Mavericks Qualify Ten at North
Regional
The Minnesota
State Mavericks claimed the North Regional championship on their
way to qualifying all ten wrestlers for the national tournament. The
Mavericks claimed seven tournament championships. Nick Smith (125),
Jeff Pfaffinger (133), Travis Elg (141), Jason Rhoten (149), Brandon
Girtz (157), Andy Pickar (165), and Brady Wilson (285) all stood atop
the podium at days end. Travis Krinkie (184) finished with a runner-up
finish while Tim Matheson (174) and Ben Janike (197) each qualified
with a fourth-place finish.
#3 MSU travel to travel to Kearney, NE
for 2007 National Championships
The Mavericks will travel to Kearney, NE for the NCAA Division II
National Championships. The tournament is scheduled to start at 11:00
AM on Friday, March 9. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, March
10 with the championship matches taking place at 7:00 pm. The
tournament will be held at the Health and Sports Center on the campus
of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
MSU Lineup (16-3, 3-0 North Central
Conference)
-NCAA II National Championships
# indicates NCAA II national rankings.
Fall Guys
The Mavericks have had a knack for ending matches early this year. Upon
completion of last Sunday’s Northern Regional, the Mavericks have
combined as a team for 117 falls and technical falls. Leading the way
for MSU are freshmen, Brady Wilson with 15 falls and freshmen, Travis
Elg with 14 falls and 1 technical fall.
Steaking JPfaff
#3rd ranked Jeff Pfaffinger has a current win streak of sixteen matches
in tact. During this streak Jeff has scored 58 takedowns and has not
given up an offensive point.
Freshmen Sensations - “The Big Ticket
and the Little Ticket”
A pair of freshman, Brady “The Big Ticket” Wilson and Travis “The
Little Ticket” Elg have been instrumental in the success of Maverick
Wrestling this season. Wilson, ranked #3 nationally, currently leads
the team with 39 wins and has only two Division II losses. Elg, who was
pulled out of red shirt after Christmas, recently won the Northern
Regional Championship by pinning #5th ranked John Gamble of Upper Iowa.
The two freshman have a combined record of 63-14 and 29 falls.
Live results & team scores will be posted online throughout the
event. Additionally, the Championship Finals, starting at 7:00 p.m. on
Saturday the 10th, will be carried live throughout Nebraska via NETV2
(channel 8 in Kearney on local
cable systems).
The broadcast will be shown on a tape delay basis on Altitude Sports
Network -- the flagship station for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado
Avalanche -- that night at 10:30 p.m. CST. Altitude is available on
Charter Communications in Kearney (channel 30), DirectTV (channel 644)
and DISH Network (channel 410).
On Sunday March 11th, College Sports Television (CSTV) will air this
same package from 8-10:30 p.m. CST. CSTV can be found on DirectTV
(channel 610) and DISH (152).
This is the first time the Division II wrestling championships have
ever aired on national television. NCAA Productions is also offering
the broadcast to other regional sports networks as well.
Head Wrestling Coach Jim Makovsky
is in his 14th season at the helm of the Minnesota State wrestling
team. As the head coach of the Mavericks, Makovsky has a record of
171-65-2. He recorded his 150th win with a win over West Liberty State
on January 11, 2006 in Shippensburg, PA. His overall record in
seventeen seasons as a head coach stands 197-84-4. His MSU career
win-loss percentage (71%) ranks him third among active NCAA II
wrestling coaches.
In the 2006-07 season, Makovsky and his staff guided the Mavericks to a
fourth-place finish at the National Duals, a North Central Conference
Championship and a Northern Regional Championship. The Mavericks also
set three school records by qualifying ten wrestlers to nationals,
winning 16 duals and securing 117 falls/technical falls. The past three
seasons, the Mavericks have compiled a 46-8 dual meet record with four
losses to three-time defending NCAA II Champion Nebraska-Omaha.
Makovsky has coached fifty-three All-Americans and seven National
Champions. Makovsky recently served a two-year term as the President of
the National Wrestling Coaches Association for Division II and serves
as a board member on the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Makovsky is assisted by Brandon Reichel (5th season), Ty Eustice (1st
season), Mathias Bitz (1st season), Cory Beckman (1st season), Zach
Stevens (1st season), Andy Schmalzriedt (1st season) and Mike Neimczyck
(2nd season).