South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Berge repeats, four other Jacks in quarters

GENEVA, Ohio — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge is headed back to the U20 World Championships in freestyle after winning the 86-kilogram division during competition Saturday at SPIRE Institute.

A native of Mantorville, Minnesota, Berge swept a best-of-three series against Brayden Thompson of the Cowboy Regional Training Series by scores of 6-2 (VPO1) and 10-0 (VSU, 1:35). Berge secured a spot in the finals after winning the U.S. Open in late April in Las Vegas.

The U20 World Championships are slated for Aug. 14-20 in Warsaw, Poland. Berge earned a silver medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships last summer in Bulgaria.

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SDSU wrestlers to compete in Ohio

About a dozen South Dakota State University wrestlers are scheduled to compete at the 2023 U23 Nationals and U20 World Team Trials this weekend in Geneva, Ohio.

Competition begins Friday and runs through Sunday at Spire Institute. Coverage of the event will be available through FloWrestling.org.

The majority of Jackrabbit wrestlers will be competing in the freestyle division of the U23 Nationals, with Spencer Trenary entered in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition.

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Three SDSU Wrestlers Named Academic All-District

Three South Dakota State wrestlers were honored Tuesday as members of the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Team. The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom.

All three Jackrabbit wrestlers named to the team were individual qualifiers for this past winter’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The honorees included:

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Sloan Returns to National Competition

South Dakota State wrestler Tanner Sloan returns to the national stage this weekend, competing at the 2023 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Sloan, who recently announced he will return to SDSU for his fifth and final collegiate season, is one of eight wrestlers entered in the freestyle division of the 92-kilogram weight class. The competition begins at 10 a.m. Central Time Saturday and concludes Sunday at Discovery Canyon Campus School. Video coverage of the event will be available through FloWrestling.org.

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Swensen named to All-Rookie Team

South Dakota State’s Cael Swensen was named Wednesday to the Amateur Wrestling News 2023 All-Rookie Team.

A native of Plymouth, Minnesota, Swensen held down the starting spot at 157 pounds for the nationally ranked Jackrabbits during the 2022-23 season and finished his redshirt freshman campaign with a 24-10 overall record. Individually, Swensen climbed to as high as No. 18 in the national rankings and later qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, finishing one win away from All-America honors.

Three wrestlers were selected at each weight class, with Penn State 157-pounder Levi Haines being named the Rookie of the Year.

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Berge wins U.S. Open Title

LAS VEGAS — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge claimed the 86-kilogram freestyle title in the Under-20 Division of the 2023 U.S. Open held over the weekend.

The top-seeded Berge, who was wrestling as a member of the Jackrabbit Wrestling Club, posted a 6-0 record. He recorded shutouts against each of his first four opponents, winning by a combined score of 42-0. The Mantorville, Minnesota, native won by a 9-4 score (VPO1) in his semifinal matchup against Clayton Whiting of the Tiger Style Wrestling Club, then notched a 7-4 (VPO1) victory over Max McEnelly of the Waconia Wrestling Club to win the title.

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Jackrabbit wrestlers honored by NWCA

MANHEIM, Pa. — Eight South Dakota State wrestlers earned Scholar All-American honors and the Jackrabbits finished 10th in the nation for team grade-point average among Division I squads in year-end academic awards presented by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

SDSU’s eight individual honors tied for most in the nation with Harvard, Minnesota and Ohio State. The honorees were:

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