BROOKINGS, S.D -- The South
Dakota State University wrestling team will open the month of
February looking to add to its six-match win streak. SDSU will have two
duals in two days. The Jacks will start Friday at home against Eastern
Illinois. Start time is set for 7 p.m. and will mark Brookings Youth
Wrestling night at Frost Arena. The Jacks will then take on fellow
Western Wrestling Conference member Northern Colorado Saturday
afternoon. That match will begin at 3 p.m. in Brookings and will be
Alumni Day.
The Jackrabbits, 7-4 on the season, went 2-0 in competition last
weekend, winning at Pacific and at Portland State. SDSU opened the
weekend defeating Pacific, 41-6. The Jacks then followed by routing
Portland State, 38-3. With the two wins, South Dakota State increased
its win streak to six. During that stretch, SDSU has outscored its
opponent 223-37. The Jacks are currently 1-0 in conference action.
Eastern Illinois heads into Friday's matchup having dropped its last
match to McKendree College (Ill.), 23-15. The Panthers, who wrestle at
North Dakota State Thursday, bring a 1-8 record into its three-match
road swing that begins Thursday night against NDSU. EIU has wrestled
four nationally ranked teams: Central Michigan, Tennessee-Chattanooga,
Indiana and Northwestern.
Northern Colorado heads into Saturday’s matchup having won its last
match over Portland State, 46-3. The Bears, who wrestle at North Dakota
State Friday, bring a 4-6 overall record and 1-1 conference mark into
its five-match road swing that begins Friday night against NDSU. UNC is
led by nationally ranked Kenny Hashimoto. The 141-pounder is currently
ranked No. 14 in the latest InterMat/NWCA national rankings and has
recorded a 14-2 mark this season.
THIS SERIES: This Friday’s
matchup with Eastern Illinois will mark the second meeting between the
Jackrabbits and Panthers.
South Dakota State fell to Eastern Illinois, 18-12, during the 1970-71
season in Charleston, Ill.
SDSU, who was coached by the late Warren Williamson, went on to record
a 3-2-1 record following its match against the Panthers. The
Jackrabbits finished the season with an 11-5-1 record. Saturday’s
matchup with Northen Colorado will mark the 25th meeting between the
Jackrabbits and Bears. SDSU holds an 18-6 advantage in the all-time
series.
South Dakota State fell to Northern Colorado, 24-15, last winter at the
Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion in Greeley, Colo.
Jason Stripling put the Jacks on the board with a pin at 1 minute, 44
seconds at heavyweight, while Elk Point native Derek Pirner used a
takedown with 2 seconds left in his match for a 4-2 decision over
Richard Lohr in the 141-pound weight class.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS: SDSU 41, Pacific (Ore.) 6
The South Dakota State University wrestling team won five matches by
either technical fall or pin last Friday afternoon to rout Pacific,
41-6, at the Pacific Athletic Center in Forest Grove, Ore.
The Jacks jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the match after junior Derek
Pirner defeated Trevor Arsenault, 11-2, at 141.
Brad Gregory, a senior from Glenwood, Iowa, increased the Jackrabbit
lead upending Nathan Shay by fall in the 149-pound match. Gregory
downed Shay in 1 minute, 3 seconds. Fellow senior Andy Everson followed
by pinning Bryson Vivas in 2:26 to push the Jackrabbit lead to 16-0.
After Nate Althoff defeated Justin Barden, 6-2, Rapid City native Chris
Moran scored a 3-1 decision over Matt Bowe at 174.
Tyler Sorenson collected his fourth technical fall in five matches by
upending Jake Reynolds at 184, 18-3. Senior Travis Gottschalk gave SDSU
a 30-0 advantage in the match by defeating Kory Pratt, 2-1. Gottschalk,
a senior from Kimball, Minn., is now 4-0 in his last four outings.
Junior Jason Stripling closed out the scoring for the Jacks winning by
technical fall over Josh Monge, 16-0.
Pacific’s lone win of the match came by forfeit at 133.
SDSU 38, Portland State 3
The South Dakota State University wrestling team improved to 7-4 in
dual action with a 38-3 rout of Portland State last Friday night at the
Peter W. Scott Center.
The Jacks, who earlier in the day defeated Pacific, jumped out to a 4-0
lead in the match after Elk Point native Derek Pirner defeated Greg
Einerson, 10-2, at 141.
