COLLEGEVILLE, Minn.–Seven of nine North Dakota State University wrestlers placed in the top six including a runner-up finish from unattached 149-pound Mark Voss at the North Country Open hosted by the University of Saint John’s on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Donald McNeely Spectrum.
Voss, a freshman from Monticello, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville H.S.), won his first three matches including a 17-4 major decision over Concordia’s Jake Kostik to reach the the 149-pound finals, where St. Cloud State’s Larry Bomstad won by fall at 3:14. Voss improved to 13-6 on the season.
Tom Walton, a redshirt freshman from Fargo, N.D. (North H.S.), took third place in the 141-pound weight class with a 7-6 decision over Minnesota’s Gannon Volk. Walton won four of five matches to improve to 8-7.
Unattached 165-pound freshman Charley Popp (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge H.S.) finished fourth in his weight division. Popp won three of five matches, including a pair by major decision, before falling to Minnesota’s Brandon Krone 11-3 in the third place match. Popp is now 14-7 on the year.
Unattached freshmen, 133 Nick O’Brien (3-2) and 149 Alex Stuhl (4-2), and redshirt freshmen, 157 Joe Umlauf (4-2) and 285 Jerrad Nieland (3-2), all placed fifth at the tournament.