Upcoming Event: Wrestling at Bison Open on November 9, 2025
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Wrestling
at Bison Open
South Dakota State University Athletics
Friday, December 29
Coralville, Iowa
10 a.m./11 a.m.
South Dakota State University
at
Soldier Salute
Photo by: Zoey Schentzel
JACKS CLOSE CALENDAR YEAR AT SOLDIER SALUTE
12/28/2023 6:30:00 PM | Wrestling
#15 South Dakota State at Soldier Salute
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The 15th-ranked South Dakota State wrestling team closes out the calendar year by sending a contingent of wrestlers to compete in tournament action Friday and Saturday at the Soldier Salute.
Session times Friday are slated for 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Action concludes Saturday with sessions starting at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. More than a dozen NCAA Division I teams will have wrestlers competing in the two-day tournament.
Video streaming of the Soldier Salute will be available through BigTenPlus.com (subscription required).
The Jackrabbits' entries will be a mix of starters and reserves as they compete in the Soldier Salute for the second year in a row. Returning All-American Clay Carlson is in line to wrestle for the first time this season at 141 pounds, with fellow returning NCAA qualifier Cael Swensen also scheduled to compete in the 157-pound division.
2022 SOLDIER SALUTE RECAP: Cael Swensen reached the 157-pound finals and a trio of South Dakota State wrestlers turned in third-place finishes as a young Jackrabbit squad wrapped up competition at the inaugural Soldier Salute with a fifth-place finish in the team standings. The two-day tournament was contested Dec. 29-30, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
A native of Plymouth, Minnesota, Swensen earned his berth in the championship with a 7-2 decision over Northern Iowa's R.J. Weston during the Friday afternoon session.
In the championship bout, Swensen fell behind 11th-ranked Jacob Wright of Wyoming by a 4-0 count in the second period after Wright scored on a reversal and two-point near-fall. Swensen managed escapes in both the second and third periods, and drew to within 4-3 on a penalty point for stalling against Wright in the closing seconds, but couldn't come up the decisive takedown.
Caleb Gross turned in the first third-place finish of the day for the Jackrabbits in the 141-pound division. Gross trailed Iowa's Drew Bennett, 6-3, late in their consolation semifinal matchup Friday afternoon, but Gross countered with an escape and takedown to force overtime at 6-all. In the extra session, Gross capped his comeback with a takedown with just over 30 seconds remaining to pull out the 8-6 sudden victory.
A native of Pound, Wisconsin, Gross was awarded third place after his scheduled opponent Friday night, Columbia's Matt Kazimir, withdrew from the tournament for medical reasons.
Gross began the final day of competition with a semifinal major-decision loss to second-ranked Real Woods of Iowa.
Adding third-place finishes for the Jackrabbits were Roman Rogotzke at 184 pounds and freshman heavyweight Luke Rasmussen. After starting the final day with a loss by fall to third-ranked Tony Cassioppi of Iowa, Rasmussen rebounded with a 7-4 victory over Jonathan Chesser of The Citadel, followed by a second-period pin against Wisconsin's Gannon Rosenfeld in the third-place match.
Also earning a spot on the podium for the Jacks was Alek Martin with a seventh-place showing in the 149-pound weight class. Martin compiled a 4-2 record in the tournament, culminating with a 12-2 major decision over Wyoming's Chase Zollmann.
Two other South Dakota State wrestlers competed unattached and reached the finals of their respective weight classes. At 165 pounds, Jack Thomsen dropped a 10-5 decision to nationally ranked Patrick Kennedy of Iowa, while freshman Bennett Berge took the Hawkeyes' Abe Assad to overtime in the 184-pound final before falling by a 6-4 count.
Iowa claimed the team title with 228 points, more than doubling up runner-up Army with 106 points. Wyoming was third with 99.5 points, followed by Columbia with 88.5 points and the Jackrabbits with 79.5.
LAST TIME OUT: Eighth-ranked Nebraska built a comfortable lead in the front half of the dual and held off No. 13 South Dakota State down the stretch for a 21-17 victory in college wrestling action Dec. 16 at at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers improved to 3-0 in duals this season while SDSU dropped to 3-2.
