SDSU TO FACE UNC, AIR FORCE

Sunday, January 17

USAF Academy, Colo.

noon MT/1 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Air Force

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

1/14/2021 4:17:00 PM | Wrestling

Duals 5 & 6: South Dakota State (1-3 overall, 0-2 Big 12) at Air Force Triangular

When	Sunday, Jan. 17 1:30 p.m. MT vs. No. 23 Northern Colorado \| 3 p.m. MT at Air Force
Where	East Gym \| U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
TV	Trackwrestling.com (free video)
Radio	None
Live Stats	Trackwrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State Notes \| Northern Colorado Home Page \| Air Force Home Page
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State University wrestling team continues a stretch of duals against Big 12 Conference opponents, squaring off against a pair of league foes Sunday afternoon in a multi-team dual competition hosted by Air Force.

The Jackrabbits, 1-3 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 duals, are scheduled to wrestle 23rd-ranked Northern Colorado at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time (2:30 p.m. Central), followed by a matchup against host Air Force. Coverage from Air Force's East Gym begins at noon Mountain Time (1 p.m. Central) on Trackwrestling.com.

UNC, which has cracked the Division I team rankings for the first time since the 1968-69 season, is off to a 3-0 start. The Bears also are 2-0 against Big 12 opponents, defeating Wyoming, 24-19, on Jan. 3, followed by a 19-16 victory at Utah Valley on Jan. 8.

Air Force will be making its season debut on Sunday. The Falcons posted a 4-8 overall record in duals during the 2019-20 season, including a 1-7 mark in the Big 12.

SDSU is coming off a weekend in which it dropped home duals to Big 12 rivals Northern Iowa and North Dakota State.

The order of duals is as follows:

No. 23 Northern Colorado at Air Force, noon MT
South Dakota State vs. No. 23 Northern Colorado, 1:30 p.m. MT
South Dakota State at Air Force, 3 p.m. MT

Note: Extra matches, including wrestlers from Wyoming, will be conducted during dual competition

THE SERIES: Although members of the same conference, the Jackrabbits have not wrestled either of this weekend's opponents in recent history. SDSU last wrestled Air Force in a dual during the 2017-18 season, while the last matchup with Northern Colorado occurred four years ago.

Series vs. Northern Colorado
South Dakota State and Northern Colorado have been members of the same wrestling conference for the better part of 40 years, dating back to when both programs competed at the NCAA Division II level as members of the North Central Conference, followed by membership in the Western Wrestling Conference and Big 12 Conference at the Division I level.

In 36 dual meetings since the time the two programs first met during the 1972-73 season, SDSU holds a 24-12 series advantage. The series has been filled with streaks; SDSU won the first 10 meetings and seven in a row from 1997-2003, before UNC?ushered in the current Division I era with eight consecutive victories from 2005-12.

The Jackrabbits have regained the upper hand in the series by winning the last five meetings, including a 34-6 victory on Jan. 8, 2017, at Frost Arena. Seth Gross (133 pounds) and David Kocer (174) recorded pins for SDSU.

#20 South Dakota State 34, Northern Colorado 6 (Jan. 8, 2017 • at Frost Arena)
125: Ben Gillette (SDSU) dec. Trey Andrews (UNC), 3-1 [SV-1]
133: #6 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Rico Montoya (UNC) by fall 3:28
141: #18 Timmy Box (UNC) dec. Isaac Andrade (SDSU), 9-6
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) def. Ben Polkowske (UNC) by fall 4:27
157: Logan Peterson (SDSU) dec. Tyler Kinn (UNC), 11-5
165: Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. Keilan Torres (UNC), 5-3 [SV-1]
174: David Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Tanner Davis (UNC), 16-1 [4:38]
184: Dylan Gabel (UNC) dec. Martin Mueller (SDSU), 7-4
197: #8 Nate Rotert (SDSU) tech. fall Jamarcus Grant (UNC), 19-4 [5:43]
285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Jack Kuck (UNC), 3-1 [SV-1]

Series vs. Air Force
South Dakota State and Air Force first wrestled during the 1992-93 season, and the Falcons have gone on to lead the all-time series by a 9-6 count. Air Force won the first two meetings and nine of the first 10 before the Jackrabbits started their current five-match series winning streak with an 18-14 home victory during the 2013-14 campaign.

In their last meeting, Jan. 14, 2018, the Jackrabbits raced out to a 15-0 lead through three matches, highlighted by back-to-back pins by Seth Gross (133) and Henry Pohlmeyer (141). Luke Zilverberg (157) and David Kocer (174) added wins by major decision to propel SDSU to a 32-6 victory.

Sunday's dual will mark the third time in a row the two teams have wrestled on the Falcons' home mat. The two teams are slated to meet again Feb. 13 in Brookings.

