Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons

Southwest Minnesota State 18 MSU-Moorhead 16

MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State wrestling team won its first NSIC dual of the season this afternoon by defeating No. 20 Minnesota State University Moorhead 18-16. The win marks SMSU’s first win over MSU Moorhead since the 2000-01 season.

The Mustangs and the Dragons each earned five individual wins but SMSU’s major decisions from Zach Coates and CD Johnson led SMSU to victory. The win was SMSU’s first NSIC dual victory since Feb. 13, 2010 when SMSU defeated U-Mary 25-15.

The Dragons would get on the scoreboard first when Tyler Kivel defeated SMSU’s Billy Fate in a 4-2 decision to give MSU Moorhead an early 3-0 lead. The Mustangs would fire right back in the 174-pound bout when Zach Coates earned a 11-1 major decision over Trent Sovde. SMSU took a one-point 4-3 lead over the Dragons.

CD Johnson won his fourth straight NSIC match of the season when he picked up a 10-2 major decision over Kody Kalkbrenner. Johnson has not lost a match with a conference opponent so far this season.

SMSU’s Martin Hagen would help the Mustangs extend the lead to 12-3 earning an 11-2 major decision over Brian Woelfel in the 197-pound bout. The Dragons would cut SMSU’s lead in half (12-6) when Jon Swart earned a 2-1 decision over Brian Rodas in an extra session in the heavyweight bout. The Mustangs had won three straight bouts before Swart defeated Rodas.

The Dragons would continue to cut into SMSU’s lead when Cory Ulmer, who is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA at 125 pounds, earned an 11-3 major decision over Travis Borchert.

The Mustangs would get back on the board and take a five-point lead at 15-10 when Justin Reinsma earned a 2-1 decision over Evan Forde. The Dragons would bounce right back in the 149-pound bout where Tyler Steinwand earned a tight 5-4 decision over Demond Carter. SMSU took an 18-13 lead into the final bout of the dual.

Tallen Wald defeated SMSU’s Casey Field in the 157-pound match in a 3-0 decision to make the final score 18-16 in SMSU’s favor.

Southwest Minnesota State will continue NSIC action next Thursday when they travel to Mankato, Minn. to take on Minnesota State in a dual beginning at 7 p.m.

Southwest Minnesota State 18 MSU-Moorhead 16
165: Tyler Kivel (MSUM) dec. Billy Fate (SMSU), 4-2 (MSUM leads 3-0)
174: Zach Coates (SMSU) major dec. Trent Sovde (MSUM), 11-1 (SMSU leads 4-3)
184: CD Johnson (SMSU) major dec. Kody Kalkbrenner (MSUM), 10-2 (SMSU leads 8-3)
197: Martin Hagen (SMSU) major dec. Brian Woelfel (MSUM), 11-2 (SMSU leads 12-3)
285: Jon Swart (MSUM) dec. Brian Rodas (SMSU), 2-1 (SMSU leads 12-6)
125: No. 6 Cory Ulmer (MSUM) major dec. Travis Borchert (SMSU), 11-3 (SMSU leads 12-10)
133: Justin Reinsma (SMSU) dec. Evan Forde (MSUM), 2-1 (SMSU leads 15-10)
141: Ethan Hildebrandt (SMSU) dec. Brady Schneeberger (MSUM), 8-4 (SMSU leads 18-10)
149: Tyler Steinwand (MSUM) dec. Demond Carter (SMSU), 5-4 (SMSU leads 18-13)
157: Tallen Wald (MSUM) dec. Casey Field (SMSU), 3-0 (SMSU leads 18-16

Familiar Foes Reunite As Dragons And Cobbers Meet Again

MOORHEAD, Minn. – The No. 20 ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons wrestling team returns to Moorhead but will remain on the road, facing off against cross-town rival Concordia College, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division-III standings. The two teams will tangle for the 60th time in the two school’s history on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

The No. 20 Dragons lead the all-time series 44-15, including last years dual that saw a big Dragon lead nearly slip away. Nearly a year ago today, the Dragons met up with the perennial D-III power that was ranked seventh in the nation at the time. The rankings will not be the only familiarity between the two duals.