Nebraska held the upper hand in all four matchups between ranked wrestlers, starting with a 6-4 victory by seventh-ranked Caleb Smith over No. 17 Tanner Jordan in the first bout of the night at 125 pounds.
After Derrick Cardinal tied the dual at 3-all with a 6-1 decision for the Jackrabbits over Kyle Burwick, Nebraska reeled off four consecutive victories to take an 18-3 lead. Sixth-ranked Brock Hardy won by fall over SDSU backup Caleb Gross in the first period of their 141-pound matchup and top-ranked Ridge Lovett followed with a 5-1 decision for the Cornhuskers against Alek Martin at 149 pounds.
Third-ranked Peyton Robb scored a 6-0 decision against Cael Swensen for his second win this month against the Jackrabbits' 16th-ranked wrestler. In another bout between ranked foes, No. 19 Antrell Taylor pulled away from SDSU's 27th-ranked Tanner Cook for a 7-1 decision.
Cade DeVos, ranked third at 174 pounds, stemmed the tide for the Jackrabbits with a 4-2 victory over Bubba Wilson. DeVos remained undefeated on the season, improving to 9-0.
Fourth-ranked Lenny Pinto sealed the dual victory for the Cornhuskers with an 8-2 decision over No. 23 Bennett Berge, who was making his dual debut this season.
The final two matches resulted in bonus points for the Jackrabbits. Tanner Sloan, ranked sixth at 197 pounds, posted a 17-0 technical fall over Nebraska reserve Brandyn Van Tassell, while Nebraska's starting 197-pounder, Silas Allred, moved up a weight class to meet Luke Rasmussen in the final bout of the night.
Rasmussen held a 3-1 lead late in the first period before Allred was injured and retired from the match.
#8 Nebraska 21, #4 South Dakota State 17 (Dec. 16, 2023 • Lincoln, Neb.)
125: #7 Caleb Smith (NEB) dec. #17 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 6-4
133: #13 Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) dec. Kyle Burwick (NEB), 6-1
141: #6 Brock Hardy (NEB) def. Caleb Gross (SDSU), by fall 2:06
149: #1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) dec. Alek Martin (SDSU), 5-1
157: #3 Peyton Robb (NEB) dec. #16 Cael Swensen (SDSU), 6-0
165: #19 Antrell Taylor (NEB) dec. #27 Tanner Cook (SDSU), 7-1
174: #3 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. Bubba Wilson (NEB), 4-2
184: #4 Lenny Pinto (NEB) dec. #23 Bennett Berge (SDSU), 8-2
197: #6 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) tech. fall Brandyn Van Tassell (NEB), 17-0 [4:14]
285: Luke Rasmussen (SDSU) medical forfeit over Silas Allred (NEB) [2:59]
Note: Allred ranked 11th at 197 pounds
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 recent dual loss at Nebraska, the Jackrabbits dropped one spot to No. 15 in the latest coaches' poll.
Individually, eight Jackrabbits are in the most recent rankings, highlighted by 174-pounder Cade DeVos, who is ranked third by FloWrestling and fourth by InterMat. DeVos, who won the 174-pound title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to open the month, is undefeated on the season with a 9-0 record.
Following is the list of Jackrabbits in the most recent individual rankings:
- 125: Tanner Jordan (18th by FloWrestling/19th by InterMat)
- 133: Derrick Cardinal (13th by InterMat/17th by FloWrestling)
- 141: Clay Carlson (7th by InterMat/8th by FloWrestling)
- 157: Cael Swensen (17th by InterMat/18th by FloWrestling)
- 165: Tanner Cook (28th 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 (5th 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 94-21 career record, while Cade DeVos enters the week with a 79-29 career mark. Sloan's career totals include a 52-4 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 48-32 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 35 student-athletes from 15 different states from coast to coast. Minnesota has the most wrestlers with seven, followed by six from Iowa, 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, six 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 kick off a two-month stretch of dual meets by taking on nationally ranked Michigan in a Jan. 4 matchup that will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Start time is slated for 7 p.m.
-GoJacks.com-
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