TWO DUALS AWAIT JACKS IN OKLAHOMA

Friday, February 9

Norman, Okla.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oklahoma

Photo by: Keith Lucas | Sideline Media Productions

2/7/2024 10:30:00 PM | Wrestling

#12 South Dakota State (11-2, 5-0 Big 12) at Oklahoma/Oklahoma State

When	• at #23 Oklahoma (5-5, 2-4 Big 12 \| 7 p.m. Friday • at #2 Oklahoma State (12-0, 6-0 Big 12) \| 6 p.m. Saturday
Where	Friday: at McCasland Field House; Norman, Oklahoma Saturday: at Gallagher-Iba Arena; Stillwater, Oklahoma
TV	ESPN+ ($) Dual at Oklahoma \| Dual at Oklahoma State
Live Results	Dual at Oklahoma \| Dual at Oklahoma State
Notes	SDSU \| Oklahoma \| Oklahoma State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

The South Dakota State wrestling team closes out the road portion of its regular season schedule with duals at a pair of ranked opponents in the Sooner State.

The 12th-ranked Jackrabbits, 11-2 overall and 5-0 versus Big 12 foes, open their trip Friday night with a matchup at No. 23 Oklahoma. Start time is slated for 7 p.m. at McCasland Field House in Norman, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma, under the direction of first-year coach and former North Dakota State mentor Roger Kish, enter the week with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-4 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents. The Sooners haven't wrestled since dropping a 30-12 home decision to Northern Iowa on Jan. 27.

The scene shifts to Stillwater and Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday for a matchup against second-ranked Oklahoma State. Action is set for 6 p.m.

OSU is one of two unbeaten teams remaining in Division I, compiling a 12-0 overall dual record, including a 6-0 ledger versus Big 12 foes. The Cowboys ascended to the second spot in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll after defeating both Arizona State (28-9) and then-No. 5 Missouri (24-10) last weekend.

SDSU, meanwhile, ran its winning streak to eight and stayed unbeaten in the Big 12 with identical 33-3 road victories at Wyoming and Utah Valley last week.

Both of this weekend's duals will be available for viewing through the ESPN+ streaming platform (subscription required).

PROBABLE STARTERS: Following is the list of projected starters for the Jackrabbits in this weekend's duals at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
125:     #13 Tanner Jordan • Sr., St. Paris, Ohio (19-5 overall, 10-2 in duals)
133:     #16 Derrick Cardinal • So., Forest Lake, Minn. (18-4 overall, 9-1 in duals)
or        Logan Graf • R-Fr., Custer, S.D. (5-0 overall, 2-0 in duals)
141:     #22 Clay Carlson • Sr., Willmar, Minn. (8-4 overall, 4-2 in duals)
or        Caleb Gross • Sr., Pound, Wis. (9-9 overall, 3-4 in duals)
149:     #18 Alek Martin • So., St. Paris, Ohio (15-6 overall, 8-3 in duals)
157:     #16 Cael Swensen • So., Plymouth, Minn. (15-5 overall, 10-2 in duals)
165:     Tanner Cook • Sr., Ilion, N.Y. (6-8 overall, 3-7 in duals)
or        Connor Gaynor • So., Mokena, Ill. (1-6 overall, 1-2 in duals)
174:     #4 Cade DeVos • Sr., Altoona, Iowa (16-1 overall, 11-1 in duals)
184:     #9 Bennett Berge • R-Fr., Mantorville, Minn. (12-2 overall, 8-1 in duals)
197:     #5 Tanner Sloan • Sr., Alburnett, Iowa (15-1 overall, 10-0 in duals)
285:     Luke Rasmussen • R-Fr., Brookings, S.D. (14-8 overall, 6-5 in duals)
            Notes: Rankings listed are highest of either Intermat or FloWrestling rankings as of Feb. 6, 2024

SERIES vs. OKLAHOMA: The series against Oklahoma dates back to the 1969-70 season, when the Sooners recorded a 31-2 victory.

The two squads wouldn't meet again until South Dakota State joined the Big 12 as an affiliate member at the start of the 2015-16 season. The Jackrabbits and Sooners have met each season since, with OU holding a 6-3 series advantage.

