South Dakota State University’s wrestling team secured a 36-3 victory over California Baptist on Friday night at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings. The win comes after the Jackrabbits’ recent loss to Wyoming.
The dual began at 174 pounds, where Moses Espinoza-Owens faced Mason Espinoza. After a scoreless first period, Espinoza-Owens took control in the second and finished with a 10-3 decision. At 184 pounds, Brock Fettig defeated David Alonso with a major decision, scoring repeatedly in the third period.
Bennett Berge extended South Dakota State’s lead at 197 pounds by beating Eli Sheeren with another major decision, building his advantage early and maintaining it throughout the match.
Micah Hach made his debut at home against Tristan Kemp at 285 pounds. Hach used strong riding time and secured a late takedown for a 5-0 decision win.
At 125 pounds, Daniel Guanajuato pinned Cooper Shore in the second period after trailing early. This marked Guanajuato’s first pin of the season.
Cale Seaton wrestled up at 133 pounds against Mitchell Neiner, who moved up from his usual weight class for Cal Baptist. Seaton controlled the bout and achieved a technical fall with multiple takedowns.
Julian Tagg met Jesse Vazquez at 141 pounds in what was billed as one of the night’s key matchups. Vazquez scored first but Tagg responded with two takedowns in the final period to secure a major decision.
Cal Baptist picked up its only points at 149 pounds when Paul Kelly earned an 8-2 decision over Colin Dupill.
The ranked matchup of the evening occurred at 157 pounds between No. 20 Cael Swensen and No. 29 Drayden Morton. Swensen won narrowly, using a reversal to clinch a 3-2 victory.
Marcus Espinoza-Owens closed out the dual for South Dakota State at 165 pounds by defeating Tim Cowan through frequent takedowns and winning by major decision.
Attendance for the event was reported as 1,116 people. It was noted that both Micah Hach and Daniel Guanajuato earned their first wins inside First Bank & Trust Arena during this dual, while Moses Espinoza-Owens notched his team-leading twenty-first win of the season.
South Dakota State is scheduled to travel next to Humboldt, Iowa for a neutral-site meet against No. 3 Iowa State.