Jackrabbits to face Minnesota in home dual opener

Dual 3: #13/15 Minnesota (1-2) at South Dakota State (1-1)

When	Friday, Dec. 20 \| 7 p.m.	ORDER TICKETS
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| M innesota
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team will host its first home dual of the season, welcoming nationally ranked Minnesota to Frost Arena Friday night.

Start time is set for 7 p.m. Prior to the dual, Jackrabbit wrestlers and coaches will conduct a youth clinic, starting at 5 p.m. Friday's dual also will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss during intermission, with gifts being distributed at Sanford Children's Hospital during the holiday season.

Friday's dual will be available for viewing through FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

The Jackrabbits enter Friday's dual with a 1-1 overall record. SDSU last wrestled a dual Nov. 22 at Utah Valley, winning 24-12 in the Big 12 Conference opener for both squads.

Minnesota, which is ranked 13th by FloWrestling and 15th in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, has turned in a 1-2 record in duals so far this season. In their last action, the Golden Gophers dropped a 21-12 decision Nov. 24 at Oklahoma State.

THE SERIES: Minnesota has held the upper hand over the Jackrabbits in dual action, leading the all-time series, which dates back to the 1949-50 season, by a 25-4 count.

SDSU's last victory over the Golden Gophers was a 23-18 triumph during the 1974-75 campaign.

In last season's dual matchup, Nov. 25, 2018, in Minneapolis, 10th-ranked Minnesota posted four wins by technical fall and another by pin en route to a 35-6 victory.

Minnesota raced out to a 19-0 lead by dominating the lower weights. Eighth-ranked Sean Russell scored a second-period, 18-3 technical fall over SDSU's Gregory Coapstick at 125 pounds, while seventh-ranked Ethan Lizak followed with a 16-0, first-period technical fall over Spencer Huber.

The Golden Gophers' fifth-ranked Mitch McKee ran the Minnesota advantage to 16-0 by pinning Rylee Molitor in the first period of their 141-pound bout.

In the only matchup of the afternoon between ranked opponents, 13th-ranked Tommy Thorn of Minnesota avenged a loss earlier in the season at the Daktronics Open to 16th-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer of SDSU. Pohlmeyer got out to a quick 4-0 lead in their 149-pound matchup with a takedown and two-point near-fall before Thorn countered with a reversal and four-point near-fall to close out the first-period scoring. After taking Pohlmeyer down early in the second period, Thorn maintained a lead of four points or more the rest of the way in notching a 10-6 decision.

Colten Carlson put the Jackrabbits on the board with an 11-5 decision over Miles Patton in the 157-pound matchup. Tied at 3-all after one period, the sophomore from Willmar, Minnesota, gained control of the match in the second period with an escape and takedown en route to an 11-5 decision.

Zach Carlson accounted for the other SDSU victory on the afternoon as he knocked off 18th-ranked Owen Webster for the second time this season at 184 pounds. Carlson tallied a takedown late in the first period for a 4-3 lead and held off Webster for an 8-6 victory to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Minnesota received technical falls from Devin Skatzka at 174 pounds and third-ranked Gable Steveson at heavyweight in the second half of the dual to close out the victory.

#10 MINNESOTA 35, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 6
125: #8 Sean Russell (MINN) tech. fall Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), 18-3 [3:45]
133: #7 Ethan Lizak (MINN) tech. fall Spencer Huber (SDSU), 16-0 [5:22]
141: #5 Mitch McKee (MINN) def. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), by fall [2:30]
149: #13 Tommy Thorn (MINN) dec. #16 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 10-6
157: Colten Carlson (SDSU) dec. Miles Patton (MINN), 11-5
165: Carson Brolsma (MINN) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 10-3
174: Devin Skatzka (MINN) tech. fall Brett Bye (SDSU), 16-0 [3:48]
184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. #18 Owen Webster (MINN), 8-6
197: Dylan Anderson (MINN) dec. Samuel Grove (SDSU), 8-2
285: #3 Gable Steveson (MINN) tech. fall Blake Wolters (SDSU), 18-3 [3:24]

RECENT ACTION: The Jackrabbits have filled their slate of competition by wrestling in open tournaments during the month of December.

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Tanner Sloan advanced to the 197-pound quarterfinals and Zach Carlson remained in contention in the 184-pound consolation bracket to lead the South Dakota State University wrestling team on the opening day (Dec. 6) of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

A redshirt freshman from Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan won two matches in the opening session, defeating Jonathan Loew of Cornell in a 10-1 major decision, followed by a 10-4 victory over Northern Colorado's Jacob Seely.

