The Matches:
Jan. 14 – #2 St. Cloud State at St. John’s, 7:30 p.m. (Listen on WBHR AM 660)
Jan. 15 – #2 St. Cloud State at UW-Eau Claire, 7 p.m.
HUSKIES HEADLINERS:
- #2 St. Cloud State University (10-1) will be on the road this weekend for matches against two NCAA Division III rivals. On Jan. 14, the Huskies will travel to #3 ranked St. John’s University for a 7:30 p.m. match in Collegeville. On Jan. 15, the Huskies will have a 7 p.m. at Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wis.
- On the Radio! The upcoming match between SCSU and SJU will be broadcast live on WBHR AM 660 with Mark Lewandowski, Jeff Mergen and Maury Meyer making the call. The WBHR website is www.660wbhr.com
- 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.
- St. Cloud State captured third place at the 2011 NWCA Division II Duals on Jan. 8-9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Huskies opened the tournament with a 32-6 win over Limestone and then charted a 27-9 win over #13 North Carolina-Pembroke on Jan. 8. In action on day 2 of the tournament, the Huskies lost a tough 18-15 decision aganst #3 Augustana. This match featured matches lost by the Huskies in OT. SCSU rebounded in the match for third place with a convincing 25-9 win over #5 Newberry. Of note, UN-Omaha won the tournament title with a 17-15 victory over Augustana in the title dual match.
- Jacob D. Horn enjoyed a strong outing at the NWCA’s. He posted a 3-0 record a t 149-pounds and this included a 7-5 win over #3 ranked Nate Herda of Augustana and a 9-4 win over #5 ranked Dale DeBacco. Horn is 17-5 this season and came into the NWCA tournament unranked at 149-pounds.
- At 285-pounds, #1 ranked Jake Kahnke did not let down at the NWCA Duals. He charted a 3-0 record that included wins over Augustana, UNC-Pembroke and Newberry. Kahnke is 15-1 in 2010-11 for SCSU.
- #2 ranked Tad Merritt hit the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season. He is now 22-3 this year at 165-pounds and this total includes 11 pins. Merritt now has 88 career wins as a Husky, and he is on track to make a run at career win record owner Dustin Darveaux (142 wins from 1999-03).
- 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.