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North Dakota State launches season Saturday at Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings, SD
November 3, 2004
North Dakota State travels to Brookings, S.D., on Saturday, Nov. 6, to compete in the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open hosted by South Dakota State. Traditionally, over 200 wrestlers compete in the all day event, which will take place at Frost Arena.
BISON CAPTAINS: NDSU will be captained by seniors Nick Magee, Lucas Christianson and Collin Kelly in its first season of Division I wrestling. The trio has combined for 133 career wins on the mat for the Bison.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS: Nick Magee, Lucas Christianson and Matt Hermann are all returning Division II All-Americans. Hermann placed second and Magee finished third last season. Christianson has performed the feat twice, capturing eighth in 2003 and sixth in 2002 before sitting out most of last season.
COMING OFF THIRD UNDEFEATED SEASON: North Dakota State's 14-0 dual meet record last 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 this season. North Dakota State was 5-0 on its home mat in the 2003-04 season 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.
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.
LAST SEASON RECAP: North Dakota State finished second behind Nebraska-Omaha in the Division II championships last March. The Mavericks won the final match of the tournament and held off NDSU's quest for a fifth national championship by a narrow 97.5 to 95.0 margin in the final team standings. The Bison finished with seven All-Americans, based on top-eight finishes. Brian Kraemer (197) and Matt Hermann (184) captured runner-up finishes. Nick Magee (133), Paul Carlson (157) and Thad Pike (174) all placed third. Mike Fiedler (165) took fourth and Joe Bryce (heavyweight) finished sixth. Kraemer, Carlson, Pike and Fiedler all capped off stellar careers for the Bison.
NDSU qualified all 10 of its starters for the NCAA championships at the North Regional. 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.
North Dakota State finished an unblemished 14-0 in dual meets during the regular season on way to capturing the North Central Conference championship for the 17th time. The Bison were a perfect 5-0 in the NCC. The remarkable season included winning the NWCA National Duals in Cleveland, Ohio, when the Bison won by criteria 15-15 over Central Oklahoma in the title match.
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 and Paul Carlson will serve as student assistants this season.