College News

SDSU wrestlers add National Duals to schedule

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The South Dakota State wrestling team added the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen National Duals to the schedule Jan. 8-9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The two-day event is hosted by Western Wrestling Conference foe no. 51 (Intermat) Northern Iowa for the sixth consecutive year. The Jacks face no. three Wisconsin Saturday at 11 a.m. in the first round of the tournament.

Other Division I teams set to compete in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals are no. 10 American, no. six Boise State, no. 25 Central Michigan, no. one Cornell, no. 21 Iowa State, no. 4 Minnesota, no. 23 Missouri, no. 60 Northern Illinois, no. 40 Ohio State, no. two Oklahoma State, no. 29 Oregon State, no. 34 Purdue and no. eight Virginia Tech.

The probable Jackrabbit lineup for the duals includes: Aaron Pickrel (125 pounds), open at 133 pounds, Tony Vaske (141 pounds), Tyler Johnson(141 pounds), Jimmy Hamilton (149 pounds), Nick Flynn (157 pounds), Seth Moe (157 pounds), Joe Rasmussen (165 pounds), John Nething II(165 pounds), David Michaud (174 pounds), Scott Elliott (184 pounds), Cord Willers (197 pounds) and Kevin Kelly (heavyweight).

Wrestlers on Facebook – Fans can show their support for the Jackrabbit wrestlers on Facebook. Log onto Facebook.com/JackrabbitWrestling to keep up with the Jackrabbit grapplers.

Last week – The Jacks competed in the Midlands Championships last week, hosted by no. nine Northwestern. Two Jacks advanced to day two of the tournament in Dustin Walraven and Scott Elliott.

Walraven, competing unattached, won his first match of the tournament 15-3 before falling to no. five seed and no. 15 ranked Chris Drouin of no. 21 Iowa State 4-2. On day two, the 141-pounder finished with a decision loss to Zac Hancock of no. 32 Bucknell.

Elliott, at 184 pounds, defeated no. six seed and no. 12 ranked Eric Schmditke of no. 11 Oklahoma 4-3 in his first match of the tournament before falling to Max Thomusseit of no. 17 Pittsburgh. In the wrestleback bracket, Elliot fell to Cameron Croy of no. 38 Harvard to end his run in the Midlands Championships.

Jackrabbit Extra – Subscribers to the Jackrabbit Extra on GoJacks.com can view select SDSU wrestling matches live on the Internet. To subscribe to the Jackrabbit Extra, log onto GoJacks.com, select Jackrabbit Extra on the Audio/Video tab and click “sign up.”

Jackrabbit Insider on Fox and FSN – “Jackrabbit Insider” airs at 10:30 p.m. Sundays on KTTW FOX 7. The show can also be seen on FOX Sports North Tuesdays at 6 p.m. CT. FOX College Sports Central airs the program Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. “Jackrabbit Insider” is also available through the Jackrabbit Extra video on-demand service at GoJacks.com.

Hosted by Tyler Merrium, “Jackrabbit Insider” is a weekly half-hour program that provides Jackrabbit fans with a behind-the-scenes look at South Dakota State University Athletics.

Next up – The wrestlers return to Frost Arena Jan. 15 when the host no. 51 Northern Iowa for a Western Wrestling Conference dual set to begin at 7 p.m.

St. Cloud State’s O’Grady Earns NSIC Wrestler of the Week Award

St. Cloud State University sophomore Shamus O’Grady (Coon Rapids) was named as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wrestler of the week on Jan. 3.  O’Grady earned the award thanks to his 4-0 record at the Grand Canyon Duals on Jan. 1 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Shamus O'GradyO’Grady helped guide the #2 ranked Huskies to a perfect 4-0 record at the Grand Canyon Duals, which included wins over Chadron State, Mesa State, #8 Nebraska-Kearney and Kutztown.

O’Grady was 4-0 on the day, which included two pins, one win by a technical fall and one win by a forfeit. O’Grady now owns a 15-2 record this winter. O’Grady pinned Trent Zempel of Chadron State at 4:55; he then won by tech fall over Zak Slotten of Mesa State 20-3; he followed that up with a pin over Drew Comito of #8 Nebraska-Kearney at 1:49 and then won by forfeit in the dual against Kutztown.

This marks the third time this season that a St. Cloud State University wrestler has gained NSIC Wrestler of the Week honors.

The Huskies (7-0) will return to action on Jan. 8-9 with a  trip to the NWCA Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  This elite meet will pit the Huskies against the nation’s top NCAA Division II teams in a dual tournament format.  Teams slated to participate in the 2011 tournament are Augustana, Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri, Findlay, Grand Canyon Univ,  Limestone, MSU- Mankato, MSU-Moorhead, Newberry, San Fancisco St, St. Could State, UNC – Pembroke, Nebraska Omaha, UW – Parkside, Upper Iowa and Western State.