Oklahoma was won each of the last three matchups, including an 18-13 victory at Frost Arena on Feb. 12, 2023. A four-match winning streak by the Sooners in the middle of the dual, including three over higher-ranked opponents, proved to be the difference.

Oklahoma 18, #16 South Dakota State 13 (Feb. 12, 2023 • Frost Arena)
125: #25 Tanner Jordan (SDSU) dec. #19 Joey Prata (OU), 4-2 [SV-1]
133: #27 Wyatt Henson (OU) dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 8-2
141: #7 Mosha Schwartz (OU) dec. #10 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-2
149: Alek Martin (SDSU) dec. John Wiley (OU), 3-2
157: Jacob Butler (OU) dec. Caleb Gross (SDSU), 9-2
165: #16 Gerrit Nijenhuis (OU) dec. #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU), 8-5
174: #23 Tate Picklo (OU) dec. #13 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 8-5
184: Keegan Moore (OU) dec. #17 Cade King (SDSU), 10-6
197: #9 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Carson Berryhill (OU), 13-4
285: #12 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) dec. #14 Josh Heindselman (OU), 3-1 [SV-1]

SERIES vs. OKLAHOMA STATE: The Jackrabbits are in search of their first-ever dual win against Oklahoma State as the Cowboys have won all seven meetings since the series began with a 25-9 victory during the 2014-15 season.

Oklahoma State claimed a 19-12 victory on the Jackrabbits' home mat last season. Nine of the 10 matchups resulted in decisions, with the Cowboys claiming one victory by major decision. The loss snapped SDSU's 10-match dual winning streak.

SDSU won four of the seven bouts between ranked wrestlers, with Clay Carlson (141), Cade DeVos (174), Tanner Sloan (197) and A.J. Nevills (285) coming out on top.

#7 Oklahoma State 19, #16 South Dakota State 12 (Feb. 10, 2023 • Frost Arena)
125: Reece Witcraft (OSU) dec. #25 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 9-5
133: #2 Daton Fix (OSU) major dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 11-1
141: #10 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. #13 Carter Young (OSU), 4-3
149: #21 Victor Voinovich (OSU) dec. Alek Martin (SDSU), 3-1
157: #10 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. #18 Cael Swensen (SDSU), 8-1
165: #22 Wyatt Sheets (OSU) dec. #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU), 8-6
174: #13 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. #7 Dustin Plott (OSU), 9-5
184: #10 Travis Wittlake (OSU) dec. #17 Cade King (SDSU), 3-0
197: #9 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) dec. #16 Luke Surber (OSU), 7-0
285: #12 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) dec. #19 Konner Doucet (OSU), 4-3 [TB-1]

LAST WEEK: South Dakota State began a string of four consecutive road duals with victories at Wyoming and Utah Valley.

South Dakota State 33, Wyoming 3
Tanner Sloan claimed his 100th career victory, but it was an upset win by Tanner Jordan in the 125-pound matchup that set the tone for South Dakota State in a 33-3 wrestling dual victory over Wyoming Feb. at the Uniwyo Sports Complex in Laramie, Wyoming.

The 11th-ranked Jackrabbits recorded their seventh consecutive victory to improve to 10-2 overall and 4-0 against Big 12 opponents. Wyoming dropped to 6-6 overall and 4-4 in league duals.

Jordan, who entered the dual ranked 18th, was matched up against fourth-ranked Jore Volk. The two wrestlers were scoreless through one period before Volk scored on an escape seconds into the second stanza. In the third period, Jordan scrambled his way to a reversal coming down the stretch and rode out the clock for a 2-1 decision.

Derrick Cardinal, ranked 17th at 133 pounds, marked his return to the lineup after a two-week absence with a 5-3 decision over Cooper Birdwell to give SDSU an early 6-0 lead.

The Cowboys picked up what would be their only victory of the night in the 141-pound bout. Cole Brooks, ranked 31st, downed Jackrabbit backup Caleb Gross, 9-4.

The rest of the dual was all Jackrabbits, who strung together seven consecutive victories to close out the night. The SDSU avalanche began with Alek Martin winning another matchup against a higher-ranked opponent. The 21st-ranked Martin led No. 14 Gabe Willochell 4-2 after one period and took control with a four-point near-fall in the second period before sealing a 12-2 major decision with a reversal and additional points via a stalling penalty and a riding-time advantage of more than a minute.

