Eight wrestlers from South Dakota State University reached the podium at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cael Swensen was the top finisher for the Jackrabbits, securing fourth place in the 157-pound division. In a key match against North Dakota State’s Gavin Drexler, Swensen used a takedown and a late slam to win 8-3 and secure his third NCAA Tournament appearance. He later lost to Ty Watters in the third-place match.
Bennett Berge and Moses Espinoza-Owens both finished fifth in their weight classes. Berge recovered from a loss to Cody Merrill by defeating Colton Hawks with a strong performance in the final period. Espinoza-Owens took fifth after an opponent withdrew due to injury.
Brady Roark, Julian Tagg, Luke Rasmussen, and Marcus Espinoza-Owens each placed sixth after losing their final matches. Tagg exited early due to medical reasons following a semifinal loss. Roark narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for the NCAA Tournament and will wait to see if he receives an at-large bid.
The team qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament through pre-allocations, while one wrestler gained entry by exceeding his allocation expectations.
“Cael Swensen ended his run at the Big 12 Tournament as the highest placing Jackrabbit, taking fourth at a stacked 157 pound weight class. Standing between him and third NCAA Tournament appearance was NDSU’s Gavin Drexler. After a scoreless first, Swensen pulled off a slick go-behind takedown in the second and finished Drexler off with a big slam in the third to secure an 8-3 decision and a ticket to Cleveland,” according to tournament coverage.
“Espinoza-Owens squared off with MJ Gaitan in a rematch from Jan. 25th. Espinoza-Owens struck first but the crafty Gaitan battled his way back into the match and scored the deciding takedown in the third with 30 seconds left. Espinoza-Owens took fifth after Wyoming’s Riley Davis medical forfeited out of the tournament,” tournament organizers reported.
“Roark battled against Oklahoma’s Conrad Hendriksen in the fifth-place match for a spot in the NCAA Tournament but came up just short as Hendriksen forced three stall calls which decided the match. Roark will wait to see if his name is called for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament,” according to officials.
Five South Dakota State wrestlers are set to compete at the NCAA Wrestling Championships scheduled for March 19-21 in Cleveland, while Roark awaits news of an at-large selection.