Jacks return to action at Midlands

Saturday, December 29

Hoffman Estates, Ill.

9:30 a.m./noon

South Dakota State University

Ken Kraft Midlands Championships

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

12/27/2018 11:28:00 AM | Wrestling

South Dakota State at 56th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships

When	Saturday, Dec. 29 (Sessions at 9:30 a.m., 7 p.m.) \| Sunday, Dec. 30 (noon, 7 p.m.)
Where	Sears Centre Arena \| Hoffman Estates, Illinois
TV	Flowrestling.org \| BTN2Go.com (subscriptions required)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Tournament Notes	South Dakota State \| Midlands Tournament Page
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

Coming off its first dual win of the season, the South Dakota State University wrestling team returns to tournament competition this weekend by competing at the 56th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.

One of the most prestigious regular season college wrestling tournaments in the country, the Midlands will be contested over two days at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Action is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, with the evening session slated for 7 p.m. On Sunday, competition begins at noon, with the championship session set for 7 p.m.

Coverage of the tournament will be available through FloWrestling.org or BTN2go.com (subscriptions required). Updates also will be posted throughout the tournament at GoJacks.com and via Twitter (@GoJacksWrestle).

SDSU is scheduled to enter 18 wrestlers in the tournament, which also will include a number of of the top teams in the country, including the likes of Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

2017 MIDLANDS RECAP: South Dakota State's Seth Gross won the 133-pound title and five other Jackrabbit wrestlers placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes as competition wrapped up Dec. 30, 2017, at the 55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships held at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Gross concluded a dominant two-day performance by becoming the first SDSU wrestler to win an individual title at the Midlands. Neither of Gross' two matches on the final day of competition lasted more than a period. In semifinal action during the afternoon session, Gross recorded a 16-1 technical fall over Dylan Duncan of Illinois.

Facing Buffalo's Bryan Lantry in the championship match, Gross built a 10-0 lead before pinning his opponent with 13 seconds remaining in the first period. Gross was later named the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler as he won four matches by technical fall and two more by pin, racking up tournament bests of 93 match points and 31 team points.

Also reaching the finals was 174-pounder David Kocer. A senior from Wagner, Kocer blanked Purdue's Dylan Lydy, 13-0, in semifinal action before dropping an 18-7 major decision to top-ranked Zahid Valencia of Arizona State.

SDSU's two other semifinalists, 157-pounder Luke Zilverberg and Nate Rotert at 197 pounds, fell short in their bids to reach the finals. Rotert lost an 8-1 decision to Penn's Frank Mattiace in the semifinals before posting a 6-4 decision over Pat Brucki of Princeton to earn the right to wrestle for third place. However, Rotert did not wrestle a scheduled rematch with Purdue's Christian Brunner in the evening session for medical reasons, ending his tournament run with a fourth-place finish.

Zilverberg dropped each of his two matches in the afternoon session before coming back with a fifth-place finish. A senior from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Zilverberg dropped a 4-0 decision to Arizona State's Joshua Shields for the second time this season in the semifinals, then dropped a 9-6 decision to John Van Brill of Rutgers in the consolation semis.

Zilverberg later recorded a 5-0 shutout of Brown's Justin Staudenmayer to place fifth.

Jackrabbit wrestlers Logan Peterson and Martin Mueller split their seventh-place matches. A junior from Lake Lillian, Minnesota, Peterson placed eighth at 165 pounds. He moved into the placing matches with a 7-6 decision over Brown's Jonathan Viruet to open the day, but fell 8-3 to Iowa's Kaleb Young and came up short in a 7-5 sudden-victory decision to Purdue's Jacob Morrissey.

Mueller, meanwhile, claimed seventh place in the 184-pound weight class with a 2-1 record on Saturday. The Rapid City native began the day with a 7-5 decision over Mitch Bowman of Iowa before falling to Pittsburgh's Nino Bonaccorsi in the next consolation rounds. Mueller closed his tournament showing by defeating Eastern Michigan's Kayne MacCallum, 10-4, in the seventh-place match.

