The St. Cloud State University wrestling team has named its team captains for the upcoming 2014-15 season. The group of team leaders for next season includes seniors Josh Howk (Oak Grove, Mo.) and Jay Hildreth (Council Bluffs, Iowa), junior Clint Poster (Pierz, Minn.) and sophomores Austin Goergen (Caledonia, Minn.) and Clayton Jennissen (Cambridge, Minn.).
Josh Howk was 16-4 for the Huskies in 2013-14 at 149-pounds. He charted 10 pins for SCSU last winter and also captured a first place finish in the 149-pound bracket at the 2013 Husky Open and placed second at the 2013 Dragon Open. Howk is a graduate of Blue Springs High School.
A 2014 NCAA Division II All-American, Jay Hildreth coined a 21-7 record for the Huskies in 2013-14 at 149-pounds. He gained All-America status thanks to his fourth place finish at the 2014 NCAA Division II championships and he also placed third at the 2014 NCAA Division II Super Region 3 tournament at 149-pounds. A graduate of Lewis Central High School, Hildreth was named to the 2013-14 All-NSIC Second Team for the Huskies.
A two-time All-American, Clint Poster charted an impressive 33-8 overall record for the Huskies at 157-pounds in 2013-14. He notched eight pins last winter and capped his year with a third place finish in the 157-pound bracket at the 2014 NCAA Division II championships. He also placed second at the 2014 NCAA DII Super 3 regional at 157-pounds and was named a first team All-NSIC selection. A graduate of Pierz High School, Poster was named to the All-NSIC Academic Team and to the 2014 Division II All-Academic Team.
Another one of SCSU’s All-American award winners in 2014, Austin Goergen set a new team record by charting 19 pins in 2013-14. He led the Huskies with a 35-8 record at 285-pounds this season and placed sixth at the 2014 NCAA Division II championships. The 2013-14 NSIC Rookie of the Year, Goergen placed third at the 2014 NCAA Division II Super 3 Regional at 285-pounds and received that tournament’s award for most falls in the least amount of time. Goergen was also named to the 2013-14 All-NSIC team as a first team selection. He is a graduate of Caledonia Area High School.
The group is completed by Clayton Jennissen, who scored a 24-15 record at 174-pounds for the Huskies in 2013-14. Jennissen finished his season by qualiying for the 2014 NCAA Division II championships. He earned his ticket to the NCAA finals thanks to a fifth place finish in the 174-pound bracket at the 2014 NCAA Division II Super 3 Regional. Jennissen is a graduate of Cambridge-Isanti H.S.
The Huskies finished their 2013-14 season with a 19-1 overall record and won their third consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships with a perfect 8-0 record. The Huskies placed sixth as a team at the 2014 NCAA Division II championships and gained a third place finish at the 2014 NCAA Division II Super 3 Regional. SCSU also charted a third place finish at the 2014 NWCA Division II National Duals tournament. The Huskies were consistently ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams throughout the 2013-14 campaign and they finished the season ranked sixth in the final DII national polls.
St. Cloud State set a new NCAA Division II record in 2013-14 for most consecutive dual wins. The Huskies set the new standard with 54 consecutive dual wins. The long streak came to an end on Jan. 12, 2014 with a close 23-16 loss to eventual national champion Notre Dame College of Ohio. Prior to that match, the last time SCSU lost a dual match was an 18-13 setback against Augustana on Jan. 27, 2011.
SCSU head coach Steve Costanzo will begin his ninth season with the Huskies in 2014-15. His career record in the Granite City now stands at 119-24.
Some of the tentative schedule highlights for the upcoming 2014-15 season include open tournament apperances at the Iowa State Harold Nichols Open, the Concordia College Open, the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragon Open and SCSU’s annual Husky Open. SCSU is also slated to compete in dual match tournaments at Central Missouri, the 2015 NWCA Duals in Fort Wayne, Ind. and the UW-Parkside Ranger Duals. Of note, the 2015 NCAA DIvision II Super 3 Regional tournament is scheduled to be held on Feb. 28 and March 1 at Minnesota State University in Mankato and the 2015 NCAA Division II championships will be held in St. Louis, Mo. on March 13-14, 2015.