JACKS HOST TWO WRESTLING EVENTS THIS WEEKEND - South Dakota State University Athletics

Friday, November 18

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Augustana

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Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

11/17/2022 1:05:00 PM | Wrestling

DUAL 1: Augustana (0-0) at South Dakota State (0-0)

When	Friday, Nov. 18 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota \| ORDER TICKETS
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Live Results	Trackwrestling.com
Match Notes	See Below
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

South Dakota State hosts Daktronics Open

When	Sunday, Nov. 20 \| 9 a.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota \| ORDER TICKETS
TV	Jackrabbits All-Access (subscription/one-day pass required)
Live Results	FloWrestling.org
Match Notes	See Below
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State wrestling team opens the home portion of its schedule by hosting a pair of events this weekend at Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits kick off dual action Friday night by hosting Augustana. Start time is set for 7 p.m. SDSU posted a 13-4 dual record during the 2021-22 campaign, including opening the season with a 34-10 home victory over Augustana.

Sunday, the Jackrabbits return to tournament competition as Frost Arena will be the site of the multi-team Daktronics Open. About 150 wrestlers from regional schools, including Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa are slated to wrestle in the day-long event, which begins at 9 a.m.

THE LINEUP: Following are the probable starters for the Jackrabbits in their season-opening dual against Augustana.
125:     Tanner Jordan, Jr., St. Paris, Ohio (2-2 record)
or         Bailey Roybal, R-Fr., Waverly, Iowa (2-2 record)
133:     Caleb Thoennes, Fr., St. Cloud, Minn. (0-0 record)
141:     #5 Clay Carlson, Sr., Willmar, Minn. (0-0 record)
or         Caleb Gross, Jr., Pound, Wis. (2-2 record)
149:     Caleb Gross or Clay Carlson
157:     Cael Swensen, R-Fr., Plymouth, Minn. (0-0 record)
or         Ryan Dolezal, Fr., Marshfield, Wis. (1-2 record)
165:     #23 Tanner Cook, Jr., Ilion, N.Y. (0-0 record)
174:     #12 Cade DeVos, Jr., Altoona, Iowa (0-0 record)
184:     Roman Rogotzke, R-Fr., Stillwater, Minn. (3-2 record)
or         #26 Cade King, Sr., Waseca, Minn. (0-0 record)
197:     #11 Tanner Sloan, Sr., Alburnett, Iowa (0-0 record)
or         Nick Casperson, Sr., Beresford, S.D. (0-1 record)
HWT:   #14 A.J. Nevills, Sr., Clovis, Calif. (0-0 record)
Note: Number is the highest individual ranking between FloWrestling and Intermat

A full contingent of Jackrabbit wrestlers is expected to compete in Sunday's Daktronics Open.

THE SERIES: Friday's dual against Augustana will mark the 57th all-time meeting between South Dakota State and the Vikings dating back to the 1965-66 season. The Jackrabbits lead the all-time series, 40-16, and have won the last six matchups.

The Vikings' last victory in the series was a 30-7 triumph in Brookings during the 2003-04 season, in what was SDSU's final campaign as an NCAA Division II program.

In last season's dual, Nov. 19, 2021, at Frost Arena, South Dakota State wrestlers recorded four pins, propelling the Jackrabbits to a 34-10 victory.

Three of SDSU's pins came in a four-match stretch, starting with a second-period pin by returning All-American Clay Carlson in his 141-pound matchup against Kage Lenger.

Zach Price, ranked 24^th at 149 pounds, followed with a second-period pin of Keaten Schorr, while 20^th-ranked Tanner Cook marked his return to the lineup by needing only 22 seconds to put Miles Fitzgerald's shoulders to the mat in the 165-pound bout.

Newcomer A.J. Nevills, ranked 24^th at heavyweight, closed the dual with a win by fall over Steven Hajas.

Nick Casperson also recorded a bonus-point win for the Jackrabbits, notching a 12-3 major decision over Daniel Bishop in the 197-pound matchup.

In all, SDSU claimed seven of the 10 matches, with Tanner Jordan and Kenny O'Neil winning by decision at 125 and 157 pounds, respectively.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 34, AUGUSTANA 10 • Nov. 19, 2021
125: Tanner Jordan (SDSU) dec. Jaxson Rohman (AU), 6-4
133: Jack Huffman (AU) dec. Trayton Anderson (SDSU), 10-4
141: #11 Clay Carlson (SDSU) def. Kage Lenger (AU), by fall 3:44
149: #24 Zach Price (SDSU) def. Keaten Schorr (AU), by fall 5:40
157: Kenny O'Neil (SDSU) dec. Tyler Wagener (AU), 7-0
165: #20 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Miles Fitzgerald (AU), by fall 0:22
174: Cade Mueller (AU) dec. Marshall Hauck (SDSU), 5-0
184: Kolby Kost (AU) major dec. Tate Battani (SDSU), 15-7
197: Nick Casperson (SDSU) major dec. Daniel Bishop (AU), 12-3
285: #24 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) def. Steven Hajas (AU), by fall 6:17
Extra Matches
149: Daniel Kimball (SDSU) def. Noah North (AU), by fall 6:55
165: Dylan Schuck (AU) def. Dalton Lakmann (SDSU), by fall 3:50

