College News - Busy week for Mavericks highlighed by four Petsinger pins

Busy week for Mavericks highlighed by four Petsinger pins

Sun, 11 Feb 2001

Last Week: The Minnesota State University, Mankato wrestling team (11-6-1, 3-2-1 NCC) had a busy week in concluding its North Central Conference regular season with a 31-9 victory at St. Cloud State before heading to the West Coast for four duals against teams from California.

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the Mavericks defeated the Huskies 31-9 as MSU won eight of the ten individual matches. Junior Hannon Hisek (Tyndall, S.D.) pinned Joe Sathre in 4:46 at 141 pounds while junior Lester Berrios (Miami, Fla.) picked up a 12-3 major decision over Steve Weber at 125.

The Mavericks faced two Division I teams on Friday, Feb. 9, falling to Stanford 24-9 and to Cal Poly 23-21. Against the Cardinal, senior Matt Petsinger (Ellendale, Minn.) picked up a pin in 1:11 over Isaiah Camp at 157, and junior Matt Gadient (Goodhue, Minn.) had the other win by a MSU grappler, a 6-1 decision over John Garfinkle at 165. Petsinger pinned his second opponent of the evening in Cal Poly's Josh Blagg in just 25 seconds.

On Saturday, Feb. 10, MSU disposed of San Francisco State, the 18th ranked team in Division II, 32-9 and Division I California Davis 22-19. Petsinger's third pin of the week, this time over SFSU's Michael Cordsen preceded major decisions by Gadient, 10-2 over Danny Stevens, and freshman Aaron Pyfferoen (Byron, Minn.), 8-0 over Steve Cooper, in highlights from the dual against San Francisco State. Petsinger would collect his fourth consecutive pin, this time over UCD's Burt Pierson, and Berrios earned a 11-3 major decision over Tommy Schurkamp to give the Mavericks their first victory over a Division I team this season.

What's Next: The Mavericks will conclude their regular season with duals at Southwest State on Thursday, Feb. 15, and at Minnesota State-Moorhead on Saturday, Feb. 17. The dual against the Mustangs will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Marshall, Minn., while the dual against the Dragons will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn.

Coach Makovsky: Jim Makovsky is in his eighth season as head coach of the Minnesota State wrestling team. The Mavericks are 98-42-1 (.699) in dual meets under Makovsky, and he has a career record of 122-62-1 (.662). Makovsky is a 1989 graduate of Valley City State University where he served as head wrestling coach for four years prior to his arrival at Minnesota State. Makovsky led his alma mater to a 25-19-2 dual meet record during his tenure at VCSU. Makovsky has coached a total of 26 All-Americans, including three last season, and has served as a mentor to six national champions in his career.

Mavericks In National Rankings: In the Division II national rankings, three Maverick wrestlers are ranked nationally in their respective weight classes. Both senior Matt Petsinger (Ellendale, Minn.) and junior Matt Gadient (Goodhue, Minn.) are ranked first at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, and sophomore Adam Kramer (New Hampton, Iowa) is ranked sixth at 133 pounds. As a team, MSU is ranked seventh, their highest ranking of the season.

The Wedding Singer: One of the most impressive wrestlers in MSU history is senior Matt Petsinger (Ellendale, Minn.), who is serving as a team captain for the Mavericks for the second consecutive season.

A three-time All-American, Petsinger is one of only 14 Maverick wrestlers to achieve the feat, and is looking to become just the fifth MSU grappler to achieve All-American status four times this season. Twice last season, Petsinger was named NCC Wrestler of the Week.

Petsinger, who competes at the 157 pound weight class, owns a 34-3 mark this season with 22 victories coming by fall. He became the fourth wrestler in school history to reach the 100-victory plateau on Jan. 13 against Nebraska-Omaha, and have moved into third place on the school all-time victory list with his career mark of 111-26.

At the Upper Iowa Open, he claimed first place in his weight class for the second consecutive open meet. He has finished in the top three spots in all four open meets he has participated in this season.

Besides his accolades on the wrestling mat, Petsinger is a stellar performer in the classroom as well. Last year, he was a member of the NCAA all-academic first team for the second consecutive season.

Wrestling Matt: Junior Matt Gadient (Goodhue, Minn.) is one of two All-Americans returning to the Maverick squad in 2000-01. Last year, Gadient finished fifth at the NCAA Division II Championships.

This season, Gadient has amassed a 27-6 record at the 165 pound weight class. His 27 victories are the second most for any Maverick grappler this season. At the Marquette Open, Gadient claimed first place for the first time this season, and followed that up with a first place finish at the Upper Iowa Open.

Earlier this season, Gadient surpassed the half-century mark during his career at MSU. He currently owns a 66-16 record during his three years with the Mavericks.

Cosmo Kramer: Sophomore Adam Kramer (New Hampton, Iowa) has racked up a 17-8 record at the 133 pound weight class for the Mavericks this season. At the opening meet of the season, Kramer took first place at the Golden Eagle Open in Eau Claire, Wis., and claimed his second top finish at the Marquette Open.

In 1999-2000, Kramer qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships at 125 pounds. He posted a 23-12 record in his inaugural campaign at MSU.

Blue Berri: One of the most impressive newcomers to the MSU wrestling program in 2000-01 has been junior Lester Berrios (Miami, Fla.). So far, he has a 17-8 record at the 125 pound weight class with a team-best seven of his victories coming by major decision.

Berrios came to MSU after attending Upper Iowa University for two season. During his time with the Peacocks, he compiled a 56-20 record.

Han Solo: Junior Hannon Hisek (Tyndall, S.D.) has been a versatile performer for MSU this season, competing at both the 141 and 149 pound weight classes. He has compiled a 23-12 record, which ranks third for all MSU wrestlers, with five victories coming by fall and by major decision.

As American As Apple Pye: Freshman Aaron Pyfferoen (Rochester, Minn.) has a 21-10 record with five wins by fall this season to become a fixture at the 184 and 197 pound weight classes for the Mavericks. Pyfferoen claimed first place at an open meet for the first time of his collegiate career by going 3-0 with a pin in the Marquette Open.

Pyfferoen came to MSU after a stellar career at Byron High School where he compiled a 85-20 record in three seasons, including a third place finish at the state championships in 1997.

Minnesota State To Host North Central Conference Championships: On Sunday, Feb. 25, Minnesota State University, Mankato will host the North Central Conference Wrestling Championships. The meet will be held at Bresnan Arena in Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State. This will be the first time MSU has hosted the NCC Championships since 1994. For ticket information, call the MSU Athletics Ticket Office at (507) 389-6111.