The South Dakota State University wrestling team closes out a four-match homestand Friday night, hosting Wyoming in a Big 12 Conference dual. Start time for the Blackout Match is 7 p.m. at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits enter Friday’s matchup with a 9-5 overall dual record, including a 2-1 mark against Big 12 opponents. SDSU ran its winning streak to eight matches by winning all three of its home duals last weekend. The Jackrabbits defeated both SIU Edwardsville (34-12) and CSU Bakersfield (23-10) on Jan. 22, then downed Air Force, 23-15, in Big 12 action on Jan. 24.
Wyoming, meanwhile, is 3-5 in duals this season, including a 1-3 record against Big 12 foes. The Cowboys defeated Cal Poly, 35-2, in their last competition, on Jan. 23.
Friday’s dual will be available for viewing through FloWrestling.org.
SDSU Match Notes
THE SERIES: Friday’s dual will mark the 17th meeting on the mat between South Dakota State, a series that dates back to the 1953-54 season. Wyoming holds a 15-1 series advantage, with the lone Jackrabbit victory an 18-17 triumph on Jan. 19, 2014, in Gillette, Wyo.
Wyoming scored a 32-10 victory over the Jackrabbits last season in Laramie. SDSU’s three individual victories came in succession as Luke Zilverberg and Alex Kocer won by decision at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, and Cody Pack scored a 12-2 major decision over Archie Colgan at 157 pounds to give the Jackrabbits a brief 10-7 lead. The Cowboys closed the match by winning the final five matches, including three by fall.
RANKINGS UPDATE: Four South Dakota State University wrestlers appeared in the first NCAA coaches’ panel rankings of the season, which were released on Jan. 21
Representing the Jackrabbits in the rankings were: 133-pounder Brance Simms, three-time NCAA qualifier Cody Pack at 157 pounds, 174-pounder David Kocer and returning national qualifier Nate Rotert in the 197-pound weight class. A total of 33 wrestlers were ranked in each of the 10 weight classes.
Click Here: Cheap Chiefs Rugby Jersey 2019
A senior from Gilmore City, Iowa, Simms appeared at No. 33 in the 133-pound rankings. He has posted a 12-8 overall record entering action this weekend.
Pack, a senior from Quincy, California, holds the sixth spot in the 157-pound weight class. He recently recorded his 100th career victory and carries a 20-2 overall record this season into weekend action.
Wagner native David Kocer cracked the 174-pound rankings at No. 30. He holds the team lead with 21 wins this season against nine losses during his sophomore campaign.
Rotert, a sophomore from Spearfish, checked in at No. 13 in the 197-pound rankings. He has recorded a 19-7 overall record during the 2015-16 season.
The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2016 NCAA Division Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Wrestlers are measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The next coaches’ panel rankings will be announced in mid-February.
Pack and Rotert also are ranked in the latest polls conducted by a variety of wrestling-related media organizations.
Following is a look at rankings released by WIN Magazine, FloWrestling.org, Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News:
[eztable width=”500″]Wrestler,WIN,Flo,Intermat,AWN,NCAA
Brance Simms (133),NR,NR,NR,NR,33rd
Cody Pack (157),6th,8th,7th,6th,6th
David Kocer (174),NR,NR,NR,NR,30th
Nate Rotert (197),14th,11th,12th,13th,13th[/eztable]
As a team, the Jackrabbits are currently ranked 28th in the Tournament Power Index rankings compiled by WIN Magazine. SDSU was ranked 31st in the preseason TPI and rose to as high as No. 25 after its Dec. 13 dual win against North Dakota State.
NATIONAL MENTION: The South Dakota State University wrestling team reached a milestone in its Division I pursuits as the Jackrabbits received mention in the USA Today/ NWCA Division I Coaches Poll for the first time on Nov. 17.
The Jackrabbits were among six teams to receive votes in the poll but not crack the top 25. SDSU again received a vote in the Dec. 14 poll.
PACK REACHES 100-WIN MARK: Three-time NCAA qualifier Cody Pack became the first Jackrabbit wrestler to reach the 100-win mark for his career in the Division I era, hitting the milestone in dramatic fashion at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29. He will be honored for reaching the 100-win milestone prior to Friday’s match.
After notching two decisive victories in the early runs to run his career win total to 99, Pack trailed ninth-seeded Markus Scheider of Columbia (N.Y.), 5-2, entering the third period of their quarterfinal match. Pack managed an escape seven seconds into the period and followed moments later with a takedown and pin to secure his 100th career win and a place in the tournament semifinals.
A senior from Quincy, California, Pack has compiled a 105-33 overall record, including a 20-2 mark so far during the 2015-16 campaign. Pack was granted an eligibility extension by the NCAA last spring after his first two seasons were cut short due to injury. His 37 wins last season tied for eighth-most in a single-season in program history.
