South Dakota State wrestling team gets into the heart of the 2021-22 dual season Sunday, hosting Northern Iowa in a Big 12 Conference matchup.
The format and schedule for Sunday’s event have changed from what was originally publicized. Instead of a triangular with Wyoming and Northern Iowa, the duals portion of the event will be limited to a single matchup between South Dakota State and UNI starting at 12:30 p.m. at Frost Arena. Wyoming, which is currently unable to field a complete team, will send a small contingent of wrestlers who will compete in extra matches against the Jackrabbits and Panthers at the conclusion of the dual.
The annual Teddy Bear Toss will be held at intermission.
South Dakota State, which is receiving votes in this week’s NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, enters their Big 12 opener with a 4-1 overall dual record. Video coverage of Sunday’s event will be available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required). In their last dual action, the Jackrabbits won all three of their matches at the Huskie Duals Dec. 18 in DeKalb, Illinois.
Northern Iowa holds a 1-4 dual record but is ranked 22nd in this week’s coaches’ poll after wrestling one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Panthers recorded a 33-9 victory over Hofstra at the Collegiate Duals in Niceville, Florida, in their last outing, which was preceded by duals against four teams ranked in the top 11 of this week’s NWCA Division I Coaches Poll: No. 11 Missouri (L, 16-25); No. 10 Virginia Tech (L, 3-39); eighth-ranked Cornell (L, 7-29) and second-ranked Penn State (L, 9-29).
PROBABLE LINEUP
- 125: Tanner Jordan • So., St. Paris, Ohio (11-9 overall, 3-2 duals)
- 133: Caleb Gross • So., Pound, Wis. (8-11, 2-1) / Trayton Anderson • So., Northfield, Minn. (2-8, 0-2) / Gabriel Tagg • So., Lodi, Ohio (0-0. 0-0)
- 141: #6 Clay Carlson • Jr., Willmar, Minn. (17-1, 5-0)
- 149: Zach Price • Jr., Johnston, Iowa (12-7, 1-1) / Daniel Kimball • So., Buckingham, Iowa (14-9, 3-0)
- 157: Kenny O’Neil • Jr., Prior Lake, Minn. (11-10, 2-2)
- 165: #29 Tanner Cook • So., Ilion, N.Y. (9-5, 4-1) / Jack Thomsen • So., La Porte City, Iowa (12-10, 0-0)
- 174: #11 Cade DeVos • So., Altoona, Iowa (17-2, 4-0)
- 184: Cade King • Jr., Waseca, Minn. (4-4, 2-1)
- 197: #21 Tanner Sloan • Jr., Alburnett, Iowa (5-4, 0-1) / Nick Casperson • Jr., Beresford, S.D. (111-4, 4-0)
- 285: #23 A.J. Nevills • Jr., Clovis, Calif. (13-7, 4-1) / Bowen McConville • Jr., Renton, Wash. (10-8, 0-0)
THE SERIES: South Dakota State has found the going tough in its history against Northern Iowa, with the Panthers holding a 40-5-1 advantage in a dual series that dates back to the 1953-54 season. After a 20-year hiatus, the series resumed during the 2004-05 season, when the Jackrabbits joined UNI at the D-I level as both squads competed in the Western Wrestling Conference.
SDSU’s last win in the series came in Cedar Falls, Iowa, during the 2019-20 season, when the Jackrabbits knocked off 16th-ranked UNI, 25-13.
In last season’s meeting, Jan. 10, 2021, at Frost Arena, Northern Iowa recorded three pins in the first six matches to propel the Panthers to a 28-13 victory.
After Brody Teske began the competition with a 13-11 victory over the Jackrabbits’ Danny Vega at 125 pounds, Kyle Biscoglia gave the Panthers a 9-0 lead with a pin in pulling off the upset over 13th-ranked Zach Price.
The Jackrabbits stemmed the tide momentarily with an 8-2 decision by Carlson in his 141-pound matchup against Drew Bennett, but UNI regained the momentum with pins by Triston Lara (149 pounds) and Pat Schoenfelder (165). All three Panther pins came in the third period.
SDSU closed the dual with decisive victories by Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds and heavyweight Blake Wolters. The 10th-ranked Sloan scored a 14-1 major decision over Tyrell Gordon, while Wolters notched a 13-6 victory.
Also winning for the Jackrabbits was redshirt freshman Cade DeVos, who rallied for a 10-8 decision over Cayd Lara in the 157-pound matchup.
NO. 23 NORTHERN IOWA 28, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 13 (Jan. 10, 2021)
125: Brody Teske (UNI) dec. Danny Vega (SDSU), 13-11
133: Kyle Biscoglia UNI) def. #13 Zach Price (SDSU), by fall 6:22
141: #22 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Drew Bennett (UNI), 8-2
149: Triston Lara (UNI) def. Hunter Marko (SDSU), by fall 5:42
157: #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. Cayd Lara (UNI), 10-8
165: Pat Schoenfelder (UNI) def. Kenny O’Neil (SDSU), by fall 5:41
174: Lance Runyon (UNI) dec. Cade King (SDSU), 4-0
184: Keegan Moore (UNI) major dec. Nick Casperson (SDSU), 18-7
197: #10 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Tyrell Gordon (UNI), 14-1
285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. John McConkey (UNI), 13-6
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to continue dual action against Big 12 Conference foes, traveling Jan. 15 to Utah Valley. Start time for the dual at Lockhart Arena in Orem, Utah is 7 p.m. Mountain Time (8 p.m. Central).
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