South Dakota State Jackrabbits

South Dakota State 23, Northern Colorado 13

Jacks recover to get past UNC

GREELEY, Colo. — The South Dakota State wrestling team got off to a rocky start in its Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Friday night against Northern Colorado, but claimed the final six matches to pull away for a 23-13 victory at Bank of Colorado Arena.

The Jackrabbits, who extended their winning streak to nine, moved to 10-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12. UNC dropped to 10-3 overall and 0-3 in league duals.

UNC held the early momentum on its home mat by winning the first four matches, including two matchups between ranked wrestlers, to build a 13-0 lead. At 125 pounds, the Bears’ 16th-ranked Stevo Poulin notched a 9-2 decision over No. 30 Tanner Jordan, while Jace Koelzer followed with a 6-4 overtime decision over the Jackrabbits’ Derrick Cardinal at 133 pounds.

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Jackrabbits travel to UNC, Air Force

The South Dakota State wrestling team will attempt to stay undefeated in the month of January as it prepares for a pair of Big 12 Conference duals in the state of Colorado this weekend.

The 18th-ranked Jackrabbits, 9-2 overall and 3-0 against Big 12 opponents, open the weekend against a Northern Colorado team that is receiving votes in this week’s National Wrestling Coaches Association poll. Action Friday evening is slated to start at 6 p.m. Mountain Time (7 p.m. Central) at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado.

The Bears enter the week with a 10-2 overall dual mark, including an 0-2 in the Big 12. UNC split a pair of road duals last weekend, dropping a 24-10 decision at league foe Oklahoma State on Jan. 20, before coming back with a 36-3 nonconference win at Little Rock.

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NCAA wrestling award standings update for the 2023 season

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II, and III Wrestling Championships.

The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons.

For falls and tech falls to be counted for the awards, they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time.

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No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa remain unbeaten heading into Friday’s Big Ten clash

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State and Iowa both passed conferences tests this past week that kept them atop the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released Tuesday.

Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center hosted the 8th largest dual crowd in NCAA wrestling history and the Nittany Lion faithful came away pleased as top-ranked Penn State (10-0) won eight out of 10 bouts to blast third-ranked Michigan 30-8.

Nearly 800 miles due west, second-ranked Iowa improved to 12-0 after thumping No. 11 Nebraska 33-6 in front of a sellout crowd of 14,905 at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The two best-drawing schools will tangle this Friday at 8:30 Eastern at the Bryce Jordan Center.

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South Dakota State 42, Wyoming 3

Jackrabbits steamroll Wyoming, 42-3

South Dakota State recorded four pins, including three in the second half of the dual, in turning in another dominant performance against a Big 12 Conference opponent by downing Wyoming, 42-3, Sunday afternoon at Frost Arena.

The 18th-ranked Jackrabbits ran their overall dual winning streak to eight matches and remained unbeaten against league opponents at 3-0 (9-2 overall). Wyoming dropped to 0-7 both overall and in the Big 12.

SDSU won the final nine bouts of the dual after the Cowboys’ Jore Volk defeated Tanner Jordan, 7-1, in the opening matchup between wrestlers ranked in the 125-pound weight class.

Derrick Cardinal put the Jackrabbits on the board with the team’s first fall of the afternoon with a defensive pin against Garrett Ricks at the end of the second period in the 133-pound matchup.

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Two Jacks win titles at Worthington Open

WORTHINGTON, Minn. — Caleb Thoennes and Roman Rogotzke each claimed individual titles Saturday to lead a small contingent of South Dakota State wrestlers at the Worthington Open.

Thoennes, a freshman from St. Cloud, Minnesota, posted a 3-0 record en route to the 141-pound championship. He posted a 10-5 decision over Matthew Lewis of Indian Hills Community College in the opening round before notching a 5-3 decision against Vince Citramo. In the championship match, Thoennes scored a 17-5 major decision against Brock Bolling of Morningside.

A redshirt freshman from Stillwater, Minnesota, Rogotzke also went 3-0 on the day with a pair of pins in the 184-pound weight class. He opened with a first-period fall against Joseph Gray of Morningside, followed by a 15-4 major decision over Ryan Hirschkorn of Northern State. In semifinal action, Rogotzke recorded a fall against Cyncere Haskins of Northland Community and Technical College 24 seconds into the second period.

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