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South Dakota State University Athletics
Saturday, December 16
Lincoln, Neb.
6 p.m.
South Dakota State University
at
Nebraska
Photo by: Miranda Sampson/SampsonSnapshots
SDSU, NEBRASKA SET FOR SATURDAY TUSSLE
12/14/2023 7:45:00 PM | Wrestling
#14 South Dakota State (3-1) at #8 Nebraska (2-0)
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The South Dakota State wrestling team makes a brief return to dual action Saturday, traveling to eighth-ranked Nebraska.
Action is slated for a 6 p.m. start at the Devaney Center on the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln. The match will be available for viewing through the Big Ten Plus streaming service (subscription required).
The 14th-ranked Jackrabbits enter the week with a 3-1 dual record. SDSU will be wrestling the the middle of three duals scheduled against ranked Big Ten Conference opponents this season. The Jackrabbits dropped a 19-13 decision at Minnesota in their last dual on Nov. 26 and are slated to meet Michigan Jan. 4 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Nebraska is 2-0 in duals so far this season after recording wins over North Dakota State (31-12) and Campbell (37-4) in early November.
THE LINEUP: Following are the Jackrabbits' probable starters for Saturday's dual at Nebraska:
125: #17 Tanner Jordan • Sr., St. Paris, Ohio (12-3 overall, 3-0 duals)
133: #13 Derrick Cardinal • So., Forest Lake, Minn. (12-3 overall, 3-0 duals)
141: #7 Clay Carlson • Sr., Willmar, Minn. (0-0 overall, 0-0 duals)
or Caleb Gross • Sr., Pound, Wis. (9-5 overall, 3-1 duals)
149: Alek Martin • So., St. Paris, Ohio (4-3 overall, 1-1 duals)
or Daniel Kimball • Sr., Buckingham, Iowa (9-2 overall, 1-0 duals)
157: #16 Cael Swensen • So., Plymouth, Minn. (4-3 overall, 2-1 duals)
165: #27 Tanner Cook • Sr., Ilion, N.Y. (3-2 overall, 0-1 duals)
174: #3 Cade DeVos • Sr., Altoona, Iowa (8-0 overall, 3-0 duals)
184: #23 Bennett Berge • R-Fr., Mantorville, Minn. (4-1 overall, 0-0 duals)
197: #6 Tanner Sloan • Sr., Alburnett, Iowa (7-1 overall, 2-0 duals)
285: Luke Rasmussen • R-Fr., Brookings, S.D. (6-3 overall, 1-1 duals)
or Bowen McConville • Sr., Renton, Wash. (5-2 overall, 1-0 duals)
Note: Rankings listed are highest of either Intermat or FloWrestling rankings as of Dec. 12, 2023
THE SERIES: Saturday's match will mark the 39th time South Dakota State and Nebraska have met in dual action, with the Cornhuskers holding a 20-16-2 advantage in the series that dates back to a 30-0 Nebraska victory during the 1949-50 season.
Nebraska has won 12 meetings in a row against the Jackrabbits, with SDSU's last win in the series 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.
In last season's meeting, Dec. 18, 2022, at Frost Arena, Nebraska jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and held off South Dakota State down the stretch for a 22-17 wrestling dual victory in a matchup between ranked squads.
The 16th-ranked Cornhuskers evened their dual record at 2-2 on the season, while No. 18 SDSU dropped to 1-2.
Nebraska wasted little time in taking the early lead as ninth-ranked 125-pounder Liam Cronin notched a first-period pin over the Jackrabbits' Tanner Jordan. Boo Dryden (133 pounds) and fifth-ranked Brock Hardy (141) followed with decisions to put the Cornhuskers up by a dozen three matches into the dual. Hardy's win was a 7-5 sudden victory over 15th-ranked Clay Carlson.
Redshirt freshman Alek Martin put the Jackrabbits on the board with his first collegiate dual victory, pulling away in the third period for a 9-0 major decision over Dayne Morton.
In another bout between ranked wrestlers, Nebraska's second-ranked Peyton Robb got the best of the third SDSU redshirt freshman in the lineup, 23rd-ranked Cael Swensen, 7-2, to close out the first half of the dual.
Tanner Cook breathed some wind back in the Jackrabbits' sails as he continued his pinning prowess by sticking 13th-ranked Bubba Wilson in 29 seconds. The 11th-ranked Cook improved to 8-1 on the season with his sixth win by fall.
