The South Dakota State University wrestling team is scheduled to return to action Sunday by meeting a pair of ranked squads in dual action at the Little Rock Quad.
The Jackrabbits, 2-3 overall and 1-2 against Big 12 opponents, are slated to open the day with a conference dual versus Oklahoma at 10 a.m. The 22nd-ranked Sooners feature seven wrestlers currently in the FloWrestling individual rankings and enter the dual 2-3 overall, with a 1-2 mark in Big 12 competition. OU dropped duals to Big 12 foes Iowa State (L, 16-18) and Northern Iowa (L, 13-23) last Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
SDSU, which was idle last week, also will wrestle Pac-12 Conference opponents Stanford at noon and Little Rock at 2 p.m. Stanford, ranked 21st in this week’s coaches’ poll, holds a 1-0 dual record heading into a Thursday triangular versus California Baptist and Cal Poly. The Cardinal defeated CSU Bakersfield, 29-13, in season-opening action Jan. 24.
Little Rock is 2-6 overall, but is on a two-dual winning streak after defeating both Fresno State and Cal State Bakersfield last weekend. The Trojans are in their second year as a program.
In between duals and to close out the day-long competition, several other Jackrabbit wrestlers are expected to compete in extra matches. All competition will be held at the Jack Stephens Center on the UA-Little Rock campus.
The order of duals is as follows:
• 10 a.m. – South Dakota State vs. Oklahoma | Stanford at Little Rock
• Noon – South Dakota State vs. Stanford | Oklahoma at Little Rock
• 2 p.m. – South Dakota State at Little Rock ($Watch Live) | Stanford vs. Oklahoma
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THE SERIES: South Dakota State holds a combined 6-5 dual record against its three weekend opponents. The Jackrabbits wrestled against each of their three opponents last season, coming away with three victories.
Series vs. Oklahoma
Sunday’s dual will mark the seventh time South Dakota State and Oklahoma have met on the wrestling mat, dating back to a 31-2 OU victory during the 1969-70 season. The Jackrabbits tied the series at 3-3 by posting a 23-16 victory last season at Frost Arena.
In that dual, SDSU came up with three bonus-point wins, starting with a pin at 165 pounds by Tanner Cook. Zach Carlson followed two matches later with a major decision in the 184-pound bout.
Danny Vega recorded the final bonus-point victory, earning a 13-4 major decision over Christian Moody in the 125-pound matchup.
Winners by decision for the Jackrabbits were Tanner Sloan (197), Blake Wolters (285) and Henry Pohlmeyer (149).
South Dakota State 23, Oklahoma 16 (Jan. 26, 2020 at Frost Arena)
157: #19 Justin Thomas (OU) major dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 16-3
165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Jose Lao Cooper (OU), by fall 0:40
174: #10 Anthony Mantanona (OU) def. Cade King (SDSU), by fall 5:39
184: #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Darrien Roberts (OU), 10-0
197: #19 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) dec. #14 Jake Woodley (OU), 4-2
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Josiah Jones (OU), 4-3 [TB-2]
125: #25 Danny Vega (SDSU) major dec. Christian Moody (OU), 13-4
133: #17 Anthony Madrigal (OU) dec. Zach Price (SDSU), 6-0
141: #7 Dom Demas (OU) dec. Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-2
149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. #25 Jacob Butler (OU), 7-2
Note: Individual rankings by FloWrestling
Series vs. Stanford
SDSU pulled even in the all-time series against Stanford with a convincing 34-4 victory over the 21st-ranked Cardinal last season at Frost Arena. The series currently stands at two wins apiece, with two of the duals contested in Brookings and the other two at neutral sites.
In last season’s matchup, SDSU won the first nine matches, highlighted by Tanner Sloan’s 7-2 victory over Nathan Traxler in a battle between ranked 197-pounders.
The Jackrabbits racked up four bonus-point victories: a forfeit to Henry Pohlmeyer (149), a technical fall by Zach Price at 133 pounds, along with major decisions by Zach Carlson (184) and Clay Carlson (141).
