SDSU AND NEBRASKA MEET SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Sunday, December 18

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Nebraska

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Sam Janicki

12/15/2022 1:00:00 PM | Wrestling

DUAL 3: #16 Nebraska (1-2) at #18 South Dakota State (1-1)

When	Sunday, Dec. 18 \| 2 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, South Dakota \| ORDER TICKETS
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Live Results	Trackwrestling.com
Match Notes	SDSU \| Nebraska
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

Two squads that finished in the top three of the team standings at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational earlier this month will square off in dual action Sunday afternoon as South Dakota State hosts Nebraska.

The nonconference matchup is slated for a 2 p.m. start at Frost Arena. The dual will be streamed live through FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

Nebraska, which won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on the strength of crowning three individual champions (Brock Hardy-141; Peyton Robb-157; Mikey Labriola-174), enters the week ranked 16th in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association poll. The Cornhuskers are 1-2 in duals this season, but haven't wrestled in that format since splitting duals against Army (W, 25-9) and North Carolina State (L, 10-23) at the Journeymen Wranglemania in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 12.

South Dakota State, which placed third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, is ranked 18th by the NWCA this week. The Jackrabbits bring a 1-1 dual mark into Sunday's meet after dropping a 19-16 decision to Minnesota on Nov. 27.

THE SERIES: Sunday's match will mark the 38th time South Dakota State and Nebraska have met in dual action, with the Cornhuskers holding a 19-16-2 series advantage. The series dates back to a 30-0 Nebraska victory during the 1949-50 season, but the two squads haven't squared off against each other since the Cornhuskers recorded a 36-6 victory at Frost Arena on Nov. 24, 2013. Cody Pack notched the lone victory for SDSU with a second-period fall over John Svoboda in the 157-pound bout.

Nebraska has won 11 meetings in a row against the Jackrabbits. SDSU's last win in the series was a 28-14 victory during the 1979-80 campaign. The Jackrabbits put together an eight-match winning streak against their neighbors to the south between the 1967-68 and 1976-77 seasons.

Nebraska 36, South Dakota State 6 (Nov. 24, 2013 • Frost Arena)
125: Tim Lambert (NEB) major dec. Isaac Andrade, 9-1
133: Colton McCrystal (NEB) dec. Brance Simms, 8-3
141: Anthony Abidin (NEB) dec. Eric Orozco, 9-3
149: Jake Sueflohn (NEB) major dec. Alex Kocer, 13-0
157: Cody Pack (SDSU) def. John Svoboda, by fall 4:47
165: Austin Wilson (NEB) dec. Joe Brewster, 6-2
174: Robert Kokesh (NEB) def. John Nething II, by fall 6:53
184: T.J. Dudley (NEB) major dec. Ben Schwery, 9-1
197: Spencer Johnson (NEB) dec. Trey Hable, 6-2
285: Collin Jensen (NEB) def. J.J. Everard, by fall 1:43

RECENT ACTION: South Dakota State wrapped up a successful weekend on the wrestling mat at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3 with a third-place finish in the team standings and eight individuals placing in the top six of their respective weight classes.

Leading the way for the Jackrabbits was junior 165-pounder Tanner Cook with a runner-up finish. Cook advanced into the championship match due to a medical forfeit by his scheduled semifinal opponent Austin Yant of Northern Iowa.

In his title bout against second-seeded Julian Ramirez of Cornell, Cook fell behind 10-0 in the first 70 seconds of the match and was defeated by technical fall, 17-1.

A junior from Ilion, New York, Cook set the early tone for the Jackrabbits by posting a 3-0 record with three pins on the opening day of competition in the 165-pound weight class. The No. 9 seed, he totaled only 2 minutes and 13 seconds of mat time during his three matches, the last of which resulted in a 37-second pin over top-seeded and sixth-ranked Carson Kharchla of Ohio State.

Three other SDSU wrestlers who began Day 2 in the semifinals wound up with sixth-place finishes, including second-seeded Clay Carlson at 141 pounds. For the second time this season, Carlson was upended by Northern Iowa's Cael Happel, dropping a 4-1 decision in Saturday competition after the two previously met two weeks ago in the finals of the Daktronics Open.

Carlson, who pinned his first two opponents in the tournament, later withdrew due to a minor injury, resulting in his sixth-place finish.

At 125 pounds, Tanner Jordan was edged, 6-3, by fifth-seeded Richard Figueroa of Arizona State in their semifinal matchup, then later was beaten by Nebraska's Liam Cronin and Malik Heinselman of Ohio State.

Jordan was one of four Jackrabbits to win by fall in the opening round, pinning Jacob Moon of Hofstra early in the second period. Jordan advanced to the quarters after top seed Michael DeAugustino withdrew from the tournament after suffering an injury early in their matchup and then outlasted eight-seeded Caleb Smith of Appalachian State, with an 8-6 sudden victory.

Eighth-seeded heavyweight A.J. Nevills' bid to reach the title bout was thwarted by Northwestern's Lucas Davis, 8-2. He also dropped his final two matches of the day to place sixth.

