NDSU hosts Dickinson State and No. 2 Iowa State
December 11, 2008
The North Dakota State wrestling
team will welcome Dickinson State and USA Today/NWCA/InterMat No. 2
Iowa State on Saturday, Dec. 13. The Bison will wrestle Dickinson State
at 1 p.m. and Dickinson State and Iowa State will meet at 3 p.m. The
meet will conclude with the Bison taking on Iowa State at 5 p.m. The
first 100 people at the Dickinson State match will receive free
t-shirts courtesy of Qdoba.
Matching up with Dickinson State
This will be the first meeting since 2000 when NDSU took a 36-10
victory. The Blue Hawks hold a 6-5 all-time advantage going into the
12th meeting. The match against Iowa State will be the first dual
action of the year for Dickinson State. Last year, the Blue Hawks went
8-2 in duals and finished third at the NAIA National Championships.
Head coach Thadd O’Donnell is in his 13th season and has led the team
to consecutive third place finishes at the NAIA National Championships.
Matching up with Iowa State
This will be the first ever meeting between the Bison and the Cyclones.
NDSU has a 3-8 record all-time against teams from the Big 12. Iowa
State is coming off a tough 20-15 loss on the road to current No. 1
Iowa. The Cyclones are currently 3-1 this season and have already
defeated a Western Wrestling Conference team - Utah Valley, 39-0. The
Cyclones are coming off back-to-back Big 12 titles and a fifth place
finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Head coach Cael Sanderson is in
his third season with the team and owns a 29-7 records through two
seasons.
Bison finish 31st at Las Vegas Invitational
NDSU came in 31st of 44 teams at the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas
Invitational on Dec. 5 and 6. Junior Ryan Adams (149) and sophomore
Shannon Fettig (174) both posted 3-2 records to lead the Bison. Senior
Gabriel Mooney (141) finished with a 2-2 record. Andrey Patselov (157),
Adam Aho (165), Kenny Moenkedick (184), Drew Ross (197) and Tyler
Hemmesch (Hwt) all went 1-2. Nebraska captured the team title and three
other Western Wrestling Conference teams participated (Wyoming -19th,
Utah Valley - 25th and Air Force - 37th).
Adams First to 15
Junior Ryan Adams is the first Bison to tally 15 wins this season. He
currently has a 15-5 mark and is coming off a 3-2 performance at the
Las Vegas Invitational. Senior Gabriel Mooney and freshman Drew Ross
have both passed the 10 win mark with 12 and 11, respectively. Freshman
Tyler Johnson has compiled 11 wins competing unattached. Nine of the 10
starters for the Bison currently have winning records.
Freshmen step into lineup
The Bison lost three starters to graduation last year which left some
holes to fill in the lineup. Freshman Trent Sprenkle has stepped into
the gap left by Eric Hoffman at 125 pounds. Fellow freshman Drew Ross
has taken over the 197 slot, replacing Jacob Bryce. Both Sprenkle and
Ross wrestled the first two open meets of the season unattached, but
stepped into the starting lineup at the Northern Quad. Sprenkle has a
5-7 overall record while Ross has an 11-8 mark.
The Coaches
Head coach Bucky Maughan returns for his 45th season with the Bison. He
currently has a 444-137-13 record at the helm of NDSU. Assistant coach
Bret Maughan is in his eighth season with the Bison while Kris Nelson
is in his ninth season. Former Bison wrestler Eric Hoffman joins the
staff as a student assistant coach.
The Western Wrestling Conference
The Bison are starting their third season in the Western Wrestling
Conference. Last year, NDSU finished third in the regular season
standings and then came in fifth at the NCAA West Regional, which
served as the conference tournament. Eric Hoffman was named to the
all-conference first team after capturing the WWC title at 125. Junior
Ryan Adams and Jacob Bryce both earned second team nods after earning
runner-up finishes at the West Regional. Senior Eric Sanders was a
third team selection.
