BROOKINGS South Dakota State will be sending eight wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday.
The eight wrestlers tied a program record for national participants as SDSU sent the same number last year. The difference between this year and last year is the Jackrabbits have three top-10 seeds.
Im excited, said SDSU head coach Damion Hahn. Were bringing down a great group. Eight guys are going down to Kansas City this year and every single one of our guys are points scorers, and we have a handful of guys that can make a deep run in the tournament and come away with some hardware. This is arguably one of the best teams that South Dakota State has ever put on the mat, Hahn said.
The three top-10 seeds are fifth-year senior Cade DeVos, redshirt freshman Bennett Berge and sixth-year senior Tanner Sloan. DeVos is the highest seeded Jackrabbit as he is the No. 2 seed in the 174-pound weight class.
DeVos will be wrestling in his fourth NCAA Tournament after posting a 23-1 record this season. Last weekend he won the 174-pound Big 12 Championship and will meet No. 31 Micahel Wilson of Rider in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
DeVos finished one win away from All-America status last season at the wrestling championships and he said he made some changes in the offseason that have resulted in the success hes seen this year.
It was cool [to see myself as the No. 2 seed], but at the end of the day, it doesnt really matter, DeVos said. Like these people have been saying, I have to wrestle one match at a time, every single match. For me, its about doing the same things that Ive been doing all of this year.
So, the changes I made this past summer and the beginning of this year, those changes have obviously improved my wrestling. Theres a reason Im the No. 2 seed right now and its because of how well Ive done all year. For me, its just sticking to those same things and having confidence and belief in what Ive done so far. I dont need to change anything.
Berge will be seeded ninth in the 184-pound weight class. He went 19-5 in his first season of wrestling in duals for the Jackrabbits. Hell be taking on No. 24 Shane Liegel of Wisconsin in the opening round.
Sloan is the final top-10 seed for the Jacks and he will be the No. 4 seed in the 197-pound weight class. A year after finishing runner-up at the national championships, Sloan went 23-1 overall and won his first Big 12 title in his career last weekend. Last season was his first All-America honor and said whats helped him continue to have success this year is the motivation to finish on top of the podium.
I wouldnt say theres a lot thats different [this year] besides just being hungry. Ive put in the same training schedule and plan with the coaches each day because thats what got me to somewhere I hadnt been in the past. Theres been a little fire and staying hungry has been the motive to try to surpass what I did last season, Sloan said.
Sloan will face No. 30 seeded Sam Mitchell of Buffalo in the opening round.
Sixth-year senior Clay Carlson is in a bit of a different position than hes been in in years past. Carlson, a two-time All-American, will enter the tournament on Thursday as the No. 30 seed in the 141-pound weight class. Its been a difficult final season for Carlson as he posted a 15-7 record after having to recover from knee surgery that he had in mid-November. Hell be going up against No. 3 seeded Real Woods of Iowa in the opening round and Carlson said hes looking to make the most of his final weekend stepping on the mat as a Jackrabbit.
Im definitely looking at this tournament as an opportunity to have fun and perform in this sport that Ive spent so much time honing my craft. I really do have love for the sport, so its just one last time that I get to go and have fun and enjoy it. Were just going to leave it all out on the mat. Thats what it comes down to. Just making sure that you come off that mat and you know that you gave it your all, Carlson said.
Carlson and Sloan stepped on the South Dakota State campus the same time Hahn began his first season as the Jackrabbits head coach. The Jacks had one NCAA qualifier in Hahns first season. He then sent four or more wrestlers in each of the next three seasons and eight the past two seasons.
Hahn said Sloan and Carlson are major parts of the rise of success that SDSU has had in his six seasons in Brookings.
If it werent for them, we wouldnt be where we are. Lets just call it as it is. I mean, these guys have devoted their six years and have given every ounce of their being. As a coach, you cant ask for anything more. These guys give you everything they have. Its not wishy-washy. Theyre not half in or half out. They are all in. And thats what makes coaching fun. These guys are the reason we are doing what we are doing, Hahn said.
Senior Tanner Jordan and sophomore Cael Swensen will be returning to the championships. Jordan will be the No. 23 seed in the 125-pound weight class after going 24-9. He will meet No. 10 Eric Barnett of Wisconsin.
Swensen finished in third place in the Big 12 Championship and went 20-8 overall this season. He will be the No. 15 seed in the 157-pound weight class and will take on No. 18 Vinny Zerban of Northern Colorado.
The two first time NCAA qualifiers are sophomores Derrick Cardinals and Alek Martin. Cardinal will be the No. 18 seed in the 133-pound weight class after going 22-9 and hell take on No. 15 Brody Teske of Iowa. Martin will be the No. 29 seed after going 20-10 in the 149-pound weight class and hell face No. 4 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech.
The NCAA Championships begin on Thursday and video coverage will be available through the ESPN family of networks.
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