Two pins lead Mustangs to victory over MSU Moorhead on Friday
MOORHEAD, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State improved to 10-5 on the season, 3-3 in the NSIC with a 21-15 victory over MSU Moorhead (2-10, 0-7 NSIC) on Friday night in Moorhead, Minn. The Mustangs won five of the 10 bouts, getting pins from Justin Reinsma and Jacob Begin.
With a pin at 165 pounds, Begin improved to 21-4 on the season, winning his 12th consecutive bout. He has not lost a match since Dec. 9. SMSU has now won two consecutive duals over MSU Moorhead.
The Dragons grabbed an early 3-0 lead with Corey Ulmer, ranked No. 1 in the country at 125 pounds, earned a 4-2 decision over Travis Borchert. The Mustangs rebounded in the 133-pound bout when Justin Reinsma pinned Graelin Garlington at 4:26 before Ethan Hildebrandt won a 7-3 decision over Connor MacGregor.
MSU Moorhead won two straight matches to tie the dual at nine before Begin pinned Derek Lee at 2:57 to extend SMSU’s lead to 15-9. Trent Molacek won a 4-1 decision over Trent Sovde at 174 pounds to push SMSU’s lead to 18-9.
Kody Kalkbrenner won a 5-3 decision over Micah Larson at 184 pounds to make the score 18-12 before Martin Hagen won a 9-5 decision over Eric Lehmann at 197 pounds to give the Mustangs a nine-point 21-12 lead heading into the heavyweight bout.
Gerad Fugleberg won a 3-0 decision over Brian Rodas at 285 pounds but the Mustangs would hang on for the 21-15 victory.
Southwest Minnesota State returns home tomorrow night for its final dual of the regular season against Minnesota State at 7 p.m. SMSU will honor it seniors who are competing in their final dual of their careers at the PE Gym.
MSU Moorhead will send wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Super Region to compete in St. Cloud, Minn. The tournament will be held on Feb. 26 with matches beginning at 12 p.m.
Southwest Minnesota State 21 MSU-Moorhead 15
125 Corey Ulmer, MSM, dec. Travis Borchert, SMS, 4-2
133 Justin Reinsma, SMS, pinned Graelin Garlington, MSM, 4:26
141 Ethan Hildebrandt, SMS, dec. Connor MacGregor, MSM, 7-3
149 Tyler Steinwand, MSM, dec. Codie Lane, SMS, 6-3
157 Jacob Bennett, MSM, dec. Casey Field, SMS, 6-5
165 Jacob Begin, SMS, pinned Derek Lee, MSM, 2:57
174 Trent Molacek, SMS, dec. Trent Sovde, MSM, 4-1
184 Kody Kalkbrenner, MSM, dec. Micah Larson, SMS, 5-3
197 Martin Hagen, SMS, dec. Eric Lehmann, MSM, 9-5
285 Gerad Fugleberg, MSM, dec. Brian Rodas, SMS, 3-0