Cael Swensen ran his personal winning streak to seven matches with a 7-2 decision over Sloan Swan in the 157-pound matchup and Tanner Cook ended a losing skid with a 4-1 sudden victory versus Cooper Voorhees at 165 pounds to push the Jackrabbit lead to 16-3.

Fourth-ranked Cade DeVos started a run of three consecutive bonus-point victories with a 15-3 major decision over Quayin Short at 174 pounds, followed by a 12-2 major by ninth-ranked Bennett Berge versus Ethan Ducca.

That brought Sloan to center stage in his pursuit to become the 16th Jackrabbit wrestler to reach the century mark for career victories. The NCAA runner-up at 197 pounds a year ago and a senior from Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan wasted little time in his meeting with Tyce Raddon. After scoring on a takedown about a minute into the match, Sloan locked Raddon in a cradle and put his shoulders to the mat for a pin in 83 seconds.

With his 14th victory of the season, Sloan upped his career mark to 100-21.

Redshirt freshman heavyweight Luke Rasmussen wrapped up the Jackrabbits' third dual win in a row over Wyoming with an 8-4 decision.

South Dakota State 33, Utah Valley 3
South Dakota State stayed unbeaten against Big 12 opponents and ran its overall winning streak to eight with a 33-3 dual victory over Utah Valley Saturday night at Lockhart Arena.

SDSU upped its season record to 11-2, including a 5-0 mark against Big 12 Conference foes. UVU fell to 2-4 overall and 1-4 versus league opponents.

Decisions by 18th-ranked Tanner Jordan at 125 pounds and No. 17 Derrick Cardinal in the 133-pound bout gave SDSU an early 6-0 lead. Jordan shut out Yusief Lillie, 5-0, while Cardinal scored the final eight points in an 8-3 victory over Kase Mauger.

Haiden Drury came up with the only victory of the night for Utah Valley, downing Jackrabbit backup Caleb Gross by a 2-0 score in the 141-pound matchup.

Just as it did Thursday night in a victory by the same score at Wyoming, SDSU closed the dual with seven consecutive victories. Alek Martin, ranked 21st at 149 pounds, ran his personal winning streak to seven matches with a 7-3 decision over Isaiah Delgado, while No. 15 Cael Swensen put the Jackrabbits out front 12-3 on the team board with a 5-1 decision versus Alex Emmer.

The next three bouts all resulted in bonus points for the Jackrabbits, starting with a pin by Tanner Cook in a mere 16 seconds versus Tanner Lofthouse in the 165-pound matchup. Fourth-ranked Cade DeVos followed with an 18-2 technical fall midway through his 174-pound matchup with Caleb Uhlenhopp, with No. 9 Bennett Berge tallying a 14-4 major decision versus Mahonri Rushton at 184 pounds.

Fifth-ranked Tanner Sloan remained undefeated in duals this season by blanking No. 17 Evan Bockman, 5-0, and redshirt freshman heavyweight Luke Rasmussen held off Chase Trussell, 4-2.

SDSU wrestlers also notched two victories in extra matches following the dual. Connor Gaynor won by fall in a 165-pound matchup, while redshirt freshman Logan Graf remained unbeaten with a win by decision.

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 Jan. 16, checking in at No. 10 in the rankings conducted by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Despite winning eight duals in a row, the Jackrabbits have since dropped a couple spots to No. 12.

The Jackrabbits began the 2023-24 season with their highest preseason ranking ever in the NWCA poll with a 12th-place 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 12th in this week's dual rankings by InterMat and 14th in team tournament surveys conducted by InterMat and FloWrestling.

Individually, all 10 Jackrabbit starters appeared in the first NCAA coaches' rankings of the season, which were released Jan. 22.

The coaches' rankings are determined by 14 coaches in each weight class, with two head coaches from each of the seven Division I wrestling conferences making up the voting panel. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.

Cade DeVos leads the Jackrabbit contingent with a third-place showing in the 174-pound coaches' rankings. A senior from Altoona, Iowa, and a three-time NCAA qualifier, DeVos has compiled a 16-1 record so far this season.

Also posting a top-five ranking is returning All-American Tanner Sloan in the 197-pound weight class. With a No. 5 ranking, the senior from Alburnett, Iowa, enters the week with a 15-1 record thus far during the 2023-24 campaign. Seven of Sloan's victories this season have been by technical fall.

