SDSU wrestlers travel to Oregon State

Sunday, December 16

Corvallis, Ore.

1 p.m. PT/3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Oregon State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

12/13/2018 11:11:00 AM | Wrestling

Dual 4: South Dakota State (0-3) at Oregon State (1-0)

When	Sunday, Dec. 16 \| 1 p.m. Pacific Time (3 p.m. Central)
Where	Gill Coliseum \| Corvallis, Oregon
TV	Pac-12.com
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| Oregon State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team closes out the dual slate for the calendar year by traveling Sunday to Oregon State in nonconference action.

The dual is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Pacific Time (3 p.m. Central) at Gill Coliseum on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis. Video coverage will be available through Pac-12.com.

The Jackrabbits enter the matchup with an 0-3 dual mark after falling to a trio of ranked squads. SDSU has wrestled most of the season without defending 133-pound national champion Seth Gross and fellow returning NCAA qualifier Martin Mueller due to injury. Gross will be a match-time decision Sunday, while Mueller is expected to make his dual debut.

Oregon State won its season-opening dual against Cal State Bakersfield, 20-17, on its home mat on Dec. 9. The Beavers posted a 6-6 dual mark last season and later finished second at the Pac-12 Conference Championships.

OSU currently has three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes by FloWrestling, and are led by top-ranked heavyweight Amar Dhesi. At 125-pounds, Ronnie Bresser is ranked third, while Hunter Willits stands 15th in the 157-pound weight class.

THE SERIES: Sunday's match will mark the fourth time South Dakota State and Oregon State have wrestled each other in dual competition. The Beavers won each of the first two duals, starting with a 45-3 decision at the 2011 NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Oregon State later claimed a 35-6 victory at Frost Arena on Jan. 25, 2015.

SDSU cracked the win column with a 30-13 dual victory at Frost Arena on Jan. 5, 2018. Seth Gross and Logan Peterson each recorded pins to lead the 15th-ranked Jackrabbits to their fifth consecutive victory.

After Gross' pin at 133 pounds, SDSU's Henry Pohlmeyer notched a pivotal win in the 141-pound bout, scoring a 5-2 decision over Jack Hathaway. Pohlmeyer avenged a defeat at the hands of Hathaway at the previous weekend's Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.

The Jackrabbits sealed the victory with five consecutive wins between the 157- and 197-pound divisions, including Peterson's second-period pin of Billy Bigelow. David Kocer (technical fall) and Martin Mueller (major decision) also earned bonus-point victories for SDSU.

#15 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 30, OREGSON STATE 13 (Jan. 5, 2018)
125: #15 Ronnie Bresser (OSU) major dec. Connor Brown (SDSU), 15-3
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Devan Turner (OSU), by fall 1:10
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Jack Hathaway (OSU), 5-2
149: Kurt Mode (OSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-7
157: #11 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. Hunter Willits (OSU), 5-4 [TB-1]
165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) def. Billy Bigelow (OSU), by fall 4:54
174: #9 David Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Myles Terry (OSU), 21-6 [5:16]
184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Seth McLeod (OSU), 16-8
197: #6 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. #13 Corey Griego (OSU), 9-4
285: #6 Amar Dhesi (OSU) def. Blake Wolters (SDSU), by fall 2:43

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 22-4 record in duals against Big 12 foes, including a 15-2 mark over the last two-plus seasons. SDSU's only losses have been to teams from the state of Oklahoma — three 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 dropped out of the top 25 after losses in its first two duals.

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 Oklahoma State in third.

Five other Big 12 Conference programs are included in this week's top 25, and are separated by seven spots as Northern Iowa (17th), North Dakota State (19th), Wyoming (21st), Utah Valley (22nd) and Iowa State (23rd) round out the poll.

Other Jackrabbit dual opponents currently ranked in the top 25 include No. 9 Minnesota, No. 15 Arizona State and 24th-ranked Pittsburgh.

