COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Aaron Pickrel and Dustin Walraven tallied top finishes for the South Dakota State wrestling team Saturday in the North Country Open, hosted by Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.
No. one seed Pickrel went 4-0 at the tournament to win the 125-pound weight class. He defeated his opponents 52-12, including two wins by decision, one major decision and a technical fall.
No. two seed Walraven went 4-1 in the 149-pound division to place second. Walraven won his first match by fall in 51 seconds against Alex Stepanek of Concordia Nebraska. He went on to win his next match by medical forfeit. He defeated the no. seven seed by technical fall 28-7 in 5:12 before beating the no. three seed by fall 4:47. He dropped the championship match to no. one seed Myanganbayar Batsukh of St. John’s 20-4.
The Jackrabbits return to Frost Arena Friday to host North Dakota State at 7 p.m.