A familiar foe
The Dragons, much like this year, received catalytic boosts from both heavyweight and 125-pound matches. Former heavyweight Tim Johnsonpinned the Cobbers’ Nick Nadeau and current 125-pounder Corey Ulmer followed that up with a 5-3 decision of Ben Presler. Ulmer, much like Wednesday night’s dual, came in leading the team in wins.

The Dragons have four returning starters from that dual who picked up wins, including Ulmer, 141-pounder Brady Schneeberger, 157-pounderTallen Wald and 165-pounder Tyler Kivel. All of the Dragons’ victims that night are returning for the Cobbers including Ben Presler (125), Ben Anderson (141), Kevin Fynboh (157), Joe Meinert (165), Ross Dankers (174) and Nick Nadeau (285).

This season for the Cobbers
The Cobbers come in with an undefeated record of 6-0, largely wrestling in open tournaments thus far this season. Wednesday night marks the second and last home dual of the season for the Cobbers, who defeated Ridgewater Community College 26-16 on Jan. 12. The Cobbers do enter the dual with last year’s NCAA Division-III national champion Phil Moenkedick (184 pounds).

This season for the Dragons
The Dragons have been exchanging wins and losses so far this season, entering Wednesday’s dual with a 4-6 record. In those 10 duals, eight have come against top-15 ranked opponents. The Dragons have won three of their four matches by a combined 113-19. The only close win for the Dragons came against No. 10 ranked Grand Canyon University (Ariz.) 18-16.

Three keys in the dual
Ulmer’s hot streak
The Dragons are lead in wins by redshirt junior Corey Ulmer who has posted a 17-4 record at 125 pounds this season. Ulmer has won 12 of his last 13 matches after losing a narrow decision to No. 3 ranked Trevor Franklin of Upper Iowa in the gold division championship match at the Augsburg Open. Just 15 days after falling to No. 1 Russell Weakley of North Carolina-Pembroke 4-5, Ulmer knocked off No. 2 Andy Forstner of Minnesota State Mankato by an 8-0 major decision.

Swart’s new class
Last season, Jon Swart had his struggles at 197-pounds, going 3-15 on the year. But a move up to heavyweight has given Swart a chance to become stronger and more focused on wrestling, instead of trying to keep down weight. This has resulted in an 11-8 turn around for the Fargo, N.D. native. Swart has won nine of his last 12 matches, nearly upsetting No. 1 ranked Jake Kahnke of St. Cloud State on Sunday.

The one big match
In last year’s dual, it was Tim Johnson’s pin that made the biggest impact on the Dragons 22-18 win over Concordia. This year’s dual is expected to be close once again and head coach Kris Nelson expects another big match to determine this year’s dual.

“I think it may come down to us getting either a pin or a couple big wins,” Nelson said. “I’m not sure where the big win might come from but we got a couple of guys who can do it.”

The big win may come from either 141-pounder Brady Schneeberger or 174-pounder Trent Sovde, both game day decisions after both were inactive for the Dragons last dual.

The dual is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. inside the Memorial Auditorium on the Concordia Cobber campus.

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Possible starters for Wednesday’s dual
125 – No. 6 Corey Ulmer (17-4)
133 – Evan Forde (11-10)
141 – No. 3 Brady Schneeberger (9-8) or Connor MacGregor (5-4)
149 – Tyler Steinwand (8-11)
157 – Tallen Wald (13-7)
165 – Tyler Kivel (6-5)
174 – Trent Sovde (12-7) or Jacob Bennett (11-12 at 165, 0-1 @ 174)
184 – Jacob McLean (2-7)
197 – Brian Woelfel (6-11)
285 – Jon Swart (11-8)

St. Cloud State 38 MSU-Moorhead 3

#3 St. Cloud State rolls to a 38-3 win over Minnesota State Moorhead

Huskies tie team record for wins in a season!

