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NDSU rides 23-match winning streak into the Virginia Duals this weekend
January 11, 2005
North Dakota State (4-0) is scheduled to compete in the 25th Annual Virginia Duals Wrestling Tournament at the Hampton Coliseum on January 14 & 15 in Hampton, Va. The tournament kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 14. The 16-team tournament features three teams ranked in the top-20 of the latest USA Today/NWCA NCAA Division I Coaches' Poll. Defending Virginia Duals champion Nebraska, currently ranked sixth, # 12 Missouri and #19 Edinboro are all scheduled to compete.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The tournament schedule has not yet been announced. The colleges are seeded by the college coaches on January 13 at the Hampton Coliseum and will be available on the official website for the Virginia Duals at www.virginiaduals.org. Wrestling action begins Friday, Jan. 14 with one session on the day starting at 9 a.m. Saturday will feature two sessions, with the first session starting at 8 a.m., and the second beginning at 4 p.m. The finals are slated for 8 p.m. on Saturday night.
BISON WINNING STREAKS: The Bison will carry a 23-match overall winning streak into the Virginia Duals. NDSU broke the previous school record of 20-straight dual victories that dated from Feb. 2, 1991 to Nov. 21, 1992. The Bison tied the record with a 29-6 home-opening win over Princeton on Dec. 9. NDSU broke the record with a 34-3 win over Appalachian State at the NC State Duals on Jan. 8, and extended the streak to 23 after wins over NC State and Duke. NDSU's last loss came at Northern Iowa on Feb. 2, 2003, when the Panthers handed the Bison a 31-6 setback.
VIRGINIA DUALS TOURNAMENT FIELD: The 25th annual Virginia Duals will showcase teams from the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, Mid-American Conference, Colonial Athletic Conference, Eastern Wrestling League, Southern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference, The sixteen teams scheduled to compete in this year's meet are Buffalo, American, Lock Haven, Edinboro, North Carolina, Nebraska, Rider, Old Dominion, The Citadel, Cal State-Bakersfield, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee-Chattanooga and North Dakota State.
SERIES MATCHUPS: North Dakota State has faced three of the teams scheduled to participate in the Virginia Duals. The Bison are 3-7-1 all-time versus Nebraska, 1-0 against Lock Haven, 1-0 versus Tennessee-Chattanooga and 0-1 against Cal State-Bakersfield. Nebraska and NDSU last met during the 1997-98 season with the Huskers winning 22-16 in Fargo.
HIGH RANKING AUTHORITY: The Virginia Duals will feature seven wrestlers currently ranked in the top-five of Division I wrestling in the latest NWCA/Intermat Coaches' Poll. Number-one ranked Shawn Bunch of Edinboro at 133 pounds, #2 Ben Askren of Missouri (174), #3 Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov of American University (157), #4 Jake Percival of Ohio University (157), #5 Joseph Dubuque of Indiana (125), #5 Travis Pascoe of Nebraska (184) and #5 Pat DeGain of Indiana (HWT) are all listed as probable starters this weekend.
DUKE DUAL MEET CANCELLED: North Dakota State's scheduled wrestling dual with Duke University on Tuesday, Jan. 11 in Durham, N.C., has been cancelled. The two teams wrestled each other on Saturday, Jan. 8 at the NC State Duals with the Bison prevailing 18-12 in Raleigh, N.C.
BISON PERFECT AT NC STATE DUALS: The magic number was 23 for North Dakota State at the NC State Duals on Saturday. NDSU heavyweight Tim Kraemer recorded a takedown with 23 seconds remaining to register a 3-2 decision over Duke's Andrew Herbert and lift the Bison to an 18-12 victory over the Blue Devils in the third round of the NC State Duals, held at Reynolds Coliseum. The victory extended NDSU's dual-match winning streak to 23 matches and gave Kraemer his 23rd win of the season.
