Jacks host Panthers (times two)

Friday, January 11

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Northern Iowa

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

1/10/2019 11:50:00 AM | Wrestling

Dual 5: #14 Northern Iowa (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) at South Dakota State (1-3, 0-1 Big 12)

When	Friday, Jan. 11 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| Northern Iowa
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

Dual 6: #18 Pittsburgh (6-0) at South Dakota State

When	Sunday, Jan. 13 \| 2 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| Pittsburgh
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team will wrestle at home for the first time in nearly two months, hosting a pair of ranked opponents in weekend dual action.

The Jackrabbits begin the new calendar year with a Big 12 Conference dual match Friday night against 14th-ranked Northern Iowa. Action begins at 7 p.m. at Frost Arena.

SDSU enters the matchup 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12, while UNI is 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league duals. The Jackrabbits recorded their first dual victory under head coach Damion Hahn in their last match, rallying from a 14-0 deficit to upend Oregon State, 19-17, Dec. 16 in Corvallis, Oregon.

UNI is coming a runner-up finish at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a tournament in which the Jackrabbits also competed. Nationally ranked wrestlers Josh Alber (141 pounds) and Drew Foster (184 pounds) each won individual titles.

Sunday afternoon, the Jackrabbits will take on a different set of Panthers as 18th-ranked Pittsburgh invades Frost Arena. Start time is set for 2 p.m.

Pitt comes into the weekend undefeated in duals at 6-0, but has yet to wrestle an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. The Panthers, who are scheduled to wrestle Saturday at North Dakota State, have already knocked off three Big 12 foes, owning dual victories over Northern Iowa (21-17 on Nov. 17), West Virginia (37-3 on Dec. 15) and Oklahoma (20-17 on Jan. 6).

Both of this weekend's matches will be available for viewing online at FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

SDSU last competed at home Nov. 17, when it fell to then-fourth-ranked Oklahoma State.

THE UNI SERIES: South Dakota State has found the going tough in its history against Northern Iowa, with the Panthers holding a 38-5-1 advantage in a dual series that dates back to the 1953-54 season. Both SDSU and Northern Iowa competed in the North Central Conference at the Division II level, with the series resuming during the 2004-05 season after a 20-year hiatus when the Jackrabbits joined UNI at the Division I level and both squads competed in the Western Wrestling Conference.

UNI competed in the Mid-America Conference for five seasons (2013-17) before gaining affiliate membership in the Big 12 Conference prior to the start of the 2017-18 campaign.

Last season, the Jackrabbits ended a 21-dual losing streak to UNI by claiming a 22-16 victory at Frost Arena on Jan. 21, 2018. Prior to that victory, the Jackrabbits' last win in the series was a 21-19 triumph during the 1972-73 season.

In last season's dual, SDSU jumped out to a 12-0 lead after consecutive pins by Connor Brown and Seth Gross. The Jackrabbits also received a major decision from 157-pounder Luke Zilverberg and decisions from Logan Peterson (165 pounds) and Nate Rotert (197 pounds) en route to the win.

#15 South Dakota State 22, #11 Northern Iowa 16 (Jan. 21, 2018)
125: Connor Brown (SDSU) def. #18 Jay Schwarm (UNI), by fall 3:23
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Jack Wagner (UNI), by fall 1:32
141: #9 Josh Alber (UNI) dec. Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 9-2
149: #7 Max Thomsen (UNI) major dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 15-1
157: #10 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. Logan Ryan (UNI), 15-1
165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) dec. Isaiah Patton (UNI), 4-2
174: #7 Taylor Lujan (UNI) dec. #9 David Kocer (SDSU), 3-1
184: #10 Drew Foster (UNI) dec. Martin Mueller (SDSU), 8-4
197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. #15 Jacob Holschlag (UNI), 5-1
285: Carter Isley (UNI) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 3-1

THE PITT SERIES: Sunday's dual will mark only the second time South Dakota State and Pittsburgh have met on the wrestling mat. The Jackrabbits opened the series with a 25-13 road win on Feb. 9, 2018, extending their dual winning streak to 12.

Pitt pulled to within 14-13 with two bouts to go, but the Jackrabbits turned the Panthers away thanks to a technical fall at 133 pounds by Seth Gross and a pin by Henry Pohlmeyer in the 141-pound matchup. Luke Zilverberg (157 pounds) and David Kocer (174 pounds) each posted major decisions for SDSU.