Five Jackrabbit wrestlers are ranked between 12th and 19th in their respective weight classes:

Derrick Cardinal, 12th at 133 pounds (18-4 record);
Bennett Berge, 12th at 184 pounds (12-2 record);
Tanner Jordan, 14th at 125 pounds (19-5 record);
Cael Swensen, 15th at 157 pounds (15-5 record);
Alek Martin, 19th at 149 pounds (15-6 record).

Jordan and Swensen also were among the Jackrabbits' school-record eight NCAA qualifiers last season.

Completing the rankings for the Jackrabbits were two-time All-American Clay Carlson (27th at 141 pounds), Luke Rasmussen (27th at heavyweight) and Tanner Cook (33rd at 165 pounds). Carlson recently returned to the lineup and is 8-4 on the season, while Rasmussen has turned in a 14-8 mark in his first season as a starter. Cook has posted a 6-8 mark thus far during the 2023-24 campaign.

The next coaches' rankings are slated to be released Feb. 19.

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: For only the second time in program history, the South Dakota State wrestling program has two 100-win wrestlers in the lineup at the same time.

Tanner Sloan became the latest Jackrabbit wrestler to reach the milestone, recording career win No. 100 with a pin of Wyoming's Tyce Raddon in a Feb. 1 dual in Laramie, Wyoming. The 16th in program history to reach the century mark, Sloan added another dual victory two days later and now holds a 101-21 career record, tying him with Mike Engels (101-14-1 record from 1971-74) for 14th place on SDSU's all-time wins chart.

Sloan's totals while wrestling exclusively at 197 pounds throughout his Jackrabbit career include a 59-4 mark in duals, featuring a current 35-match winning streak that dates bacy to early in the 2021-22 season.

Previously, Clay Carlson 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 8-4 this season after missing the first two months due to injury, now holds a career record of 109-45. He has moved into a tie for eighth place on the SDSU career victories list with Chad Wickman (109-36 record from 1996-99). Wickman was part of the other previous 100-win tandem for the Jackrabbits, teaming with Ryan Resel, who compiled a 121-17 record en route to a pair of NCAA Division II national titles in the heavyweight division.

Senior Cade DeVos also could make a run to the 100-win mark this season as he enters the week with an 86-30 career mark. DeVos is 16-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming to former national champion Shane Griffith of Michigan (formerly of Stanford) in a Jan. 4 dual. DeVos opened the season with nine consecutive victories that included winning the 174-pound title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December.

JANUARYS TO REMEMBER: The Jackrabbit wrestling team has found its stride in dual competition during the month of January each of the last three seasons, combining for a 23-1 record over that span.

SDSU's 32-9 victory over Air Force on last week marked the 17th win in a row for the Jackrabbits in a dual contested during the month of January. Overall, compiled a 10-0 record in January 2023, followed by ringing in 2024 with six straight wins. The Jacks won their final dual of January in 2022 after their lone recent January loss — a 21-17 setback at the hands of Central Michigan.

TEAM, JORDAN HONORED: South Dakota State was recognized last 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.

10-WIN SEASONS: With its 33-3 victory at Wyoming on Feb. 1, South Dakota State posted its third consecutive 10-win season under head coach Damion Hahn.

The Jackrabbits have reached double figures in dual victories nine times in the Division I era (since 2004-05), including eight of the last 10 seasons. The most dual wins by a Jackrabbit squad in the D-I era is 14, which was accomplished in three consecutive seasons (2015-16 through 2017-18), while the overall record is 17 (17-5) during the 1972-73 campaign, which was Warren Williamson's final season as head coach.

NEW STANDARD: The Jackrabbits recorded their highest point total and largest margin of victory ever against a Division I opponent by blanking Kent State, 50-0, in dual action Jan. 12 at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Virginia.

The Jackrabbits tallied five wins by technical fall and three more via pin.

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its ninth season as an affiliate member of the Big 12 Conference for wrestling, South Dakota State has proven to be a contender 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 48-22 record (.686 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.

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.

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 56-32 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 return home to host Missouri in a Big 12 dual on Sunday, Feb. 18. Start time is slated for 2 p.m. at Frost Arena.

-GoJacks.com-