JACKRABBITS RETURN TO VIRGINIA DUALS

Friday, January 12

Hampton, Va.

1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Kent State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

1/11/2024 7:59:00 PM | Wrestling

#11 South Dakota State (4-2) at Virginia Duals

When	Friday-Saturday, Jan. 12-13 • vs. Kent State, 1:30 p.m. ET Friday (12:30 p.m. CT) • vs. #16 Navy, 4:30 p.m. ET Friday (3:30 p.m. CT) • Additional matches Saturday, TBD
Where	Hampton Coliseum \| Hampton, Virginia
TV	FloWrestling.org (subscription required)
Live Results	TrackWrestling
Notes	SDSU \| Kent State \| Navy \| Virginia Duals Website
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

11th-ranked South Dakota State wrestling team will attempt to carry the momentum from a landmark victory last week into a new weekend as it makes a return trip to the Virginia Duals.

After some late shuffling, the Jackrabbits are now scheduled to wrestle a pair of duals Friday at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, with some wrestlers having the possibility of picking up additional countable matches on Saturday. SDSU, 4-2 overall after a victory last week over then-No. 6 Michigan, is slated to open competition in the National College Division with a 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (12:30 p.m. Central) matchup on Friday against Kent State (2-10 overall). The Jackrabbits then are set to square off against 16th-ranked Navy (6-0 overall) at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT).

Live video coverage of the Virginia Duals will be available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required).

PROBABLE LINEUP: Following are the probable starters for the Jackrabbits at this weekend's Virginia Duals:
125:     #17 Tanner Jordan • Sr., St. Paris, Ohio (13-4 overall, 4-1 in duals)
or         Brady Roark • Fr., Seneca, Mo. (4-2 overall, 0-0 in duals)
133:     #15 Derrick Cardinal • So., Forest Lake, Minn. (14-3 overall, 5-0 in duals)
141:     #22 Clay Carlson • Sr., Willmar, Minn. (2-3 overall, 0-1 in duals)
149:     #20 Alek Martin • So., St. Paris, Ohio (8-6 overall, 1-3 in duals)
157:     #17 Cael Swensen • So., Plymouth, Minn. (8-5 overall, 3-2 in duals)
165:     #26 Tanner Cook • Sr., Ilion, N.Y. (3-4 overall, 0-3 in duals)
or         Marcus Espinoza-Owens • Fr., Woods Cross, Utah (6-7 overall, 0-0 in duals)
174:     #4 Cade DeVos • Sr., Altoona, Iowa (9-1 overall, 4-1 in duals)
184:     #13 Bennett Berge • R-Fr., Mantorville, Minn. (5-2 overall, 1-1 in duals)
197:     #5 Tanner Sloan • Sr., Alburnett, Iowa (9-1 overall, 4-0 in duals)
or         Bowen McConville • Sr., Renton, Wash. (8-5 overall, 1-0 in duals)
285:     #32 Luke Rasmussen • R-Fr., Brookings, S.D. (10-5 overall, 2-2 in duals)
Notes: Rankings listed are highest of either Intermat or FloWrestling rankings as of Jan. 9, 2024

THE SERIES: South Dakota State will be wrestling both Kent State and Navy for the second year in a row at the Virginia Duals. The Jackrabbits are a combined 3-2 against their weekend opponents after posting victories over both squads at last year's event.

Overall, SDSU is 2-1 against Kent State and 1-1 versus Navy. Last year's matchup with Navy marked the first meeting between SDSU and the Midshipmen since 1970. All three previous duals against Kent State have come in the last 10 years, with all being contested at neutral sites.

Following are the results against Kent State and Navy at the 2023 Virginia Duals:

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 38, KENT STATE 9 (Jan. 13, 2023, at Hampton, Virginia)
125: #14 Jake Ferri (KENT) dec. #28 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 7-6
133: Brendon Fenton (KENT) def. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), by fall 2:58
141: #9 Clay Carlson (SDSU) def. Landen Hacker (KENT), by fall 2:12
149: Alek Martin (SDSU) dec. #32 Kody Komara (KENT), 9-3
157: #22 Cael Swensen (SDSU) def. Ethan Barr (KENT), by fall 3:41
165: #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU) dec. #25 Enrique Munguia (KENT), 15-11
174: #15 Cade DeVos (SDSU) tech. fall Ashton Breen (KENT), 25-8 [6:36]
184: #17 Cade King (SDSU) dec. Tyler Bates (KENT), 6-3
197: #13 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Blake Schaffer (KENT), by fall 1:19
285: #15 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) def. Jacob Cover (KENT), by fall 4:38