St. Cloud, Minn. – The #3 St. Cloud State University wrestling team tied a team record for dual meet victories with a 38-3 win over Minnesota State, Moorhead on Jan. 30 at Halenbeck Hall. Before a large Alumni Day gathering at the match, the Huskies tallied their 15th win of the season, which ties the team record for dual match wins in a season that was set in 1964-65.

SCSU is now 15-2 on the season, and the Huskies will next host Northern State on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m., and Mary on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. Both matches will be held in Halenbeck Hall and tickets can be purchased at the gate. As always, all SCSU students are admitted FREE to all regular season home matches with a valid SCSU student ID.

MSUM’s lone points were tallied in the opening match of the day as Corey Ulmer posted a 7-0 win over SCSU’s Dylan Wright at 125-pounds.

The Huskies turned on the pressure after that setback with a 13-4 major decision win by Eric Ellington over MSUM’s Evan Forde at 133-pounds. SCSU charted a pin by Gabe Suarez at 141-pounds. Suarez took care of business at 4:20 against MSUM’s Connor MacGregor.

Jacob D. Horn added another major decision win for SCSU at 149-pounds with a 12-3 victory over MSUM’s Tyler Steinwand. At 157-pounds, John Sundgren scored a 7-2 decision over MSUM’s Tallen Wald.

SCSU’s #2 ranked Tad Merritt joined the major decision crowd with a 13-2 victory over Tyler Kivel of MSUM at 165-pounds. The Huskies then iced the match at 174-pounds with a big 21-6 tech fall win (7:00) by Shamus O’Grady over MSUM’s Jacob Bennett.

To complete the run, SCSU’s Mic Berg gained a 9-4 decision over MSUM’s Kody Kalkbrenner at 184-pounds. SCSU’s Lucas Munkelwitz added the Huskies’ second fall of the day with a 1:48 pin over MSUM’s Brian Woelfel at 197-pounds. At 285-pounds, SCSU’s Jake Kahnke (ranked #1 in the nation) coined a 6-2 decision win over MSUM’s Jon Swart to complete the score at 38-3 in favor of SCSU.

A highlight of the day was the introduction of the SCSU wrestling alumni in attendance at the match during intermission. This large contingent of SCSU wrestling alumni were spotlighted by the SCSU announcer and the day was completed with a post-match reception at D.B. Searle’s in downtown St. Cloud. This group included representatives from all eras of Husky wrestling dating back to the 1950s.

St. Cloud State 38 MSU-Moorhead 3
125 Corey Ulmer (MSU) DEC Dylan Wright (SCSU) 7-0
133 Eric Ellington (SCSU) MD Evan Forde (MSU) 13-4
141 Gabriel Suarez (SCSU) FALL Connor MacGregor (MSU) 4:20
149 Jacob D. Horn (SCSU) MD Tyler Steinwand (MSU) 12-3
157 John Sundgren (SCSU) DEC Tallen Wald (MSU) 7-2
165 Tad Merritt (SCSU) MD Tyler Kivel (MSU) 13-2
174 Shamus O’Grady (SCSU) TF5 Jacob Bennett (MSU) 21-6 7:00
184 Michael Berg (SCSU) DEC Kody Kalkbrenner (MSU) 9-4
197 Lucas Munkelwitz (SCSU) FALL Brian Woelfel (MSU) 1:48
285 Jake Kahnke (SCSU) DEC Jon Swart (MSU) 6-2

MSU-Moorhead 45 Sioux Falls 4

No. 20 Dragons Route Sioux Falls Cougars

MOORHEAD, Minn. – The No. 20 Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons wrestling team continued their home stand with a dual matchup against future NSIC foe Sioux Falls (S.D.) at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The Dragons made quick work of the Cougars and sent their future conference opponents packing with a 45-4 win.

