MARSHALL, Minn. – The No. 22 Southwest Minnesota State wrestling team (1-4, 1-4 NSIC) returns home to host No. 14 Augustana (6-9, 2-3 NSIC) in the PE Gym, on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m., for the SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) Match of the Year and “Brown Out”.
MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS: SMSU has two wrestlers ranked in the NWCA rankings (Jan. 20). Caden Steffen leads the way for the Mustangs, ranking second at 184 pounds. Steffen is 16-2 on the season and 3-1 in duals. Steffen has been named NSIC Wrestler of the Week twice this season. On Nov. 11, Steffen won the award after placing first at the Dakota Wesleyan tournament and Steffen won the award again on Dec. 19 after placing first at the Midwest Classic. … Jacob Dykes entered the NWCA rankings at No. 11 after defeating the reigning national champion Darrell Mason by a 3-1 decision. Dykes became the first to defeat Mason since Mason joined Division II and was named the NSIC Wrestler of the Week (Jan. 16) for his victory … SMSU has also been recognized for its team success, as the NWCA ranks the Mustangs at No. 22.
LAST TIME OUT: The Mustangs lost a pair of duals on the road to top 10 opponents. The first dual of the weekend came against No. 7 Parkside, Elijah Sterner had a strong match at 174 pounds as he picked up his first NSIC dual victory of the season. Carter Marx picked up a sudden victory in the first overtime period and Jacob Dykes picked up a victory at 285 with a 4-3 decision. The Mustangs had a disappointing performance against No. 10 Upper Iowa, losing by a final score of 41-0.
SMSU Leaders:
Caden Steffen (16-2)
Jacob Dykes (12-5)
Sean Howk (11-8)
Luke Peterson (10-5)
Carter Marx (8-8)
AUGUSTANA NOTES: The Vikings (6-9 overall, 2-3 NSIC) are currently tied for 14th in the NWCA poll and have six wrestlers ranked in the NWCA rankings, No. 8 at 125 Jaxson Bohman, No. 12 at 133 Jack Hoffman, No. 10 at 157 Miles Fitgerald, No. 6 at 165 Tyler Wagener, No. 7 at 174 Kolby Kost, No. 10 at 184 Cade Mueller.
AUGUSTANA SERIES HISTORY: SMSU trails the all-time series 5-32 in a series that dates back to 1982. The Vikings have won the last eight meetings, with SMSU last winning on Jan. 14, 2014. The Mustangs are 2-16 at home against Augustana, with their last home victory coming on Nov. 8, 1994.
Watch Augustana at Southwest Minnesota State
SMSU Probable Line-Up
125 presented by Countryside Golf Club – Ben Emrich (2-9)
133 presented by Laleman Construction – Hunter Pfantz (7-11)
141 presented by Borch’s Sporting Goods – Open
149 presented by Marshall Auto Exchange – Tyler Soltau (2-14)
157 presented by Wendinger Travel – Sean Howk (11-8)
165 presented by Xcaliber Gunsmithing – Lucas Hodges (8-10)
174 presented by Cottonwood Oil Co-op- Elijah Sterner (2-11)
184 presented by Borch’s Sporting Goods – No. 2 Caden Steffen (16-2)
197 presented by Mustang Wrestling Club – Carter Marx (8-8)
285 presented by Countryside Golf Club – No. 11 Jacob Dykes (12-5)
Augustana Probable Lineup
125 – No. 8 Jaxson Rohman
133 – John Babineau
141 – Kade Sammons
149 – Connor Simmonds
157 – No. 10 Miles Fitzgerald
165 – Payton Anderson
174 – No. 7 Kolby Kost
184 – No. 10 Cade Mueller or Danny Reynolds
197 – Max Ramberg or Zach Peterson
286 – Steven Hajas
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