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 31, NAVY 6 (Jan. 13, 2023, at Hampton, Virginia)
125: #28 Tanner Jordan (SDSU) major dec. Dayton Del Viscio (NAVY), 12-0
133: Brendan Ferretti (NAVY) dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 4-3
141: #9 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. #14 Josh Koderhandt (NAVY), 11-6
149: Alek Martin (SDSU) dec. Kaemen Smith (NAVY), 12-5
157: #22 Cael Swensen (SDSU) major dec. Devon Deem (NAVY), 13-1
165: #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Val Park (NAVY), by fall 0:29
174: #15 Cade DeVos (SDSU) major dec. Sammy Starr (NAVY), 11-3
184: #17 Cade King (SDSU) dec. Cael Crebs (NAVY), 10-3
197: #13 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. #29 Jacob Koser (NAVY), 11-0
285: #20 Grady Griess (NAVY) dec. Bowen McConville (SDSU), 5-1

VIRGINIA DUALS HISTORY: South Dakota State will be making its sixth appearance at the Virginia Duals since moving to the NCAA Division I ranks at the start of the 2004-05 season. The Jackrabbits have fared well in those five previous Virginia Duals appearances, posting a combined record of 14-2, including a 4-0 mark last season as SDSU outscored the opposition by a combined 150-21.

SDSU has won 10 consecutive duals on the Hampton Coliseum mats.

Following are the results of SDSU's previous matches at the Virginia Duals:

2004-05 Season (3-0)
• vs. Duquesne (W, 29-12); vs. Millersville (W, 21-19); vs. Davidson (W, 31-15)
2005-06 Season (2-2)
• vs. Delaware State (W, 44-0); vs. Duquesne (L, 15-28); vs. Franklin & Marshall (L, 18-23); vs. Anderson (S.C.) (W, 22-18)
2006-07 Season (3-0)
• vs. Roger Williams (W, 30-9); vs. Newport News Apprentice (W, 31-7); vs. Anderson (S.C.) (W, 49-6)
2021-22 Season (2-0)
• vs. Chattanooga (W, 35-10); vs. Maryland (W, 26-10)
2022-23 Season (4-0)
• vs. Navy (W, 31-6); vs. Kent State (W, 38-9); vs. Campbell (W, 39-3); vs. Ohio (W, 42-3)

LAST TIME OUT: South Dakota State and Michigan each won five matches, but the Jackrabbits notched four bonus-point victories to carry them to a 22-17 dual victory in a battle between top-15 teams Jan. 4 before a crowd of 2,740 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

The 15th-ranked Jackrabbits improved to 4-2 overall in picking up their second win over a top-10 team in the last three seasons. Sixth-ranked Michigan dropped to 2-1 in duals.

SDSU never trailed, getting out of the gates quickly by building a 9-0 lead through the first two bouts against a pair of Wolverine backups. Tanner Jordan posted a methodical 5-3 victory over Christian Tanefeu at 125 pounds, recording the match-winning takedown midway through the third period.

Derrick Cardinal, ranked 15th at 133 pounds, followed with what would be the only pin of the night by either squad, sticking Nolan Wertanen's shoulders to the mat in 6 minutes and 39 seconds. Cardinal was already on track for bonus points by holding an 11-2 lead before his final takedown that led to his third win by fall of the season.

In the first matchup of the night between ranked wrestlers, 30th-ranked Sergio Lemley of Michigan knocked off 14th-ranked and returning 141-pound All-American Clay Carlson, 6-4. Carlson, who returned to the lineup last week after sitting out the first two months of the season due to injury, held a 4-2 lead early in the third period before being penalized for stalling and giving up the decisive takedown down the stretch.

Michigan claimed another matched between ranked wrestlers in the 149-pound matchup as No. 7 Austin Gomez turned in a 10-4 decision over 18th-ranked Alek Martin.

Cael Swensen closed the first half of the dual with another bonus-point victory, earning a 13-2 major decision at 157 pounds against Zack Mattin. Swensen built an 8-1 lead through one period, picking up a takedown and two-point near-fall in the closing seconds of the opening stanza to cruise to the victory.

The Wolverines pulled to within a single point at 13-12 by opening the second half of the with a pair of decisions. Freshman 165-pounder Beau Mantanona edged SDSU's Tanner Cook, 4-2, while the 174-pound matchup between No. 3 Cade DeVos of the Jackrabbits and fifth-ranked Shane Griffith wasn't decided until overtime.