The Dragons started with the team leader in wins, redshirt junior Corey Ulmer, who came into the dual with 15 wins on the year. Ulmer showed why he has been climbing the national rankings against the Cougars’ Brandon Goodwin.

No. 6 Ulmer worked Goodwin over to lead the match, getting a takedown and racking up a pair of two-point nearfalls and a three-point nearfall. Ulmer gained four more points in the second en route to a 17-1 technical fall at the 3:10 mark to give the Dragons a 5-0 lead.

After a major decision win for Sioux Falls’ Joe Goolsby, Tyler Steinwand bounced back at 149 pounds with a takedown just 35 seconds into the opening period against Tom Thompson. Steinwand worked Thompson onto his back and gained a pinfall at the 2:23 mark of the match to give the Dragons six points.

At 174 pounds Trent Sovde’s trio of takedowns had him out in front early as he took on Tal Bakke. After leading 6-3 heading into the third, Sovde reversed Bakke and finished with an 8-4 win.

At 184 pounds, freshman Kody Kalkbrenner escaped out of a Casey Finnicum takedown and took down Finnicum 24 seconds later and gained a three-point nearfall to lead 5-0. Finnicum was unable to continue into the second match, taking a medical default decision.

In the 197-pound matchup, sophomore Brian Woelfel gained a pair of takedowns but yielded a pair of points to his opponent Shea Klooster by way of a penalty for stalling and an escape.

After Klooster chose the bottom position to begin the second, he gained an escape but was immediately taken down just 14 seconds later. An early takedown in the third period, along with 4:54 of riding time, lead to a 10-4 decision for Woelfel.

Senior Jon Swart had an active match to end the night, battling the Cougars’ Jon Skow in the dual’s finale. Swart took a 2-0 lead into the second by way of a takedown, and began to rack up the points on Skow.

After a quick reversal 15 seconds into the match, Swart began exchanging two-point takedowns with Skow’s one-point escapes to give himself a 10-3 lead heading into the third. Swart finished off Skow in the third with a takedown with only three seconds remaining in the match to put him over the top for a 13-4 major decision.

The No. 20 Dragons 45-4 win brings their record to 4-5 on the season while dropping the Cougars to 0-7. The No. 20 Dragons will go back on the conference schedule as they head to No. 2 ranked St. Cloud State on Sunday. The Dragons return home on Feb. 10 to take on Northern State (S.D.) for the annual John Sterner Endowment Dual.

 

No. 20 Dragons Set To Host Future NSIC Foe

MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons wrestling team enters their second dual since being voted into the top-20 last week. The Dragons fell by only one point to No. 7 ranked Minnesota State Mankato on Thursday and look to bounce back with a convincing win over the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Cougars on Wednesday night.

The Dragons
The Dragons battled the No. 7 ranked Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks on Thursday in a
battle of Top-20 teams. The Dragons stole the momentum early on when No. 6 ranked 125-pounder Corey Ulmer took on No. 2 ranked Andy Forstner. Ulmer worked over Forstner all match long and walked away with an 8-0 major decision. 133-pounder Evan Forde and 165-pounder Tyler Kivel each pick up major decision wins, winning 14-3 and 13-2, respectively.

Senior heavyweight Jon Swart picked up a 7-2 decision but not the major decision the
Dragons needed to tie the dual up as the Mavericks escaped Moorhead with a narrow 1-point win. Redshirt Senior Brady Schneeberger (No. 3 ranked 141-pounder in NCAA Division-II) did not compete in the dual after leaving the previous dual against U-Mary (N.D.) with a medical
default decision.

The Cougars
The Cougars are 0-6 on the season and are 0-3 against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
opponents (Augustana (S.D.), Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State (S.D.)). In their last dual versus Northwestern University (Iowa), the Cougars fell by a final of 15-36.

