What’s Next: The No. 8 Minnesota State Mavericks (8-4, 4-1 NSIC) are set to close out the home portion of the 2010-11 season this Thursday as they play host to Southwest Minnesota State. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 pm at Bresnan Arena.
Scouting the Mustangs: Southwest Minnesota State enters Thursday’s dual with a 5-3-1 overall record and a 1-3 NSIC record. The Mustangs are 3-0 away from home this season and are currently on a one-dual win streak. The Mustangs lone NSIC win came last week as they upset No. 20 Minnesota State Moorhead, 18-16. Senior Craig Draper-Johnson (184-lbs) currently leads the Mustangs with a 22-11 overall record. The only other Mustang accumulating 20 or more wins is freshman Justin Reinsma who owns a 21-10 overall record. The Mustangs are coached by Jesse Nelson and are assisted by Jake Avre.
Inside the Series: Thursday’s dual marks the 30th meeting between the two schools as the Mavericks hold a 21-8 all-time record against the Mustangs.
Ranked Mavericks: The Mavericks currently have three individual wrestlers who are ranked in their respective weight classes. Senior Andy Forstner holds the highest ranking as he is the fourth-ranked wrestler in the 125-lb class. Also ranked for the Mavericks are junior Aaron Norgren (184-lbs) and senior Ben Becker (174-lbs) who each rank sixth in their respective weight class. Rounding out the ranked individual wrestlers is junior Pat Mahan who debuted in the rankings for the first time last week as the seventh-ranked wrestler in the 197-lb class.
Team and Individual Notes: The Mavericks went 0-1 this past week as they lost 22-12 against No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha…The Mavericks won two of the first three matches of the night but were only able to earn one victory in the night’s final seven matches as they dropped their second consecutive contest…The Mavericks last two losses came to the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation as they lost a 21-10 dual against No. 2 Augustana last week…Junior Aaron Norgren (No. 6, 184-lbs) earned a 3-1 win by decision over No. 3 Aaron Denson as he improves his record in dual matches to 11-1…Sixth-ranked senior Ben Becker lost a 10-4 decision against No. 3 Ryan Pankoke as he lost his five-match win streak…Newly ranked junior Pat Mahan (No. 7, 197-lbs) lost 2-1 in sudden victory against No. 4 Matt Baker.
About the Coach: Head coach Jim Makovsky (Valley City State ’89) is in his 18th season at MSU. Makovsky, who holds a 219-78-3 overall record at MSU, has coached collegiate wrestling for 21 years and possesses a 242-97-5 career record.
Next Up: The Mavericks will close out the regular season next week as they travel to St. Cloud State to take on the No. 3 ranked Huskies. The dual is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 17.