NDSU to face Penn in first round of Virginia Duals
January 7, 2009
FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State
wrestling team will travel to Hampton, Va. for the fifth straight year
to participate in the prestigious Virginia Duals on January 9 and 10.
In the first round of action, the Bison will face off against No. 22
(NWCA/InterMat) Pennsylvania. NDSU will then match up with either No.
15 Edinboro or Rider. The Bison will also wrestle against one other
team. Seven of the 16 teams competing in the Virginia Duals are ranked
in the NWCA/InterMat top 25 with No. 8 Lehigh coming in as the
highest-ranked team. Western Wrestling Conference opponent Northern
Colorado will also be in attendance.
Virginia Duals brackets - virginiaduals.org
Matching up with Penn
This will be NDSU’s third meeting with Penn with both previous matchups
coming at the Virginia Duals. Last season, the Quakers defeated the
Bison 29-6. Eric Sanders and Adam Aho were the two Bison to win their
respective bouts. The teams also met in 2006 when Penn defeated NDSU
38-3. The Bison have never faced Edinboro and have an 0-1 record
against Rider.
Bison fall to Iowa State
NDSU was shut out by No. 2 Iowa State, 42-0, on Saturday, Dec. 13 in
front of 704 fans at the Bison Sports Arena. The Cyclones won all 10
bouts - three by fall and three by major decision. At 125, Bison
freshman Trent Sprenkle held his own before dropping a close 5-3
decision. Ryan Adams also lost a close decision at 149, 7-3. At 184,
Kenny Moenkedick had the match tied going into the third, but an Iowa
State takedown sealed a 6-3 Cyclone win.
NDSU dominates Dickinson State
The Bison handily defeated Dickinson State on Saturday, Dec. 13 by a
score of 40-3. Trent Sprenkle and Gabriel Mooney both won by technical
fall, while Ryan Adams, Vince Salminen and Drew Ross all won major
decisions. Kenny Moenkedick and Tyler Hemmesch both pinned their
opponents.
Adams leads the way
Junior Ryan Adams is the first Bison to tally 15 wins this season. He
currently has a 16-6 overall record and a 3-2 record in duals. Senior
Gabriel Mooney, sophomore Vince Salminen and freshman Drew Ross have
also passed the 10-win plateau. Freshman Tyler Johnson has compiled 11
wins competing unattached. Eight 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. Redshirt freshman
Tyler Steinwand is wrestling at 133, taking over for Eric Sanders.
Steinwand currently has a 9-7 mark. 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 6-8 overall record
while Ross has an 12-9 mark.
