Big 12 Championship next for Jackrabbits

South Dakota State at Big 12 Wrestling Championship

When	Saturday, March 9 \| Sessions starting at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, March 10 \| Sessions starting at noon and 7 p.m.
Where	BOK Center \| Tulsa, Oklahoma Ticket Information
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required) Finals broadcast live on FOX Sports regional networks (including FOX Sports North Plus)
Radio	None
Live Stats	FloWrestling.org
Tournament Notes	South Dakota State \| Big 12 Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #StayJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team will turn its attention to postseason competition, traveling this weekend to the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship.

The two-day event runs Saturday and Sunday at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Full-mat video coverage and results will be available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

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.

The Big 12 Conference has been allocated 53 automatic qualifiers for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will take place later this month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The automatic qualifiers will be determined by finish at the conference meet.

The league's 53 automatic qualifiers represent an increase of eight from a year ago. See the table below for the breakdown by weight class.

125: 5	141: 6	157: 1	174: 5	197: 7
133: 5	149: 7	165: 6	184: 5	285: 6

PRE-SEEDS ANNOUNCED: Three South Dakota State wrestlers appear in the top eight of their respective weight classes as league officials announced Monday the pre-seeds for this weekend's Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship.

Leading the Jackrabbit contingent are Henry Pohlmeyer and Zach Carlson, who are each seeded seventh. A junior from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer has compiled a 19-11 record in the 149-pound weight class. He stands to receive a first-round bye and is scheduled to face the winner between Wyoming's Jaron Jensen and second-seeded Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals. Pohlmeyer defeated both of his potential quarterfinal opponents in dual action this season.

Carlson, a junior from Kerkhoven, Minnesota, has posted a 20-7 record so far in the 184-pound division. He is matched up against Michael Otomo of North Dakota State in preliminary action, with the winner moving on to face No. 2 seed Drew Foster of Northern Iowa. Carlson owns two victories over Otomo this season, winning by decision at the UNI Open in December and by technical fall during dual action last month.

Rounding out the Jackrabbits' seeded wrestlers is No. 8 Colten Carlson at 157 pounds. A sophomore from Willmar, Minnesota, Colten Carlson has notched a 10-12 record in advance of his preliminary matchup versus Grant LaMont of Utah Valley. The winner is slated to wrestle top-seeded Justin Thomas of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals.

Each weight class features eight seeded wrestlers. Pairings are determined by a draw as the four unseeded wrestlers will each face a seeded wrestler, with the other four seeded wrestlers receiving an opening-round bye.

The conference's coaches will meet in person Friday to finalize the brackets.

SDSU's seven other entrants in the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship are unseeded and are set to wrestle in preliminary-round action Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. Projected matchups include:
125: Gregory Coapstick vs. #2 Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State)
133: Rylee Molitor vs. #1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
141: Aric Williams vs. #5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)
165: Logan Peterson vs. #7 Jeremy Thomas (Oklahoma)
174: Samuel Grove vs. #5 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming)
197: Martin Mueller vs. #4 Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley)
285: Blake Wolters vs. #7 Brandon Ngati (West Virginia)

BIG 12 HISTORY: South Dakota State will compete at the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship for the fourth time since joining the league as an affiliate member at the start of the 2015-16 season.

The Jackrabbits placed in the top four of the team standings each of their first three appearances, including back-to-back third-place efforts in 2017 and 2018, and have had at least one individual finalist every year.

BIG 12 2018: Seth Gross repeated as 133-pound champion and Nate Rotert added an individual title at 197 pounds to lead the South Dakota State University wrestling team to a third-place finish at the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship contested March 3-4 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

With four individual champions, Oklahoma State claimed the team title with 137 points. Northern Iowa edged the Jackrabbits for second place with 96.5 points compared to SDSU's 94 points.

A junior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, the top-ranked Gross never trailed in posting an 8-5 decision over Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State in a rematch of the previous year's title bout.

A senior from Spearfish, Rotert locked horns against fourth-seeded Jake Smith of West Virginia in their 197-pound championship match. The two wrestlers traded escapes in regulation time, with Smith scoring in the second period and Rotert getting the equalizer in the third period to send the match into overtime tied at 1.

