Jacks recover to get past UNC
GREELEY, Colo. — The South Dakota State wrestling team got off to a rocky start in its Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Friday night against Northern Colorado, but claimed the final six matches to pull away for a 23-13 victory at Bank of Colorado Arena.
The Jackrabbits, who extended their winning streak to nine, moved to 10-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12. UNC dropped to 10-3 overall and 0-3 in league duals.
UNC held the early momentum on its home mat by winning the first four matches, including two matchups between ranked wrestlers, to build a 13-0 lead. At 125 pounds, the Bears’ 16th-ranked Stevo Poulin notched a 9-2 decision over No. 30 Tanner Jordan, while Jace Koelzer followed with a 6-4 overtime decision over the Jackrabbits’ Derrick Cardinal at 133 pounds.
In a highly anticipated matchup at 141 pounds, top-ranked Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado grabbed a 4-1 first-period lead against 10th-ranked Clay Carlson and held the Jackrabbit without a takedown in picking up three more points with a 10-3 decision.
The UNC lead grew to double digits when Chris Sandoval completed a 10-2 major decision over Alek Martin in the 149-pound bout.
Redshirt freshman Cael Swensen, ranked 19th at 157 pounds, stemmed the tide with a hard-fought, 4-2 decision over No. 31 Vinny Zerban, while the Jackrabbit veterans in the upper weights asserted themselves down the stretch.
SDSU pulled to within 13-9 when 15th-ranked Tanner Cook was awarded the victory by default in his bout with Baylor Fernandes. Cook appeared to suffer an arm injury on what was determined to be an illegal hold or move by his opponent, leading to Cook being declared the winner and the Jackrabbits being awarded six team points.
Back-to-back decisions by the Cades — DeVos at 174 pounds and King in the 184-pound matchup — gave the Jackrabbits a lead they would not relinquish. Tanner Sloan then followed with a first-period pin against Xavier Vasquez and heavyweight A.J. Nevills also stayed unbeaten in dual action this season by closing out the contest with an 8-4 decision over Xavier Doolin.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits wrap up their weekend road swing through the state of Colorado by wrestling Sunday at Air Force. The dual meet is slated for a 1 p.m. Mountain Time (2 p.m. Central) start at Clune Arena.
NOTES
- SDSU leads the all-time series, 26-12, and has won the last seven meetings
- Carlson and Alirez have split their four meetings over the past two seasons
- Sloan’s pin was his second in a row and fourth of the season
- Swensen and Nevills each ran their winning streaks to nine
- King extended his winning streak to eight matches — all by decision
- Nevills improved to 11-0 in duals this season, while Sloan upped his dual mark to 10-0
South Dakota State 23, Northern Colorado 13
125: #16 Stevo Poulin (UNC) dec. #30 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 9-2
133: Jace Koelzer (UNC) dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 6-4 [SV-1]
141: #1 Andrew Alirez (UNC) dec. #10 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 10-3
149: Chris Sandoval (UNC) major dec. Alek Martin (SDSU), 10-2
157: #19 Cael Swensen (SDSU) dec. #31 Vinny Zerban (UNC), 4-2
165: #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Baylor Fernandes (UNC), by default 1:38
174: #15 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. #30 Andrew Berreyesa (UNC), 2-1
184: #17 Cade King (SDSU) dec. Branson Britten (UNC), 5-2
197: #11 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Xavier Vasquez (UNC), by fall 2:00
285: #13 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) dec. Xavier Doolin (UNC), 8-4
Note: SDSU deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct
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