MARSHALL, Minn.- Southwest Minnesota State University head wrestling coach Chayse Jackson recently returned from Constanta, Romania, where he served as a coach for Team USA at the Beach Wrestling World Championships.
Jackson helped train and coach, Anthony Raupp of Minot, N.D., who took fifth place at the 80 kg weight class. Raupp would go 2-1 in pool A, good enough for second in his pool. He would end up finishing fifth after missing the semifinals due to classification points and tiebreakers.
“I was honored at the opportunity to coach at the Beach Wrestling World Championships. To represent the U.S. and SMSU as a new head coach was a once in a lifetime experience,” Jackson said. “Seeing a former athlete who put in countless hours breakthrough and take fifth in the world was truly a special moment.”
All five of the U.S. wrestlers in the Senior-level competition placed in the top 10 of their weight class. The USA finished seventh in the 13-team men’s standings with 12 points, with Georgia winning the team title. The United States was also seventh in the 10-team women’s division standings with 16 points, with Ukraine winning the team title.
“Although we struggled as a country, the team fought hard and had a lot of close matches,” Jackson said. “But there is still much more to learn and to improve. I hope these athletes can continue to grow in practice each day. I truly look forward to the next chance to coach beach wrestling and to help our sport continue to grow in the U.S. and across the globe.”
Jackson was named the fifth head coach in program history on July 15. He came to SMSU after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Minot State University.
SMSU will open its 2021-22 season with the Brown & Gold intrasquad dual on Oct. 30 in the PE Gym at 5 p.m. The Mustangs open the regular season competing at the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Nov. 13.
Check out Mustangs Wrestling at smsumustangs.com and on Twitter.