SDSU wrestlers close dual season

Friday, February 22

Norman, Okla.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oklahoma

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

2/20/2019 3:26:00 PM | Wrestling

Dual 12: South Dakota State (2-9, 1-6 Big 12) at RV Oklahoma (8-6, 3-3 Big 12)

When	Friday, Feb. 22 \| 6 p.m.
Where	Lloyd Noble Center \| Norman, Oklahoma
TV	S oonerSports.com (subscription required) \| FOX Sports Oklahoma
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| Oklahoma
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

Dual 13: West Virginia (4-13, 3-5 Big 12) at South Dakota State

When	Sunday, Feb. 24 \| 6 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State \| West Virginia
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team closes out the 2018-19 dual season with Big 12 Conference matches both on the road and at home.

The Jackrabbits, 2-9 overall and 1-6 against conference opponents, close out a four-dual road swing Friday night at Oklahoma. Action is set for 6 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center on the OU campus in Norman, Oklahoma, and can be viewed through FOX Sports Oklahoma and online at SoonerSports.com. The dual was rescheduled from Dec. 7 due to inclement weather.

The Sooners, who are receiving votes in the latest NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, enter the week with an 8-6 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the Big 12. Oklahoma won at Fresno State, 25-16, in action Feb. 17.

SDSU will have a quick turnaround as it returns home to face West Virginia Sunday night in the dual finale. The Senior Night match is slated for 6 p.m. at Frost Arena and can be viewed online through FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

West Virginia, under the direction of first-year head coach Tim Flynn, holds a 4-13 overall record and a 3-5 mark against Big 12 foes. The Mountaineers will be wrestling their first dual since a 28-10 home loss to Army on Feb. 1.

THE SERIES: The Jackrabbits hold a combined 5-2 all-time mark against this week's opponents.

vs. Oklahoma (2-2)
Friday's dual against Oklahoma will mark the fifth meeting in a series that began with a 31-2 Sooner victory early in the 1969-70 season. The two squads did not meet again until the 2015-16 season, when the Jackrabbits joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member.

The Jackrabbits have drawn even in the series by winning each of the last two duals. SDSU posted a 20-19 victory on criteria during the 2016-17 season before recording a 22-13 win at Oklahoma last season.

In the most recent meeting, Jan. 28, 2018, SDSU swept the top three upper weights to close out the dual victory. Martin Mueller recorded a 14-1 major decision over Matt Waddell in the 184-pound matchup, while Nate Rotert and Alex Macki both won by decision at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

#12 South Dakota State 22, Oklahoma 13 (Jan. 28, 2018)
125: #17 Christian Moody (OU) dec. #20 Connor Brown (SDSU), 5-3
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Jacob Rubio (OU), by fall 1:40
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Mike Longo (OU), 7-0
149: Davion Jeffries (OU) major dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 9-1
157: #16 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. Justin Thomas (OU), 5-4 [TB-1]
165: Dawaylon Barnes (OU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 9-2
174: #14 Yoanse Mejias (OU) dec. #9 David Kocer (SDSU), 7-5
184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Matt Waddell (OU), 14-1
197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU), 3-1
285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Connor Webb (OU), 5-3

vs. West Virginia (3-0)
South Dakota State and West Virginia are scheduled to meet in dual action for the fourth time in a series that began when the Jackrabbits joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member for wrestling at the start of the 2015-16 season.

SDSU has won each of the first three meetings, posting an 18-15 victory at Frost Arena in the initial meeting on Feb. 12, 2016, before recording wins by scores of 32-9 and 24-9 at West Virginia the past two seasons.

Highlighting last season's Jackrabbit victory was 174-pounder David Kocer winning his 100th career match as he earned a 10-2 major decision over Parker VonEgidy. Also picking up bonus-point wins for SDSU were Henry Pohlmeyer (141 pounds) and Luke Zilverberg (157 pounds), who also won by major decision.

The Jackrabbits also set a school record with their 13th consecutive dual victory.