Nebraska put the dual out of reach with consecutive wins by Mikey Labriola and Lenny Pinto in two more matchups between ranked wrestlers. Labriola, ranked second at 174 pounds, posted a 4-0 decision over 16th ranked Cade DeVos, while the 17th-ranked Pinto avenged a loss to No. 16 Cade King at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational two weeks ago by turning up the pressure in the third period for a 12-2 major decision.
SDSU salvaged the final two bouts of the dual as Tanner Sloan turned in another dominant performance in his 197-pound match against Silas Allred with a 12-0 major decision. At heavyweight, A.J. Nevills tallied a 9-3 sudden victory against Cale Davidson after notching a takedown and four-point near-fall about 20 seconds into overtime.
#16 Nebraska 22, #18 South Dakota State 17 (Dec. 18, 2022 • Frost Arena)
125: #9 Liam Cronin (NEB) def. Tanner Jordan (SDSU), by fall 0:30
133: Boo Dryden (NEB) dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 4-1
141: #5 Brock Hardy (NEB) dec. #15 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 7-5 [SV-1]
149: Alek Martin (SDSU) major dec. Dayne Morton (NEB), 9-0
157: #2 Peyton Robb (NEB) dec. #23 Cael Swensen (SDSU), 7-2
165: #11 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. #13 Bubba Wilson (NEB), by fall 0:29
174: #2 Mikey Labriola (NEB) dec. #16 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 4-0
184: #17 Lenny Pinto (NEB) major dec. #16 Cade King (SDSU), 12-2
197: #17 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. #18 Silas Allred (NEB), 12-0
285: #12 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) dec. Cale Davidson (NEB), 9-3 [SV-1]
LAST TIME OUT: Cade DeVos won the 174-pound title and Tanner Sloan captured third place at 197 pounds to lead the South Dakota State wrestling team on the final day of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational hosted by the Westgate Paradise Event Center.
DeVos, a senior from Altoona, Iowa, posted two victories on Dec. 2 to finish the two-day tournament with a 5-0 record. In semifinal action, the third-seeded DeVos trailed early against second-seeded Carson Kharchla of Ohio State before rallying late for an 11-8 decision.
In the finals, DeVos matched up against Oregon State's Travis Wittlake and held the lead from start to finish. He opened the scoring with a takedown and overcame a Wittlake reversal to take a 4-2 lead into the second period. DeVos extended his lead to 7-3 with a second-period takedown and held off Wittlake down the stretch for a 9-7 decision.
With his victory, DeVos became the second Jackrabbit in three seasons to win an individual title at the prestigious event, joining 141-pounder Clay Carlson in 2021.
Sloan entered Saturday as the top seed in the 197-pound division, but was sidetracked in the semifinals by fifth-seeded Jaxon Smith of Maryland, 8-2, for his first loss of the season. Sloan came back with two decisive victories to claim third place for the second year in a row, scoring a 12-1 major decision against Nebraska's Silas Allred before notching a 7-2 decision over Cornell's Jacob Cardenas in the third-place bout.
Also wrestling in the semifinals Saturday morning was Jackrabbit 133-pounder Derrick Cardinal. The sophomore from Forest Lake, Minnesota, battled top-seeded Kai Orine of North Carolina State down to the wire, but dropped a 6-3 decision. Cardinal later lost by fall (3:39) to Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State before withdrawing from the tournament and settling for sixth place.
SDSU's fourth wrestler to compete Saturday was 125-pounder Tanner Jordan, who placed eighth in his weight class. Jordan dropped both of his matches on the day, losing a 12-4 major decision to Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State before a 7-3 setback at the hands of top-seeded Matt Ramos of Purdue.
Despite entering only nine wrestlers in the tournament, the Jackrabbits finished 10th out of 35 teams with 74 points. Iowa State earned the team title with 130.5 points to dethrone three-time defending champion Nebraska with 125.5. Ohio State was third with 123.5 points.
SDSU wrestlers combined for a 22-11 record on the first day of competition, with eight of nine Jackrabbits recording at least one win. Redshirt freshman Luke Rasmussen went 3-2 in the heavyweight division and sophomore 149-pounder Alek Martin also registered a 3-2 record on the day. Caleb Gross at 141 pounds and 157-pounder Cael Swensen each tallied 2-2 records.
Swensen, who was seeded eighth, won his first two matches before being upended by a pair of highly ranked wrestlers. He dropped a 10-0 major decision to top-seeded Peyton Robb in the quarterfinals, then was eliminated by third-seeded Bryce Andonian, 7-3.
