TULSA, Okla. – Two South Dakota State wrestlers placed during the final day of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday as Tanner Sloan finished second at 197 pounds and Clay Carlson finished fifth at 141 pounds.
Top-seeded Nino Bonaccorsi of Pittsburgh controlled the final two periods to defeat Sloan, 5-3, in the national title bout at 197 pounds Saturday night at BOK Center.
Sloan, a senior from Alburnett, Iowa, who has a year of eligibility remaining, was the aggressor early.
After nearly putting Bonaccorsi on his back midway through the first period, Sloan opened the scoring with a takedown with 25 seconds remaining in the opening period.
After Sloan escaped to open the second period for a 3-0 lead, Bonaccorsi began to find his footing. He tallied his first takedown of the match moments after Sloan’s escape and rode out the remainder of the period to build up more than a minute of riding time.
Bonaccorsi chose a neutral start to begin the third period and sealed the match with a takedown in the final minute, picking up the final point via riding time.
Sloan ended the season with a 27-3 overall record in earning NCAA All-America honors for the first time in his career.
Carlson capped a return to the All-America podium by placing fifth in the 141-pound weight class Saturday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center.
A senior from Willmar, Minnesota, with a year of eligibility remaining, Carlson finished the three-day tournament with a 6-2 record after splitting a pair of matches Saturday morning. Both of Carlson’s tournament losses came at the hands of Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, who defeated Carlson, 3-2, in the Round of 16 on Thursday and then notched a 12-2 major decision in their consolation semifinal on Saturday.
Carlson met Nebraska’s Brock Hardy in the fifth-place match and took a 2-0 lead on a takedown on the edge of the mat with 71 seconds remaining in the first period. Shortly after the restart, Hardy suffered an upper-body injury on a mat return and could not continue, which resulted in Carlson being awarded fifth place by injury default.
Previously an All-American with an eighth-place finish in 2021, Carlson ended the season with a 27-10 overall record and with 101 wins for his career.