#12 South Dakota State 25, Pittsburgh 13 (Feb. 9, 2018)
149: Robert Lee (Pitt) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-3
157: #14 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. Taleb Rahmani (Pitt), 10-2
165: Jake Wentzel (Pitt) major dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 12-2
174: #12 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Tommy O'Brien (Pitt), 15-3
184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) dec. Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 9-7
197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Zach Bruce (Pitt), 4-3
285: Ryan Solomon (Pitt) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 7-0
125: L.J. Bentley (Pitt) dec. Connor Brown (SDSU), 5-2
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) tech. fall #10 Dom Forys (Pitt), 16-0 [3:20]
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) def. Nick Zanetta (Pitt), by fall 5:36

MIDLANDS RECAP: Freshman Tanner Sloan reached the finals of the 197-pound weight class to lead a contingent of South Dakota State wrestlers at the 56th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

A native of Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan dropped a 13-4 major decision to top-seeded Patrick Brucki of Princeton in Sunday night's championship bout at Sears Centre Arena. Brucki got out the gates quickly, recording four takedowns in the first three minutes of the match for an 8-3 first-period lead.

The loss snapped Sloan's 15-match winning streak as he dropped to 18-2 on the year.

All five of Sloan's matches in the two-day tournament came against seeded wrestlers. After knocking off the 10th-, seventh- and second-seeded wrestlers on Saturday, the unseeded Sloan secured a berth in the finals by downing sixth-seeded Lucas Davison of host Northwestern, 4-3, Sunday afternoon.

The appearance in the finals by Sloan, who competed unattached, marked the fifth consecutive year a Jackrabbit reached the championship round at the Midlands. He joined Cody Pack (2014 and 2015 at 157 pounds), Nate Rotert (2016 at 197 pounds) and Seth Gross (2017 champion at 133 pounds) as SDSU wrestlers to compete in a final bout at the tournament.

Also earning a spot on the podium for the Jackrabbits was Henry Pohlmeyer, who recorded an eighth-place finish at 149 pounds. The ninth-seeded Pohlmeyer opened Sunday with a first-period pin of Northwestern's Shayne Oster to earn a spot in the placing matches.

Pohlmeyer later dropped his final two matches of the tournament, losing by a 9-3 decision to Sammy Sasso (Ohio State-unattached) before being pinned by Khristian Olivas (Fresno State) in a back-and-forth match.

SDSU tied for 24th in team standings with 23 points. The Jackrabbits' unattached wrestlers combined to place 26th with 22 points. Iowa won the tournament with 184 points, followed by Northern Iowa (119.5) and Northwestern (110).

Four other Jackrabbits competed in Saturday's evening session, but were later eliminated. At 157 pounds, Colten Carlson opened the day with back-to-back major decisions before falling to a pair of seeded wrestlers.

Zach Carlson turned in a 3-2 record at 184 pounds, winning twice by major decision and adding a 7-3 decision over 11th-seeded Anthony Mancini of Franklin & Marshall.

Logan Peterson at 165 pounds and heavyweight Blake Wolters each reeled off three consecutive wins after dropping their initial matches to seeded competitors. A senior, Peterson recorded a pair of wins in the waning seconds, while Wolters began a string of close victories with a 3-1 overtime decision over teammate Bowen McConville.

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, including Wyoming at No. 12 and Northern Iowa at 14th. The other three ranked teams appear consecutively in the form of Iowa State (21st), Utah Valley (22nd) and North Dakota State (23rd).

Other Jackrabbit dual opponents currently ranked in the top 25 include No. 8 Minnesota, No. 16 Arizona State and 18th-ranked Pittsburgh.

In additional polls, the Jackrabbits are tied for 19th in the tournament rankings by TrackWrestling, along with a 20th-place ranking from FloWrestling. SDSU also is ranked 21st by The Open Mat and 22nd by Intermat.

Individually, defending national champion Seth Gross holds a near-unanimous No. 1 selection in the 133-pound weight class, receiving top billing from all major ranking services — with the exception of WIN Magazine — despite wrestling only once so far this season due to injury. 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. 16 in the TrackWrestling rankings, followed by rankings of 17th (Intermat), 19th (The Open Mat) and 20th (WIN Magazine, 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 has moved up to the 197 weight class during his junior campaign.

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 14-4 overall record, including a 3-1 dual ledger, through the first half of the season.

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: Six different Jackrabbits have wrestled in their first collegiate duals through the first four 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 in a win 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 be back on the road for Big 12 Conference dual action Jan. 20 at Fresno State. Start time for the Sunday matinee is set for 2 p.m. Pacific Time (4 p.m. Central) at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Next home action for SDSU is Jan. 31 versus Utah Valley State.

-GoJacks.com-