Six South Dakota State University wrestlers learned their first-round opponents and tournament seeds on March 11 as the NCAA released the brackets for the upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The announcement is significant for the Jackrabbits, who will send a strong group of athletes to compete at one of college wrestling’s most prestigious events. The tournament will take place from March 19 to 21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, with coverage available through ESPN networks.
Brady Roark, a redshirt sophomore and first-time qualifier, was seeded 27th at 125 pounds. He will face Minnesota’s Jore Volk in a rematch of their November bout, which Roark won by a single point. Roark enters the tournament with a 20-7 record after placing sixth at last weekend’s Big 12 Championships.
Julian Tagg received the 20-seed at 141 pounds and will wrestle Wyatt Henson from Lock Haven. Tagg has an overall record of 18-6 and aims to improve on his round of 16 finish from last year. Cael Swensen, seeded 16th at 157 pounds, faces Wisconsin’s Luke Mechler after finishing fourth in his weight class at the Big 12 Championships. Swensen holds a season record of 24-7 and is making his third appearance at nationals.
Moses Espinoza-Owens earned the second-highest seed among Jackrabbits as No.14 at 174 pounds. He will meet Logan Messer of George Mason in his first NCAA appearance after posting a season record of 27-8 and finishing fifth in conference competition. Bennett Berge, a three-time qualifier and All-American this year, is seeded No.13 at 197 pounds and faces Wyatt Ingham from Wisconsin; Berge finished fifth in his conference bracket with a record of 16-5.
Luke Rasmussen rounds out South Dakota State’s qualifiers as the No.29 seed at heavyweight (285 pounds). He will open against former national champion AJ Ferrari from Nebraska after earning his spot by reaching the quarterfinals and finishing sixth in last weekend’s Big 12 event with an even season record.
The Jackrabbits’ lineup reflects both experienced returners and new talent as they prepare for next week’s national championship.