Nevills, seeded eighth at heavyweight, further sent shockwaves through the Las Vegas Convention Center and beyond by knocking off top-seeded and top-ranked Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State, 5-2, in quarterfinal action. Nevills led 3-0 through two periods and sealed the victory with his second takedown of the match in the final 20 seconds.

Tanner Sloan was the Jackrabbit wrestler to find the most success on the mat Saturday as the top seed in the 197-pound division posted a 3-0 record on the day to finish with a 6-1 mark in the two-day event and a third-place showing. Sloan claimed a win by injury default 32 seconds into his match against Arizona State's Kordell Norfleet, then tallied wins over Silas Allred of Nebraska, 12-5, and Evan Bockman of Utah Valley, 4-3.

Cade DeVos also wrestled for third place in the 174-pound class, but fell by a 6-4 count in his placing matchup against Christopher Foca of Cornell. DeVos began the day with his second win of the tournament over North Carolina State's Alexander Faison, 9-5, and received a medical forfeit to move into the third-place match.

Nebraska claimed the team title with 137.5 points on the strength of winning three individual titles. North Carolina State was second with 127.5 points, while the Jackrabbits finished third with 123 points. Michigan (96.5), and Northern Iowa (96) rounded out the top five in the 33-team field.

UNI Open Recap
South Dakota State wrestlers Bennett Berge and Bowen McConville each recorded second-place finishes to lead a small contingent of Jackrabbits during competition Dec. 10 at the UNI Open in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

A freshman from Mantorville, Minnesota, Berge posted a 3-1 record in round-robin competition in the 184-pound weight class. He opened the day with a 7-2 decision over Minnesota's Sam Skillings, followed by a 5-4 victory over Colton Hawks of Missouri. After dropping a 3-2 decision to another Mizzou wrestler, Clayton Whiting, Berge closed the day by winning a 6-4 decision against Fernando Villaescusa of Iowa State

McConville, a senior from Renton, Washington, reached the finals of the heavyweight division at the UNI Open for the second year in a row. After receiving a first-round bye, McConville claimed a 4-1 decision over Eric Boersma of Missouri in quarterfinal action. He advanced to the finals with a 6-0 decision against Iowa's Easton Fleshman, but was upended by major decision, 11-0, by Missouri's Seth Nitzel in the championship bout.

Freshman and Brookings native Luke Rasmussen placed fourth at heavyweight after turning in a 2-2 record on the day.

Alek Martin (149 pounds) and Brock Fettig (174 pounds) also competed for the Jackrabbits, but did not place.

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 and have continued to climb up the rankings during the first two months of the 2022-23 campaign.

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.

Since their strong showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the Jackrabbits have climbed seven spots in the NWCA?poll to their current ranking of No. 18. SDSU also is ranked 22nd in the InterMat team dual standings.

SDSU also has a season-high eight wrestlers ranked individually for the second week in a row, with 165-pounder Tanner Cook (FloWrestling), 184-pounder Cade King (InterMat) and heavyweight A.J. Nevills (WIN Magazine) all holding an 11th-place ranking from at least one organization.

Tanner Jordan at 125 pounds (28th by InterMat) and redshirt freshman Cael Swensen at 157 pounds (22nd by InterMat) joined the rankings after their outings at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Returning NCAA qualifiers Tanner Sloan (12th at 197 pounds by InterMat), Clay Carlson (13th by InterMat at 141 pounds) and Cade DeVos (16th at 174 pounds by FloWrestling) round out the list of ranked wrestlers for the Jackrabbits.

Following is a full listing of Jackrabbit individual rankings:
Clay Carlson — 141 Pounds
• 13th by InterMat
• 14th by WIN Magazine
• 15th by FloWrestling

Tanner Cook — 165 Pounds
• 11th by FloWrestling
• 15th by WIN Magazine
• 18th by InterMat

Cade DeVos — 174 Pounds
• 16th by FloWrestling
• 18th by InterMat

Tanner Jordan — 125 Pounds
• 13th by WIN Magazine
• 28th by InterMat
• HM by FloWrestling

Cade King — 184 Pounds
• 11th by InterMat
• 16th by FloWrestling
• 17th by WIN Magazine

A.J. Nevills — 285 Pounds
• 11th by WIN Magazine
• 12th by FloWrestling
• 14th by InterMat

Tanner Sloan — 197 Pounds
• 12th by InterMat
• 17th by FloWrestling
• 17th by WIN Magazine

Cael Swensen — 157 Pounds
• 22nd by InterMat
• 23rd by FloWrestling

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.

In October, Tanner Sloan reached the finals of the 97-kilogram division at the U23 World Championships held in Pontevedra, Spain.

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 34-27 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'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.

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 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 to competition Dec. 29-30 at the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa. The inaugural event will be held at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa, with more than a dozen teams entered in the two-day tournament. Session times are 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 29, followed by 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 30.

-GoJacks.com-