BROOKINGS – The South Dakota State University wrestling team loaded up on talent in the lower and middle weights, signing four high school standouts Wednesday to National Letters of Intent.
“This is one of the best classes we’ve ever brought in, not only for the wrestling, but for the people they are, the programs they come from and the goals they have set for themselves,” Jackrabbit head coach Chris Bono said. “We’re excited to get going with these guys and to continue to build on the things we’ve done here so far.”
The signees are: Alex Lloyd, Shakopee, Minn,; Kenny O’Neil, Prior Lake, Minn,; Zach Price, Johnston, Iowa; and Peyton Robb, Owatonna, Minn.
Lloyd has won back-to-back Minnesota Class AAA state titles at 145 pounds for Shakopee High School. He posted a 42-1 record as a sophomore, then turned in a 43-1 record en route to his second consecutive state title during his junior season. He also has excelled in other wrestling pursuits, highlighted by winning two USAW Folkstyle national championships and a Greco-Roman title at the Fargo Nationals.
O’Neil claimed the 160-pound Minnesota Class AAA state championship this past winter for Prior Lake High School, ending the season with a 41-2 record. He has compiled a 114-17 record over the past three seasons while claiming third place at 152 pounds in 2016 and fifth at 145 pounds in 2015. O’Neil also is a two-time All-American in junior and cadet competition and was a first-team academic all-state selection by the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association.
Price has posted top-four finishes each of the past three seasons at the Class 3A Iowa State Wrestling Tournament for Johnston High School. He notched third-place finishes at 106 pounds in 2015 and 126 pounds in 2017, while placing fourth in the 120-pound weight class in 2016. Price already holds the Johnston record for most career wins after combining to go 128-21 over the past three seasons. He also earned All-America honors at the Fargo Nationals on the club circuit.
Robb enters his senior season at Owatonna High School with a combined 107-6 record over the past three years. After winning Minnesota Class AAA state titles at 106 pounds as a freshman and 120 pounds as a sophomore, Robb was denied his third consecutive state title with a 5-4 loss to Lloyd in the 2017 145-pound championship match to end the year with a 36-1 record. Robb has competed extensively on the club circuit, earning All-America honors five times in cadet and junior competition, while winning Greco-Roman and freestyle Pan-Am and national championships.
