Jackrabbits head north to NDSU

Friday, February 15

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

2/14/2019 1:30:00 PM | Wrestling

Dual 11: South Dakota State (2-8, 1-5 Big 12) at North Dakota State (9-5, 4-3 Big 12)

When	Friday, Feb. 15 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Scheels Center \| Fargo, North Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required) \| Midco Sports Network
Radio	GoBison.com
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team begins the second half of a four-match road swing by traveling to North Dakota State Friday night for a Big 12 Conference dual.

Action is set for 7 p.m. at Scheels Center on the NDSU campus in Fargo, North Dakota. The dual is scheduled to be televised by Midco Sports Network and also available for viewing through FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

The Jackrabbits enter the Border Bell matchup 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12 Conference following a 32-9 setback at nationally ranked Wyoming on Feb. 10.

NDSU, meanwhile, enters Friday's matchup with a 9-5 overall record, including a 4-3 mark in Big 12 competition. The Bison will be coming off a two-week layoff, with their last competition a 47-3 home victory over Utah Valley on Feb. 1.

Both head coaches — South Dakota State's Damion Hahn and NDSU's Roger Kish — were All-America wrestlers at the University of Minnesota. Hahn was a four-time All-American from 2001-04 and won back-to-back NCAA titles at 197 pounds as a junior and senior. Kish was an All-American at 184 pounds for the Golden Gophers in both 2006 and 2007.

THE SERIES: South Dakota State and North Dakota State will meet for the 65th time in dual competition, when the two programs clash Friday night at in Fargo. NDSU leads the all-time series between the two longtime rivals, 42-21-1, although the Jackrabbits have won the last four matchups.

SDSU swept a two-match season series during the 2015-16 campaign before posting consecutive victories at Frost Arena during the 2016-17 (20-18) and 2017-18 (22-12) seasons. The 2016-17 dual marked the first time the two squads faced off against each other with both teams in the Division I rankings.

In last season's dual, Feb. 16, 2018, in Brookings, NCAA qualifiers David Kocer and Seth Gross each recorded technical falls to lead the Jackrabbits to a 22-12 victory before 2,324 fans. SDSU won six of the 10 bouts in closing out the dual season with a school-record 14-match winning streak and an 8-0 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents.

#12 South Dakota State 22, North Dakota State 12 (Feb. 16, 2018)
157: #8 Clayton Ream (NDSU) dec. #13 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 7-5 [SV-2]
165: Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 6-3
174: #10 David Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Dylan Urbach (NDSU), 16-1 [6:13]
184: Martin Mueller dec. Charley Popp (NDSU), 11-5
197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 3-1
285: Dan Stibral (NDSU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 5-0
125: Connor Brown (SDSU) dec. Paul Bianchi (NDSU), 11-5
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) tech. fall Cam Sykora (NDSU), 16-0 [4:00]
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. McGwire Midkiff (NDSU), 5-0
149: Kyle Gliva (NDSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 7-4

LAST TIME OUT: No. 13 Wyoming tallied bonus points in each of its first five victories, defeating South Dakota State, 32-9, in a Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Feb. 10 at the UNIWYO Sports Complex in Laramie, Wyoming.

The Cowboys improved to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in league duals. SDSU dropped to 2-8 overall and 1-5 against Big 12 opponents.

The dual started at 141 pounds, with Wyoming's 12th-ranked Sam Turner recording a 16-1 technical fall over Aric Williams in the third period.

SDSU responded to take a momentary 6-5 lead on back-to-back decisions by Henry Pohlmeyer and Colten Carlson. Pohlmeyer posted a 12-5 victory over Jaron Jensen in their 149-pound bout, while Carlson came up with an escape with two seconds remaining to pull out a 2-1 win over Jed Loveless at 157 pounds.

Wyoming countered with a technical fall from eighth-ranked 165-pounder Branson Ashworth to take the lead for good, and Hayden Hastings added a major decision for a 14-6 lead.

Zach Carlson recorded the final Jackrabbit victory of the afternoon, notching a 6-2 decision over Anthony Lombardo in their 184-pound matchup. It was Carlson's team-leading sixth dual victory of the season.

The Cowboys closed the dual with four consecutive wins, the first of which came after SDSU forfeited at 197 pounds for the second consecutive match. Brian Andrews tallied the final bonus-point win for Wyoming with a first-period pin of Blake Wolters at heavyweight.

