Jacks close homestand with Oklahoma

Sunday, January 26

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oklahoma

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

1/22/2020 3:02:00 PM | Wrestling

Dual 11: Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) at South Dakota State (6-4, 3-1 Big 12)

When	Sunday, Jan. 26 \| 2 p.m. (Military Appreciation Day)	ORDER TICKETS
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription)
Radio	None
Live Stats	TrackWrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State Notes \| SDSU Statistics \| Oklahoma Notes
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team closes out a three-dual homestand against Big 12 Conference opponents Sunday afternoon with a matchup against Oklahoma.

Action in the Military Appreciation Day dual begins at 2 p.m. at Frost Arena, with online video coverage available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required). Past and present military personnel can claim two free tickets to Sunday's dual by presenting proper identification at the Frost Arena entrances starting at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Jackrabbits enter the dual with a 6-4 overall record, including a 3-1 mark versus Big 12 opponents. SDSU had its five-match winning streak snapped in a 22-17 home loss to Iowa State on Jan. 17.

South Dakota State stands just outside the top 25 in the NWCA Division I Coaches' Poll as the top team receiving votes. The Jackrabbits also hold rankings of 22nd in the dual rankings conducted by WIN Magazine and 24th by Intermat.

Oklahoma enters the week with a 3-2 overall record, including a 1-1 mark against Big 12 opponents heading into a dual Friday at North Dakota State. The Sooners, who feature six wrestlers in the latest individual rankings released by FloWrestling, posted a 22-18 home victory over West Virginia on Jan. 19.

SERIES VERSUS OKLAHOMA: Sunday's dual will mark the sixth time South Dakota State and Oklahoma have met on the wrestling mat. The Sooners lead the all-time series, which dates back to a 31-2 victory during the 1969-70 season, by a 3-2 count.

The series resumed in the 2015-16 season, when the Jackrabbits joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member. Oklahoma won the first dual between the two programs as league foes, 19-13, before SDSU countered with 20-19 and 22-13 victories during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively.

In last season's matchup, Feb. 22, 2019, at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma, the Sooners reeled off seven consecutive victories to pull away for a 30-6 victory.

Blake Wolters got the Jackrabbits started off on the right foot by recording a 5-2 decision over Jake Boyd in the heavyweight bout.

Christian Moody began the OU streak by recording the first of three straight bonus-point wins for the Sooners with a second-period pin of Gregory Coapstick at 125 pounds. Anthony Madrigal followed with a major decision at 133 pounds and 13th-ranked Dom Demas added a win by technical fall in the 141-pound matchup to push the Sooners' lead to 15-3.

Oklahoma kept the momentum firmly in its favor as Davion Jeffries outdueled the Jackrabbits' Henry Pohlmeyer, 7-5, in a 149-pound matchup between wrestlers ranked individually in various polls.

After three more wins by decision for OU, Zach Carlson ended the streak for SDSU with a 7-0 shutout decision over Kayne MacCallum in the 184-pound bout.

Oklahoma 30, South Dakota State 6 (Feb. 22, 2019)
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Jake Boyd (OU), 5-2
125: Christian Moody (OU) def. Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), by fall 3:26
133: Anthony Madrigal (OU) major dec. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), 11-0
141: #13 Dom Demas (OU) tech. fall Aric Williams (SDSU), 17-1 [3:22]
149: #17 Davion Jeffries (OU) dec. Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 7-5
157: Justin Thomas (OU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 11-5
165: Jeremy Thomas (OU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 6-2
174: Anthony Mantanona (OU) dec. Samuel Grove (SDSU), 5-2
184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. Kayne MacCallum (OU), 7-0
197: #19 Jake Woodley (OU) dec. Martin Mueller (SDSU), 11-5
Note: Rankings by FloWrestling

LAST TIME OUT: South Dakota State took 16th-ranked Iowa State down to the wire, but came up on the short end of a 22-17 decision in a Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Jan. 17 at Frost Arena.

In having their five-match winning streak snapped, the Jackrabbits dropped to 6-4 overall and 3-1 against Big 12 opponents. Iowa State improved to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in conference duals.

SDSU jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on the strength of consecutive major decisions by two of its ranked wrestlers. At 184 pounds, 16th-ranked Zach Carlson blanked No. 15 Marcus Coleman, 8-0. A senior from Murdock, Minnesota, Carlson scored a takedown in each period en route to improving to 16-4 on the season.

Tanner Sloan, ranked 20th at 197 pounds, followed with a 10-2 major decision over Joel Shapiro.

The Cyclones responded with four consecutive victories to take a 15-8 lead, staring with a 4-3 decision by 12th-ranked Gannon Gremmel over Blake Wolters in the heavyweight matchup.

As the dual rolled over to the lower weights, Iowa State gained the advantage for good as 10th-ranked Alex Mackall came away with a pin over Danny Vega. Vega, who began his collegiate career at Iowa State, was on the verge of taking the lead when Mackall countered a Vega takedown with a reversal and finished off a pin with six seconds remaining in the second period.

