Mankato, MN. -- The Minnesota State wrestling
squad broke into the record books tonight as the Mavericks won their
17th dual match of the season in a 40-3 route over the #14 Minnesota
State-Moorhead Dragons. The Mavericks broke the record previously held
by the 1975 (16-5), 1998 (16-3), 2005 (16-3) and 2007 (16-3) squads
that all concluded with 16 dual wins.
It was not the only record to fall on the night as Maverick senior and
top-ranked wrestler at 157-pounds Jason Rhoten (Mantorville, Minn.) was
able to pull out a 21-5 technical-fall win over Talen Wald to claim his
127th career victory, a mark that establishes a Minnesota State record
for wins in a career. The record was previously held by Jack Eustice, a
four-time All-American and national champion in his junior season, who
racked up 126 wins in his four seasons (1972-76) at MSU.
The match started off at 125-pounds where freshman Matt Nyvold
(Wahpeton, N.D.) got his first collegiate match against Joe Werner
(23-7). Werner was able to take Nyvold down in the first period to
establish an early 2-0 lead heading into the second period. Nyvold
started off in the down position to start the second and would cut the
lead in half with an escape point just four seconds into the period
which stood going into the final period. Werner added an escape point
in the third stanza and held onto a 3-2 decision win as Nyvold was
awarded a riding time point at the end of regulation.
The 125-pound match would be the only set-back of the night for the
Mavericks as they rallied off nine straight wins to conclude the night.
Second-ranked sophomore heavyweight Brady Wilson (Faribault, Minn.) and
freshman 149-pound Tommy Abbott (Wilmington, Del.) were able to add
pinfall victories in their respective weight classes.
At 197-pounds, junior Tom Block (Waseca, Minn.) improved his record to
15-16 with a big 2-1 decision win over Matt Nelson who fell to 20-10 on
the year. In a closely contested match at 141-pounds, fourth-ranked
sophomore Travis Elg (Mountain Lake, Minn.) pulled a late takedown with
only three seconds remaining in the first period into a 3-2 lead and
would hold on for a 4-2 decision win.
Minnesota State returns to action tomorrow night as it hits the road to
take on the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State with a 7:00 p.m.
start.
February 15, 2008 at Mankato, MN
#1 Minnesota State 40, #14 MSU-Moorhead 3
125: Joe Werner (MSU-M) wins by decision over Matt Nyvold, 3-2
133: John Putman (MSU) wins by major decision over Evan Forde, 13-2
141: #4 Travis Elg (MSU) wins by decision over Derek Bomstad, 4-2
149: #5 Tommy Abbott (MSU) wins by pinfall over Troy MacFarland 1:20
157: #1 Jason Rhoten (MSU) wins by tech-fall over Tallen Wald, 21-5
165: #4 Andy Pickar (MSU) wins by forfeit (open)
174: #8 Tim Matheson (MSU) wins by decision over Tyler Tubbs, 6-1
184: Ben Becker (MSU) wins by major decision over Dan LeDuc, 18-7
197: Tom Block (MSU) wins by decision over Matt Nelson, 2-1
Hwt: #2 Brady Wilson (MSU) wins by pinfall over Jon Swart 3:22