The Cougars sent a split squad this past weekend and saw 125-pounder Brandon Goodwin post a 3-1 record and 184-pounder Casey Finnicum go 4-0 as well at the Central College Invite in Pella, Iowa. A separate group went to the Worthington Open in Worthington, Minn., including 197-pounder Shea Klooster who went 4-1, including two pinfalls. The Cougars come into the matchup with a young roster that includes only six juniors and seniors alongside 13 freshman and sophomores.

The Series
The Dragons have won both previous meetings in the school’s history. In their last meeting on Nov. 17, 2009, the Cougars ran into a Dragons’ buzz saw. As part of a doubleheader for the Dragons, outscored their opponents 81-11, including a 51-0 thrashing of the Cougars. The Dragons had five pins against Sioux Falls, including then senior Tim Johnson’s school record 24-second pin of Andrew Harmony.

184-pounder Jacob McLean and 141-pounder Brady Schneeberger are the only two returning Dragons with pins in that dual. Last year’s team leader in wins Corey Ulmer (21) gained a technical fall over Doug Thompson by a final of 17-0. In 11 of the 20 matches on the day, the Dragons managed a total of 65 points.

The Dragons (3-5, 1-2 NSIC) will host the Cougars (0-6) on Wednesday night inside Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. The Cougars will be joined by Minot State (N.D.) as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2012-13.

Swart Travels Down A Familiar Road Once Again

On November 17, 2009 Jon Swart walked off the football field at Southwest Minnesota State for the final time wearing a Dragon football jersey. Come this March, Swart will relive that feeling as he finishes his wrestling career at Minnesota State University Moorhead and his life as a collegiate athlete.

Swart returns to his familiar heavyweight division after spending 2009 in the 197-pound weight class. The move is something that suits the stronger and more agile Swart.

Jon Swart“When I dropped down to 197 last year I was more concentrated on cutting weight and not wrestling,” Swart said. “Now I can focus on my wrestling and conditioning and also my style is more suited towards heavyweight.” Last season was the only year Swart spent at any weight class other than heavyweight.

The biggest change for Swart wasn’t the move in weight classes, but the full dedication of the offseason to wrestling. Prior to this season, Swart spent the summers in preparation to play as a starting defensive lineman for the Dragons football program. While he was a force on the field, it took its toll on his wrestling season.

“In the past my whole offseason was dedicated towards football and my wrestling suffered because of it, Swart said. “My body always felt worn down. After 11 games, you are just trying to make it through the wrestling season.” Last season, Swart made the transition from 275 pounds as a noseguard to the 197-pound weight class.

The full offseason has paid off for Swart who won five of his last six matches of 2010. With all of his focus on one sport Swart realizes it is time for him to leave a lasting mark on Dragons athletics.

“I definitely have something to prove this time around, Swart said. “My career has been overshadowed by football and wrestling always came second and it feels great to be able to give everything I got to wrestling and I’m finally starting to see some results.” Swart also sees a new look in the Dragons as a team.

“Last year we were really up and down all season and relied so much on our lower weights,” Swart said. “Our lighter weights are outstanding and now our upper weights have something to prove not only to our region but all of Division-II.”

When Swart arrived at MSUM there were two heavyweights, Chris Tuchscherer and Joe Facchinni who held the top spot that Swart would eventually take over five seasons later. Entering his final stanza, Swart remembers the expectations he had of those leaders and looks to apply those same techniques as a senior.

“When I was a redshirt freshman I had Chris (Tuchscherer) and Joe (Facchinni) and those two were a big influence on me,” Swart said. “Chris taught me a lot about heavyweight when I was coming off of 215 pounds in high school. Joe was a smaller heavyweight and taught me to be aggressive as well. Its strange to see how the roles have changed from when I was a freshman and now I’m the senior trying to give back to Gerad (Fugleberg) and Jacob (Bruns) who are going to be really talented wrestlers down the road.”

Swart ended the first half of his season in style, winning his final three matches in overtime. The move up to heavyweight not only spared Swart of having to cut a tremendous amount of weight, but helped him develop his wrestling skills and conditioning, something that has led to a 7-5 start as 2010 ended.

