South Dakota State’s Swensen, Peach come in third at Soldier Salute

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Logan Swensen and Tyson Peach placed third in their respective weight classes as 11 Jackrabbits finished on the podium on the second day of the Soldier Salute. The Jacks finished fourth by team score.

After dropping his first match of the day to Kale Petersen of Iowa, Swensen rallied and grabbed a win over his teammate Cale Seaton on his way to compete for third place at the Soldier Salute. In the third-place match, Swensen controlled a 10-5 victory over No.32 Stockton OBrien of Wyoming to clinch third at 133 pounds.

Peach dropped a tightly contested dual to No. 6 Vance VomBaur in his semi-final match but bounced back, scoring a decision win over Cullan Schriever of Iowa. He took care of business in his third-place match, dominating a 9-3 decision over Jace Rhodes of Iowa and securing a third-place finish in a tough 141-pound bracket.

In other action, Julian Tagg and Burk Blasius placed fifth in their respective divisions after Tagg scored a 7-2 decision in his match and Blasius accepted a medical forfeit.

After dropping his opening match of the entire tournament, Caleb Gross wrestled his way to the podium at 141 pounds. He secured a seventh-place finish by scoring a major decision over Missouris Owen Uhls, 13-4.

Cale Seaton, Avery Allen, Marcus Espinoza-Owens, Brock Fettig, Thomas Dineen, and Cody Donnelly all placed on the podium as well. Seaton dropped a hard-fought fifth-place match at 133 pounds, leaving him with a sixth-place finish. Avery Allen fell to Adam Allard by decision, placing sixth at 149 pounds.

Brock Fettig and Marcus Espinoza-Owens had good showings at the Soldier Salute but couldnt come away with victories in their third-place matches at 184 and 165 pounds, leaving both with fourth-place finishes. Dineen and Donnelly both finished eighth in their respective divisions.

The Jackrabbit wrestlers will have next week off but return to action the following weekend of Jan. 10 and 11 for the NWCA National duals held in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Jacks will compete against some of the best mid-major teams in the country, including Northern Iowa, Little Rock, Ohio and Wyoming.