North Dakota State (4-3, 1-0 WWC) is scheduled to host Pac-12 Conference member Cal Poly (1-10, 0-1 Pac 12) in a non-conference dual at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. The Bison have won three straight dual matches. Friday will be Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night at the BBF.
The Series
This will be the third meeting between North Dakota State and Cal Poly on the mat. The series is tied at 1-1. NDSU defeated the Mustangs 35-6 on Jan. 4, 2014, at San Luis Obispo, Calif. Then 19th-ranked Cal Poly defeated the visiting Bison by the score of 29-9 on Jan. 9, 2010.
The Lineups
Here are the probable lineups for Friday night’s dual with Cal Poly:
North Dakota State Bison (4-3 Overall, 1-0 WWC)
Wt. (Ranking) Name (Overall, Dual Record)
125 #20 Josh Rodriguez (11-5, 6-1)
133 Hunter Weber (10-13, 1-2) OR Tommy Walton (3-4, 0-0)
141 Mitch Bengtson (16-9, 4-3)
149 Clay Ream (17-9, 6-1) OR Mitch Friedman (8-10, 0-0)
157 Steven Keogh (6-14, 0-6) OR Grant Nehring (3-9, 0-2)
165 Trevour Chavez (4-7, 0-1)
174 Kurtis Julson (12-7, 4-3)
184 #9 Hayden Zillmer (23-4, 7-0)
197 Tommy Petersen (8-11, 0-4)
285 #15 Evan Knutson (16-7, 4-2)
Cal Poly Mustangs (1-10 Overall, 0-1 Pac-12)
Wt. (Ranking) Name (Record)
125 Yoshito Funakoshi (7-6) OR Isaac Blackburn (5-14)
133 Victor Trujillo (8-10) OR Jason DelaCruz (6-3)
141 Colton Schilling (17-6)
149 Jacob Leon (3-8)
157 Colt Shorts (13-10)
165 Travis Berridge (13-11) OR Xavier Johnson (3-5)
174 Dominic Kastl (9-4) OR Mitch Woods (6-8)
184 Nick Fiegener (18-10)
197 J.T Goodwin (4-13)
285 Nicolas Johnson (12-13)
Ticket Information
Tickets for the NWCA National Duals vs. Minnesota (Feb. 15) and NCAA West Regional (Mar. 7) are $12 for adult general admission and $5 for youth general admission (ages 3-17). Dual match tickets are $8 for adult general admission and $5 for youth general admission. Season tickets are $50 for adult general admission and $40 for youth general admission. NDSU students receive free admission by presenting your valid NDSU student ID at the door. For more information, call the ticket office at (701) 231-6378 or (888) 231-6378 or email ndsu.bisontickets@ndsu.edu.
Coverage
All home duals will be streamed live online at www.GoBison.com/showcase (pay per view), and live scoring will be provided through TrackWrestling.
Bison in the Rankings
- North Dakota State is ranked 38th in WIN Wrestling Magazine’s Tournament Power Index (TPI). The next TPI will be released Jan. 27.
- Individually, in the InterMat.com (Jan. 20) individual weight class rankings, 184 junior Hayden Zillmer (23-4) is No. 9, 285 senior Evan Knutson (17-7) is No. 15 and 125 sophomore Josh Rodriguez (11-5).
- In The Open Mat.com (Jan. 20) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 8, 285 Knutson is No. 17 and 174 senior Kurtis Julson (12-7) is No. 19.
- In the Amateur Wrestling News (Jan. 20) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 9, 125 sophomore Rodriguez is No. 13 and 285 Knutson is No. 19.
- In the WIN Wrestling Magazine (Jan. 20) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 10, 125 Rodriguez is No. 16, and 285 Knutson is No. 18.
- In Asics/Flowrestling Rankings (Jan. 20) rankings, Zillmer is No. 7, Rodriguez is No. 18 and Knutson is No. 19.
NDSU 184 Hayden Zillmer Earns Third Western Wrestling Conference Honor This Season
North Dakota State 184-pound junior Hayden Zillmer was named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after an outstanding performance on the mat last week. The conference honor is Zillmer’s third of the season and third of his career.
Zillmer recorded a pair of falls over the weekend as NDSU defeated Northern Colorado, 23-13, in the WWC opener on Jan. 16, and beat Boise State, 30-12, in a non-conference, Jan. 18. Both duals took placed at NDSU’s Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
Zillmer recorded his first fall at 4:12 against UNC’s Keith Johnson on Jan. 16. The Bison junior then pinned Boise State’s Xavier Callejas at 1:25 in the first period on Jan. 18.
The Crosby, Minnesota native improved to 23-4 overall and 7-0 in duals this season. Zillmer, who has six pins on the season, is ranked No. 9 by InterMat in his weight division.