#15 South Dakota State 32, Air Force 6 (Feb. 21, 2020 • at Frost Arena)
125: Connor Brown (SDSU) dec. Anthony DeCesare (AF), 13-9
133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Isaac Jimenez (AF), by fall 1:06
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) def. Garrett O'Shea (AF), by fall 6:14
149: Dane Robbins (AF) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 8-2
157: #10 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. #20 Alex Mossing (AF), 10-1
165: Alexandre Lopouchanski (AF) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 7-6
174: #9 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Michael Billingsley (AF), 12-0
184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) dec. Zen Ikehara (AF), 3-2
197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Anthony McLaughlin (AF), 2-1
285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Matt Wagner (AF), 8-5

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its sixth 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 30-15 record (.667 winning percentage) 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. SDSU posted another fourth-place finish in 2020, improving six spots in the team standings from the previous season.

RABBITS RANKED: Six Jackrabbit wrestlers appear in individual national rankings heading into this weekend's competition.

Sophomore 197-pounder Tanner Sloan leads the SDSU contingent with eighth-place showings in the Intermat and WIN Magazine rankings. Sloan also holds rankings of ninth by Trackwrestling and 10th from FloWrestling.

The Alburnett, Iowa, native is coming off a 2019-20 season in which he posted a 21-6 overall record and was an NCAA qualifier. Sloan capped his first season with an All-America selection by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Fellow NCAA qualifier Tanner Cook also is ranked in the same four polls at 165 pounds, topping out at No. 15 in the WIN?Magazine and Trackwrestling rankings. Cook, who has yet to wrestle this season, opening weekend, is also ranked 18th by Trackwrestling and 21st by FloWrestling. He burst onto the scene last season, compiling a 21-4 overall record with 14 pins.

The big mover in the polls so far this season is Zach Price, who vaulted 10-plus spots in the Trackwrestling and FloWrestling polls after downing a pair of higher-ranked opponents. After suffering his first loss of the season last weekend, Price currently holds a 13th-place ranking in both the WIN Magazine and Flowrestling polls, followed by standings of 14th in the Trackwrestling rankings and 16th with Intermat.

Three other Jackrabbits, primarily in the lower weights, hold rankings in at least one poll. Sophomore Clay Carlson stands 20th in Trackwrestling's 141-pound rankings and 22nd in the FloWrestling rankings, while redshirt freshman Cade DeVos held steady with rankings of 18th by FloWrestling and 20th from Trackwrestling.

Rounding out the Jackrabbit contingent of ranked wrestlers is senior 149-pounder Hunter Marko, who stayed in the Trackwrestling rankings with a 33rd-place showing.

Senior 125-pounder Danny Vega, an NCAA alternate a year ago, dropped out of the individual rankings this week.

LAST WEEK: Clay Carlson and Tanner Sloan were each two-time winners, but the South Dakota State wrestling team opened its home slate Jan. 10 with a pair of dual losses to Big 12 Conference rivals during action at the SDSU Tri-Dual.

The Jackrabbits, who fell to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12, dropped a 28-13 decision to 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa in the opening dual of the day and closed out action with a closely contested 21-13 defeat at the hands of North Dakota State. UNI also earned a 27-11 over NDSU to round out the triangular.

Northern Iowa 28, South Dakota State 13
UNI recorded three pins in the first six matches to propel the Panthers to a 28-13 victory in the first dual of the afternoon at Frost Arena.

After Brody Teske began the competition with a 13-11 victory over the Jackrabbits' Danny Vega at 125 pounds, Kyle Biscoglia gave the Panthers a 9-0 lead with a pin in pulling off the upset over 13th-ranked Zach Price.

The Jackrabbits stemmed the tide momentarily with an 8-2 decision by Carlson in his 141-pound matchup against Drew Bennett, but UNI regained the momentum with pins by Triston Lara (149 pounds) and Pat Schoenfelder (165). All three Panther pins came in the third period.

SDSU closed the dual with decisive victories by Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds and heavyweight Blake Wolters. The 10th-ranked Sloan scored a 14-1 major decision over Tyrell Gordon, while Wolters notched a 13-6 victory.

Also winning for the Jackrabbits was redshirt freshman Cade DeVos, who rallied for a 10-8 decision over Cayd Lara in the 157-pound matchup.

Dual Results
125: Brody Teske (UNI) dec. Danny Vega (SDSU), 13-11
133: Kyle Biscoglia UNI) def. #13 Zach Price (SDSU), by fall 6:22
141: #22 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Drew Bennett (UNI), 8-2
149: Triston Lara (UNI) def. Hunter Marko (SDSU), by fall 5:42
157: #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. Cayd Lara (UNI), 10-8
165: Pat Schoenfelder (UNI) def. Kenny O'Neil (SDSU), by fall 5:41
174: Lance Runyon (UNI) dec. Cade King (SDSU), 4-0
184: Keegan Moore (UNI) major dec. Nick Casperson (SDSU), 18-7
197: #10 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Tyrell Gordon (UNI), 14-1
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. John McConkey (UNI), 13-6

North Dakota State 21, South Dakota State 13
NDSU won seven matches – all by decision – to down South Dakota State in the SDSU Tri-Dual finale.