The Bison defeated Appalachian State 34-3 in the opening match of the day and then won at the wire on last-minute points by Kraemer again in the heavyweight bout to defeat NC State 19-13 in the second round. NDSU senior Nick Magee picked up his 50th career victory with a pin of Appalachian State's Terrell Williams at 133-pounds to highlight an opening round 34-3 dismantling of the Mountaineers. Kraemer, Dustin Benz (197) and Andy Pickar (165) all went 3-0 on the day.
MAGEE NOTCHES CAREER WIN #50: NDSU senior Nick Magee captured career win #50 after pinning Appalachian State's Terrell Williams at 133-pounds at the NC State Duals. Magee improved his career record to 51-25 as a Bison over the weekend. Junior Zach Stevens has gone over 50 career wins and has amassed 53 victories as a Bison. Senior Collin Kelly notched his 50th career win in the Bison's home opener against Princeton and is now 52-35 all-time. Sophomore Matt Hermann is nearing the half-century mark with 47 career wins.
Senior Lucas Christianson eclipsed the 60 career win mark with a 13-4 decision over Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota at this year's Bison Open. Christianson is chasing the 70-win plateau with a 67-45 career record as a Bison.
CENTURY CLUB IN DUAL POINTS SCORED: NDSU racked up 71 team points with wins over Appalachian State (34-3), NC State (19-13) and Duke (18-12) at the NC State Duals. Combined with the 29 points scored in the win against Princeton (29-6), the Bison have reached the century club dual points scored this season. The Bison record for most team points in a season is 535 established by the undefeated (16-0-0) 1991-92 squad.
TAMING THE TIGERS: Behind the strength of Mike Meger's pin in the opening bout at 125 and two major decisions by Nick Magee and Collin Kelly, North Dakota State opened its dual season with a 29-6 victory over Princeton on Thursday, Dec. 9, before a crowd of 740 at the Bison Sports Arena. NDSU extended its overall winning streak to 20 and improved its home winning streak to 18 consecutive at the Bison Sports Arena.
BISON CAPTAINS: NDSU is captained by seniors Nick Magee, Lucas Christianson and Collin Kelly in its first season of Division I wrestling. The trio has combined for 170 career wins on the mat for the Bison.
PINNING WAYS: In five open tournaments and two duals this season, NDSU wrestlers have compiled 52 pins. Freshman Skip Johnson is leading the way with 10 of his 11 wins coming by way of pinfall. Heavyweight Tim Kraemer has flattened seven of his opponents, while freshman Andy Pickar has secured four. Dustin Benz, Chris Tuchscherer and Mike Quamme each have three pins.
MAKING THE TRANSITION: NDSU is in its first year of a two-year waiting period for the NCAA tournament. Wrestling received notification of acceptance from the NCAA for multidivisional classification that will provide NCAA Division I postseason opportunities in 2006-07. Originally, NDSU was not eligible for the NCAA national tournament until the 2008-09 season.
DIVISION II TITLE YEARS: North Dakota State captured four NCAA titles in its storied history in Division II. 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.
HEAD COACH BUCKY MAUGHAN: North Dakota State is coached by a National Wrestling Hall of Famer. Bucky Maughan is in his 41st year at the helm of the Bison. Maughan is only the second full-time wrestling coach in the school's history. He has a 408-112-11 record to date in dual meets and has guided the Herd to 17 North Central Conference titles, four NCAA Division II championships, and 26 top-five national finishes. The Bison won nine straight NCC titles from 1982 to 1990 under his direction. He is a member of five halls of fame after his 2003 induction to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
BISON ASSISTANTS: Beginning his fourth year at NDSU, assistant coach Bret Maughan brings a wealth of experience to the Bison program. The two-time All-American on the mat at NDSU had head coaching stints at Moorhead (Minn.) High School and Bismarck State College before returning to his alma mater. Former three-time All-American and national champion Kris Nelson begins his fifth season as an assistant. Fellow NDSU All-Americans Thad Pike, Joe Bryce and Paul Carlson will serve as student assistants this season.