TULSA, Okla. – Three more South Dakota State wrestlers qualified for the national meet after posting high finishes Sunday afternoon at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship at BOK Center.
The Jackrabbits have qualified a program-best six wrestlers for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio.
SDSU entered Sunday with four wrestlers remaining in the consolation bracket and three – Martin Mueller, Henry Pohlmeyer, and Luke Zilverberg – won their first matches of the day to move into third-place matches.
Zilverberg, who wrestled at 165 pounds his first three seasons, will be making his second consecutive trip to the NCAA meet.
Both Mueller and Pohlmeyer notched pins in their first matches of the day. Mueller trailed Chaz Polson of Wyoming by a 7-2 count in the third period before Mueller turned the tables with a reversal and put Polson on his back to complete the come-from-behind victory and secure his first NCAA tournament berth.
Pohlmeyer was matched up against 11th-seeded Mike Longo of Oklahoma and trailed 2-1 early in the second period. However, Pohlmeyer came back to put Longo’s shoulders to the mat midway through the period for his second pin o the tournament.
However, the sophomore tandem of Mueller and Pohlmeyer would have to settle for fourth-place finishes. Mueller fell 13-5 to Oklahoma State’s Keegan Moore in his third-place bout and Pohlmeyer dropped a 5-3 decision to Josh Alber of Northern Iowa.
With only three automatic qualifying spots allocated to the Big 12 Conference for the 141-pound division, Pohlmeyer will have to await the announcement of at-large selections by the NCAA committee Tuesday. He has a 22-9 overall record this season.
Also competing Sunday afternoon was freshman 125-pounder Connor Brown, who recorded a fifth-place finish to lock up a national berth. A native of Oak Grove, Missouri, Brown dropped a 12-4 major decision to second-seeded Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley in his first match of the day.
Brown then avenged a loss earlier in the tournament to Oklahoma’s Christian Moody by posting an 8-3 decision in the fifth-place match.
UP NEXT
Three Jackrabbits – Seth Gross, David Kocer, and Nate Rotert – will compete in championship matches during Sunday’s final session. Action begins at 6 p.m. and will be televised on FOX Sports regional networks and available online at FoxSportsGo.com.
Following is a complete listing of SDSU results from the Big 12 Wrestling Championship:
125: #5 Connor Brown, Fr., Oak Grove, Mo. (4-2 record)
Round of 16: def. #12 Sean Cannon (Northern Colorado), by major dec., 13-4
Quarterfinals: lost to #4 Christian Moody (Oklahoma), by dec., 1-5
Consolation Round of 8-2: dec. Anthony DeCesare (Air Force), 6-2
Consolation Round of 4: major dec. Paul Bianchi (North Dakota State), 10-1
Consolation Semifinals: lost to #2 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley), by major dec., 4-12
Fifth Place: dec. #4 Christian Moody (Oklahoma), 8-3
Fifth Place, NCAA Qualifier – 22-14 season record
133: #1 Seth Gross, Jr., Apple Valley, Minn. (2-0 record)
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: def. #8 Isaac Jiminez (Air Force), by fall 3:50
Semifinals: major dec. #5 Matthew Schmitt (West Virginia), 10-2
Championship: vs. #3 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)
141: #5 Henry Pohlmeyer, So., Johnston, Iowa (3-2 record)
Round of 16: def. #12 Chris De Loza (Fresno State), by fall 1:48
Quarterfinals: dec. #4 Ian Parker (Iowa State), 4-2 [SV-1]
Semifinals: lost to #1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), by dec., 0-4
Consolation Semifinals: def. #11 Mike Longo (Oklahoma), by fall 4:08
Third Place: lost to #3 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), by dec., 3-5
Fourth Place – 22-9 season record
149: #12 Colten Carlson, R-Fr., Willmar, Minn. (0-2 record)
Round of 16: lost to #5 Sam Turner (Wyoming), by major dec., 12-2
Consolation Round of 8-2: lost to #3 Khristian Olivas (Fresno State), by major dec., 8-16
Carlson eliminated – 8-17 season record
157: #3 Luke Zilverberg, Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn. (3-1 record)
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: dec. #6 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma), 6-0
Semifinals: lost to #2 Archie Colgan (Wyoming), 1-3 [SV-1]
Consolation Semifinals: dec. #4 Logan Ryan (Northern Iowa), 6-1
Third Place: dec. #5 Chase Straw (Iowa State), 2-0
Third Place, NCAA Qualifier – 27-8 season record
165: #11 Logan Peterson, Jr., Lake Lillian, Minn. (0-2 record)
Round of 16: lost to #6 Dawaylon Barnes (Oklahoma), by dec., 5-7
Consolation Round of 8-1: lost to #5 Keilan Torres (Northern Colorado), by dec., 6-8
Peterson eliminated – 15-14 season record
174: #3 David Kocer, Sr., Wagner, S.D. (2-0 record)
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: tech. fall #6 Kyle Pope (Wyoming), 19-0 [7:00]
Semifinals: dec. #2 Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma), 10-8 [TB-2]
Championship: vs. #1 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa)
184: #2 Martin Mueller, So., Rapid City, S.D. (2-2 record)
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: dec. #7 Dane Pestano (Iowa State), 7-5
Semifinals: lost to #3 Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado), by dec., 2-9
Consolation Semifinals: def. #5 Chaz Polson (Wyoming), by fall 5:58
Third Place: lost to #4 Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State), by major dec., 5-13
Fourth Place, NCAA Qualifier – 23-6 season record
197: #2 Nate Rotert, Sr., Spearfish, S.D.
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: tech. fall # 7 Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado), 17-2 [5:59]
Semifinals: dec. #3 Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa), 3-1 [SV-1]
Championship: vs. #4 Jake Smith (West Virginia)
285: #6 Alex Macki, Sr., Cambridge, Iowa (2-2 record)
Round of 16: dec. #11 Brandon Webb (Oklahoma), 6-2
Quarterfinals: lost to #3 A.J. Nevills (Fresno State), by dec., 3-6
Consolation Round of 8-2: dec. Brandon Ngati (West Virginia), 3-2
Consolation Round of 4: lost to #7 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa), by dec., 0-3
Macki eliminated – 13-14 season record
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Oklahoma State (6) – 127
2. Northern Iowa (3) – 92.5
3. South Dakota State (3) – 90
4. Wyoming (2) – 78.5
5. North Dakota State (2) – 57
6. Oklahoma – 52
7. Iowa State – 51
8. Utah Valley – 50.5
9. West Virginia (2) – 50
10. Northern Colorado (1) – 30.5
11. Fresno State (1) – 26.5
12. Air Force – 22.5
Note: Number of finalists in parentheses
