Thinking Globally – Skylar Little Soldier

By Brian Jerzak

Well before Hastings' junior Skylar Little Soldier knew there would be a state championship to be had at the Xcel Energy Center, Little Soldier had her sights set high. She wasn't thinking of dominating at the state level; she was thinking globally.

"Ever since I was a kid, I would tell my parents I was going to win an Olympic gold medal. That has always been the goal."

The seed was planted for her Olympic goal because of her little brother.

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2023 Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be on April 29th

The 2023 Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will take place April 29th in Benson, Minn. Inductees will be the Dravis Family (Greg Dravis, Blaine Dravis, and Jeff Dravis), Todd Fuller, Chad Kraft, Steve Ricard, Darren Ripley, Bob Ruedy, Joel Toedter, Dalen Wasmund, Neal Hofland, and Gary Brantl.

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Mavericks to Travel to Parkside, Wis. for the Weekend

Minnesota State to Dual No. 7 UW-Parkside in Last Road NSIC Match-up

Minnesota State heads into one of its last NSIC match-ups this coming weekend against No. 7 UW-Parkside. The Rangers will host the Mavericks in the De Simone Arena in Parkside, Wis., starting at 7 p.m. Minnesota State is 5-5 this season, and 2-5 in the NSIC.

UW-Parkside is 9-0 overall, with a 6-0 NSIC record. The Rangers have six ranked wrestlers in the Top 12 NWCA Poll as of Jan. 20, 2023, including #1 Shane Gantz at 165 pounds. Nick Becker is in his second year as head coach of the Rangers, holding a 14-4 career record.

The Mavericks and Rangers have met four times in the last decade, with the series tied at two duals apiece.

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One More Trip Through Wisconsin

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Concordia closed out the multi-team invitational portion of its schedule by competing in the Don Parker Wis.-Eau Claire Open – an invite that featured wrestlers from NCAA Division I and II schools. The tournament marked the third time in the last four weekends that the Cobbers had traveled across the state of Wisconsin to compete in a meet.

Concordia had 20 wrestlers compete in the invite that featured athletes from 35 different schools. The Cobbers ended the day with three podium finishes, and had several other athletes advance deep into their weight class.

Senior Gabe Zierden posted the best finish among the Cobber contingent. He went 2-0 on the day and placed fourth at 197. Zierden won his first two matches by a technical fall and then a pin, before electing not to compete in the semifinals and 3rd-place match.

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Young Auggies compete at UW-Eau Claire meet

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Blake Jagodzinske (SO, Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West HS) claimed an individual title at 157 pounds, leading the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team in competition at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Don Parker Open, held on Saturday.

A total of 25 Augsburg wrestlers, primarily varsity reserves, competed at the 29-team open tournament, the final tournament of the regular season for the Auggies. Augsburg wrestlers combined for a 65-42 record on the day, with 10 pins, eight technical falls and four major decisions. Nine Auggies finished among the top eight in their weight classes.

Jagodzinske improved to 31-4 on the season with his tournament title at 157 pounds, going 5-0 with a pin. He scored a 4-0 win over North Dakota State’s Mason Gode in the semifinals, then edged Wisconsin’s Cody Goebel 7-6 in the finals. Jagodzinske currently has an 18-match winning streak, winning titles in his last four tournaments.

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Lange wins title for Auggies at Grand View

DES MOINES, Iowa — Katie Lange (SO, Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West HS) claimed an individual title with three wins over NAIA nationally-ranked wrestlers, leading the Augsburg University women’s wrestling team at the Grand View University Open on Saturday.

Seeing her first action since the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals on Jan. 6-7, Lange claimed three technical falls among her four victories, outscoring her opponents by a 42-9 margin on the day. Ranked No. 4 in the latest NWCA’s NCAA women’s national rankings at 143 pounds, Lange scored a 12-0 technical fall over Eastern Oregon’s Liv Wieber, the No. 10-ranked NAIA wrestler at 143, then edged Emile Se of Southern Oregon, the No. 2-ranked NAIA 143-pounder, 6-5. In the finals, she scored a 14-4, 4:49 technical fall of Josette Partney of Missouri Baptist, the No. 7-ranked NAIA 143-pounder. Lange is now 24-6 on the season with seven pins and 12 technical falls.

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High School Milestones – Saturday, February 4, 2023

  • 200th Win – Ethan Boll, Crookston, 12th, Crookston, 12th, 220 pounds
  • 100th Pin – Gavin Gust, Dover-Eyota, 12th, 160 pounds
  • 100th Pin – Caden O’Malley, Tri-City United, 12th 182 pounds
  • 179th Win (new MR school record) – Cooper Ochsendorf, Maple River/USC, 12th, 182 pounds
  • 125th Win – Hank Tellers, United North Central, 145 pounds
  • 100th Win – Cole Munsterteiger, Mound Westonka, 10th, 120 pounds
  • 100th Win – Quin Morgan, Mounds View, 11th, 195 pounds
  • 100th Win – Parker Lyden, Forest Lake, 11th, 132 pounds
  • 50th Pin – Donovan Schmid, Mille Lacs, 11th, 126 pounds
  • 50th Pin – Cole Jordan, Rogers, 12th
  • 50th Pin – Dawson McGee, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley-Nevis, 12th, 126 pounds
  • 50th Pin – Chris Johnson, Tri-City United, 12th 138 pounds
  • 75th Win – Aaron Lake, United North Central, 126 pounds
  • 75th Win – Reggie George, Osakis, 10th, 106 pounds
  • 75th Win – Evan Schweisthal, Medford, 11th, 138 pounds
  • 75th Win – Jose De Los Santos, Sauk Centre-Melrose, 11th
  • 75th Win – Will Sjogren, Sauk Centre-Melrose, 12th
  • 60th Win – Cameron Scholten, Jackson County Central, 12th, 285 pounds
  • 60th Win – Annabelle Petsinger, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, 11th, 120 pounds
  • 60th Win and 50th Pin – Caleb Kurtti, Goodhue, 10th, 220 pounds
  • 60th Win – Justin Koehn, Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie, 12th, 170 pounds
  • 25th Pin – Kenneth Braman, Edina, 12th
  • 25th Pin – Cris Ramirez, Lake City, 12th, 113 pounds
  • 50th Win – Clay Anderson, Milaca, 12th, 170 pounds
  • 50th Win – Jack Hanson, Milaca, 11th, 195 pounds
  • 50th Win – Will Rustan, West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville, 11th, 220 pounds
  • 50th Win – Hunter Kresl, Crookston, 12th, Crookston, 12th, 195 pounds
  • 50th Win – Blaine Wald, Cambridge-Isanti, 12th, 120 pounds