The third-seeded Sloan faced another Big 12 Conference opponent in the quarterfinals, dropping a 5-3 decision to Oklahoma's Jake Woodley. The two wrestlers entered the third period tied at 2-all, but Woodley scored on an escape early in the final stanza and later recorded a takedown to extend his lead to three points. Sloan managed to escape late in the period, but couldn't come up with a tying takedown.

Carlson, seeded 10th at 184 pounds, posted a 3-1 record on Day 1 to advance to the second day of competition. A senior from Murdock, Minnesota, Carlson opened the tournament with a 15-0 technical fall over Clarion's Luke Funck. He was later sent to the consolation bracket after dropping a 10-4 decision to seventh-seeded Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech.

Carlson wrapped up the first session with a 6-0 decision over North Dakota State's T.J. Pottinger, then notched a 6-3 decision over Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State in the night session to stay alive in the tournament.

Five of the six other Jackrabbits to wrestle in Las Vegas won at least one match. SDSU was open at two weights – 149 and 174 pounds – after its wrestlers did not pass skin checks.

On Day 2 of the tournament, Carlson and Sloan entered the day needing one win to reach the placing matches, but both came up short.

Carlson, seeded 10th dropped a 10-5 decision to fifth-seeded Taylor Venz of Nebraska, while the third-seeded Sloan was pinned in the second period of his bout against Greg Bulsak of Clarion.

BVU Open
Freshmen Daniel Kimball and Cade DeVos made successful returns to their home state by winning individual titles to lead the South Dakota State University wrestling team at the BVU Open Dec. 7 in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Kimball, from Buckingham, Iowa, won the 133-pound division with a 5-0 record on the day. He won two matches by major decision and three by decision, including a 9-3 victory over Wartburg's Joe Pins in the semifinals and a 6-3 triumph over unattached wrestler Dearion Stokes in the championship match.

An Altoona, Iowa, native, DeVos also went 5-0 en route to the 157-pound title. He claimed two matches by technical fall, including a 19-3 victory over Morningside's Kyle Fowler in the semifinals. In the championship match, DeVos posted a 5-1 decision over Ryan Thomas, who was wrestling unattached.

Also reaching the finals was heavyweight Bowen McConville. A redshirt freshman, McConville notched a pair of falls in reaching the finals, but was pinned by Iowa Central's Boone McDermott in the championship bout.

Fellow heavyweight Spencer Trenary placed third. Trenary also pinned a pair of opponents before losing by fall to McDermott in the semifinals.

Also placing third was sophomore 125-pounder Gregory Coapstick. All three of his wins were by pin before losing by fall to Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa in the semifinals.

Completing the Jackrabbits' placewinners at the BVU Open were Peyton Smith, fourth at 149 pounds, and Caleb Orris, fourth in the 184-pound weight class.

UNI Open
South Dakota State wrestlers Rylee Molitor and Spencer Trenary each recorded runner-up finishes to lead the Jackrabbits Dec. 14 at the UNI Open.

Trenary, a freshman from Rolfe, Iowa, turned in a 3-1 record in round-robin competition at heavyweight. After dropping a 7-5 decision to champion Jose Diaz of Missouri in his first match, Trenary posted three consecutive wins by fall. He needed only 35 seconds to pin Northern Iowa's Bryce Esmoil, followed by pins against Rudy Streck of Indiana (5 minutes, 59 seconds) and Logan Andrew of Chattanooga (2:44).

Molitor, a sophomore from Sartell, Minnesota, went 1-1 in advancing to the 141-pound championship. After receiving a first-round bye, Molitor notched a 5-2 decision over Noah Nemer of the Iowa State Wrestling Club in the semifinals. In the title bout, Kyle Luigs of Indiana defeated Molitor by fall in 4:29.

Teammate Aric Williams placed third at 141 pounds with a 2-1 record on the day. The Pierre native defeated Nemer, 11-4, in the third-place match.

Also advancing to a third-place match was 149-pounder Peyton Smith, who placed fourth in his weight class. He turned in a 2-2 record on the day, with one of his victories a pin of host Northern Iowa's Kaleb Olejniczak. Smith dropped a 14-5 major decision to Tristan Lara of UNI in the third-place matchup.

Completing the Jackrabbits' placewinners were Dalton Lakmann (157 pounds) and Kelby Hawkins (174), who each placed sixth in their respective weight classes.

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its fifth season as an affiliate member of the Big 12 Conference for wrestling, South Dakota State has proven it can contend in one of the top wrestling leagues in the country.