After a scoreless opening period, Griffith and DeVos traded escapes in the second and third period, respectively, for the only scoring in regulation. In the extra session, Griffith came up with the lone takedown to come away with the 4-1 sudden victory, handing DeVos his first loss of the season (9-1).

The 184-pound bout between No. 11 Jaden Bullock of Michigan and SDSU's Bennett Berge proved to be the swing match of the night. The 26th-ranked Berge was the aggressor early, posting a pair of first-period takedowns for a 6-1 lead. Berge maintained the pressure for the full seven minutes, adding takedowns in each of the final two periods to tally a 14-5 major decision.

Fifth-ranked Tanner Sloan sealed the dual victory for the Jackrabbits with another dominating performance, needing only 3 minutes and 18 seconds to record a 17-1 technical fall over Brendin Yatooma. Sloan followed each of his two first-period takedowns with a four-point near-fall, then ended the match early with another takedown 18 seconds into the second period.

Michigan heavyweight Lucas Davison, ranked fourth, closed the dual with a technical fall of his own over the Jackrabbits' Luke Rasmussen.

SDSU's previous win over a top-10 foe was a 21-12 victory at No. 9 Missouri during the 2021-22 season.

TEAM, JORDAN HONORED: South Dakota State was recognized earlier this week as the NCAA Wrestling Team of the Week following its victory over Michigan.

Individually, 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.

RABBITS RANKED: South Dakota State climbed to its highest-ever ranking in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, moving up four spots to No. 11 following its 22-17 dual victory over then-No. 6 Michigan on Jan. 4.

The Jackrabbits began the 2023-24 season with their 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. That matched SDSU's previous high-water mark as the Jackrabbits were ranked 12th for five weeks during the 2017-18 season.

SDSU was one of six Big 12 Conference teams to be ranked in the preseason 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.

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.

In other team rankings, SDSU is 11th in this week's dual rankings by InterMat and 16th and 18th, respectively, in team tournament surveys conducted by InterMat and FloWrestling.

Individually, all 10 Jackrabbit starters are ranked in either the most recent InterMat or FloWrestling rankings for the second week in a row — marking the first time in the Division I era (since start of 2004-05 season) that SDSU has reached that benchmark. Both 149-pounder Alek Martin and heavyweight Luke Rasmussen joined the group of ranked following strong showings at the Soldier Salute to close out the 2023 calendar year.

Highlighting the rankings is senior Cade DeVos, who is ranked fourth by FloWrestling and fifth by InterMat. DeVos, who won the 174-pound title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to open the month, is 9-1 on the season.

Bennett Berge was the big mover in the individual rankings this week, vaulting 15 spots in the FloWrestling 184-pound rankings and 12 places in the InterMat rankings to No. 13 and 14, respectively, following his Jan. 4 victory over then-No. 11 Jaden Bullock of Michigan.

Following is the list of Jackrabbits in the most recent individual rankings:

125: Tanner Jordan (17th by FloWrestling/17th by InterMat)
133: Derrick Cardinal (15th by FloWrestling/17th by FloWrestling)
141: Clay Carlson (14th by InterMat/23rd by FloWrestling)
149: Alek Martin (18th by InterMat)
157: Cael Swensen (16th by InterMat/17th by FloWrestling)
165: Tanner Cook (27th by FloWrestling/33rd by InterMat)
174: Cade DeVos (3rd by FloWrestling/4th by InterMat)
184: Bennett Berge (26th by InterMat/28th by FloWrestling)
197: Tanner Sloan (5th by FloWrestling/6th by InterMat)
285: Luke Rasmussen (33rd by InterMat)

CARLSON, SLOAN SELECTED FOR ALL-STAR CLASSIC: Returning All-Americans Clay Carlson and Tanner Sloan were selected to represent the South Dakota State University wrestling team at the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic, presented by Cliff Keen, Nov. 21 in State College, Pennsylvania.

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 is 2-3 in limited action this season, now holds a career record of 103-44. He has moved into 12th place on the SDSU career victories charts, passing both Mike Engels (101-14-1 record from 1971-74) and Tyler Jones (102-17 record from 1999-2003).

Two other Jackrabbits could join the 100-victory club this season: senior 197-pounder Tanner Sloan has compiled a 95-21 career record, while Cade DeVos enters the week with a 79-30 career mark. Sloan's career totals include a 53-4 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 were 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 49-32 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 are scheduled to open the Big 12 Conference portion of their dual season with a weekend homestand at Frost Arena. SDSU is slated to face Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. on Jan. 19, followed by a 2 p.m. matinee Jan. 21 versus California Baptist.

-GoJacks.com-