Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons

Dragons Are Hungry to Take the Next Step

Minnesota State University Moorhead Has A Scrappy Team

By Matt Krumrie

Kris Nelson enters his 13th season as head coach of the Minnesota State University, Moorhead wrestling program with an experienced lineup of seven returning wrestlers.

Leading the way is 2019 All-American Cole Jones of Grand Rapids. Jones finished 7th at 125 at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships and was a 2021 NCAA qualifier. Jones brings a 55-27 career record into his junior season. Also back is Braydon Ortloff of Detroit Lakes, a 2020 165-pound national qualifier. Ortloff was 4-3 in a limited schedule last season and 12-9 in 2020 when he finished third in the Super Region V tournament to qualify for the NCAA DII championships.

Nelson said Jones and Ortloff will provide leadership which will be essential for the 2021-22 season.

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NWCA NCAA DII Rankings – October 15, 2021

MANHEIM, Penn. — With the 2021-22 NCAA Division II wrestling season-opening competition in just two weeks, the preseason edition of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) DII Coaches Poll was released Friday afternoon.

Reigning NCAA Division II National Champion St. Cloud State tops the team poll with 81 points, with last year’s national runners-up, Nebraska-Kearney, hot on the Huskies’ heels with 80 points. Lindenwood takes the third-place spot with 78 points, while Central Oklahoma (74 points) and West Liberty (69 points) round out the top five.

Gannon and Nebraska-Kearney both feature eight ranked wrestlers, while both West Liberty and Central Oklahoma each boast two top-ranked individuals.

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Osing Named MSUM Wrestling Assistant Coach

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Minnesota State University Moorhead head wrestling coach Kris Nelson has announced that Griffin Osing has been named as an assistant coach on the Dragon coaching staff.

Osing spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant on the Northern State coaching staff. He helped the Wolves to an undefeated season, an NSIC championship, and a fifth-place finish at the regional tournament.

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Two Old Matmen Share A Special Bond

By Jeff Bro Olsen

It was a given that Spencer Yohe and Tommy Grafstrom would team-up. They’re both characters with unique personalities and a knack for turning up far off the beaten path.

Spencer Yohe, Minnesota’s godfather of wrestling, is built like the late Bear Bryant, can spin tales like the late WCCO broadcaster Halsey Hall, and has a distinctive gravely voice like the late Redd Foxx.

He was reached in May shortly before flying to Alaska and was asked if he would be in Anchorage looking up Tommy Grafstrom, one of his former Dragon wrestlers from the days when Spence was an assistant coach at Moorhead State University.

Make that an affirmative.

When old Spence gets animated, there is no simple yes or no answer. He provides background information like an old beat cop remembering when he first booked some hooligan.

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Dragons earn D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award

CLEVELAND, OH – 87 MSUM Dragons student-athletes, including three wrestlers, have received the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award. The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 14th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.

In total, there were a record-breaking 16,262 student-athletes from 188 institutions recognized for the 2020-21 Academic Achievement Awards. This is the most student-athletes being recognized since the inception of the award’s program.

Three Dragon wrestlers are among the honorees – freshman 197-pounder Samuel Grove, sophomore heavyweight Jaden Oestern, and junior 157-pounder Ryan Stenson.

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