The South Dakota State wrestling team opens the home portion of its schedule this weekend with a pair of multi-team home events at Frost Arena.
Friday, the Jackrabbits kick off the dual season by hosting the four-team Dakota Showcase. Action across two mats begins at 5 p.m. and will feature SDSU and the three other in-state college wrestling programs from Augustana, Dakota Wesleyan and Northern State competing in a round-robin format.
The Dakota Showcase schedule is as follows:
5 p.m. Matches
Augustana vs. Northern State – Mat 1
Dakota Wesleyan vs. South Dakota State – Mat 2
6:30 p.m. Matches
Northern State vs. South Dakota State – Mat 1
Dakota Wesleyan vs. Augustana – Mat 2
8 p.m. Matches
Augustana vs. South Dakota State – Mat 1
Dakota Wesleyan vs. Northern State – Mat 2
On Sunday, the scene shifts to tournament competition in the form of the Daktronics Open. Wrestlers from SDSU, North Dakota State, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and the University of Sioux Falls are entered in the day-long event, which begins at 10 a.m.
THE LINEUP: Following are the Jackrabbits’ probable starters for the Dakota Showcase:
- 125: #26 Tanner Jordan, Sr., St. Paris, Ohio (3-0 overall) or Brandon Meredith, Sr., Limerick, Pa. (1-2 overall)
- 133: Derrick Cardinal, So., Forest Lake, Minn. (3-1 overall)
- 141: #6 Clay Carlson, Sr., Willmar, Minn. (0-0 overall) or Caleb Gross, Sr., Pound, Wis. (2-1 overall)
- 149: Daniel Kimball, Sr., Buckingham, Iowa (3-1 overall) or Colin Dupill, Fr., Greeneville, Tenn. (0-0 overall)
- 157: #13 Cael Swensen, So., Plymouth, Minn. (0-0 overall) or Ryan Dolezal, R-Fr., Marshfield, Wis. (1-2 overall)
- 165: Brock Fettig, R-Fr., Bismarck, N.D. (2-2 overall) or Connor Gaynor, So., Mokena, Ill. (0-0 overall)
- 174: #8 Cade DeVos, Sr., Altoona, Iowa (0-0 overall) or Riggin Boger, Fr., Francis, Utah (1-2 overall)
- 184: Jaxon Bowes, R-Fr., Brookings, S.D. (1-3 overall) or Kalen Meyer, So., Rock Rapids, Iowa (0-0 overall)
- 197: #2 Tanner Sloan, Sr., Alburnett, Iowa (0-0 overall) or Cody Donnelly, So., Philip, S.D. (1-2 overall) or Thomas Dineen, Fr., Hancock, Minn. (0-2 overall)
- 285: Bowen McConville, Sr., Renton, Wash. (2-1 overall) or Luke Rasmussen, R-Fr., Brookings, S.D. (0-0 overall) or Regan Bollweg, So., Harrold, S.D. (0-3 overall)
Notes: Rankings are highest between InterMat and FloWrestling rankings from Nov. 14, 2023; records through competition Nov. 11, 2023.
Additional Jackrabbit wrestlers will be competing Sunday in the Daktronics Open.
RABBITS RANKED: South Dakota State began the 2023-24 season with its highest preseason ranking ever in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 12 in the survey, which was announced Oct. 31.
The Jackrabbits also tied their highest-ever ranking in the national poll. SDSU was previously ranked 12th for five weeks during the 2017-18 season.
SDSU, coached by Damion Hahn, was one of six Big 12 Conference teams to be ranked in the top 25. Missouri was ranked fourth, followed by Iowa State in 10th and Oklahoma State at No. 11. Also ranked were Northern Iowa at No. 17 and Oklahoma, which is tied for 20th. Defending national champion Penn State was a unanimous pick for the top spot in the poll.
Beside Missouri (Feb. 18), Oklahoma State (Feb. 10) and Oklahoma (Feb. 9), the Jackrabbits are scheduled to face at least three other teams in the preseason poll — all from the Big Ten Conference — in dual action this season. SDSU is slated to travel to 14th-ranked Minnesota on Nov. 26, followed by a Dec. 16 trip to ninth-ranked Nebraska. A Jan. 4 date against Michigan at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls further highlights the schedule.
The Jackrabbits have maintained their No. 12 ranking so far this season and seven Jackrabbit wrestlers appear in this week’s individual rankings conducted by FloWrestling and InterMat:
125: Tanner Jordan (26th by InterMat/32nd by FloWrestling)
141: Clay Carlson (6th by FloWrestling/6th by InterMat)
157: Cael Swensen (13th by InterMat/14th by FloWrestling)
165: Tanner Cook (14th by FloWrestling/20th by InterMat)
174: Cade DeVos (8th by InterMat/10th by FloWrestling)
184: Bennett Berge (15th by InterMat/17th by FloWrestling)
197: Tanner Sloan (2nd by FloWrestling/3rd by InterMat)
CARLSON, SLOAN SELECTED FOR ALL-STAR CLASSIC: Returning All-Americans Clay Carlson and Tanner Sloan have been selected to represent the South Dakota State University wrestling team at the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic, presented by Cliff Keen, next week.
The exhibition event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. Central) on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State University and will feature matchups in all 10 collegiate weight classes in the men’s division, as well as four cross-divisional women’s freestyle matches. The event will be available for viewing through FloWrestling.org.
Carlson, a two-time All-American at 141 pounds, is slated to face Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina. A native of Willmar, Minnesota, Carlson placed fifth at 141 pounds at the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, finishing the season with a 27-10 record. McNeil recorded a fourth-place finish at the national tournament in posting a 27-9 overall record.
Sloan, the 2023 national runner-up at 197 pounds, is scheduled to square off against Aaron Brooks of Penn State. The Alburnett, Iowa, native compiled a 27-3 record in advancing to the national championship bout, while Brooks is a three-time NCAA champion at 184 pounds who is expected to move up a weight class this season.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits resume dual competition with a Nov. 28 matchup at nationally ranked Minnesota. The Sunday matinee is set for a noon start at the Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.
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