JACKRABBIT WRESTLERS HEAD TO LAS VEGAS

Friday, December 3

Las Vegas, Nev.

11 a.m. each day

South Dakota State University

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

12/2/2021 5:34:00 PM | Wrestling

South Dakota State at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

When	Friday-Saturday, Dec. 3-4 \| 9 a.m. Pacific (11 a.m. Central) each day
Where	Las Vegas Convention Center \| Las Vegas, Nevada
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription)
Radio	None
Live Results	FloArena
Tournament Notes	South Dakota State \| Tournament Site
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State wrestling team will take on some of the top wrestlers in the country this weekend as a group of Jackrabbits will compete at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

More than 70 ranked wrestlers are entered in the two-day tournament, which runs Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (11 a.m. Central) each day. Live video coverage (subscription) and brackets will be available online through FloWrestling.org.

All seven of the Jackrabbits' ranked wrestlers are pre-seeds for the tournament, highlighted by returning All-American Clay Carlson in the top spot at 141 pounds. Cade DeVos holds a No. 5 pre-seed at 174 pounds, with heavyweight A.J. Nevills in the sixth spot. Both Tanner Cook (165 pounds) and Tanner Sloan (197) are pre-seeded seventh in their respective weight classes.

Rounding out the pre-seeds are Tanner Jordan (eighth at 125 pounds) and Zach Price (10th at 149 pounds).

South Dakota State last competed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in 2019, when Zach Carlson (184 pounds) and Sloan (197) each advanced to the second day of competition. Both wrestlers finished one victory short of reaching the placing matches as Carlson posted a 3-2 record and Sloan finished with a 2-2 mark.

Another contingent of Jackrabbit wrestlers will head to Crete, Nebraska, Saturday for the Conner/Openheim Doane Open. That competition begins at 9 a.m.

LAST WEEK: The Jackrabbits traveled to a pair of events over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

#12 Minnesota 27, South Dakota State 13
South Dakota State opened an early lead, but 12th-ranked Minnesota came storming back to claim a 27-13 victory in a college wrestling dual Nov. 28 at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis.

Both teams ended the day with 1-1 overall dual records. The win by the Golden Gophers was their 1,000th dual victory in program history.

The Jackrabbits got out of the gates quickly by winning a pair of matchups between nationally ranked wrestlers. With the dual starting at 165 pounds, 17th-ranked Tanner Cook of SDSU and No. 20 Andrew Sparks traded takedowns and near-falls in a high-scoring opening period that ended with Sparks leading 11-7. Cook regained control in the second period, recording a pin midway through the stanza.

All six of Cook's wins so far this season have been by fall.

Cade DeVos, ranked 17th at 174 pounds, pushed the SDSU lead to 9-0 with a 6-1 decision over No. 21 Jared Krattiger. After a scoreless first period, DeVos tallied takedowns in each of the final two periods and added points via escape and riding time to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Minnesota reeled off wins in each of the next five matches to build an insurmountable 20-9 lead. Isaiah Salazar started the string with a 10-1 major decision over Jacob Schoon at 184 pounds, followed by Michial Foy's 9-3 decision over the Jackrabbits' sixth-ranked Tanner Sloan in Sloan's season debut in the 197-pound matchup.

Each of the next three Golden Gopher victories were of the bonus-point variety: a technical fall by defending NCAA and Olympic champion Gable Steveson at heavyweight and major decisions from Patrick McKee (125) and Jake Gliva (133).

Returning All-American and seventh-ranked Clay Carlson ended the streak with a convincing 12-3 major decision for SDSU over 23rd-ranked Jake Bergeland in the 141-pound matchup.

Two more ranked wrestlers for Minnesota, Michael Blockhus (149) and Brayton Lee (157), closed the dual with victories to give the Golden Gophers wins in seven of the 10 bouts.

Harold Nichols Cyclone Open
In other action Nov. 28, four Jackrabbit wrestlers won individual titles in the Freshman-Sophomore Division of the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

Newcomers Derrick Cardinal (133 pounds), Alek Martin (149), Connor Gaynor (165) and Roman Rogotzke (184) were victorious in their respective weight classes, while 157-pounder Cael Swensen and 197-pounder Cody Donnelly also reached the finals.

Cardinal, a native of Forest Lake, Minnesota, outscored his three opponents by a 28-5 margin. After opening with a 4-2 decision over Sam Hrabovsky of Iowa State, Cardinal posted 16-3 and 8-0 major decisions over Sammy Lile (unattached) and Aidan Harris (Iowa Central).

