JACKS HOST MINNESOTA IN SUNDAY MATINEE

Sunday, November 27

Brookings, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Minnesota

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Miranda Sampson

11/25/2022 2:25:00 PM | Wrestling

DUAL 2: #13 Minnesota (1-0) at #25 South Dakota State (1-0)

When	Sunday, Nov. 27 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota \| ORDER TICKETS
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Live Results	Trackwrestling.com
Match Notes	SDSU \| Minnesota
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State wrestling team returns to action Sunday, hosting Minnesota in a dual matchup between top-25 teams.

Action is set for a 1 p.m. start at Frost Arena. The dual will be available for viewing through FloWrestling.org (subscription required). Sunday's match has been designated as the annual Takedowns and Teddy Bear Toss event, with proceeds from that event, as well as monetary donations collected at the door, supporting Brookings-based Project Joy for the holiday season.

The 25th-ranked Jackrabbits enter Sunday's dual with a 1-0 record after opening the dual season with a 40-4 home victory over Augustana on Nov. 18.

Minnesota, ranked 13th in the latest NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, also holds a 1-0 dual record after posting a 19-15 home win against Binghamton on Nov. 20.

THE SERIES: Minnesota has held the upper hand over the Jackrabbits in dual action, leading the all-time series, which dates back to the 1949-50 season, by a 27-4 count.

SDSU's last victory over the Golden Gophers was a 23-18 triumph during the 1974-75 campaign. Minnesota has won the last 10 meetings overall.

In last season's meeting, Nov. 28, 2021, at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, the Jackrabbits opened an early lead, but 12th-ranked Minnesota came storming back to claim a 27-13 victory. 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.

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.

#12 MINNESOTA 27, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 12 (Nov. 28, 2021, at Minneapolis, Minn.)
165: #17 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. #20 Andrew Sparks, by fall 3:52
174: #17 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. #21 Jared Krattiger, 6-1
184: Isaiah Salazar (MINN) major dec. Jacob Schoon, 10-1
197: Michial Foy (MINN) dec. #6 Tanner Sloan, 9-3
285: #1 Gable Steveson (MINN) tech. fall #19 A.J. Nevills, 21-6 (5:00)
125: #9 Patrick McKee (MINN) major dec. #23 Tanner Jordan, 13-1
133: Jake Gliva (MINN) major dec. Trayton Anderson, 10-2
141: #7 Clay Carlson (MINN) major dec. #23 Jake Bergeland, 12-3
149: #22 Michael Blockhus (MINN) dec. #29 Zach Price, 13-7
157: #5 Brayton Lee (MINN) major dec. Kenny O'Neil, 13-5

LAST WEEK: The Jackrabbits put together a successful weekend on their home mat as they put together a pair of impressive performances at Frost Arena.

South Dakota State 40, Augustana 4
South Dakota State recorded pins in each of the first two matches, setting the tone for the Jackrabbits' 40-4 victory over Augustana in the wrestling dual opener for both squads Nov. 18 at Frost Arena.

Tanner Jordan trailed in his 125-pound match against Jaxson Rohman, 4-2, after one period, but Jordan got on track in the second period by recording a takedown off a neutral start and putting Rohman's shoulders to the mat with eight seconds remaining in the stanza.

Freshman Caleb Thoennes, who was making his collegiate debut, followed with a second period of his own against Christian Olsen for a quick 12-0 SDSU lead.

Four other Jackrabbits added bonus-point victories. Clay Carlson, ranked fifth at 141 pounds, scored a 15-0 technical fall against Kade Sammons, while 12th-ranked Cade DeVos (174 pounds) and Nick Casperson (197 pounds) each won by major decision. Heavyweight A.J. Nevills, ranked 14th in his weight class, closed the dual with a second-period fall against Edward Hajas for SDSU's third pin of the night.

Other winners by decision for SDSU were Caleb Gross (149 pounds), Tanner Cook (165) and Roman Rogotzke (184). Rogotzke was awarded a takedown with about a minute to go to break a 1-1 tie for a 3-1 decision over Cade Mueller.

Miles Fitzgerald was the lone winner for Augustana as he scored an 11-2 major decision over Jackrabbit freshman Ryan Dolezal, who joined Thoennes and Rogotzke in wrestling in his first collegiate dual.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 40, AUGUSTANA 4 (Nov. 18, 2022, at Frost Arena)
125: Tanner Jordan (SDSU) def. Jaxson Rohman (AU), by fall 4:52
133: Caleb Thoennes (SDSU) def. Christian Olsen (AU), by fall 3:50
141: #5 Clay Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Kade Sammons (AU), 15-0 [4:30]
149: Caleb Gross (SDSU) dec. Kyle Boeke (AU), 5-2
157: Miles Fitzgerald (AU) major dec. Ryan Dolezal (SDSU), 11-2
165: #23 Tanner Cook (SDSU) dec. Tyler Wagener (AU), 5-3
174: #12 Cade DeVos (SDSU) major dec. Jacob Tvinnereim (AU), 20-7
184: Roman Rogotzke (SDSU) dec. Cade Mueller (AU), 3-1
197: Nick Casperson (SDSU) major dec. Zach Peterson (AU), 13-0
285: #14 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) def. Edward Hajas (AU), by fall 4:33 | Note: Rankings by FloWrestling

Daktronics Open Recap
South Dakota State wrestlers combined to win or share five titles during competition at the Daktronics Open Nov. 20 at Frost Arena.