“Overtime is not my goal,” Swart said. “My goal is to get my offense going early but it’s nice to know I can lean on my conditioning. You don’t want to change your style to who your facing in OT but you have to be conscious about it.”

During his time at MSUM, Swart has become one of the most recognizable athletes on campus. While he still carries plenty of support from the coaching staff and his teammates, Swart’s biggest supporters are also his loudest. Both Jon’s mother Cathy Swart and his fiancé make their presence known but that is not anything new for the Fargo, N.D. native.

“It’s kind of funny we used to play football at the Fargodome and we also played a couple times at the Metrodome and I would be on the sidelines and I could hear my mom yelling across the stadium which is good,” Swart said. “I like it and she cheers her heart out along with Katie they both get intense about it which is something I like hearing about.”

As the Dragons dive into the heart of their conference season, things get only tougher for the Dragons and for Swart who will face the top heavyweights in the nation. The former Fargo North Spartan could care less about his team’s rankings or the ranking of his opponents, but knows the only important standings are yet to come.

“Division-II rankings are tough to judge by and that’s why you wrestle, its not done on paper,” Swart said. “The coaching staff reminds us that this is our time, it’s not how or where you start but how you finish.”

MSU-Mankato 19 MSU-Moorhead 18

Late Wins Propel Mavericks to Victory

Becker, Norgren and Mahan Earn Late-Match Victories to Complete Comeback

Moorhead, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks were able to survive their first NSIC road dual of the year as they came back to defeat Minnesota State Moorhead 19-18 on Thursday night in Moorhead, Minn.

Trailing 15-7 after the duals first six matches, the Mavericks would win three of the final four matches to comeback and down the Dragons as they improve to 3-0 in NSIC action.

Senior Ben Becker, ranked eighth in the 174-lb weight class, would spark the Mavericks comeback with a 9-5 win by decision over Trent Sovde before MSU would even the match at 15-15 with a 21-4 tech fall win by junior Aaron Norgren. The fifth-ranked Norgren won the 184-lb match at the 6:47 mark.

The 197-lb match would prove to be the deciding match of the night as junior Pat Mahan gave the Mavericks their first lead of the evening earning a four-point major decision win defeating Brian Woelfel 8-0.

The Dragons would win the final match of the night as Jon Swart defeated freshman Nate Haynes by a 7-2 decision but would fall one-point short as the Mavericks escaped with the 19-18 victory.

Two other Mavericks earned wins on the night as freshman Paul Norgren won the 141-lb match with a 7-5 decision over Robert Otterness and sophomore Jesse Westphal won the 149-lb match with a 7-0 major decision win over Tyler Steinwand.

The win gives the Mavericks a 7-2 overall record while they advance to a perfect 3-0 in the NSIC. The loss drops the Dragons to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in NSIC action.

Minnesota State will be back in action on January 27th as they return home to face NSIC opponent Upper Iowa. The dual is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. at Bresnan Arena on the campus of Minnesota State.

MSU-Mankato 19 MSU-Moorhead 18

Wt ClassNameSchoolOpponent NameOpponent SchoolResultWinTypeScore
125Corey UlmerMoorheadForstner, AndyMankatoWMD8 – 0
133Evan FordeMoorheadMoore, SkylerMankatoWMD14 – 3
141Robert OtternessMoorheadNorgren, PaulMankatoLDEC5 – 7
149Tyler SteinwandMoorheadWestphal, JesseMankatoLMD0 – 8
157Tallen WaldMoorheadHahn, DerekMankatoWDEC4 – 0
165Tyler KivelMoorheadTodd, TelMankatoWMD13 – 2
174Trent SovdeMoorheadBecker, BenMankatoLDEC5 – 9
184Jacob McleanMoorheadNorgren, AaronMankatoLTF54 – 21 (6:47)
197Brian WoelfelMoorheadMahan, PatMankatoLMD0 – 8
285Jon SwartMoorheadHaynes, NathanMankatoWDEC7 – 2