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Wrestling
at Bison Open
South Dakota State University Athletics
Friday, January 19
Brookings, S.D.
7 p.m.
South Dakota State University
vs
Northern Colorado
Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia
JACKS WELCOME BIG 12 FOES TO FROST ARENA
1/18/2024 11:49:00 AM | Wrestling
#10 South Dakota State (6-2, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Northern Colorado and California Baptist
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The South Dakota State wrestling team takes to the mat for the first time as a top-10 program and kicks off the Big 12 Conference portion of its dual season by hosting a pair of league foes this weekend at Frost Arena.
The 10th-ranked Jackrabbits, 6-2 overall, open the weekend with a Friday night dual against Northern Colorado. Start time is set for 7 p.m. against a Bears squad that moved to 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 after splitting two duals last weekend in California. UNC dropped a 23-14 nonconference decision at Cal Poly on Jan. 12, followed by a 20-12 league victory at California Baptist the next day.
The first 300 fans attending Friday's dual will receive a free foam finger.
Sunday, SDSU will welcome California Baptist to Frost Arena for the first time for a 2 p.m. matinee on Military Appreciation Day. The Lancers, who joined the Big 12 last season, enter the week with a 3-6 overall record and an 0-3 mark in conference matchups heading into a dual Saturday at North Dakota State.
Active duty and former military personnel can claim up to four tickets for Sunday's dual when Frost Arena gates open at 1 p.m. Proper identification is required for complimentary tickets to be issued.
Both of the Jackrabbits' duals this weekend will be available for viewing through the FloWrestling.org subscription service.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Following is the probable Jackrabbit lineup for this weekend's duals against Northern Colorado and California Baptist:
125: #17 Tanner Jordan • Sr., St. Paris, Ohio (15-4 overall, 6-1 in duals)
133: #16 Derrick Cardinal • So., Forest Lake, Minn. (16-3 overall, 7-0 in duals)
141: #25 Clay Carlson • Sr., Willmar, Minn. (5-4 overall, 1-2 in duals)
or Caleb Gross • Sr., Pound, Wis. (9-6 overall,3-2 in duals)
149: #20 Alek Martin • So., St. Paris, Ohio (10-6 overall, 3-3 in duals)
or Daniel Kimball • Sr., Buckingham, Iowa (14-4 overall, 1-0 in duals)
157: #15 Cael Swensen • So., Plymouth, Minn. (10-5 overall, 5-2 in duals)
165: #26 Tanner Cook • Sr., Ilion, N.Y. (4-5 overall, 1-4 in duals)
174: #4 Cade DeVos • Sr., Altoona, Iowa (11-1 overall, 6-1 in duals)
184: #13 Bennett Berge • R-Fr., Mantorville, Minn. (7-2 overall, 3-1 in duals)
197: #5 Tanner Sloan • Sr., Alburnett, Iowa (10-1 overall, 5-0 in duals)
285: #31 Luke Rasmussen • R-Fr., Brookings, S.D. (11-6 overall, 3-3 in duals)
or Bowen McConville • Sr., Renton, Wash. (8-5 overall, 1-0 in duals)
Notes: Rankings listed are highest of either Intermat or FloWrestling rankings as of Jan. 12, 2024
THE SERIES: South Dakota State and Northern Colorado have been members of the same wrestling conference for the better part of 40 years. The history between the two programs dates back to when both programs competed at the NCAA Division II level as members of the North Central Conference, followed by membership in the Western Wrestling Conference and Big 12 Conference at the Division I level.
In 38 dual meetings since the time the two programs first met during the 1972-73 season, the Jackrabbits hold a 26-12 series advantage. The series has been filled with streaks; SDSU won the first 10 meetings and seven in a row from 1997-2003, before UNC ushered in the current Division I era with eight consecutive wins from 2005-12.
The Jackrabbits have regained the upper hand in the series by winning the last seven meetings, including a 23-13 victory in Greeley, Colorado, on Jan. 27, 2023. UNC led 13-0 through three matches before SDSU claimed the final seven bouts to earn the win.
#18 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 23, NORTHERN COLORADO 13 (Jan. 27, 2023 • Greeley, Colo.)
125: #16 Stevo Poulin (UNC) dec. #30 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 9-2
133: Jace Koelzer (UNC) dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 6-4 [SV-1]
141: #1 Andrew Alirez (UNC) dec. #10 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 10-3
149: Chris Sandoval (UNC) major dec. Alek Martin (SDSU), 10-2
157: #19 Cael Swensen (SDSU) dec. #31 Vinny Zerban (UNC), 4-2
165: #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Baylor Fernandes (UNC), by default 1:38
174: #15 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. #30 Andrew Berreyesa (UNC), 2-1
184: #17 Cade King (SDSU) dec. Branson Britten (UNC), 5-2
197: #11 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Xavier Vasquez (UNC), by fall 2:00
285: #13 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) dec. Xavier Doolin (UNC), 8-4
Note: SDSU deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct
vs. California Baptist
Sunday's dual between South Dakota State and California Baptist will mark only the second time the two squads have met. The Jackrabbits recorded a 44-0 shutout in the initial matchup on Jan. 7, 2023, in Riverside, California.
#19 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 44, CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 0 (Jan. 7, 2023, at Riverside, Calif.)
