped build Cornell into a national power over the past decade, was hired on April 9, 2018, to lead the South Dakota State wrestling program.

"Damion represents everything we are looking for in being able to take our wrestling program to the next level," said SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell in announcing the hire. "His success both as a collegiate wrestler and coach, along with his ability to recruit high-achieving student-athletes on and off the mat, made him the ideal candidate. He is a tremendous ambassador for the sport who will work tirelessly to ensure wrestling thrives both on our campus and across the country."

Hahn spent 12 years as an assistant coach and later the associate head coach at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure, the Big Red recorded 11 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships, including consecutive runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. He mentored 50 All-Americans, 12 of whom were individual NCAA champions. Cornell also won 12 straight Ivy League dual championships and 11 consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association team titles.

In accepting his first head coaching position, Hahn makes a return to the Midwest. As a collegiate wrestler at Minnesota, Hahn won NCAA individual national titles as a junior and senior. A four-time All-American, he also was a three-time Big 10 individual champion and was named the Jesse Owens Big 10 Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. The Golden Gophers won team NCAA championships during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He finished his collegiate career with a 118-21 record.

Hahn was inducted into the University of Minnesota's M Club Hall of Fame in the summer of 2018.

Assisting Hahn are Cam Simaz, Cody Caldwell and Chris Dardanes. Simaz and Dardanes are new additions to the coaching staff, while Caldwell returned for his second year with the Jackrabbits.

Simaz was a three-time NCAA finalist at Cornell, where he wrestled under Hahn's direction. He won the 197-pound national title as a senior in 2012. Dardanes was a three-time All-American at Minnesota and Caldwell earned a trip to the national meet in 2014.

ROTERT TAKES ON NEW ROLE: Former South Dakota State University standout Nate Rotert has continued his long association with the Jackrabbit wrestling team by joining the staff as recruiting coordinator in August.

"Nate has been an integral part to the success of our program and exudes all that is SDSU," head coach Damion Hahn said. "He will help with our recruiting efforts immensely, and I am proud to bring him aboard."

A Spearfish native, Rotert was a four-time NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds while wrestling at SDSU from 2015-18, helping spark the Jackrabbits into nationally ranked program. He compiled a 99-37 career record, including a 50-14 mark in duals. Rotert won a Big 12 Conference individual title en route to a 28-5 mark his senior season.

THE ROSTER: The 2018-19 SDSU wrestling roster features 28 student-athletes from nine different states. Of the 28 wrestlers, 11 are from Minnesota, followed by seven who are native South Dakotan. Iowa is represented by three wrestlers, while two wrestlers hail from California. Five states — Missouri, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington — each have one wrestler.

By class, two are seniors, six are juniors, four are sophomores, seven are redshirt freshmen and nine are true freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to return to action Nov. 25 with a dual at Minnesota. Start time against the nationally ranked Golden Gophers is set for 1 p.m. at the Maturi Sports Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The match will be aired on FloWrestling.org.

-GoJacks.com-