No. 3 Vikings open 2011 at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals

This week: Augustana (3-0), ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, competes in the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s (NWCA) Cliff Keen National Duals this Saturday and Sunday at the Northern Iowa Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Last time out:  The Vikings blanked Northwestern 42-0 in Orange City, Iowa. Gavin Nelson (165) and Ty Copsey (197) registered pins, while Austin Carmichael (157) earned a technical fall. Posting decisions were Al Meger (125), Cody Lensing (133), Jason Jeremiason (141), Nate Herda (149),Brian Schultz (184), and Mike Roberts (285). Carl Serck (174) won by forfeit.

Loaded division: Joining Augustana in the Division II class at the Cliff Keen National Duals are Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri, Findlay (Ohio), Grand Canyon (Ariz.), Limestone (S.C.), Minnesota State, Minnesota State Moorhead, Newberry (S.C.), San Francisco State, St. Could State, North Carolina-Pembroke, Nebraska-Omaha, Wisconsin-Parkside, Upper Iowa and Western State (Colo.). Nebraska-Omaha holds the No. 1 ranking nationally, while St. Cloud State is No. 2, Western State No. 4, Newberry No. 5, Findlay No. 7, Upper Iowa No. 10, Grand Canyon No. 11, Central Oklahoma No. 12, UW-Parkside No. 13, San Francisco No. 19, and North Carolina Pembroke No. 20.  To view the national duals home page, clickhere.

The great unknown:  Augustana will not know who it faces at the NWCA National Duals until late in the week.  The pairings are determined by national rankings and who is invited to participate.  The Vikings’ matchups will immediately be posted here when they are determined.

Dominating: Augustana has tossed shutouts in two of its three dual wins this season and has outscored its opponents 114-6.

Back in action:  The Vikings return to the mat after nearly a month-long hiatus for the holiday break.  Augustana’s last competition was its 42-0 rout of Northwestern (Iowa) on Dec. 9.

Huskies Collect Four Wins at GCU Duals

The #2 ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team improved to 7-0 on the 2010-11 season with four victories at the Grand Canyon Duals on Jan. 1. The matches were hosted by Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz.

SCSU opened the day with a 34-9 victory over Chadron State. At 125-pound Zach Stewart collected a forfeit win for the Huskies, before CSC stormed back with a pair of wins at 133-pounds and 141-pounds to tie the match at 6-6.

At 149-pounds, Jacob R. Horn racked up a pin at 1:20 to make it 12-6 and then Jake D. Horn charted an 8-1 decision win at 157-pounds. #2 Tad Merritt scored an injury forfeit win at 165-pounds and #5 Shamus O’Grady gained a fall at 174-pounds for the Huskies to make the tally 27-6. The Huskies iced the match with a win by #8 Lucas Munkelwitz at 197-pounds and a major decision by #2 Jake Kahnke at 285-pounds.

In the second match of the day, SCSU posted a 37-6 victory over Mesa State. The lone setback for the Huskies in the dual match was at 197-pounds. SCSU’s Stewart (125-pounds), Westy Hanson (133-pounds), #3 Gabe Suarez (141-pounds), Jacob D. Horn (149-pounds), O’Grady (174-pounds/wins by a tech fall), Mic Berg (184-pounds) and Chris Brassell (285-pounds) all earned decision victories in the match. #6 John Sundgren (157-pounds) and Merritt (165-pounds) each gained pins in the dual win for SCSU.

In the third match of the day for SCSU, the Huskies scored a big 26-9 victory over #8 ranked Nebraska Kearney. Stewart posted a decision win at 125-pounds, followed by a major decision victory by Eric Ellington at 133-pounds for the Huskies. At 157-pounds, Sundgren posted a 5-0 decision to give SCSU a 10-6 edge in the match.

At 165-pounds, Merritt posted a huge 6-4 decision over #4 ranked Joey Wilson of UNK. O’Grady helped the Huskies’ cause with a big pin fall at 174-pounds and Munkelwitz gained a major decision victory at 197-pounds. The match was completed by a 6-1 decision at 285-pounds by SCSU’s Kahnke over #4 ranked Ben Hohensee of UNK.

In the final match of the event, the Huskies scored a 52-0 shutout win over Kutztown State. SCSU took advantage of forfeits by Kutztown at 133-pounds, 174-pounds and 184-pounds to gain an 18-0 lead in the match. Suarez (141-pounds), Merritt (165-pounds), Munkelwitz (197-pounds) and Kahnke (285-pounds) all earned pins in the match, while Stewart (125), Jacob R. Horn (149) and Jacob D. Horn (157) all posted decision wins for SCSU.

