O’Grady Named NSIC W.O.W./Kahnke Ranked #1 in Nation!
SCSU Update
- #2 St. Cloud State University (7-0) will travel to the 2011 NWCA Division II Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Jan. 8-9. The tournament will be hosted by the University of Northern Iowa and it will feature the nation’s top DII wrestling programs, including: Augustana, Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri, Findlay, Grand Canyon Univ, Limestone, MSU- Mankato, MSU-Moorhead, Newberry, San Francisco St, St. Could State, UNC – Pembroke, Nebraska Omaha, UW – Parkside, Upper Iowa and Western State.
- The Huskies were ranked #2 in the latest DII Coaches’ Poll behind Nebraska Omaha. Here is a rundown of SCSU’s nationally ranked wrestlers in 2010-11: Gabe Suarez (#7 at 141-pounds), John Sundgren (#6 at 157-pounds), Tad Merritt (#2 at 165-pounds), Shamus O’Grady (#6 at 174-pounds), Mic Berg (#5 at 184-pounds) and Jake Kahnke (#1 at 285-pounds). The poll was released on Jan. 4.
- Shamus O’Grady became the 3rd SCSU wrestler to earn NSIC Wrestler of the Week notice in 2010-11. On Jan. 3, O’Grady was named the NSIC Wrestler of the Week for his 4-0 record at the Grand Canyon Duals. O’Grady had two falls, a technical fall and a forfeit win at the tournament. He now owns a 15-2 record and is ranked #5 in the latest DII poll at 174.
- #2 ranked Tad Merritt went 4-0 at the GC Duals. A highlight for Merritt was a 6-4 win over #4 ranked Joey Wilson of UN-Kearney. In the same dual match, #2 Jake Kahnke added a 6-1 win over #4 ranked Ben Hohnesee of UNK. Kahnke was 3-0 at the GC Duals this year. Kahnke is now 12-1 on the season, while Merritt owns a 19-2 record this winter.
- At 125-pounds, Zach Stewart was 4-0 in action at the GC Duals. Stewart is 11-2 this season for the Huskies. #6 John Sundgren was 2-0 at 157-pounds at the GC Duals, while Jacob D. Horn added a pair of wins at 157-pounds for SCSU in Phoenix. Of note, these were the first two matches of the season for Sundgren.
- At the GC Duals, the Huskies were impressive with a 34-9 win over Chadron State, a 37-6 win over Mesa State and a 52-0 win over Kutztown. SCSU also gained a 26-9 win over #8 Nebraska-Kearney. The 52 points scored vs. Kutztown is just two points off of the team record of 54 points in a dual, which was set in a 54-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State in 1976-77.
- The St. Cloud State University wrestling team (14-7, 5-2 NSIC/3rd) captured 7th place at the 2010 NCAA Division II wrestling championships on March 12-13, in Omaha, Neb. This marks the Huskies best NCAA finish since capturing 7th place in 1983. This also marked the best finish for the Huskies at the NCAA tournament since Steve Costanzo took over as head coach in 2006-07. This marked the 8th time since 1975 that SCSU has charted a top-10 place at the NCAA championships. The 7th place finish is the best ever for the Huskies at the NCAA DII level. SCSU placed eighth at the nationals in 2009, 1986 and 1976. SCSU also placed third at nationals during the 1963 and 1965 seasons as an NAIA affiliate.
- The Huskies qualified 8 wrestlers for the NCAA championships in 2010. SCSU wrestlers earning All-America status at the meet were Jacob Kahnke (4th place at 285), Tad Merritt (5th place at 165), Shamus O’Grady (6th place at 174) and Gabe Suarez (8th place at 141). This marked the first All-America finish for Kahnke, O’Grady and Suarez, while Merritt is now a two-time All-America award winner for the Huskies. The four All-Americans ties a team record for the Huskies, as SCSU also brought home four NCAA All-America honors in 1983 and 1975.
- The Huskies will have two major targets on the wrestling room wall this season. First up is the 2011 NCAA Regional championships on Feb. 27 in Sioux Falls, S.D. This tournament serves as a qualifier for the other big date – March 11-12, which is the 2011 NCAA DII championships in Kearney, Neb.