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NDSU returns home to host Portland State this Friday
January 17, 2006
North Dakota State returns home to take on Portland State at the Bison Sports Arena on Friday, January 20. The match begins at 7:30 p.m. North Dakota State leads the series 1-0. The two teams last squared off during the 1986-87 season when the Bison defeated the Vikings in Fargo 41-4.
ABOUT PORTLAND STATE: The Vikings are 1-11 on the season, wrestling out of the Pac-10 Conference. Their lone win came against intrastate opponent Division III Pacific. Portland State last wrestled at the Oregon Classic on January 13 where they were defeated by Oregon 32-12.
The Vikings are led by head coach Marlin Grahn. Grahn has a career record of 124-170-9 and has led Portland State to two Division II national championships and one runner-up finish.
BISON GO WIN ONE, DROP TWO AT THE VIRGINIA DUALS: North Dakota State(1-3) fell to Penn and Virginia before defeating The Citadel at the Virginia Duals January 13.
No. 25 Penn defeated the Bison in the first round of the Virginia Duals 38-3. The Quakers earned bonus points in seven of their nine victories which included two pins.
Heavyweight Mike Maresh picked up the only win in his debut for the Bison with a 12-5 decision over Jayson Bowlsby. Maresh's win also help avoided the first shutout for North Dakota State (0-2) since Nov. 18, 2000 when Minnesota blanked NDSU 44-0.
North Dakota State went to the consolation bracket where they were defeated by Virginia 22-12. Mike Meger, Adam Aho, Matt Hermann and Maresh each picked up wins for North Dakota State. It was Meger's first dual victory of the season and Aho's first career dual win.
The Bison avoided the three-match sweep and picked up their first victory of the 2005-06 season by defeating The Citadel 19-16. The lead changed six times in the match and was decided in the final bout when Maresh defeated John Buck 3-2. The Bison were also helped out with victories from Meger, Gabe Mooney, Aho and a key pin from Matt Wetterling at 184 pounds. Wetterling leads the team with 18 victories and 13 pins.
ABOUT NDSU: Junior team captain Matt Hermann leads a squad that only returns two starters from last year's dual lineup. Along with Hermann, sophomore Mike Meger returns for the Bison at 125 pounds. Sophomore Eric Sanders redshirted last season and will start for North Dakota State at 133 pounds. The remainder of the starting lineup consists of one sophomore, four redshirt freshman and two wrestlers in their first year with the wrestling program.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Several potential Bison dual-meet opponents are ranked nationally according to the January 17th USA Today/NWCA NCAA Div I Coaches' Poll. The Bison lost to No. 25 Penn 38-3 last weekend and will travel to No. 23 Northern Illinois on February 12 and No. 24 Northern Iowa on February 18.
Several individual wrestlers NDSU will face are also nationally ranked. Northern Illinois has five, American University has three and Air Force, Northern Iowa and Northern Colorado each have one individual nationally ranked. The Bison will host Air Force on January 27 and American University on February 20.
MINNESOTA BORN: All 10 of NDSU's wrestlers in the Bison starting lineup are from Minnesota. Collectively, they won 12 Minnesota state championships in their high school careers and have a combined 180 wins to go along with a .596 winning percentage at North Dakota State.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE SIGNS EVAN HACKER: Evan Hacker of Canby (Minn.) High School signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle and continue his education at North Dakota State University during the November early signing period.
Hacker, who went 40-3 last season as a junior, is the defending Class A Minnesota state heavyweight champion. Hacker was also selected to the all-state academic wrestling team and was an all-conference academic offensive lineman for Canby's football team as well as a member of the Minnesota Junior National Wrestling Team.
LAST YEAR OF RECLASSIFICATION: The Bison are still without a conference affiliation, but NDSU is looking ahead to 2006-07 when its NCAA tournament eligibility begins, thanks to an NCAA ruling in September 2004 that North Dakota State could reclassify its wrestling and volleyball teams to Division I in three years instead of five. NDSU is on track to reclassify in all sports by 2008-09.
MEET THE BISON:
MIKE MEGER (125): Meger enters his second year as the 125-pounder for North Dakota State and is 4-6 on the year. The sophomore went 10-9 last season, 7-7 in duals. Meger was slowed by an injury early in the season but had a solid Virginia Duals going 2-1.
ERIC SANDERS (133): After redshirting last season, Sanders returns to the Bison lineup. The sophomore started off the 2005-06 season hot, winning seven of his first eight matches and placing second at the Daktronics and Bison Opens. Sanders started off the dual season on a positive note as he defeated Jeff Breese of North Carolina State.
DAVID CUNNINGHAM (141): Cunningham begins his first year of action for North Dakota State after redshirting in 2004-05. Cunningham is one of five wrestlers in the starting lineup to have double-digit victories (11)and won his first career varsity dual match in the opener against North Carolina State, defeating Jalil Dozier 12-4.
GABE MOONEY (149): Mooney is currently second on the team in victories with 17 and has placed in three of the four tournaments he competed in which includes a championship at the Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. The redshirt freshman picked up his first career dual-match victory this weekend at the Virginia Duals defeating Billy Bullwinkel of The Citadel 7-2.
ADAM AHO (157): Aho is 5-4 on the year and has been hampered by injuries this season. The redshirt freshman went 3-2 in the Daktronics Open and went 2-1 this past weekend at the Virginia Duals, collecting his first two career dual victories.
ZACH MOLITOR (165): Molitor is the starter for North Dakota State this year at 165 pounds as a true freshman. During the open tournament season, Molitor went 9-3 in two events and placed third at the Bison Open in November. The freshman will be looking for his first career dual victory this Friday at Portland State.
MATT HERMANN (174): Team captain Matt Hermann also has been slowed by injuries this seaon and is 3-4 on the year. The junior leads the team with 58 career victories and defeated Mike Grogan of Virginia 5-4 this weekend.
MATT WETTERLING (184): Wetterling currently leads the team in wins (18), pins (13) and fastest pin (0:37) this season. His most important pin of the season came in NDSU's win over The Citadel where he defeated John Dickerson.
JACOB BRYCE (197): Bryce started out the season winning 10 of his first 13 matches and is currently 11-8. Bryce placed runner-up this year at the Daktronics and Bison Opens and had a fifth-place showing at the Northern Iowa Open. The redshirt freshman will be looking for his first career dual victory this Friday against Portland State.
MIKE MARESH (Hwt.): Maresh made his North Dakota State wrestling debut at the Virginia Duals last weekend with outstanding results. Maresh was the only Bison who went 3-0 at the tournament and will look to continue the trend against Portland State.
Maresh went 132-22 for Champlin Park High School (Minn.) that included a state championship at 215 pounds in 2004. Maresh was also the starting outside linebacker for NDSU's football team this past season finishing with 45 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.