Dan Bonte, a redshirt freshman from Garretson increased the Jackrabbit
lead by downing Joe Vanaman by fall in 4 minutes, 22 seconds. After
senior Andy Everson defeated Steven Daily, 10-0, Ryan Meyer push the
Jackrabbit lead to 17-0 by defeating Dale Seley, 10-5.
At 174, Nate Althoff upended Brian Lemmon, 6-3. Tyler Sorenson followed
by collecting his fifth technical fall in six matches by downing Jake
Schneider, 17-1.
Junior Jason Stripling collected a pin at heavyweight. The Minneota,
Minn., native pinned Zach Smith in 4:37. The win by fall marked
Stripling’s 10th pin of the year.
At 125, junior Marcus Waters gave SDSU a 34-3 advantage by defeating
Brad Caldwell, 14-13. Sophomore Alan Marvin closed out the scoring for
the Jacks by downing Westley Moniz, 9-1.
Portland State’s lone win of the match came in a triple overtime
victory at 197 pounds. PSU’s Keena Washington defeated Travis
Gottschalk, 6-5.
Overall, SDSU posted two pins, one technical fall and three major
decisions in its match against Portland State.
THE LAST TIME: As a team, South
Dakota State has now rallied off six straight wins five times in head
coach Jason Liles’ 14 years at the helm. The last time SDSU recorded a
six-match win streak was during the 1999-2000 season, when a Tyler
Jones led squad upended seven straight opponents en route to a 12-4
record. The longest win streak under Liles dates back to the 1995-96
season, where SDSU closed out the year with 10 consecutive victories
after dropping a 29-6 match to defending Division I national champion
Iowa and a 25-18 match to fellow North Central Conference member
Northern Colorado to open the dual season. The Hawkeyes closed out the
year winning their second consecutive national championship with three
wrestlers claiming individual championships.
COULD HISTORY REPEAT: Derek
Pirner, an Elk Point native, has quietly started picking up steam
heading down the homestretch of the 2006-07 season. Pirner has gone 4-0
in his last four outings with two decisions and two major decisions.
Overall, the junior, who is 7-2 in dual action, will face his toughest
competition this weekend when he battles No. 14 ranked Kenny Hashimoto
of Northern Colorado. The last time Pirner faced an opponent ranked in
the top-20 was last winter against Northern Iowa’s C.J. Ettelson.
Pirner downed the then-No. 19 Ettelson by fall 48 seconds into the
match.
TECHNICAL FALLS GALORE: As a
team, South Dakota State during its six-match win streak has recorded
seven technical falls. Led by Tyler Sorenson’s eight this season, SDSU
has upended a total of 10 different opponents by technical fall.
Individually, Sorenson has upended five opponents by tech fall in his
last six matches.
DUAL DOMINANCE: Overall, the
South Dakota State University wrestling team has produced a combined
record of 68-30 during dual competition. Thirteen different wrestlers
have produced winning records, while seven different wrestlers have
gone 5-2 or better. Both Sean Flynn and Andy Everson remain undefeated
in dual competition. Flynn has recorded a 4-0 record, while Everson has
gone 3-0.
WATERTOWN NATIVE: After being
injured earlier in the year, Watertown native Nate Althoff has bounced
back to record a 6-2 record in dual competition, including a 4-0 record
in his last four outings. With only four duals left in his career after
this weekend, Althoff has collected a total of 69 victories as a
Jackrabbit heading into the two home duals.
THE STREAKS: As a team, South
Dakota State during its six-match win streak, is outscoring its
opponents, 223-37. Individually, Tyler Sorenson is undefeated in his
last six matches, while heavyweight Jason Stripling is 5-0 with two
wins by fall. Other Jackrabbits undefeated during the current win
streak are: Sean Flynn, Andy Everson, Justin Retallic and Nate Althoff.
FLYNN STILL PERFECT: Sean
Flynn, a freshman from Lansing, Kan., has gone undefeated so far during
the dual season. Flynn, who carries a 10-8 record heading into this
weekend, is 4-0 in duals and is one of three Jackrabbits to remain
undefeated overall in dual competition.
MATCH FACTS: SDSU has scored a
total of 316 dual team points this season, plus a total of 1,361 match
points. Redshirt freshman Tyler Sorenson leads the Jacks by collecting
46 dual team points, while junior Jason Stripling is second on the team
with 38. In all, South Dakota State has posted 305 takedowns, 75
three-point near falls, 55 pins and 51 reversals as a team during
2006-07.
