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NDSU travels to National Qualifying North Regional
February 23, 2004
THIS WEEK: North Central Conference champion and No. 1 nationally ranked North Dakota State will have a full 10-man lineup entered in the NCAA Division II North Regional on Sunday at St. Cloud State's Halenbeck Hall. First-round matches begin at 9 a.m. and the tournament will run all day.
TEAMS: The NCAA North Regional will involve all six North Central Conference wrestling teams plus Northern Sun Conference wrestling members Minnesota State-Moorhead, Southwest Minnesota State, Minnesota-Morris and Northern State.
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: The top four placers in each of the 10 weight classes will advance to the NCAA Division II national tournament being held March 12-13 at Minnesota State-Mankato.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: North Central Conference individual champions will be determined at the North Regional. The top placewinner at each weight class from a North Central Conference school will be declared the conference champ.
ALL-CONFERENCE: The top three North Central Conference wrestlers in each weight class at the North Regional will be awarded all-conference honors.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: Here is North Dakota State's probable lineup for the NCAA North Regional. Included are the wrestlers' overall record, number of wins by fall, current streak, record in the last 10 matches, and record against in-region opponents.
KRAEMER TWO WINS AWAY: Bison senior Brian Kraemer (95-44) is only two wins away from the No. 10 spot on NDSU's all-time victories list and the three-time All-American is on track to become the seventh wrestler in school history to reach the 100-win mark. Seniors Paul Carlson (91-36) and Mike Fiedler (91-34) also are close to the top 10 chart. Here are NDSU's leaders in career wins...
BRYCE'S FAREWELL TOUR: North Dakota State coach Bucky Maughan has announced that junior heavyweight Joe Bryce will not return to the team next year. Bryce, who redshirted his first season in the Bison program (2000-01), will graduate next winter and has decided not to wrestle. Bryce is 57-35 in his three-year career with 26 pins and an 18-8 dual meet record. He qualified for the NCAA national tournament last season with a fourth-place finish in the North Central Conference tournament.
THIRD UNDEFEATED SEASON: North Dakota State's 14-0 dual meet record this year gave NDSU its third undefeated season in school history. NDSU was 11-0 in 1984-85 and 16-0 in 1991-92. The Bison won North Central Conference championships all three seasons.
BISON WINNING STREAKS: The Bison have a 19-match overall winning streak intact dating back to last season. North Dakota State was 5-0 on its home mat this year and the Bison have won 17 straight duals at the Bison Sports Arena dating back to the 2000-01 season when Division III power Augsburg defeated NDSU 19-12 in Fargo.
NCC WINNING STREAK: North Dakota State, the North Central Conference team champion with a 5-0 record in the league this year, has won 21 straight NCC dual meets dating back to a 22-12 loss at Nebraska-Omaha in 2000-01.
DIVISION I TRANSITION: This is North Dakota State's final year of eligibility in NCAA Division II after announcing in August 2002 its plans to reclassify. The Bison will leave the North Central Conference in favor of Division I athletics beginning with the 2004-05 season. The reclassification will encompass all sports at NDSU, including a jump to I-AA on the football field.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: North Dakota State University is the unanimous No. 1 team in Division II wrestling according to the Feb. 11 poll issued by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. NDSU has held that top ranking all season. Seven Bison starters are listed in the individual top eights. New rankings are expected this Wednesday.
FINAL NORTH CENTRAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS: North Dakota State won its 17th North Central Conference championship with an 18-13 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 20 in Fargo that pushed NDSU's league dual meet record to 5-0. These are the final NCC and overall records as all six teams prepare for the NCAA North Regional.