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NDSU sends 10-man lineup to NCAA Championships
March 8, 2004
THIS WEEK: NCAA North Region tournament champion and No. 1 nationally ranked North Dakota State will have a full 10-man lineup entered in the Division II national championships this Friday and Saturday at Minnesota State-Mankato. The tournament will be broken into four sessions--two each day.
TITLE YEARS: North Dakota State will be looking for its fifth NCAA Division II wrestling championship. The Bison won in 1988, 1998, 2000 and 2001. NDSU's four titles is second most among teams still in Division II. Central Oklahoma has six championships. Cal Poly and Cal State-Bakersfield each won eight crowns before moving to Division I wrestling.
FAVORITES: The Bison are the heavy favorite this weekend, but second-ranked and two-time defending NCAA champion Central Oklahoma will be a strong contender. The Bronchos won the Midwest Region and have seven qualifiers. Nebraska-Omaha is ranked third and has eight qualifiers. No. 4-ranked Pittsburgh-Johnstown won the East Regional with five champs and the Mountain Cats have nine entries.
THE BISON LINEUP: Here are North Dakota State's national qualifiers with this year's overall record, number of wins by fall, current streak, and record in the last 10 matches.
REGION RECAP: North Dakota State qualified all 10 of its starters for the NCAA championships at the North Regional on Feb. 29 at St. Cloud State. The Bison had five champions, three third-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes. NDSU was 11 points better than Nebraska-Omaha in the team standings, 140-129.
KRAEMER NEAR 100 WINS: Bison senior Brian Kraemer (99-44) went 4-0 at the NCAA North Regional to move up to a tie for seventh on NDSU's all-time victories list and the three-time All-American is one win away from becoming the seventh wrestler in school history to reach the 100-win mark. Kraemer has won 12 matches in a row to get to that point. Seniors Paul Carlson (94-36) and Mike Fiedler (94-34) 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 60-36 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 and was third this year in the North Regional.
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 will carry a 19-match overall winning streak into next 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.
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.