MANKATO, Minn. — Minnesota State wrestling coach Jim Makovsky has announced that 13 student-athletes have joined the Maverick wrestling team.
“Overall, it’s exciting to have such a large class of guys coming in together. We are confident that we’ve attracted the right type of student-athlete that will contribute to the overall mission of our program. Some of these wrestlers will be called on right away to contribute but they will all definitely make an impact on the culture of the program and raise the competitiveness within the wrestling room. We are hopeful we will wrestle this year, we’re looking forward to the season starting – whenever that is,” assistant coach Ty Eustice said.
Information about this year’s recruiting class appears below.
Dylan Anderson (Lakeville, Minn./Apple Valley)
Anderson (157/165 lbs.) finished in fifth place in the AAA state tournament twice. As a senior, he posted a 46-9 record, which included 41 pins.
Eustice on Dylan Anderson: “Dylan comes from a great program and is a natural pinner with an incredible pin rate his senior year. We’re excited to watch him continue to develop and add to his game.”
Jerez Autridge (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna)
Autridge (149 lbs.) was a Minnesota Christmas Tournament placewinner.
Eustice on Jerez Autridge: “Jerez has won a lot of wrestling matches but his best wrestling is in front of him and we think he can develop very quickly in our room.”
Willie Bastyr (Prior Lake, Minn./Lakeville South)
Bastyr (157/165 lbs.) put together a career record of 174-48 at Lakeville South and won a 2019 AAA state championship.
Eustice on Willie Bastyr: “Willie had an incredible high school career and has a real talent for the sport. We are looking forward to seeing how Willie raises his level with the tough teammates he has here in the room.”
Tanner Cook (Columbus, Mont./Columbus)
Cook (125 lbs.) posted a 147-6 career record at Columbus High School. He was a state finalist three times and won a state championship.
Eustice on Cook: “Tanner has been well-coached by former Maverick NCAA champion Jason Rhoten and he comes from a great wrestling family. He is very confident and motivated to come and make his name here as a Maverick.”
Franny Fuenffinger (Mountain Iron, Minn./Hibbing/RCTC)
Fuenffinger (125 lbs.) joins the Mavericks after competing with Rochester Community and Technical College last season. While at RCTC, Fuenffinger qualified for the NJCAA and was named a Scholar All-American. During his high school career at Hibbing, Fuenffinger posted a 115-52 career record, which included 45 pins. He also advanced to the state tournament three times.
Eustice on Franny Fuenffinger: “Franny comes highly recommended from his coaches and teammates at RCTC. He loves wrestling and being a part of a team, we are excited to add his experience and passion in our program.”
Roman Gilbert (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview)
Gilbert (133/141 lbs.) set a school record at Eastview High School with 41 wins during his senior season. He would finish his career at Eastview with a third-place finish at the 2020 AAA State Tournament.
Eustice on Roman Gilbert: “Roman is an under the radar guy, coming on during his senior year. He caught my eye several times the past few seasons and we are thrilled that he is here. Great natural quickness, he will continue to improve and push everyone in our room.”
Kadyn Kraye (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Central)
A four-time state placewinner, Kraye (141 lbs.) notched a career record of 157-82 while at Rapid City Central High School.
Eustice on Kraye: “Kadyn is the brother of one of our most consistent wrestlers – Bridger, we expect him to make his own path and contribute to this program. He comes from a great wrestling family and we are thankful he is here with us as a Maverick.”
Brock Luthens (Hector, Minn./Buffalo Lake-Hector/NIACC)
At Buffalo Lake-Hector High School, Luthens (133/141 lbs.) was a three-time state placewinner and finished his high school career with a 196-26 record. In two seasons with North Iowa Area Community College, Luthens qualified for the NJCCA Tournament twice and garnered NJCCA All-American honors in 2019.
Eustice on Brock Luthens: “Brock is a proven winner in high school and college. He will make an immediate impact for us and will add a lot of toughness and attitude to the room.”
Darrell Mason (Chicago, Ill./Dunbar Vocational/Ellsworth CC)
While at Dunbar Vocation, Mason (285 lbs.) put together a career record of 88-22. He was also a USA Greco-Roman national finalist. At Ellsworth Community College, Mason finished second at the 2020 NJCCA Tournament.
Eustice on Darrell Mason: “Darrell is going to bring energy and excitement to the program. He is very hungry to improve and contribute. It will be fun to see all of our heavyweights push each other this season.”
Grant Peirce (Stewart, Minn./Buffalo Lake-Hector)
A 2020 state AA placewinner, Peirce (125 lbs.) tallied 107 career wins at Buffalo Lake-Hector High School and posted the team’s fastest pin at :08.
Eustice on Grant Peirce: “Coach Makovsky coached Grant’s dad Jason here in the mid 90’s. Grant is eager to jump into college wrestling and we’re excited to have another Minnesota product join our lightweights.”
Josh Piechowski (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater)
Piechowski (197 lbs.) finished his high school career with a 138-68 record, which included 71 pins. Piechowski was a two-time state AAA placewinner and helped his team to a pair of second place finishes at the state tournament.
Eustice on Josh Piechowski: “Josh had a great high school career and we expect him to be a future leader for this team. Josh has been well-coached, his high school coach Tim Hartung, coached me at the University of Iowa during my last two college years. Coming from the highly regarded Stillwater program, we want that winning attitude in our room.”
Max Schwabe (Stratford, Wis./Stratford)
A three-time state placewinner, Schwabe (141 lbs.) notched a 172-16 career record at Stratford High School which included 93 pins. Schwabe also won a state championship and helped his team to a pair of state championships. He was also a member of the Stratford baseball team that won a state championship. As a quarterback, he helped his team to a second place finish in the state tournament.
Eustice on Max Schwabe: “Another super successful high school wrestler from a really strong program, Max has all the tools to be a very good college wrestler, we are very excited to have him join us. Pretty amazing all the state championship caliber teams he was a part of, that winning attitude will help this program.”
Mike Smith (Amery, Wis./Amery)
Eustice on Mike Smith: “We also return a newcomer from last year – Mike Smith from Amery, Wis. Mike took second in his first two college open tournaments last season before stepping away from wrestling during the second semester. He is eager to re-join the team and we think he can really contribute this season.”
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