2021 DAKTRONICS OPEN REVIEW: Nick Casperson advanced to the finals of the 197-pound weight class to lead a contingent of South Dakota State wrestlers at the 2021 Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open at Frost Arena.

A junior from Beresford, Casperson posted a 2-1 record on the day. He opened with a 12-7 decision over Northern Iowa's Noah Glaser, followed by an 11-8 victory against Bennett Tabor of Minnesota.

In the championship bout, Nebraska's Silas Allred came away with a first-period pin of Casperson.

Three other Jackrabbits ended the day with fourth-place finishes, starting with Tanner Jordan at 125 pounds. Jordan began the day by dropping an 8-4 decision to Corey Cabanban of Iowa State, then reeled off three consecutive victories, including a 5-2 decision over 17^th-ranked Liam Cronin of Nebraska.

Jordan dropped his third-place match by fall to seventh-ranked Brody Teske of Northern Iowa.

Zach Price, ranked 24^th at 149 pounds, placed fourth in his weight class with a 3-2 record on the day. He fell, 12-4, in the third-place matchup against Paniro Johnson, who was competing unattached.

Heavyweight Bowen McConville went 2-2 en route to his fourth-place finish, picking up wins by decision over Ethan Andersen of Iowa State and Cole Gripka of North Dakota State before being pinned by Northern Iowa's Tyrell Gordon.

Jackrabbit freshmen Derrick Cardinal (133 pounds), Alek Martin (149 pounds) and Sam Kruger (184 pounds) all won their fifth-place matches.

LAST WEEK: Bowen McConville reached the finals of the heavyweight division and 12 other South Dakota State wrestlers earned top-six placings Saturday at the season-opening Bison Open.

A senior from Renton, Washington, McConville went 2-1 on the day, starting with a 22-4 technical fall over Owen McGillivray from the University of Saskatchewan.

Both of McConville's last two matches went to overtime. He recorded a 3-1 sudden victory over Keaton Kluever of Minnesota in the semifinals, but dropped a 3-2 decision to North Dakota State's Juan Mora in the first overtime tiebreaker.

Three other Jackrabbit wrestlers placed in the top six of the heavyweight class, including freshman Luke Rasmussen, who posted a third-place finish. After being pinned by Kluever in his collegiate debut, the Brookings native reeled off three consecutive victories. He pinned McGillivray in his first match of the wrestlebacks and edged teammate Spencer Trenary, 3-1, in the consolation semifinals.

That set up a rematch with Kluever, and this time Rasmussen came out victorious by fall, putting Kluever's shoulders to the mat in 6 minutes and 37 seconds.

Trenary placed fifth at heavyweight, with Jackrabbit freshman Kail Wynia taking sixth.

Also recording a third-place finish for SDSU was 165-pounder Jack Thomsen. A junior, Thomsen also turned in a 3-1 record on the day. He began the day with a first-period pin of Maxwell Meekins of Saskatchewan. After dropping a 9-4 decision to Minnesota's Andrew Sparks, Thomsen notched a 16-4 major decision over North Dakota State's Alex Kowalchyk and a 10-4 decision against Minnesota's Cael Carlson in the third-place match.

Placing fourth for the Jackrabbits were Tanner Jordan (125 pounds) and Caleb Gross (141), who each posted 2-2 records, as well as 184-pounder Roman Rogotzke with a 3-2 record.

Other fifth-place finishers were Bailey Roybal (125 pounds), Ryan Dolezal (157), Kalen Meyer (174) and Caleb Orris (184). Another freshman, Brock Fettig, took sixth in the 174-pound division.

RABBITS RANKED: The South Dakota State wrestling team began the season ranked in the top 25 after being included in a pair of national polls.

The Jackrabbits checked in at No. 22 in the preseason poll conducted by Intermat and were ranked 25^th in the initial National Wrestling Coaches Association survey. SDSU was one of five Big 12 Conference programs ranked in the NWCA top 25, joining No. 4 Missouri, No. 10 Oklahoma State, No. 14 Iowa State and No. 20 Northern Iowa.