Four of the Jackrabbits' titles came in the upper weights, starting with 12th-ranked Cade DeVos claiming the 174-pound championship. DeVos posted a 4-0 record on the day, including winning by major decision over Caleb Helgeson of Iowa State (12-3) and Carson Babcock of Northern Iowa (17-4) in his first two matches.

A junior from Altoona, Iowa, DeVos pinned Manny Rojas of Iowa State in the second period of their semifinal matchup to set up a championship bout against another Cyclone wrestler in Joel Devine. DeVos scored on a takedown a minute into the championship match and went on to win by a 4-0 decision.

Senior Nick Casperson reached the finals of the 197-pound weight class for the second year in a row and this time came away with the title. The Beresford native followed the same path as DeVos to the finals by winning his first two matches by major decision before pinning Minnesota's Rowan Morgan in the semifinals.

In the title bout, Casperson earned his second fall of the day, pinning Northern Iowa's Noah Glaser in 4 minutes and 45 seconds.

SDSU heavyweights A.J. Nevills and Bowen McConville shared their weight class championship. Nevills recorded a fall over teammate Spencer Trenary in what was his lone match of the day, while McConville earned a spot in the finals with a 7-1, overtime victory over 21st-ranked Tyrell Gordon of Northern Iowa.

Also placing at heavyweight were Trenary in fourth place and freshman Luke Rasmussen with a fifth-place effort.

Tanner Jordan notched the Jackrabbits' first title of the day by winning the 125-pound weight class. A junior from St. Paris, Ohio, Jordan survived a late charge from Iowa State's Ethan Perryman for a 14-12 victory in the quarterfinals, then advanced to the finals via a medical forfeit.

In his title match against Iowa State's Corey Cabanban, Jordan scored an 8-5 decision.

Bailey Roybal finished fourth at 125 pounds, with true freshman Caleb Thoennes placing fifth in the 133-pound division.

Two other Jackrabbit wrestlers reached the finals, but came up short in their bids for titles. After winning his first three matches in dominant fashion, fifth-ranked Clay Carlson met No. 19 Cael Happel of Northern Iowa for the 141-pound championship. Carlson trailed 5-3 entering the third period, but came back with an escape and takedown for a momentary 6-5 lead. However, Happel turned the tables with an escape and takedown with 14 seconds remaining to pull out the 8-6 decision.

Caleb Gross notched a fourth-place finish in the 141-pound division.

At 184 pounds, Cade King matched up against Minnesota's Michial Foy. The two were tied at 1-all early in the third period before Foy controlled the final 90 seconds of the match for a 5-1 victory.

Caleb Orris and newcomer Bennett Berge shared third-place honors for the Jackrabbits at 184 pounds.

At 165 pounds, Tanner Cook was awarded sixth place. The Jackrabbit wrestler notched pins in his two matches before withdrawing from the tournament. Jack Thomsen, who was competing unattached, placed fifth.

DAKTRONICS OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
125: Tanner Jordan (SDSU) dec. Corey Cabanban (unattached-Iowa State), 8-5
133: Evan Frost (Iowa State) major dec. Jake Gliva (Minnesota), 10-1
141: #19 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) dec. #5 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-6
149: #11 Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) dec. Kellyn March (North Dakota State), 8-5
157: #19 Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) major dec. Evan Yant (Northern Iowa), 8-0
165: #11 Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) major dec. Cayd Lara (Northern Iowa), 12-3
174: #12 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. Joel Devine (unattached-Iowa State), 4-0
184: Michial Foy (Minnesota) dec. #26 Cade Cook (SDSU), 5-1
197: Nick Casperson (SDSU) def. Noah Glaser (Northern Iowa), by fall 4:45
285: #14 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) and Bowen McConville (SDSU) share title [no contest]
Note: Rankings highest between FloWrestling and Intermat

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 25th 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 checked in at No. 24 in the Intermat dual poll and returned to the NWCA poll at No. 25.

SDSU also has seven wrestlers ranked individually, with Clay Carlson leading the way with a No. 6 ranking from Intermat in the 141-pound weight class. Fellow returning NCAA qualifiers Tanner Sloan (197) and Cade DeVos (174 pounds) are ranked 11th and 13th, respectively, by Intermat, with heavyweight A.J. Nevills ranked 14th by both Intermat and FloWrestling. Other ranked wrestlers include Tanner Cook (21st at 165 pounds by FloWrestling), Cade King (27th at 184 pounds by Intermat) and Gabriel Tagg (33rd by Intermat 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.

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its eighth 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 37-20 record (.649 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 and turned in a 5-2 mark last 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.

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 January 2023.

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 flip back to tournament action by sending a contingent of wrestlers to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Competition runs Dec. 2-3, with action beginning at 11 a.m. Central Time (9 a.m. Pacific) each day.

Clay Carlson is the tournament's defending champion in the 141-pound division.

-GoJacks.com-