BROOKINGS — The South Dakota State wrestling program has evolved since head coach Damion Hahn took over six years ago.

The Jackrabbits finished third in the Big 12 last season and produced three All-Americans during last year’s NCAA Tournament. They opened the Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center last season and will be moving into First Bank & Trust Arena for its home duals this season.

But while the Jacks enter this season ranked ninth in the preseason Intermat rankings and 12th in the NWCA Coaches Poll, there’s one final step toward becoming an elite program: Winning a championship.

“I think it’s just the expectation. The standard of our program,” Hahn said during media day last month. “When we got here seven years ago, we talked about the team, we talked about our successes and failures that we will have at South Dakota State and how it will be based around our team … But we want to bring home a trophy and that’s been the expectation since Day 1.”

Last season, SDSU took another step forward. The Jacks finished with a 13-4 dual record including a 7-2 record in the Big 12. They had some highlight wins including a 22-17 victory over Michigan at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Jan. 4 and scored a 20-13 win at Oklahoma on Feb. 9. They finished third behind Iowa State and Oklahoma State at the Big 12 championships and boasted two individual champions in Tanner Sloan (197) and Cade DeVos (174).

The success continued in the national tournament as they tied a program-record eight qualifiers and set a program benchmark with four All-Americans. Three of those All-Americans – Tanner Jordan (125), DeVos and Bennett Berge (184) – return and three more national qualifiers – Derrick Cardinal (133), Alek Martin (149) and Cael Swensen (157) – also will return this season.

“It gives us a lot of experience,” Hahn said of his returning wrestlers this season. “When you’re able to go into a competition whether it be a dual meet or an individual tournament, you have experience and guys that have done it.”

Hahn also credited his returners for fighting through adversity including Jordan and Berge, who went on to earn All-American status after losing their first match at the national tournament.

“I mean, they lose at the first round of the national tournament and had to rifle off six matches straight just to become an All-American,” Hahn said. “That experience is invaluable and it’s really hard to replicate that in any way, shape or form. It’s not even the same, but now having that experience, it’s good for them but whether they like it or not, they have to take on another role because guys turn to them. They have become leaders by their body of work and by their actions, so now they have to kind of carry that leadership-type aspect.”

The evolution in that regard is seen in the coaching staff. Hahn is joined by assistant coach Cam Simaz (7th year) and Cody Caldwell (8th year) but added Clay Carlson, a former All-American who was Hahn’s first recruit at SDSU and has worked his way through the program as a two-time Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a 3.97 GPA in animal science pre-vet major.

“He understands what we expect,” Hahn said of Carlson. “He knows what it takes to compete at the highest level and have success not only on the wrestling mat but in the classroom. … He’s not only a student-athlete but a student of the sport and when you can keep that around within your program, it just gives our current kids someone to look to and say ‘I want to do what he did and be better.”

Hahn said similar things about Brady Berge, who will coach the Jackrabbit Wrestling Club team and work with wrestlers over the summer for international tournaments.

“Keeping Brady with us has been monumental because he has been here and has been through some of the low parts and he’s seen the successes and been part of those successes. Now to have him in a different role … it’s an extension of us. … We have a guy again, who has been part of our program that knows and expects the same things that we do and can kind of keep that ball rolling and build momentum.”

Seeing two products of the program at the top has helped the Jacks in several ways including boasting the fourth-highest GPA in the country last season. But for a returning veteran such as Jordan, he has seen the culture evolve looks to keep cultivating it as he enters his sixth season in the program.

“The culture has definitely grown a lot,” Jordan said. “I saw Clay become our first All-American, which was obviously a highlight to anyone’s career … And then just as time was going on, we came together as a team. Especially getting the new facility, we spend a lot more time together and it’s just been a growth that has been amazing through the years and how we’re willing to put each other on the line for each other.”

That culture will help the Jacks as they head into this season. Hahn believes that SDSU is better suited for individual tournaments as opposed to team duals in the early stages of the season but believes his team will come together as the season comes along.

It’s a natural development where four spots will be up for grabs with Caleb Gross, Avery Allen and Julian Tagg battling at 141 pounds; Daniel Kimball and Colin Dupill battling for a spot at 149 pounds; Drake Rhodes, Marcus Espinoza-Owens and Connor Gaynor competing at 165 pounds; and Zach Glazier, Tommy Dineen or Cody Donnelly battling at 197 pounds. But Jordan particularly mentioned the nature of team competition and how being in the moment can galvanize a team.

“When the team works together, it really helps,” Jordan said. “I know wrestling is an individual sport but if it’s me and Derek Cardinal and I go out there and win a big match, Derek is still feeling it and is still amped up, so he’s going to go out there and wrestle his heart out, too. You just get that train rolling and great things start to come together.”

With Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Missouri ranked ahead of SDSU in the NWCA Coaches Poll, the Jackrabbits have some work to do to get to the top of the Big 12 but with a stretch of four straight duals at home beginning with a Jan. 31 matchup with Utah Valley and ending with a Valentine’s Day showdown with the Cyclones, SDSU has what it needs to reach the championship goal they set out for when Hahn arrived in Brookings.

“I think seven years ago … people were like 'Oh, that’s a tall task,’ but you can see the progression,” Hahn said. “You can see every year, taking another step in that direction and this team, they’re not going to take a back seat. They’re not going to slow down until they get what they want.”