The Jackrabbits led 7-3 through three matches behind a major decision by Price and Carlson's second victory of the day. Price tallied a 13-5 victory over Kellyn March, while Carlson followed with an 8-6 decision against Dylan Droegemueller.

North Dakota State countered by winning the next five bouts that included a 4-2 overtime decision in the 157-pound matchup by Jared Franek over Cade DeVos in a battle between wrestlers ranked 15th and 18th respectively.

Sloan kept the Jackrabbits' hopes alive with a third-period pin of Michael Nelson at 197 pounds that pulled SDSU to within 18-13 heading into the final match. In that final bout, 15th-ranked Brandon Metz of NDSU outlasted the Jackrabbits' Blake Wolters, 5-4, in a match that went to a pair of tiebreakers.

NDSU's seven victories were by a total of 11 points, with none of those matches decided by more than two points.

Dual Results
125: McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) dec. Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 3-1
133: #13 Zach Price (SDSU) major dec. Kellyn March (NDSU), 13-5
141: #22 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU), 8-6
149: Jared Van Maanen (NDSU) dec. Hunter Marko (SDSU), 4-2
157: #15 Jared Franek (NDSU) dec. #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 4-2 [SV-1]
165: Austin Brenner (NDSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 6-5
174: Luke Weber (NDSU) dec. Cade King (SDSU), 6-4
184: T.J. Pottinger (NDSU) dec. Nick Casperson (SDSU), 6-5
197: #10 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Michael Nelson (NDSU), by fall 6:28
285: #15 Brandon Metz (NDSU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 5-4 [TB-2]

NEW FACILITY ON THE HORIZON: The South Dakota Board of Regents approved plans in December for South Dakota State University to move forward with a $4 million on-campus wrestling training facility.

The nearly 16,000-square-foot Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center would be constructed on the southwest corner of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. Former SDSU wrestler and coach Frank Kurtenbach provided the lead gift for the facility, which will feature four competition mats, plus a strength and conditioning area, locker rooms, team room, coaches' offices and spaces for academics and nutrition.

"The approval from the Board of Regents to break ground on a state-of-the-art wrestling facility will forever change the landscape of SDSU Wrestling," SDSU head coach Damion Hahn said. "I can't thank our Jackrabbit family enough for the contributions that have been made toward this endeavor. I would like to make a special thank you to the Kurtenbach family for their vision and support of the project."

Pending final approval by the South Dakota Legislature, construction of the two-story structure is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2021.

COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn is overseeing a successful rebuilding of South Dakota State University wrestling as he is in his third season at the helm of the Jackrabbits' program. Hahn holds a 16-19 career dual record heading into the weekend.

During the 2019-20 season, the Jackrabbits returned to the winning side of the ledger in dual competition by posting a 12-6 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in the Big 12. Included in the dual victories were wins over nationally ranked Northern Iowa and Stanford.

SDSU also improved by six spots in the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship, finishing fourth in the team standings at the 2020 competition. Four Jackrabbit wrestlers earned automatic qualifying berths in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with another receiving a bid as an alternate. The NCAA Championships were later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the National Wrestling Coaches Association selected 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer, 184-pounder Zach Carlson and 197-pounder Tanner Sloan as second-team All-Americans.

In his first season at SDSU, Hahn faced a rebuilding task as the Jackrabbits featured new starters in six spots in the lineup. SDSU finished with a 3-10 dual mark, including a 2-7 record against Big 12 foes. Pohlmeyer was the lone NCAA qualifier.
Hahn was hired at SDSU on April 9, 2018, following more than a decade of success as a member of the coaching staff at Cornell (N.Y.).

"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.

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 2020-21 SDSU wrestling roster features 30 student-athletes from 12 different states. Of the 30 wrestlers, eight are from Iowa, followed by seven from Minnesota and five native South Dakotans. Two Jackrabbit wrestlers hail from Wisconsin, while eight states — Arizona, California, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Washington — each are represented by one wrestler.

By class, four are seniors, three are juniors, 10 are sophomores, eight are redshirt freshmen and five are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to have a week off from competition before returning to action Jan. 31 at a quadrangular hosted by Little Rock. SDSU is slated to take on Little Rock, Stanford and Big 12 opponent Oklahoma in the day-long event. Times and order of pairings have yet to be announced.

-GoJacks.com-