125: #30 Tanner Jordan (SDSU) dec. Elijah Griffin (CBU), 5-3
133: Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) dec. Hunter Leake (CBU), 2-1
141: #11 Clay Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Christian Nunez (CBU), 18-3 [4:20]
149: Alek Martin (SDSU) tech. fall Chaz Hallmark (CBU), 20-3 [7:00]
157: #19 Cael Swensen (SDSU) tech. fall Joseph Mora (CBU), 17-1 [4:56]
165: #13 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Frank Almaguer (CBU), by fall 2:27
174: #16 Cade DeVos (SDSU) major dec. Louis Rojas (CBU), 18-5
184: #16 Cade King (SDSU) dec. Peter Acciardi (CBU), 4-0
197: #12 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Caden Gerlach (CBU), 10-1
285: #14 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) def. Chris Island (CBU), by fall 2:57
LAST WEEK: South Dakota State wrestlers scored early and often, putting together a pair of dominating performances Jan. 12 at the Virginia Duals held at the Hampton Coliseum.
In improving to 6-2 in duals this season, the 11th-ranked Jackrabbits opened the day with a 50-0 whitewashing of Kent State, followed by a 30-13 victory over No. 16 Navy. SDSU combined for 14 bonus-point victories in the two duals.
No. 11 South Dakota State 50, Kent State 0
The Jackrabbits tallied five wins by technical fall and three more via pin to post their most points and largest margin of victory ever against a Division I opponent.
Tanner Jordan and Derrick Cardinal set the early tone for SDSU with back-to-back technical falls to open the dual. Jordan, ranked 17th at 125 pounds, blanked Adan Benavidez, 17-0, while the 15th-ranked Cardinal posted a 24-8 victory over Pablo Castro.
After Clay Carlson recorded the lone win by decision for the Jackrabbits in the 141-pound matchup, Alek Martin claimed a 16-4 major decision over Matt Ryan at 149 pounds and Cael Swensen closed the first half of the dual with a 17-2 technical fall against Keegan Knapp.
Tanner Cook, ranked 26th at 165 pounds, started the second half of the dual with the first of three pins by SDSU wrestlers, needing only 44 seconds to stick Aaron Ferguson's shoulders to the mat.
Fourth-ranked Cade DeVos (174 pounds) and No. 13 Bennett Berge (184) each won by technical fall, while 197-pound backup Thomas Dineen and heavyweight Luke Rasmussen both won by fall.
No. 11 South Dakota State 30, No. 16 Navy 13
In the second dual of the day, SDSU again built a big early advantage and cruised past Navy.
Jordan and Cardinal continued their 1-2 punch in the lower weights with Jordan winning by fall in the second period against Hayden Benter and Cardinal turning in a 14-1 major decision against Garrett Totten.
The Jackrabbits suffered their first loss of the day when 12th-ranked Josh Koderhandt tallied a 3-1 decision over 22nd-ranked Clay Carlson in a 141-pound matchup that did not feature a takedown. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods before Carlson was penalized twice for stalling in the final 20 seconds to give Koderhandt the upper hand.
The Midshipmen and SDSU would split the other four matches between ranked wrestlers. Navy's Andrew Cerniglia, ranked 21st, claimed a 10-2 major decision over Cook at 165 pounds and No. 16 Grady Greiss pinned the Jackrabbits' Rasmussen in the heavyweight matchup to wrap up the dual.
SDSU's wins in ranked matchups were turned in DeVos at 174 pounds and Berge in the 184-pound division. DeVos shut out 26th-ranked Daniel Wask, 5-0, while Berge came up with a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to outlast 33rd-ranked David Key, 9-6.
Adding bonus-point victories for the Jackrabbits were Martin (major decision at 149 pounds), Swensen (technical fall at 157 pounds) and fifth-ranked Tanner Sloan (technical fall at 197 pounds).
TEAM, JORDAN HONORED: South Dakota State was recognized earlier this month as the NCAA Wrestling Team of the Week following its Jan. 4 dual 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 has been climbing the rankings during the new calendar year, reaching its first-ever top-10 ranking in a Division I team poll this week, checking in at No. 10 in the rankings conducted by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Jackrabbits moved up one spot following convincing victories over Kent State (50-0) and Navy (30-13) last weekend at the Virginia Duals.
The Jackrabbits began the 2023-24 season with their highest preseason ranking ever in the NWCA poll with a 12th-placed showing in the initial 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.
In other team rankings, SDSU is 11th in this week's dual rankings by InterMat and 15th 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 third week in a row — marking the frist 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 wrestlers 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 in December, is 11-1 on the season.
Bennett Berge has been the big mover in the individual rankings recently, 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/18th by InterMat)
- 133: Derrick Cardinal (16th by FloWrestling/16th by FloWrestling)
- 141: Clay Carlson (25th by FloWrestling/26th by InterMat)
- 149: Alek Martin (20th by InterMat)
- 157: Cael Swensen (15th by InterMat/18th by FloWrestling)
- 165: Tanner Cook (26th by FloWrestling)
- 174: Cade DeVos (4th by FloWrestling/5th by InterMat)
- 184: Bennett Berge (13th by FloWrestling/14th by FloWrestling)
- 197: Tanner Sloan (5th by FloWrestling/6th by InterMat)
- 285: Luke Rasmussen (31st 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 is 5-4 in limited action this season, now holds a career record of 106-45. He has moved into a tie for 11th place on the SDSU career victories list with Travis King, who compiled a 106-26-4 record from 1995-98.
Two other Jackrabbits could join the 100-victory club this season: senior 197-pounder Tanner Sloan has compiled a 96-21 career record, while Cade DeVos enters the week with an 81-30 career mark. Sloan's career totals include a 54-4 mark in duals, featuring a current 30-match winning streak that dates back to early in the 2021-22 season.
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 51-32 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 close out a three-match homestand with a Jan. 26 dual against Air Force. Start time is set for 7 p.m. at Frost Arena.
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