Patriot Open
In other recent action, three Jackrabbit wrestlers recorded top-six finishes Dec. 3 at the A Better Way Athletics Patriot Open hosted by George Mason University.
Leading the SDSU trio was Bennett Berge with a runner-up finish in the 184-pound weight class. Berge posted a 4-1 record on the day, with two wins each by major decision and technical fall. His major decisions came against Navy's Daniel Williams (14-3) in the opening round and versus Kevin Makosy of Maryland (11-2) in the quarterfinals, while his tech falls were against Dalton Battle of Appalachian State (21-6) in the Round of 16 and Isaac Dean of Rider (17-1) in the semifinals.
In the finals, the 19th-ranked Berge was matched up against Brock Delsignore of North Carolina State and dropped an 11-3 major decision.
Placing third at 165 pounds was 15th-ranked Tanner Cook, who ended the day with a 3-1 record. Cook won his first match by a 9-7 decision against Ty Finn of Virginia Tech, then moved into the semifinals with a 21-second pin against Ryan Money of Maryland.
Cook, a senior from Ilion, New York, was ousted from the championship bracket by fall early in the second period of his semifinal matchup against Derek Fields of North Carolina State (3:28), but needed only 18 seconds to pin Kaya Sement of Penn in the third-place bout.
Completing the Jackrabbits' list of placewinners was Daniel Kimball, who notched a sixth-place finish in the 149-pound division with a 5-1 record. Kimball opened the day with an 11-4 victory over Penn's Sean Seefeldt before dropping a 5-1 decision to Lock Haven's Ty Linsenbigler. A senior from Buckingham, Iowa, Kimball then reeled off four consecutive victories in the wrestlebacks — two each by major decision and decision — in reaching the maximum of six matches in one day of competition.
JORDAN HONORED: South Dakota State 125-pounder Tanner Jordan was honored Nov. 28 on NCAA Wrestling social media channels as Wrestler of the Week.
A senior from St. Paris, Ohio, Jordan knocked off sixth-ranked Patrick McKee of Minnesota, 9-3, in dual action Nov. 26 in Minneapolis. Jordan held a 3-2 lead entering the third period and was able to extend his lead with a reversal and three-point near-fall, followed by a point for a minute advantage in riding time. With his victory, Jordan remained undefeated on the season at 9-0.
In addition, Jordan shared Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors with Iowa State 133-pounder Evan Frost.
A returning NCAA qualifier, Jordan has seen a steady climb in the national rankings during the first month of the season. He rose as high as 16th in the individual 125-pound rankings compiled by InterMat, while checking in at No. 17 in this week's rankings by FloWrestling and No. 18 by InterMat. Jordan is one of eight Jackrabbit wrestlers currently in the NCAA Division I individual rankings.
RABBITS RANKED: South Dakota State began the 2023-24 season with its highest preseason ranking ever in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 12 in the survey, which was announced Oct. 31.
The Jackrabbits also tied their highest-ever ranking in the national poll. SDSU was previously ranked 12th for five weeks during the 2017-18 season.
SDSU was one of six Big 12 Conference teams to be ranked in the top 25. Missouri was ranked fourth, followed by Iowa State in 10th and Oklahoma State at No. 11. Also ranked were Northern Iowa at No. 17 and Oklahoma, which is tied for 20th. Defending national champion Penn State was a unanimous pick for the top spot in the poll.
Besides Missouri (Feb. 18), Oklahoma State (Feb. 10) and Oklahoma (Feb. 9), the Jackrabbits are scheduled to face at least three other teams in the preseason poll — all from the Big Ten Conference — in dual action this season, including a Jan. 4 date against Michigan at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Following their narrow dual loss at Minnesota in late November, the Jackrabbits dropped two spots to No. 14 in the coaches' poll and remain in that spot again this week.
Individual rankings released Dec. 12 include:
- 125: Tanner Jordan (17th by FloWrestling/18th by InterMat)
- 133: Derrick Cardinal (13th by InterMat/17th by FloWrestling)
- 141: Clay Carlson (7th by InterMat/8th by FloWrestling)
- 157: Cael Swensen (16th by InterMat/18th by FloWrestling)
- 165: Tanner Cook (27th by FloWrestling/31st by InterMat)
- 174: Cade DeVos (3rd by FloWrestling/4th by InterMat)
- 184: Bennett Berge (23rd by InterMat/24th by FloWrestling)
- 197: Tanner Sloan (6th by FloWrestling/6th by InterMat)
Sloan, the 2023 national runner-up at 197 pounds, squared off against top-ranked Aaron Brooks of Penn State and dropped an 11-2 major decision.