Pack enters Friday’s home dual against Wyoming in sole possession of 10th place on the Jackrabbit career wins. With one win, Pack will tie Travis King (106-26-4 career record from 1995-98) for ninth place on the SDSU career victories list. King won a 150-pound NCAA Division II national title in 1998.
Following are Pack’s year-by-year records:
- 2011-12: 5-1 (missed most of season due to injury)
- 2012-13: 15-16 (NCAA qualifier)
- 2013-14: 28-8 (NCAA qualifier)
- 2014-15: 37-6 (NCAA qualifier)
- 2015-16: 20-2
Career Totals: 105-33 (includes 50-12 dual record)
RACE TO 20: Two Jackrabbit wrestlers reached the 20-win mark for the season during competition last weekend, and another is in line to join the group in Friday’s dual.
Sophomore 174-pounder David Kocer became the first SDSU wrestler to hit 20 wins, reaching the milestone in the Jan. 23 dual against CSU Bakersfield. Kocer has compiled a 21-9 record so far this season, including a 9-4 mark in duals.
Senior Cody Pack also reached the mark in weekend action, posting his 20th win of the season Jan. 24 against Air Force. Pack, ranked sixth at 157 pounds, carries a 20-2 record into Friday’s action, including an 11-1 slate in duals.
Sophomore and returning national qualifier Nate Rotert could join the 20-win group this weekend. The 197-pounder from Spearfish has a 19-7 overall record during the 2015-16 campaign, including a 7-4 dual record.
BIG 12 TICKETS: Tickets for the 2016 Big 12 Wrestling Championship are now on sale. This season’s championship, which will take place March 5-6 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, marks the first neutral-site conference championship for the sport.
Tickets can be purchased at Big12Sports.com/buytickets, SprintCenter.com; charged by phone at 888-929-7849 and Price Chopper Box Office at Sprint Center.
Tickets start at $40, with premium seating priced at $60 and VIP seats available for $100. The two-day event will feature four sessions of action, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. Each ticket purchased gains access to all four sessions. Special group rates are available for groups of 10 or more. For information on group tickets, call 816-949-7175, or email [email protected].
One hundred student-athletes will compete across 10 weight classes for a chance to be a Big 12 Champion and for automatic berths into the NCAA National Championship tournament. Big 12 programs have a rich history of wrestling success garnering 49 NCAA team titles and crowning 277 individual national champions.
South Dakota State will be competing at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship for the first time. SDSU was accepted as an affiliate member in July.
COACH BONO: Chris Bono has engineered a successful rebuilding process during his tenure as head coach of the South Dakota State University wrestling program.
Now in his fourth season, Bono has helped mentor Jackrabbit wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA Championships seven times and has posted a 31-33 dual record.
During the 2014-15 season, the Jackrabbits posted their first winning dual record in nine seasons with an 11-8 mark, and three SDSU wrestlers — Cody Pack, Nate Rotert and J.J. Everard — qualified for the NCAA Championships. Pack reached the national tournament for the third consecutive year at 157 pounds and was one win away from All-America status.
SDSU also had three national qualifiers during the 2013-14 season as Pack, Joe Brewster and Alex Kocer all qualified out of the NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships.
While leading the Jackrabbits, Bono was also tabbed as coach for the U.S. Men’s Freestyle team at the 2013 Pan American Championships. In the world event, Coach Bono led Team USA to a 13-point victory.
Overall, Bono has a 69-50 dual record in six-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach. He previously served three seasons at Chattanooga (Tenn.), where he led the Mocs to three Southern Conference titles and coached two All-Americans and 19 NCAA qualifiers from 2006-09.
Bono also served nine seasons as an assistant coach at Iowa State after a standout career for the Cyclones. He lettered from 1994-97, finishing his career with 130 victories. A four-time NCAA qualifier, Bono won a national championship at 150 pounds as a junior, adding a runner-up finish as a senior and fifth-place showing as a sophomore.
THE ROSTER: The 2015-16 SDSU wrestling roster features 29 student-athletes from eight different states. Of the 29 wrestlers, 10 are from South Dakota, five are from Minnesota and five are from Iowa. California and Illinois are each represented by three wrestlers, while Kansas, Nebraska and Washington each have one wrestler.
By class, four are seniors, four are juniors, seven are sophomores, four are redshirt freshmen and 10 are true freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will travel west for a pair of duals next weekend. SDSU opens the weekend slate with a Feb. 5 Big 12 Conference dual at Utah Valley. Start time is 7 p.m. Mountain (8 p.m. Central) in Orem, Utah.
The Feb. 7 non-conference dual at Boise State (Idaho) has been moved ahead two hours and is now slated for a noon Mountain (1 p.m. Central) start time.
View More College News