Martin, from St. Paris, Ohio, also turned in a 3-0 record on the day, winning his 149-pound title in a round-robin competition. He recorded a pair of first-period falls and added a 16-7 major decision over Iowa Central's Darnai Heard.

A freshman from Mokena, Illinois, Gaynor went 2-0 in round-robin competition at 165 pounds, posting a 12-0 major decision against Cody Anderson (unattached) and notching a first-period fall against Kody Cook of Iowa Central.

Rogotzke, who was making his collegiate debut, won each of his first three matches by fall before outlasting Cody Fisher of Iowa State, 13-9, in the championship bout.

In reaching the 157-pound finals, Swensen began the day with a 7-4 decision over Wisconsin's Cale Anderson, followed by a 10-1 major decision over Andrew Huddleston of Iowa State. In the championship, Swensen dropped a 4-2 decision to R.J. Weston of Northern Iowa.

Donnelly advanced to the 197-pound championship bout after respective 3-0 and 16-0 victories over John Gunderson (Northern Iowa) and Trevion Sample (Iowa Central). A freshman from Philip, Donnelly dropped a 6-2 decision to UNI's Adam Ahrendsen in the finals.

Teammate Hunter McCall placed fourth at 197 pounds.

Adding third-place finishes for the Jackrabbits in the Freshman-Sophomore Division were 125-pounder Bailey Roybal and 184-pounder Sam Kruger.

In the Open Division, junior heavyweight Bowen McConville led SDSU with a third-place finish. Caleb Gross (133 pounds) and Jack Thomsen (157) each turned in fourth-place efforts.

RABBITS RANKED: For the second week in a row, seven Jackrabbit wrestlers are ranked by at least one majoring ranking service heading into weekend competition.

Undefeated this season at 6-0, returning 141-pound All-American Clay Carlson holds the highest ranking by a Jackrabbit after checking in this week at No 7 in the Intermat and The Open Mat rankings. The junior from Willmar, Minnesota, also is tabbed 10th by both FloWrestling and WIN Magazine.

After dropping a decision in his season debut last week at Minnesota, two-time NCAA qualifier Tanner Sloan slipped a bit in the 197-pound rankings. Sloan is ranked as high as No. 11 by The Open Mat, followed by 12th place from FloWrestling and 16th by Intermat.

Tanner Cook is next in the rankings for the Jackrabbits with a 15th-place selection from WIN Magazine and 18th by Intermat at 165 pounds. All six of Cook's victories so far this season have been by fall.

After a successful debut at 174 pounds by reaching the finals at the Bison Open, Cade DeVos is in the top 20 of four polls — 16th by Intermat, 17th by WIN Magazine and 18th by FloWrestling The Open Mat.

At heavyweight. A.J. Nevills checks in at No. 20 by The Open Mat and 22nd by Intermat. He is also an honorable mention selection by FloWrestling.

Zach Price remains in the rankings at 149 pounds with a 29th-place showing in the Intermat standings, along with honorable mention status from FloWrestling.

In his second week in the rankings is 125-pounder Tanner Jordan. A sophomore, Jordan is off to a 7-4 start to the season, including a win over nationally ranked Liam Cronin of Nebraska that propelled him into 23rd n the FloWrestling rankings.

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its seventh 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 32-18 record (.640 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.

SDSU's first duals against Big 12 opponents are set for Jan. 9, when the Jackrabbits host Wyoming and Northern Iowa in a triangular at Frost Arena.

NEW FACILITY ON THE HORIZON: Ground was broken in September for a new $4 million on-campus wrestling training facility.

The nearly 16,000-square-foot Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center is being 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."

The South Dakota Board of Regents approved plans for the project in December 2020. The facility is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022.

COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn is overseeing a successful rebuilding of South Dakota State University wrestling as he is in his fourth season at the helm of the Jackrabbits' program. Hahn holds a 21-23 career dual record.

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.

During a pandemic-altered 2020-21 season, Hahn led the Jackrabbits to a 5-6 dual record. Despite slipping to an eighth-place finish at the Big 12 Conference meet, the Jackrabbits qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, with Clay Carlson earning All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at 141 pounds.

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 2021-22 SDSU wrestling roster features 36 student-athletes from 13 different states. Of the 36 wrestlers, 10 are from Iowa, followed by seven from Minnesota and six native South Dakotans. Two Jackrabbit wrestlers hail from Ohio, Wisconsin and California, while seven states — Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington — each are represented by one wrestler.

By class, two are seniors, 10 are juniors, 11 are sophomores, one is a redshirt freshman and 12 are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to be off from competition until Dec. 18, when they travel to Nebraska for a dual against the Cornhuskers. Start time is set for 2 p.m. at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

-GoJacks.com-