#12 South Dakota State 24, West Virginia 9 (Feb. 11, 2018)
125: #15 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Connor Brown (WVU), 8-3
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 7-2
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) major dec. Christian Monserrat (WVU), 11-3
149: Kyler Rea (WVU) dec. Isaac Andrade (SDSU), 6-3
157: #14 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. Hunter Jones (WVU), 14-0
165: Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 5-4
174: #12 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Parker VonEgidy (WVU), 10-2
184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) dec. Brenden McRill (WVU), 12-8
197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Jake Smith (WVU), 7-6
285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 5-3

LAST TIME OUT: South Dakota State's Zach Carlson and Henry Pohlmeyer continued their winning ways, but North Dakota State won the other eight bouts to record a 31-10 victory in a Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Feb. 15 at Scheels Center.

The Bison improved to 10-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12. SDSU dropped to 2-9 overall and 1-6 in league duals.

Carlson got the Jackrabbits off on the right foot by posting a 17-2 technical fall over Michael Otomo in the opening 184-pound matchup. The junior from Kerkhoven, Minnesota, improved to 18-7 overall and upped his team-best dual mark to 7-4 in putting five team points on the board.

NDSU countered by winning the next five matchups to take an 18-5 lead. Cordell Eaton and Brandon Metz each won by decision in the upper weights, while ninth-ranked Brent Fleetwood notched a second-period pin over Gregory Coapstick as the event order switched over to 125 pounds. Cam Sykora and Sawyer Degen added decisions at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively.

Pohlmeyer, who is ranked by several media outlets, trailed for most of his 149-pound matchup against Jaden Van Maanen, but came up with a quick defensive pin with 12 seconds remaining. Pohlmeyer's 19th win of the season pulled the Jackrabbits to within seven with three matches to go.

However, NDSU ended the dual by sweeping the last three matches, highlighted by a technical fall from 17th-ranked Andrew Fogarty at 165 pounds and a pin by Lorenzo De La Riva in the 184-pound bout. Luke Weber added a win by decision, holding off a late charge by the Jackrabbits' Colten Carlson, 10-7.

North Dakota State 31, South Dakota State 10 (Feb. 15, 2019)
184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Michael Otomo (NDSU), 17-2 [7.00]
197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec. Martin Mueller (SDSU), 3-1
285: Brandon Metz (NDSU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 8-7
125: #9 Brent Fleetwood (NDSU) def. Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), by fall 3:53
133: #17 Cam Sykora (NDSU) dec. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), 7-2
141: Sawyer Degen (NDSU) dec. Aric Williams (SDSU), 9-5
149: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) def. Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), by fall 6:48
157: Luke Weber (NDSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-7
165: #17 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) tech. fall Logan Peterson (SDSU), 16-0 [4:32]
174: Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU) def. Samuel Grove (SDSU), by fall 6:45
Notes: Each team deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct; rankings by FloWrestling

PANEL RANKINGS: South Dakota State's Henry Pohlmeyer and Zach Carlson both remain in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches' Panel Rankings, the latest installment of which were released Feb. 14.

A junior from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer is ranked 20th in the 149-pound weight class. He has posted a 19-9 overall record this season after earning a trip to nationals in the 141-pound division during the 2017-18 campaign.

Elsewhere, Pohlmeyer stands 12th in the TrackWrestling individual rankings, is ranked 15th by WIN Magazine and holds the 17th spot in the Intermat rankings. He also is ranked 18th by The Open Mat. He is slated to meet a pair of wrestlers ranked this week by FloWrestling.org in No. 17 Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma) and 19th-ranked Christian Monserrat (West Virginia).

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 an 18-7 overall record thus far, including a team-best mark of 7-4 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 required 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.

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 23-9 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 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 Dec. 3, 2017, 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 15 of 16 first-place votes in the Feb. 19 poll to continue to hold the top spot.

Reigning Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma State picked up the other first-place vote and is in second place for the fifth consecutive week. The rest of the top five consists of 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. North Dakota State, Fresno State and Oklahoma 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 2018.

"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 will turn their attention to the Big 12 Wrestling Championship, which is slated for March 9-10 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. All-session and single-session tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.com and Big12Sports.com.

The tournament schedule is as follows:
Saturday, March 9
• Session 1: Preliminary and Quarterfinal Matches, 11 a.m.
• Session 2: Semifinal and Consolation Quarterfinal Matches, 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 10
• Session 3: Consolation Semifinals, Third- and Fifth-Place Matches, noon
• Session 4: Championship Matches, 7 p.m.
Full-mat video coverage will be available through FloWrestling.org

-GoJacks.com-