Of note, the 52 points in a dual match for SCSU is just two points shy of the team record. The Huskies’ team record for most points in a dual match is 54, which was hit against Southwest Minnesota State in 1976-77.

On Jan. 8-9, the Huskies will return to action with a trip to the prestigious NWCA Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. SCSU will square off against the nation’s top DII programs in an exciting dual match tournament format.

Grand Canyon Duals – Complete Results – gculopes.com

St. Cloud State dual match results from the GCU Duals on Jan. 1:

St. Cloud State 34, Chadron State 9
125- Zach Stewart (SCSU) wins by forfeit
133- Dustin Stodola (CSC) def. Westy Hanson (SCSU) 3-2
141 – #5 Jimmy Savala (CSC) def. #3 Gabe Suarez (SCSU) 7-1
149 – Jacob R. Horn (SCSU) def. Jake Lords (CSC) fall 1:20
157 – Jacob D. Horn (SCSU) def. Mikah Kadera (CSC) 8-1
165 – #2 Tad Merritt (SCSU) def. Briston Benton (CSC) forfeit injury
174 – #5 Shamus O’Grady (SCSU) fall Trent Zempel (CSC) fall 4:55
184 – Jordan DeBus (CSC) def. Mic Berg (SCSU) 11-5
197- #8 Lucas Munkelwitz (SCSU) def. Chris Leak (CSC) 3-1
285 – #2 Jake Kahnke (SCSU) def. RJ Boylan (CSC) major dec.8-0

St. Cloud State 37, Mesa State 6
125- Zach Stewart (SCSU) def. Clay Foyt (MSC) major dec. 9-0
133- Westy Hanson (SCSU) def. Tyler Nelson (MSC) 4-2
141 – #3 Gabe Suarez (SCSU) def. Rhett Breed (MSC) 13-9
149 – Jacob R. Horn (SCSU) def. Pat Lehnan (MSC) maj. dec.11-3
157 – #6 John Sundgren (SCSU) fall John Gappmaier (MSC) 3:29
165 – #2 Tad Merritt (SCSU) fall Dylan Grananrd (MSC) :45
174 – #5 Shamus O’Grady (SCSU) tech fall Zak Slotten (MSC) tech fall 20-3
184 – Mic Berg (SCSU) def. Kyle Brightman (MSC) 6-5
197- Shane Miller (MSC) fall #8 Lucas Munkelwitz (SCSU) 1:57
285 – Chris Brassell (SCSU) def. Trevor Stapp (MSC) 8-7

St. Cloud State 26, Nebraska Kearney 9
125- Zach Stewart (SCSU) def. Jordan White (UNK) 8-1
133- Eric Ellingston (SCSU) def. Alec Chanthapatheth (UNK) maj dec. 15-5
141 – Dalton Jensen (UNK) def. #3 Gabe Suarez (SCSU) 7-3
149 – TJ Hepburn (UNK) def. Jacob R. Horn (SCSU) 7-2
157 – #6 John Sundgren def. Islam Abitov (UNK) 5-0
165 – #2 Tad Merritt (SCSU) def. #4 Joey Wilson (UNK) 6-4
174 – #5 Shamus O’Grady (SCSU) fall Drew Comito (UNK) 1:49
184 – Ross Brunkhardt (UNK) def. Mic Berg (SCSU) 7-3
197- #8 Lucas Munkelwitz (SCSU) def. Mike Swanson (UNK) maj dec. 12-2
285 – #2 Jake Kahnke (SCSU) def. #4 Ben Hohnesee (UNK) 6-1

St. Cloud State 52, Kutztown 0
125- Zach Stewart (SCSU) def. Desmond Moore (KU) 7-1
133- Eric Ellingston (SCSU) wins by forfeit
141 – #3 Gabe Suarez (SCSU) fall Oliver Thayer (KU) 4:26
149 – Jacob R. Horn (SCSU) def. Tony Frost (KU) 4-2
157 – Jacob D. Horn (SCSU) def. Jay Sandt (KU) maj. dec. 19-6
165 – #2 Tad Merritt (SCSU) fall Eric Sergent (KU) 2:42
174 – #5 Shamus O’Grady (SCSU) wins by forfeit
184 – Mic Berg (SCSU) wins by forfeit
197- #8 Lucas Munkelwitz (SCSU) fall Victor Montanez (KU) 2:31
285 – #2 Jake Kahnke (SCSU) fall Greg Tate (KU) 2:20