South Dakota State University’s wrestling team, ranked 14th nationally, will face No. 19 Northern Iowa on Sunday at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings, South Dakota. The dual meet is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed on Midco Sports Plus.
The Jackrabbits are coming off two home victories in Big 12 competition against Air Force and Northern Colorado. Their last encounter with the Panthers was earlier this season, when Northern Iowa secured a 20-14 win. South Dakota State holds a 3-16 all-time record against UNI but won their previous meeting in 2022 by a score of 27-13.
Probable starters for the Jackrabbits include Brady Roark or Daniel Guanajuato at 125 pounds, Derrick Cardinal or Cale Seaton at 133, Julian Tagg at 141, Alek Martin or Colin Dupill at 149, Cael Swensen at 157, Marcus Espinoza-Owens or Jacob Herm at 165, Moses Espinoza-Owens at 174, Brock Fettig at 184, Bennett Berge at 197 and Luke Rasmussen or Micah Hach at heavyweight.
In their most recent match against Northern Colorado, South Dakota State won decisively with a score of 31-10. Key performances included pins from Cael Swensen and Luke Rasmussen. Coach Damion Hahn’s squad also saw strong showings from Daniel Guanajuato (major decision), Tyson Peach (major decision), Moses Espinoza-Owens (decision), Brock Fettig (sudden victory), and Bennett Berge (technical fall).
Regarding national rankings across weight classes, SDSU features nine starters listed in InterMat’s and FloWrestling’s polls. Notably, Bennett Berge is ranked as high as No.5 among his peers; other top-ranked wrestlers include Cael Swensen (No.18), Brady Roark (No.19), Julian Tagg (No.19) and Moses Espinoza-Owens (No.15). The team currently sits at No.14 in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.
Head coach Damion Hahn has achieved several milestones during his tenure: “Last season, Damion Hahn became the winningest coach at the D1 level in South Dakota State history, passing Chris Bono with 65 wins.” He now ranks fourth all-time among Jackrabbit Wrestling coaches with a total of 84 dual wins.
This weekend’s matchup features a notable contest between Moses Espinoza-Owens and UNI’s Jared Simma: “Moses Espinoza-Owens will have a tough test in front of him this weekend as he is slated to take on No.12 Jared Simma.” Simma is recognized as a two-time NCAA Qualifier who reached the Blood Round in the previous year.
South Dakota State continues to build its program through returning talent and incoming freshmen who earned All-American honors over the summer competitions such as Fargo Nationals and Junior Pan-American Games.
Looking ahead, SDSU will host open competition next weekend during the Jackrabbits Open on February 15th.