#13 WYOMING 32, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 9
141: #12 Sam Turner (WYO) tech. fall Aric Williams (SDSU), 16-1 (5:41)
149: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Jaron Jensen (WYO), 12-5
157: Colten Carlson (SDSU) dec. Jed Loveless (WYO), 2-1
165: #8 Branson Ashworth (WYO) tech. fall Kelby Hawkins (SDSU), 16-0 (2:39)
174: Hayden Hastings (WYO) major dec. Samuel Grove (SDSU), 11-0
184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. Anthony Lombardo (WYO), 6-2
197: #20 Cale Davidson (WYO) won by forfeit
285: Brian Andrews (WYO) def. Blake Wolters (SDSU), by fall 2:20
125: Brock George (WYO) dec. Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), 9-6
133: #12 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), 12-5

PANEL RANKINGS: South Dakota State's Henry Pohlmeyer and Zach Carlson both remain in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches' Panel Rankings, the second installment of which were released Thursday.

A junior from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer is ranked 20th in the 149-pound weight class. He has posted an 18-9 overall record this season after earning a trip to nationals in the 141-pound division during the 2017-18 campaign.

Elsewhere, Pohlmeyer stands 13th in the TrackWrestling individual rankings, is ranked 17th by WIN Magazine and holds the 18th spot in the Intermat rankings. He also is ranked 20th by The Open Mat.

Carlson, a junior 184-pounder from Kerkhoven, Minnesota, fills the 32nd spot in the 184-pound NCAA panel rankings despite holding the 23rd-best ratings percentage index (RPI). He is enjoying his best season as a Jackrabbit, posting a 17-7 overall record thus far, including a team-best mark of 6-4 in duals.

The coaches' panel rankings will be updated periodically throughout the season.

Conference allocations to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be determined in part based on the panel rankings, with additional spots available on an at-large basis to fill the 330-wrestler field — 33 wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes. SDSU competes at the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship March 9-10 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

GROSS SIDELINED: Defending national champion Seth Gross announced in January that he will miss the remainder of the season due to a back injury that will require surgery. He intends to seek a medical redshirt from the NCAA?that would extend his eligibility through the 2019-20 season.

Gross, a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, defeated Michigan's Stevan Micic, 13-8, in the 133-pound finale in Cleveland, Ohio, last March. He 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.

A national qualifier each of his first three seasons with the Jackrabbits, Gross competed at 141 pounds during the 2015-16 season before making back-to-back appearances in the 133-pound finals as a sophomore and junior.

Gross wrestled only once during the 2018-19 season, posting a first-period pin of Arizona State's Josiah Kline in dual action Nov. 11. Gross has a 90-17 career record.

OKLAHOMA DUAL RESCHEDULED: South Dakota State and Oklahoma have agreed to meet in dual action Feb. 22, rescheduling a competition that was originally slated for Dec. 7 and postponed due to weather.

The dual is set for a 6 p.m. start at Lloyd Noble Center on the OU campus in Norman, Oklahoma, and will be televised on FOX Sports Oklahoma.

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 23-8 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 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.

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.

NATIONALLY 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 in the Feb. 12 poll to continue to hold the top spot. Reigning Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma State is in second place for the fourth consecutive week, and is followed by Iowa, Michigan and Missouri.

Three other Big 12 Conference programs are included in this week's top 25, including Iowa State at No. 11, Wyoming at No. 12 and Northern Iowa in the 17th spot. Fresno State and North Dakota State are receiving votes.

Other Jackrabbit dual opponents currently ranked in the top 25 include No. 8 Minnesota and No. 15 Pittsburgh.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Six different Jackrabbits 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.

Molitor and Williams each recorded their first collegiate dual wins in the Jan. 31 home victory over Utah Valley.

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.

CAMP DATES SET: The South Dakota State University wrestling coaching staff will conduct a series of camps during the month of June.

The camp schedule is as follows:

Team Camp (entering grades 7-12), June 9-12;
Intensive Camp (entering grades 4-12), June 9-15;
Junior Jackrabbit Commuter Camp (entering grades K-5), June 10-14, and
Technique/Competition Camp (entering grades 6-12), June 12-15.

Pricing and registration information can be found at wrestling.jackrabbitsportscamps.com.

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.

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 claim one.

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 close out their three-week road swing by traveling to Big 12 Conference rival Oklahoma on Feb. 22. The dual is set for a 6 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center on the OU campus in Norman and will be televised on FOX Sports Oklahoma.

Final home action for SDSU is Feb. 24, when the Jackrabbits host West Virginia in a 6 p.m. Senior Night dual at Frost Arena.

-GoJacks.com-