BROOKINGS – It was another historic night in Frost Arena for the Jackrabbit wrestling program.
No. 12 South Dakota State (14-2, 8-0) capped an undefeated season in Big 12 duals and pushed its school-record winning streak to 14 with a 22-12 defeat of rival North Dakota State in front of 2,324 fans Friday.
The Jackrabbits retained the Border Bell trophy in the process.
Senior David Kocer, who was honored prior to the dual for reaching the 100-win mark for his career, got SDSU on the board after the home team dropped the first two bouts.
The 10th-ranked 174-pounder picked up a 16-1 technical fall over Dylan Urbach in a match that lasted 6:13.
At 184, No. 20 Martin Mueller used a four-point nearfall in the second period to beat Charley Popp 11-5, giving the Jackrabbits an 8-6 lead in the dual.
No. 12 Nate Rotert, a senior, took down the Bison’s Cordell Eaton with 10 seconds remaining to secure a 3-1 victory in the 197-pound weight class.
No. 33 Daniel Stibral stopped the three-bout streak for SDSU by toppling senior Alex Macki 5-0 in the 285-pound match. That pulled the Bison within 11-9.
However, the Jackrabbit lightweights took care of business after that.
No. 23 Connor Brown pulled away to beat No. 29 Paul Bianchi 11-5 at 125.
Top-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross made quick work of No. 28 Cam Sykora, notching a 16-0 technical fall in 4 minutes. He had two takedowns and a trio of four-point nearfalls.
Gross wrapped up the regular season with a 21-1 record, including a 21-0 mark at 133. He has 10 pins, seven technical falls, two major decisions and a pair of decisions. Gross has earned bonus points in 61 of his 81 career wins.
Henry Pohlmeyer sealed the deal at 141, shutting out McGwire Midkiff 5-0. He racked up a riding-time advantage of 4:40.
NDSU’s Kyle Gilva, who is ranked 28th at 149, held off Colten Carlson for a 7-4 triumph to close out the dual.
Action got underway at 157 pounds as No. 8 Clayton Ream topped No. 12 Luke Zilverberg, a senior, 7-5 in a marathon double-overtime match at 157 pounds.
The Bison grabbed a 6-0 cushion via No. 22 Andrew Fogarty’s 6-3 decision versus Logan Peterson at 165.
“I’m really happy with our guys,” said SDSU coach Chris Bono. “These seniors have put us on the map, and for them to go out with a win like that … I really would have loved to have seen Zilverberg pull that out.
“But it shows where we are as a team. I’m happy to get a win and, you know, it’s a weight off my shoulders. I’m ready for the postseason.”
NDSU dropped to 7-10 (1-7).
The Big 12 Wrestling Championships are March 3-4 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are March 15-17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Notes: SDSU lost its first two duals of the season, 20-12 to Minnesota at home on Nov. 17 and 25-13 at Arizona State on Nov. 26. The Gophers and Sun Devils are both ranked in the top 25. … NDSU leads the all-time series with SDSU 42-21-1, but the Jackrabbits have won the past four matchups.
No. 12 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 22,
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 12
157 pounds – No. 8 Clayton Ream, NDSU, dec. No. 12 Luke Zilverberg, 7-5 (2OT) [0-3]
165 – No. 22 Andrew Fogarty, NDSU, dec. Logan Peterson, 6-3 [0-6]
174 – No. 10 David Kocer, SDSU, tech fall Dylan Urbach, 16-1 (6:13) [5-6]
184 – No. 20 Martin Mueller, SDSU, dec. Charley Popp, 11-5 [8-6]
197 – No. 12 Nate Rotert, SDSU, dec. Cordell Eaton, 3-1 [11-6]
285 – No. 33 Daniel Stibral, NDSU, dec. Alex Macki, 5-0 [11-9]
125 – No. 23 Connor Brown, SDSU, dec. No. 29 Paul Bianchi, 11-5 [14-9]
133 – No. 1 Seth Gross, SDSU, tech. fall No. 28 Cam Sykora, 16-0 (4:00) [19-9]
141 – Henry Pohlmeyer, SDSU, dec. McGwire Midkiff, 5-0 [22-9]
149 – No. 28 Kyle Gilva, NDSU, dec. Colten Carlson, 7-4 [22-12]
Note: Individual rankings are from the NCAA Division I coaches’ panel.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE WRESTLING
Conf. Overall
*No. 12 South Dakota State 8-0 14-2
No. 5 Oklahoma State 7-0 12-2
*No. t15 Wyoming 7-2 13-3
*No. 13 Northern Iowa 3-2 6-4
*Utah Valley 4-4 8-6
West Virginia 4-4 5-7
*Air Force 3-3 7-5
Iowa State 3-6 8-9
Oklahoma 3-6 8-11
*Northern Colorado 2-5 3-9
*Fresno State 1-4 4-15
*North Dakota State 1-7 7-10
*affiliate member
Notes: Oklahoma State was slated to wrestle a dual versus the Jackrabbits on Dec. 1 in Brookings but the Cowboys backed out due to a “scheduling conflict.” OSU won a dual at NDSU on Nov. 26 and did not compete again until the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 17. … The Jackrabbits also did not face Fresno State or Northern Colorado in dual action. The Cowboys also did not face Air Force or Utah Valley in dual action. … The Falcons and Wolverines are receiving votes in the USD Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.
Friday
South Dakota State 22, North Dakota State 12
Wyoming 37, Air Force 3
Northern Colorado 22, Utah Valley 20
^Lehigh 31, Oklahoma 4
Saturday
^No. 3 Missouri at Northern Iowa
Sunday
Oklahoma State at Fresno State
Northern Colorado at Air Force
^Clarion at West Virginia
^Iowa at Iowa State
^nonconference dual
