LAS VEGAS – Tanner Sloan advanced to the 197-pound quarterfinals and Zach Carlson remained in contention in the 184-pound consolation bracket to lead the South Dakota State University wrestling team Friday on the opening day of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

A redshirt freshman from Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan won two matches in Friday’s morning session, defeating Jonathan Loew of Cornell in a 10-1 major decision, followed by a 10-4 victory over Northern Colorado’s Jacob Seely.

The third-seeded Sloan faced another Big 12 Conference opponent in the quarterfinals Friday night, dropping a 5-3 decision to Oklahoma’s Jake Woodley. The two wrestlers entered the third period tied at 2-all, but Woodley scored on an escape early in the final stanza and later recorded a takedown to extend his lead to three points. Sloan managed to escape late in the period, but couldn’t come up with a tying takedown.

Sloan will meet Greg Bulsak of Clarion in consolation action Saturday morning at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Carlson, seeded 10th at 184 pounds, posted a 3-1 record Friday to advance to the second day of competition. A senior from Murdock, Minnesota, Carlson opened the tournament with a 15-0 technical fall over Clarion’s Luke Funck. He was later sent to the consolation bracket after dropping a 10-4 decision to seventh-seeded Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech.

Carlson wrapped up the first session with a 6-0 decision over North Dakota State’s T.J. Pottinger, then notched a 6-3 decision over Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State in the night session to stay alive in the tournament. 

Five of the six other Jackrabbits to wrestle Friday won at least one match. SDSU was open at two weights - 149 and 174 pounds - after its wrestlers did not pass pre-tournament skin checks.

Competition resumes at 11 a.m. Central Time Saturday.