Neither wrestler scored in the first sudden-victory period or ensuing 30-second tiebreakers. A second sudden-victory period was also scoreless before each wrestler managed an escape in the second set of tiebreakers, but because Rotert had an advantage of one second of riding time on the clock with overtime exhausted, he was awarded the final point of the bout for a 3-2 victory.

Also wrestling in a title match for SDSU was Wagner native David Kocer in the 174-pound weight class. Kocer opened the scoring late in the first period with a takedown against top-seeded Taylor Lujan of Northern Iowa, but Lujan quickly countered with a reversal en route to securing a 6-3 victory.

Also earning automatic berths to the NCAA Championships based on allocations out of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship for the Jackrabbits were 125-pounder Connor Brown (fifth place), 157-pounder Luke Zilverberg (third place) and Martin Mueller at 184 pounds (fourth place).

PANEL RANKINGS: South Dakota State's Henry Pohlmeyer remained in the NCAA Coaches' Panel rankings heading into the Big 12 Wrestling Championship.

A junior from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer is ranked 19th in the 149-pound weight class. He has compiled a 19-11 overall record this season and also ranks 25th in ratings percentage index (RPI). Pohlmeyer was an NCAA qualifier at 141 pounds as a sophomore.

Fellow junior Zach Carlson dropped out of the coaches' 184-pound rankings despite a 20-7 overall record that puts him 26th in RPI.

The panel rankings will be used to help determine the 44 at-large qualifiers that will fill out the 330-wrestler field for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 21-23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At-large selections will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be revealed March 13.

GROSS SIDELINED: Defending national champion Seth Gross announced in January that he would miss the remainder of the season due to surgery for a back injury. He intends to seek a medical redshirt?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 DUAL 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 24-10 record in duals against Big 12 foes. SDSU posted an 8-0 mark in Big 12 duals during the 2017-18 season, but fell to a 2-7 league record this season.

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 returned 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 final regular season poll on Feb. 26 to continue to hold the top spot.

Reigning Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma State is in second place for the sixth 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 Wyoming at No. 11, Northern Iowa at No. 14 and Iowa State in the 15th spot. Oklahoma and North Dakota State received votes.

Other Jackrabbit dual opponents currently ranked in the top 25 include No. 8 Minnesota and No. 16 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.

ACADEMIC HONORS: Nine South Dakota State University wrestlers were recognized Feb. 21 as members of the 2019 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Team.

Earning first-team recognition were senior Seth Gross (interdisciplinary studies major), junior Brett Bye (agricultural systems technology), sophomores Colten Carlson (dairy production), Spencer Huber (mechanical engineering) and Blake Wolters, (agricultural/biosystems engineering) and redshirt freshman Kelby Hawkins (business economics).

Second-team honors were presented to senior Logan Peterson (political science/history), junior Henry Pohlmeyer (political science) and redshirt freshman Rylee Molitor (entrepreneurial studies).

First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second-team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Peterson was honored on the 2019 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Team for the third time, while Carlson and Pohlmeyer were repeat selections.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

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. SDSU went on to finish the 2018-19 dual season with a 3-10 record, including a 2-7 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents.

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 27 student-athletes from nine different states. Of the 28 wrestlers, 10 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 eight are true freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: Pairings for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be announced March 13. The three-day event will be contested March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Connor Brown

Brett Bye

Colten Carlson

Zach Carlson

Gregory Coapstick

Seth Gross

Samuel Grove

Kelby Hawkins

Spencer Huber

David Kocer

Rylee Molitor

Martin Mueller

Logan Peterson

Henry Pohlmeyer

Nate Rotert

Aric Williams

Blake Wolters

Luke Zilverberg

Completed Event: Wrestling at NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 20, 2025 , , 23rd Place - 19.0 Points (1 All-American)

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Big 12 Championships on March 8, 2025 , , 3rd of 14 Teams - 110.0 Points (1 Finalist)

Completed Event: Wrestling at North Dakota State on February 23, 2025 , Win , 23, to, 10

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Iowa State on February 14, 2025 , Loss , 15, to, 20

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Northern Colorado on February 7, 2025 , Win , 30, to, 10

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Wyoming on February 1, 2025 , Win , 31, to, 3

South Dakota State University Athletics