As a team, the Jackrabbits tallied their highest finish at the Midlands, ending the tournament in fifth place with 99 points. Iowa claimed the team title with 156.5 points, followed by Rutgers (109.5), Central Michigan (108) and Arizona State (106.5).

LAST TIME OUT: South Dakota State won six of the last seven bouts, including the final three, to post a 19-17 come-from-behind victory over Oregon State in a college wrestling dual Dec. 16 at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.

The Jackrabbits picked up their first dual win under head coach Damion Hahn, improving to 1-3 overall. Oregon State dropped to 1-1.

Trailing 14-0 through the first three matches, 19th-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer put the Jackrabbits on the board with an 8-4 decision over Zach Evans at 149 pounds. Pohlmeyer trailed 4-1 early before reeling off the final seven points on a pair of escapes, two takedowns and a point for riding-time advantage.

At 157 pounds, Colten Carlson knocked off 15th-ranked Hunter Willits, 3-2. Carlson opened the scoring with a takedown and limited Willits to a pair of escapes in evening his dual record at 2-2.

Logan Peterson followed with a 9-7 decision over Aaron Olmos in the 165-pound matchup to pull the Jackrabbits to within 14-9.

After the Beavers extended their lead to 17-9 with a decision by Colt Doyle over Kelby Hawkins at 174 pounds, SDSU strung together three wins in the upper weights to come away with the victory. Zach Carlson started the Jackrabbits' second three-match winning streak of the with a 8-3 decision over Myles Terry in the 184-pound matchup to improve to 11-2 overall (3-1 in duals) on the season.

Martin Mueller then posted the lone bonus-point victory for SDSU in the 197-pound bout, notching a 15-5 major decision over Bob Coleman. It was Mueller's first dual action of the season.

With the dual victor decided by the winner of the heavyweight match, the Jackrabbits' Blake Wolters took control in the second period with a takedown and penalty point, then extended his lead in the third period for a decisive 6-1 victory over Jamarcus Grant.

Oregon State posted three bonus-point wins in the first three matches to build its 14-0 lead. Third-ranked Ronnie Bresser opened the dual with a pin of SDSU's Gregory Coapstick in the 125-pound bout, while Kegan Calkins and Grant Willits each won by major decision for the Beavers. The Jackrabbits once again wrestled without defending 133-pound national champion Seth Gross.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 19, OREGON STATE 17 (Dec. 16, 2018)
125: #3 Ronnie Bresser (OSU) def. Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), by fall 2:09
133: Kegan Calkins (OSU) major dec. Spencer Huber (SDSU), 9-0
141: Grant Willits (OSU) major dec. Aric Williams (SDSU), 10-2
149: #19 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Zach Evans (OSU), 8-4
157: Colten Carlson (SDSU) dec. #15 Hunter Willits (OSU), 3-2
165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) dec. Aaron Olmos (OSU), 9-7
174: Colt Doyle (OSU) dec. Kelby Hawkins (SDSU), 8-2
184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. Myles Terry (OSU), 8-3
197: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Bob Carlson (OSU), 15-5
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Jamarcus Grant (OSU), 6-1

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 eight spots as Northern Iowa (16th), Wyoming (18th), North Dakota State (20th), 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 19th in the tournament rankings by Intermat, along with 20th-place rankings from 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 15th (The Open Mat) and 19th (Intermat). 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.

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 11-2 overall record, including a 3-1 dual ledger, 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 freshmen Aric Williams (141 pounds) and Kelby Hawkins (174 pounds) each made their collegiate dual debuts Dec. 16 at Oregon State.

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.

He picked up his first dual victory as a head coach Dec. 16, 2018, when the Jackrabbits rallied for a 19-17 win at Oregon State.

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 resuming dual competition with a weekend homestand at Frost Arena. SDSU will host Northern Iowa in a 7 p.m. Big 12 Conference dual against Northern Iowa on Jan. 11, followed by a 2 p.m. matinee Jan. 13 versus Pittsburgh.

Both duals will be aired on FloWrestling.org.

-GoJacks.com-