FARGO, N.D. – No. 12/15 North Dakota State will wrap up the regular season dual schedule on Sunday at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse, taking on No. 17/21 South Dakota State. The battle for the Border Bell is slated to get underway at 2 p.m.
Sunday’s dual will be hosted at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse and not the traditional Scheels Center venue.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 3-17. Tickets will be available at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse and also at GoBison.com/tickets. Doors open one (1) hour prior to the dual. Free parking is available in Visitors Lot E.
Sunday’s dual against South Dakota State will be televised live on WDAY Xtra. Dom Izzo (play-by-play) and Jack Maughan (color) will have the announcing duties.
Dual Coverage
The dual will also be streamed and feature live statistics on TrackWrestling. Links are available on GoBison.com.
Senior Day
Dylan Droegemueller and McGwire Midkiff will be recognized prior to the dual for senior day.
Series History
The Bison and South Dakota State will meet for the 70th time on Sunday, with North Dakota State holding a 45-23-1 advantage in the series. The Bison are 24-8 against the Jackrabbits in Fargo.
The Border Bell
Sunday is the 10th annual Battle for the Border Bell between North Dakota State and South Dakota State. The winner claims the traveling trophy, a 100-pound kettle bell, which was introduced during the 2013-14 season. After NDSU had won for three-straight seasons, SDSU claimed the bell last year. The Bison lead the Border Bell series 5-4.
Border Bell Series Year-by-Year
Nov. 30, 2013 | Brookings | NDSU 30-13
Dec. 14, 2014 | Fargo | NDSU 23-14
Dec. 13, 2015 | Brookings | SDSU 24-15
Feb. 19, 2017 | Brookings | SDSU 20-18
Feb. 16, 2018 | Brookings | SDSU 22-12
Feb. 15, 2019 | Fargo | NDSU 31-10
Feb. 21, 2020 | Brookings | NDSU 19-18
Feb. 7, 2021 | Fargo | NDSU 18-16
Feb. 20, 2022 | Brookings | SDSU 32-3
Highest Ranking In Program History
The Bison sit at No. 15 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, the highest official ranking in the program’s Division I history. Prior to this season, the Bison had never been ranked higher than 19. In the InterMat rankings the Bison sit at 12, which marks the highest the Bison have ever been in any poll in the Division I era.
Jared Franek Claims Ranked Win NDSU Record
With Franek’s victory over #13 Jacob Wright (Wyoming) in a dual on January 21, he secured his 27th ranked victory, passing Steven Monk’s NDSU Division I record (26). Franek now has 29 ranked wins.
Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Honors
Senior Jared Franek and redshirt freshman Michael Caliendo became the sixth and seventh Bison to win Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors this season, as both claimed the award for the first time.
Three Scuffle Titles
Jared Franek (157) claimed his second-straight Southern Scuffle title to open 2023, while Kellyn March (149) had two ranked wins and Owen Pentz (197) added three ranked wins, as both went 5-0 for their first Scuffle titles. The Bison took second overall, finishing behind Oklahoma State, but ahead of Missouri, Stanford and Minnesota.
Pentz Climbing Pin Charts
Owen Pentz is sixth for the Bison in the D1 era with 24 pins. The junior pinned #2/4 Ethan Laird (Rider) in the semis of the Southern Scuffle earlier this season. With that pin, Pentz has pinned a #2 wrestler three times in his career.
Freshman Caliendo Makes Strong Statement with Battles Against NCAA Champions
Michael Caliendo (19-2) took runner up at the Southern Scuffle, fall 3-2 to #2 Shane Griffith (Stanford), 2021 NCAA Champion. Caliendo avenged the loss, defeating Griffith 6-3 in a dual two weeks later. Caliendo’s other loss came to #1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), the 2022 NCAA Champion. Caliendo secured two takedowns and led before falling.
100 W’s for Kish
With NDSU’s 30-6 victory over Buffalo in mid-December, North Dakota State head coach Roger Kish scooped up his 100th career dual victory. Kish has since improved to 108-69 in his 12th season as the leader of the Herd.
March Nearly Matches Own NDSU Pin Record
In a dual against Buffalo, Kellyn March pinned Kaleb Burgess in 13 seconds, one second shy of March’s fastest pin and the NDSU Division I record pin of 12 seconds, set last season in a dual against Edinboro’s Clayton Bashor.
Program Hits 600
In a dual victory at Stanford, NDSU wrestling secured program victory No. 600 in dual competition. NDSU currently has 606 wins as a program, with 167 in the Division I era and 72 in the Big 12 era.
The Bison at Home
NDSU holds a 286-121-8 (.699) record at home over the course of the program’s 65-year history. Since January of 2019, the Bison are 20-6 (.769) with five of the six losses coming against ranked opposition.
NCAA D1 Qualifiers
The Bison have 58 NCAA Div. I qualifiers in 14 years of postseason eligibility, including 15 over the last three seasons. Rich in wrestling history, the Bison sent 26 to NCAA Div. I Championships from 1971 to 1991, bringing the total to 84. The Bison have 10 All-Americans at the Div. I Championships, including a best finish of 3rd by Steven Monk at 165 in 2014. In 2015, Kurtis Julson and Hayden Zillmer both placed in the top 8.
Head Coach Roger Kish
Roger Kish is in his 12th season at the helm of NDSU wrestling, taking over the program in 2011-12 after he spent two years as an assistant coach under the legendary Bucky Maughan. Under his tenure, the Bison have had seven All-Americans and two Big 12 Champions; Cam Sykora (133 in 2020) and Luke Weber (165 in 2021). Kish was a two-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up for Minnesota at 184 pounds with a career record of 117-27 for the Gophers. He then spent two seasons on staff at Minnesota as a graduate assistant.
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