Since joining the league at the start of the 2015-16 season, the Jackrabbits have combined to post a 25-9 record in duals against Big 12 foes. SDSU posted an 8-0 mark in Big 12 duals during the 2017-18 season.

The Jackrabbits also turned in back-to-back third-place efforts at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship in both 2017 and 2018, after a fourth-place finish at their inaugural league meet in 2016.

RABBITS RANKED: Following their performances in the first two months of the season, four South Dakota State wrestlers appear in the NCAA Division I rankings compiled by a variety of media outlets.

Ranked throughout the season have been Henry Pohlmeyer at 149 pounds and Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds. A two-time NCAA qualifier and a senior from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer's highest ranking is 15th by FloWrestling. Pohlmeyer also is currently ranked 18th by TrackWrestling.

Sloan, a redshirt freshman from Alburnett, Iowa, was ranked in the top 10 by three media outlets earlier in the season. He is currently ranked 14th by Intermat, 18th by TrackWrestling and 19th by FloWrestling.

At 184 pounds, Zach Carlson has moved into all three rankings, holding spots of 16th by Intermat, 17th by FloWrestling and 24th by TrackWrestling.

Also appearing in the rankings is 141-pounder Clay Carlson, who is ranked 33rd by TrackWrestling.

JACKS ADD THREE: South Dakota State University head coach Damion Hahn announced that two high school state champions have signed National Letters of Intent, indicating they will enroll next fall and compete for the Jackrabbit wrestling program.

The signees are:
• Joey Thompson, Maple Grove, Minn. (Totino-Grace High School), and
• Jack Thomsen, La Porte City, Iowa (Union High School).

Thompson has won a pair of Minnesota state championships, claiming the Class AAA 106-pound title as a sophomore while wrestling for Maple Grove High School and the Class AA 113-pound title last season as a member of the Totino-Grace High School squad.

In other competition, Thompson has been a two-time USA Wrestling All-American in the junior freestyle division each of the past two years, placing sixth at 113 pounds in 2018 and sixth at 120 pounds this past summer.

Thomsen has placed at the Iowa state meet each of the past three seasons, highlighted by winning the Class 2A championship at 138 pounds as a junior. He finished third at 120 pounds as a sophomore and seventh in the 106-pound division his freshman year.

In addition, Vermillion High School standout Lucus Anglin has been accepted for admission to South Dakota State and plans to join the Jackrabbit wrestling team in the fall of 2020.

Anglin enters his senior season having won Class A South Dakota state titles at 126 pounds and 138 pounds in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Anglin also was a state finalist at 113 pounds as a freshman and placed third in the 106-pound division as an eighth-grader.

COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn, who helped build Cornell into a national power as an assistant coach, was hired on April 9, 2018, to lead the South Dakota University 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."

During his first season with the Jackrabbits, Hahn faced a rebuilding task as SDSU featured new starters in six spots in the lineup. SDSU finished with a 3-10 dual record, including a 2-7 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents.

Hahn enters this week with a 4-11 career dual record at SDSU.

The Jackrabbits ended the 2018-19 season with a 10th-place finish at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship and had one NCAA qualifier in 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer.

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 made 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 2018.

THE ROSTER: The 2019-20 SDSU wrestling roster features 36 student-athletes from 12 different states. Of the 36 wrestlers, 10 are from Minnesota, followed by nine who are native South Dakotans. Iowa is represented by seven wrestlers, while two wrestlers hail from New York. Eight states — Arizona, California, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin — each have one wrestler.

By class, five are seniors, four are juniors, eight are sophomores, seven are redshirt freshmen and 12 are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to compete at two different tournaments during the holiday break.

SDSU will head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the South Beach Duals Dec. 29-30. The Jackrabbits are scheduled to wrestle four duals; pairings and times will be announced at a later date.

Also on Dec. 29-30, a contingent of Jackrabbit wrestlers will compete at the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. That individual tournament begins at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, with Dec. 30 action starting at noon.

-GoJacks.com-

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Brett Bye

Clay Carlson

Colten Carlson

Zach Carlson

Gregory Coapstick

Cade DeVos

Samuel Grove

Kelby Hawkins

Spencer Huber

Daniel Kimball

Dalton Lakmann

Bowen McConville

Rylee Molitor

Caleb Orris

Logan Peterson

Henry Pohlmeyer

Tanner Sloan

Peyton Smith

Spencer Trenary

Aric Williams

Blake Wolters

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