PIN-TO-WIN: Junior Jason
Stripling became the second SDSU wrestler in three years to pin his
opponent during the pin-to-win contest against Utah Valley State Jan.
20. The Minneota, Minn., native, downed Mike Smith in 1 minute, 23
seconds. Because of Stripling’s win by fall, Brookings resident Kami
Bartels won $1,000.
WWC FIRST: By beating Utah
Valley State, 34-6, Jan. 20, SDSU collected its first Division I
conference victory of any kind. South Dakota State also upended the
Wolverines for the first time in the programs history and brought its
overall record to 5-4 on the year and 1-0 in the Western Wrestling
Conference.
SORENSON SHOWING UP: Redshirt
freshman Tyler Sorenson closed out his impressive weekend at the
Virginia Duals by technical-falling Justin Gillard of Newport News,
16-1, to lead SDSU to the American College Division title. Overall,
Sorenson, a Garretson native, recorded three technical falls and
outscored his opponents an astounding, 49-4.
For the year, Sorenson leads the team in victories with a 17-5 overall
record. He has gone 7-2 in dual action and has six technical falls on
the year.
THE GARRETSON CONNECTION: Dan
Bonte and Tyler Sorenson, who both hail from Garretson, S.D., have
opened the dual season in impressive fashion. Bonte, a 141-pounder, has
compiled a dual record of 4-2, while Sorenson has gone 7-2. Overall,
Bonte has a 6-4 record and Sorenson leads the team with a 17-5 mark.
NOW AT NO. 29: SDSU redshirt
freshman Tyler Sorenson became the first Jackrabbit wrestler since
moving to Division I in 2004 to be ranked nationally in his respective
weight class. WrestlingReport.com has ranked Sorenson 29th overall in
Division I at 184. The Garretson native currently has posted an 19-5
record, including a 9-2 record in dual competition and has been ranked
nationally for five straight weeks.
MOVING ON UP: After wrestling
his whole career at 174 pounds, senior Travis Gottschalk has filled in
at 197 pounds this season to fill a void left in the lineup.
Gottschalk, a Kimball, Minn., native has not disapointed by going 4-3
with one pin in his first seven matches at his new weight class.
IMPRESSIVE STATS: At the
Virginia Duals, the Jackrabbits had 11 wrestlers go undefeated in
Virginia and only lost a total of six matches as a team, including one
by forfeit. Eleven wrestlers overall have posted winning records during
the dual season, while seven have an overall record of 10 wins or
better.
THREE’S THE KEY: Overall, South
Dakota State had three wrestlers go 3-0 in Virginia; two redshirt
freshmen and one senior. Wrestlers that went undefeated in three
matches against Anderson, Roger Williams and Newport News were: Dan
Bonte, Travis Gottschalk and Tyler Sorenson.
STRIPLING BACK AT IT: After not
wrestling for nearly two months, heavyweight Jason Stripling made his
return to the Jackrabbit lineup in North Carolina, seeing his first
extensive action since the Harold Nichols Open on Nov. 11. In his first
match back Stripling, who picked up a forfeit win against Nebraska on
Dec. 9, upended Jeremiah Fennell by fall in 2 minutes, 31 seconds.
AFTER BREAK: SDSU is a combined
3-7 in competition following Christmas break. The Jackrabbits competed
in the Lone Star Duals in Arlington, Texas, last winter and recorded an
overall record of 1-3 at the competition. SDSU’s lone win came against
Clarion (Pa.). South Dakota State defeated Clarion, 28-15.
In 2004-05, SDSU dropped two straight matches to Oregon and Pacific
(Calif.), but then rallied to defeat Portland State, 29-20, to close
out the Oregon Duals.
EVERSON LATE-MATCH HEROICS:
Jackrabbit senior Andy Everson, 4-1 on the young season, opened the
dual season by posting a 5-3 decision over Rob Plambeck of Nebraska on
Dec. 9, but it wasn’t easy. Plambeck tied the match at 2-2 heading into
the final period. Everson used a takedown with 1 minute, 24 seconds
remaining and riding time to secure the victory.
BIG-TIME MATCHES: When South
Dakota State faced NDSU Dec. 15 it marked the second straight dual SDSU
faced a team with one or more wrestlers ranked in the USA
Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches poll. NDSU junior Eric
Sanders is currently ranked No. 16 at 125 pounds. Sanders marked Marcus
Waters’ second-straight opponent ranked in the top-20. Nebraska’s Paul
Donahoe moved up to No. 11 in this week’s rankings.