A native of Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan compiled a 27-3 record in advancing to the national championship bout last season, while Brooks is a three-time NCAA champion at 184 pounds who is moving up a weight class this season.
Carlson, a two-time All-American at 141 pounds, was slated to face Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina, but withdrew from the event due to injury.
A native of Willmar, Minnesota, Carlson placed fifth at 141 pounds at the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, finishing the season with a 27-10 record.
100 WINS: Clay Carlson became the 15th wrestler in South Dakota State history to record 100 career victories, when he accomplished the feat at the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Carlson's milestone victory came against Purdue's Parker Filius, 3-1, in the consolation semifinals. He added another victory the following day to close out his second career All-America performance with a fifth-place finish at nationals.
Carlson, who could see his first action of the season in Saturday's dual, holds a career record of 101-41.
Two other Jackrabbits could join the 100-victory club this season: senior 197-pounder Tanner Sloan has compiled a 93-21 career record, while Cade DeVos enters the week with a 78-29 career mark. Sloan's career totals include a 51-4 mark in duals.
WORLD MEDALIST: South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge earned his second career individual medal at the United World Wrestling U20 World Championships, claiming bronze as competition wrapped up in September.
Competing in the 86-kilogram freestyle division, Berge compiled a 3-1 record over two days of wrestling in Amman City, Jordan. He began the tournament with back-to-back victories over Ivan Chornohuz, Ukraine (9-5, VPO1) and Slavi Stamenov, Bulgaria (11-0, VSU 1:49), but dropped his semifinal match later in the day to France's Rakhim Madmadov by a 9-4 (VPO1) score.
In his final match of the competition, Berge wasted little time in posting an 11-0 (VSU 2:09) victory over Shakjir Bislimi of North Macedonia.
Berge was part of a Team USA squad that came in second in the team standings behind Iran. As a unit, Team USA set a record with medalists in eight of 10 weight classes — two gold, two silver and four bronze.
A native of Mantorville, Minnesota, Berge previously won an individual silver medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its ninth 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 43-22 record (.662 winning percentage) in duals against Big 12 foes. SDSU posted an 8-0 mark in Big 12 duals during the 2017-18 campaign and turned in a 6-2 mark last season.
The Jacks 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 championship in 2016. SDSU finished sixth out of 13 teams at the 2023 meet.
NEW FACILITY OPENS: South Dakota State marked the start of the calendar year by moving into a new home with the opening of the 16,000-square-foot Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center.
The South Dakota Board of Regents approved plans for the project in December 2020 and ground was broken in September 2021 for the $4 million on-campus training facility, which is located 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 features four competition mats, a strength and conditioning area, locker rooms, team room, coaches' offices and spaces for academics and nutrition.
"This 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."
COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn is overseeing a successful rebuilding of South Dakota State University wrestling as he enters his sixth season at the helm of the Jackrabbits' program. Hahn has compiled a 48-31 career dual record and has coached six All-Americans and 30 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 next 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 sent four wrestlers on to the NCAA Championships in Detroit.
The 2022-23 season included a 10-dual winning streak en route to a 12-4 record. The Jackrabbits also were strong in tournament settings, placing third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December and posting a sixth-place finish at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship. SDSU went on to send a program-record eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, coming away with a 14th-place finish and two All-Americans — Clay Carlson, who placed fifth at 141 pounds and 197-pound runner-up Tanner Sloan.
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 three 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 2023-24 South Dakota State wrestling roster is made up of 36 student-athletes from 15 different states from coast to coast. Iowa and Minnesota have the most wrestlers with seven, while five hail from South Dakota. Three Jackrabbit wrestlers are from Ohio and Utah, with a pair from Wisconsin. Nine states have produced one wrestler each: Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington.
By class, 11 are seniors, seven are sophomores and eight are redshirt freshmen. Ten are incoming freshmen. There are no juniors on this season's squad.
A LOOK AHEAD: ?The Jackrabbits will send a contingent of wrestlers to the Soldier Salute Dec. 29-30 in Coralville, Iowa. Sessions Friday are set for 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with the tournament at Xtream Arena wrapping up with competition Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. and concluding with championship and placing matches at 5 p.m.
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