In other polls, the Jackrabbits are ranked 20th in the tournament rankings by Intermat, The Open Mat and WIN Magazine. SDSU also is ranked 22nd by TrackWrestling.

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 despite wrestling only once so far this season. 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. 13 in the TrackWrestling rankings, followed by rankings of 14th (The Open Mat), 16th (Intermat) and 19th (FloWrestling). 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. Mueller has returned to action after being sidelined by injury for nearly a month since the Nov. 4 Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open.

RECENT ACTION: Freshman Tanner Sloan continued his run through open tournaments, winning the 197-pound division in dominant fashion Dec. 8 at the UNI Open in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

A native of Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan avenged his lone loss of the season by pinning Minnesota's Dylan Anderson in 1 minute, 3 seconds in the championship bout at 197 pounds. Sloan, who went 4-0 on the day, outscored his opponents by a combined 35-1 margin in his other three matches. He scored a 16-0 technical fall over Corel Duhart of Missouri, followed by a 5-1 decision over Bobby Steveson in the quarterfinals.

Sloan advanced to the championship with a 14-0 major decision against Garrett Joles of Minnesota.

Also moving on to the quarterfinals were freshman 141-pounder Clay Carlson and junior 184-pounder Zach Carlson. Clay Carlson tied for fifth with a 3-1 record. He opened with a 4-3 decision over Missouri's Nick Nasenbeny, before falling to Iowa's Vince Turk, 8-5. In the wrestlebacks, Carlson tacked on two more wins before withdrawing from the tournament.

Zach Carlson placed fourth in his weight class with a 5-1 mark after starting with back-to-back wins over North Dakota State's Michael Otomo (8-5) and Hank Swalla of the Iowa State Wrestling Club (4-0) before dropping a 16-11 decision to Iowa State's Joel Shapiro. Carlson added three more wins in the consolation rounds. He took fourth by virture of already losing to Shapiro and reaching the maximum of six matches on the day.

Completing the Jackrabbits' top-five finishes was redshirt freshman Alex Aarsvold, who placed fifth in the heavyweight division. Aarsvold posted a 2-2 record on the day as he reached the semifinals by winning his first two matches by fall and injury default.

Oklahoma Dual Postponed
The Jackrabbits' Big 12 Conference dual scheduled for Dec. 7 at Oklahoma was postponed due to a winter storm that was expected to hit the area. A makeup date has not yet been determined.

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 10-2 record through the first month of the season 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.

In the season-opening dual against Arizona State on Nov. 11 in Sioux Falls, Carlson moved up to the 197-pound weight class and recorded a 9-1 major decision over Austyn Harris.

Carlson suffered his first loss of the season Nov. 17, falling to Oklahoma State's Dakota Geer in dual action, 12-9, but rebounded by defeating Webster of Minnesota for the second time this year, 8-6, in dual action Nov. 25 in Minneapolis.

He returned to the lineup Dec. 8 at the UNI Open and posted a 5-1 record en route to a fourth-place finish.

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

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Four different Jackrabbits wrestled in their first collegiate duals in either of the first two head-to-head competitions this season. Making their dual debuts in the Nov. 11 matchup against Arizona State were Gregory Coapstick (125 pounds), Rylee Molitor (141 pounds) and Samuel Grove (184).

Against Oklahoma State on Nov. 17, Spencer Huber wrestled for the first time as a Jackrabbit, replacing Seth Gross in the lineup at 133 pounds.

Redshirt freshman Aric Williams is expected to make his collegiate dual debut Sunday at Oregon State, competing in the 141-pound division.

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.

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.

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 will have nearly a two-week layoff before returning to the mat Dec. 29-30 at the 56th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. One of the top mid-season college wrestling tournaments in the country, the Midlands Championships are hosted by Northwestern University and will be contested for the second year in a row at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Coverage of the tournament will be available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required), starting at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 29. Action on Dec. 30 is set for a noon start time.

-GoJacks.com-