South Dakota State 34, #21 Stanford 4 (Feb. 16, 2020 at Frost Arena)
174: Tanner Cook (SDSU) dec. Gabe Dinette (STAN), 4-0
184: #17 Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Jared Hill (STAN), 16-5
197: #19 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) dec. #13 Nathan Traxler (STAN), 7-2
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Trevor Rasmussen (STAN), 7-1
125: #24 Danny Vega (SDSU) dec. Jackson DiSario (STAN), 6-3
133: Zach Price (SDSU) tech. fall Luciano Arroyo (STAN), 15-0 [6:23]
141: Clay Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Fabian Santillan (STAN), 10-2
149: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) won by forfeit
157: Garrett Jordan (SDSU) dec. Ethan Woods (STAN), 9-3
165: #3 David Griffith (STAN) major dec. Kenny O’Neil (SDSU), 16-5
Notes: Cook ranked 25th at 165 pounds; rankings by FloWrestling
Series vs. Little Rock
South Dakota State blanked Little Rock, 42-0, in the first-ever meeting between the two progams last season on the Trojans’ home mat. Henry Pohlmeyer capped the Jackrabbits’ first shutout of a Division I opponent in 14 years with a first-period pin in the 149-pound bout.
Cade King (174), Zach Carlson (184) and Danny Vega (125) were all winners by technical fall, while Blake Wolters won by forfeit at heavyweight.
South Dakota State 42, Little Rock 0 (Feb. 2, 2020 at Little Rock, Ark.)
157: Peyton Smith (SDSU) dec. Thomas Lisher (LR), 2-0
165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) dec. William Edgar (LR), 10-7
174: Cade King (SDSU) tech. fall Tristan Tadeo (LR), 18-2 [5:25]
184: #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Matthew Muller (LR), 18-2 [3:00]
197: Kelby Hawkins (SDSU) dec. James Johnson, 6-3
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) won by forfeit
125: #25 Danny Vega (SDSU) tech. fall Jayden Carson (LR), 18-3 [7:00]
133: Zach Price (SDSU) dec. Paul Bianchi (LR), 10-7
141: Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Conner Ward (LR), 8-5
149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) def. Tyler Brennan (LR), by fall 0:36
Note: Individual rankings by FloWrestling
RABBITS RANKED: Five Jackrabbit wrestlers appear in individual national rankings heading into Sunday’s quadrangular.
Sophomore 197-pounder Tanner Sloan leads the SDSU contingent, inching up the polls this week to seventh-place showings in the Intermat and WIN Magazine rankings. Sloan also holds rankings of eighth by Trackwrestling and ninth from FloWrestling.
The Alburnett, Iowa, native is undefeated so far this season with a 7-0 record, winning four matches by technical fall, two by pin and one by major decision. He is poised to further bolster his résumé this weekend with matches potentially looming against 10th-ranked Nathan Traxler (Stanford) and 12th-ranked Jake Woodley (Oklahoma).
Sloan is coming off a 2019-20 season in which he posted a 21-6 overall record and was an NCAA qualifier. He capped his first season with an All-America selection by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Fellow NCAA qualifier Tanner Cook also is ranked a pair of polls despite not yet wrestling this season. The sophomore from Ilion, New York, holds spots of 16th in the WIN Magazine rankings and is ranked No. 18 at 165 pounds by FloWrestling. He burst onto the scene last season, compiling a 21-4 overall record with 14 pins.
The big mover in the polls so far this season is Zach Price, who vaulted 10-plus spots in the Trackwrestling and FloWrestling polls after downing a pair of higher-ranked opponents on the opening weekend of competition. With a 5-2 record so far this season, Price currently holds a 13th-place ranking from WIN Magazine and is No. 16 in the Flowrestling polls, followed by standings of 18th in the Trackwrestling rankings and 20th with Intermat.
Two other Jackrabbits are ranked in a pair of polls. Sophomore Clay Carlson stands 20th in Trackwrestling’s 141-pound rankings and 22nd in the FloWrestling rankings, while redshirt freshman Cade DeVos moved back up in the 157-pound rankings with showings of 18th by FloWrestling and 20th from Trackwrestling.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue multi-team dual action Feb. 7 by traveling to Fargo, North Dakota. SDSU is slated to meet host North Dakota State at 11 a.m., followed by a matchup with nationally ranked Iowa State at 3 p.m.
The match with NDSU will mark the second meeting between the rivals this season, with Border Bell bragging rights at stake.
Competition will be held at Scheels Center on the NDSU campus.
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