In this week's rankings, the Jackrabbits remain 23^rd in the Intermat dual poll and are ranked 24^th by FloWrestling, but have dropped out of the NWCA top 25 into the slot of the top team receiving votes in the weekly poll.

SDSU also has seven wrestlers ranked individually, with Clay Carlson leading the way with a No. 5 ranking from both Intermat and FloWrestling in the 141-pound weight class. Fellow returning NCAA qualifiers Tanner Sloan (197) and Cade DeVos (174 pounds) are ranked 11^th and 13th, respectively, by Intermat with heavyweight A.J. Nevills ranked 14^thby both Intermat and FloWrestling. Other ranked wrestlers include Tanner Cook (23rd at 165 pounds), Cade King (26^th at 184 pounds) and Gabriel Tagg (30^th at 133 pounds).

SILVER MEDALISTS: Two members of the Jackrabbit wrestling team recently earned individual silver medals in international competition.

In August, incoming freshman Bennett Berge earned a silver medal in the 86-kilogram weight class at the 2022 U20 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

A native of Mantorville, Minnesota, and a member of the Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Berge posted a 4-1 record over two days of competition. He won his first three matches all by technical fall before recording a come-from-behind, 9-7 victory over Ismail Kucuksolak of Turkey in the semifinals.

In Wednesday's championship bout against Rakhim Magamadov of France, Berge lost a 10-5 decision.

Besides his runner-up finish in his weight class, Berge brought home another silver medal as Team USA placed second in the team standings behind Iran. Berge was one of four Americans to medal in the freestyle division.

At the prep level, Berge totaled 241 career victories, posting a 124-1 record over his final three seasons at Kasson-Mantorvile High School. He won five consecutive individual state titles at five different weight classes (138, 160, 170, 182, 195), capping his senior season with a 52-0 record.

Last month in Pontevedra, Spain, Tanner Sloan reached the finals of the 97-kilogram division at the U23 World Championships.

Sloan, a three-time NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds from Alburnett, Iowa, posted a 3-1 record in a two-day span. After winning his first three bouts, Sloan dropped a 5-3 decision to Amirali Azarpira of Iran in the gold medal match on Oct. 22.

Sloan previously competed at the 2019 UWW Junior World Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, after opening international competition by winning the gold medal at the UWW Pan American Championship in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn is overseeing a successful rebuilding of South Dakota State University wrestling as he enters his fifth season at the helm of the Jackrabbits' program. Hahn has compiled a 33-26 career dual record and has coached four All-Americans and 14 NCAA qualifiers during his tenure in Brookings.

During the 2019-20 season, the National Wrestling Coaches Association selected 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer, 184-pounder Zach Carlson and 197-pounder Tanner Sloan as second-team All-Americans after the NCAA Championships were canceled at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also during the 2019-20 campaign, the Jackrabbits turned in their first winning dual season under Hahn by posting a 12-6 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in the Big 12. Included in the dual wins were victories over nationally ranked Northern Iowa and Stanford.

SDSU also improved by six spots in the Big 12 Conference tournament, finishing fourth in the team standings at the 2020 competition.

Highlighting the 2020-21 season, Clay Carlson wrestled his way to an eighth-place finish at nationals in the 141-pound division. Carlson also was honored as the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an award he would receive again the following year.

In all, five SDSU wrestlers earned a trip to the NCAA Championships in March 2021.

The Jackrabbits returned to the winning side of the ledger during the 2021-22 campaign and also cracked the national rankings as a team for the first time since early in Hahn's first season. SDSU compiled a 13-4 dual record that included a 21-12 victory at ninth-ranked Missouri, marking the program's first dual win over a top-10 opponent.

In postseason competition, SDSU placed sixth at the 2022 Big 12 Wrestling Championship and set four wrestlers on to the NCAA Championships in Detroit.

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.).

Hahn's teams also have performed well in the classroom, earning Top 30 Scholar Team All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association each of the past two seasons. The 2021-22 squad ranked seventh among Division I programs with a 3.465 grade-point average and six Jackrabbits were recognized individually as NWCA Scholar All-America honorees.

"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 champs.

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 2022-23 South Dakota State wrestling roster is made up of 35 student-athletes from 11 different states from coast to coast. South Dakota and Minnesota have the most wrestlers with eight, while seven hail from Iowa. Three Jackrabbit wrestlers are from Ohio, with a pair from North Dakota and Wisconsin. Five states have produced one wrestler each: California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

By class, six are seniors, 11 are juniors and nine are redshirt freshmen. Eight wrestlers are incoming freshman, with one being a graduate student. There are no sophomores on this season's squad.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits return from the Thanksgiving holiday to host nationally ranked Minnesota in dual action on Sunday, Nov. 27. Start time is set for 1 p.m. at Frost Arena.

-GoJacks.com-