OPEN SEASON RECAP: South Dakota
State put an end to its open season in Cedar Falls on Dec. 3. Overall,
the Jackrabbits recorded 101 victories during the open season and
posted 30 victories by fall. Leading the way for the Jacks was redshirt
freshman Tyler Sorenson who went 10-3 in four tournaments. Junior Jason
Stripling was also productive during the open season, having collected
nine wins in three tournaments.
Overall, South Dakota State wrestlers went a combined 113-101 during
the open season.
ALMOST THERE: In its last three
outings during the open season, South Dakota State upended its opponent
by fall a total of 23 times. Individually, three different wrestlers
defeated their oppnent by fall at Northern Iowa on Dec. 3.
Overall, the Jackrabbits have won 30 matches by fall this winter and
are only four pins away from topping last year’s total for the entire
year. In 2005-06 SDSU only recorded 34 total pins on the season.
A NEW YEAR: During the open
season, a total of eight Jackrabbit wrestlers improved upon their open
season records from a year ago.
The biggest increase came from redshirt freshman Ryan Meyer, who
improved in the win column a total of six matches during the open
season. During the 2005-06 open season Meyer only recorded five wins,
compared to his 11 this open season.
Sophomore Justin Retallic has bettered his entire total of wins from
last winter (4) by going 5-8 during the open season. Senior Brad
Gregory has improved by five wins from a year ago. In 2005-06, Gregory
was 3-8 heading into the first dual match, while this winter the Iowa
native, is 8-7 with three pins.
STRONG OUTING IN OHIO: Overall
at the Ashland Open, the Jackrabbits had five wrestlers place in the
tournament. SDSU, which recorded 10 pins on the day, combined for a
35-20 record at the open. Leading the way for the Jacks in total falls
were Andy Everson, Nick Herrboldt and Thomas Strubel. The three
standouts each collected two pins and combined for a 7-5 record. Senior
Levi Krehmeyer, who picked up third-place honors, went 3-1 overall
marking the first time in his career the Wyoming native had placed in
an open tournament.
WE’LL BE BACK: When SDSU took
to the mats in Cedar Falls on Nov. 11 it marked the first of two trips
to the Northern Iowa campus for the Jacks this winter. SDSU will also
take on the Panthers in a home dual on Feb. 17 before traveling to the
UNI-DOME for the West Regional Qualifier on March 3.
RETALLIC A FIRST: Justin
Retallic, a sophomore from Atlantic, Iowa, went 2-2 in competition on
Nov. 11. After picking up a bye in first-round action, Retallic used a
takedown and an escape to defeat Andrew Nash of Newman University. He
followed that up by recording his first collegiate pin over Jon
Terronez of Buena Vista. For the season, he has posted a 3-4
record. His three wins are only one less win than he had during all of
2005-06.
ONE TOUGH SCHEDULE: Five home
dual matches and matches against Nebraska, Pacific and Portland State
(Ore.) highlight the 2006-07 schedule. Included in the schedule are
matchups against Western Wrestling Conference members Utah Valley
State, Northern Colorado, Wyoming, Air Force, Northern Iowa and North
Dakota State. SDSU will be tested early in the year at the Harold
Nichols Open, Ashland Open, Northern Iowa Open and North Carolina State
and Virginia Duals.
“Once again, we have a very difficult schedule. In addidition to the
tough schedule, I like the fact that we are competing in the Western
Wrestling Conference and have a chance to advance to the NCAA Division
I National Championships come March,” said Liles.
NCAA TOURNAMENT BOUND: The NCAA
Membership Subcommittee during the summer of 2004 approved SDSU’s
request to fully reclassify its wrestling program to Division I status.
Jackrabbit wrestlers will now be eligible to qualify for the NCAA
Division I Championships beginning this season. This is two years ahead
of the original timeline set forth by the NCAA.
This year’s championships will be held in Auburn Hills, Mich., on March
15-17. SDSU’s regional qualifier will be March 3 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
A LOOK AHEAD: South Dakota
State will travel to Laramie, Wyo. for a 7 p.m. (MT) match against
Wyoming on Feb. 9. The Jacks will follow with a 2 p.m. (MT) match
against Air Force on Feb. 10.