Two more Cyclone wrestlers, Todd Small (133 pounds) and Ian Parker (141) added decisions on the back half of the Iowa State winning streak.

Tenth-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer stemmed the tide for the Jackrabbits by notching a 1-0 decision over Ryan Leisure in the 149-pound bout. Pohlmeyer scored the lone point of the match on an escape early in the third period.

SDSU pulled to within 19-17 heading into the final match of the night as freshman Tanner Cook continued to rack up wins by fall. Cook trailed his 165-pound match against Chase Straw, 3-1, early in the third period before catching Straw in a takedown and putting his shoulders to the mat. It was Cook's 10th win by fall this season and fifth in dual competition.

The dual was decided at 174 pounds, where 11th-ranked Sam Colbray pulled away in the third period for a 6-1 decision over Jackrabbit freshman Cade King.

Also winning for Iowa State was third-ranked 157-pounder David Carr, who tallied a 16-4 major decision over Colten Carlson.

#16 Iowa State 22, South Dakota State 17
184: #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. #15 Marcus Coleman (ISU), 8-0
197: #20 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Joel Shapiro (ISU), 10-2
285: #12 Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 4-3
125: #10 Alex Mackall (ISU) def. Danny Vega (SDSU), by fall 4:54
133: #17 Todd Small (ISU) dec. Zach Price (SDSU), 11-5
141: #7 Ian Parker (ISU) dec. Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-2
149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Ryan Leisure (ISU), 1-0
157: #3 David Carr (ISU) major dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 16-5
165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Chase Straw (ISU), by fall 3:47
174: #11 Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Cade King (SDSU), 6-1
Note: Individual rankings by FloWrestling

POHLMEYER HONORED: South Dakota State 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer was named as Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 14 after helping lead the Jackrabbits to a pair of victories over conference opponents.

A senior from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer opened the week with a 9-1 major decision over seventh-ranked Max Thomsen in a Jan. 10 dual at Northern Iowa — a matchup in which the Jackrabbits came away with a 25-13 dual win over the 16th-ranked Panthers. He closed the weekend with a 6-2 decision over 19th-ranked Jaron Jensen of Wyoming on Jan. 12 as SDSU prevailed 17-16 in the dual.

Pohlmeyer enters the week with a 12-3 overall record and a 5-1 mark in dual competition. He leads active Jackrabbit wrestlers in career wins with 66.

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 27-11 record in duals against Big 12 opponents, with seven of those losses coming during the 2018-19 campaign. 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: Five 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 has been the big mover the past two weeks, climbing to ninth in the rankings conducted by both TrackWrestling, along with a 10th-place ranking by FloWrestling. He also is ranked 11th by Intermat and 13th by WIN Magazine.

Sloan, a redshirt freshman from Alburnett, Iowa, was ranked in the top 10 by three media outlets earlier in the season. He is currently holds rankings ranging from 16th (WIN Magazine) to 19th (FloWrestling).

At 184 pounds, Zach Carlson has moved into all four rankings, including holding the 10th spot in rankings by TrackWrestling and WIN Magazine. A senior from Murdock, Minnesota, Carlson also is ranked 15th by Intermat and 16th by FloWrestling after compiling a 16-4 overall record and sharing the team lead with Sloan with an 8-2 record in duals.

Also appearing in the rankings this week are 125-pounder Danny Vega and 165-pounder Tanner Cook. Vega, a junior who previously competed at Iowa State, is ranked 19th by Intermat, 20th by WIN Magazine and 25th by both FloWrestling and TrackWrestling. He has a 6-2 mark in duals since entering the lineup Dec. 20 versus Minnesota.

Cook, a freshman from Ilion, New York, has solidified the 165-pound spot with an 11-2 overall record, including a 5-1 mark in duals since being inserted into the Jackrabbit lineup at the South Beach Duals in late December. Cook, who has 10 wins by fall this season, is 26th in the TrackWrestling rankings for the second consecutive week.

Other Jackrabbits to be ranked this season, but currently outside the rankings, are 133-pounder Zach Price and 141-pounder Clay Carlson. Both are redshirt freshmen.

As a team, the Jackrabbits are ranked 22nd by WIN Magazine and 24th by Intermat in the organizations' dual rankings. SDSU also is just outside the top 25 of the NWCA Division I Coaches' Poll as the top team receiving votes.

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 Jackrabbit wrestling program.

"Damion represents everything we are looking for in being able to take our wrestling program to the next level," said South Dakota State University 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.

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 enters this week with a 9-14 career dual record at SDSU.

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 35 student-athletes from 12 different states. Of the 35 wrestlers, nine are from Minnesota and nine 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, seven are sophomores, seven are redshirt freshmen and 12 are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue Big 12 dual action by traveling to Oklahoma Sate on Jan. 31. Start time is set for 7 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with live video coverage available on the ESPN+ streaming platform.

-GoJacks.com-