The South Dakota State Jackrabbits wrestling team will begin the new year with a busy schedule, facing Arizona State on January 2 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls before heading to Coralville, Iowa, for the Soldier Salute tournament from January 3-4.
The matchup against Arizona State marks the first Big 12 dual of the season for South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are seeking their first win against the Sun Devils, having lost both previous meetings. Following this contest, they will compete in the Soldier Salute alongside wrestlers from 13 Division I programs, including Iowa, Iowa State, and North Carolina.
Probable starters for Friday’s dual include several ranked athletes: Brady Roark (#22) at 125 pounds, Derrick Cardinal (#23) at 133 pounds, Julian Tagg (#18) at 141 pounds, Alek Martin (#21) at 149 pounds, Cael Swensen (#18) at 157 pounds, Marcus Espinoza-Owens (#28) at 165 pounds, Moses Espinoza-Owens (#17) at 174 pounds, Brock Fettig at 184 pounds, Bennett Berge (#7) or Quin Morgan at 197 pounds, and Luke Rasmussen (#20) at heavyweight.
In their last outing on December 29 against Campbell University in Brookings, S.D., South Dakota State secured a dominant victory with a score of 45-3. The dual began with Derrick Cardinal earning a technical fall over Logan Heil. Julian Tagg followed with another technical fall against Zander Phaturos. Avery Allen added a third consecutive tech fall in his match versus Jonathan Chang. Cael Swensen won an 11-4 decision over Pablo Macias. Marcus Espinoza-Owens and Brady Roark each accepted forfeits from Campbell. Moses Espinoza-Owens posted a decision win while Quin Morgan and Luke Rasmussen recorded pins to close out the night.
Head coach Damion Hahn continues to lead a successful program. Last season he became South Dakota State’s winningest coach at the Division I level with his 65th victory and currently has accumulated 75 dual wins as head coach—fourth most all-time among Jackrabbit wrestling coaches.
The team returns NCAA qualifiers Cael Swensen and Alek Martin after both missed last season due to injury. Seven of ten projected starters have previously qualified for nationals. Last year’s squad set a program record by sending nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia.
Bennett Berge will move up from competing at 184 pounds—where he was twice an NCAA qualifier—to take over duties at 197 pounds this season.
Freshman contributions remain significant for SDSU; last year’s freshman class compiled a combined record of 92-28 across open competitions and duals.
In national rankings released by InterMat and FloWrestling, nine Jackrabbit starters appear among those listed—including top-20 placements for Berge (No.6), Tagg (No.15), Swensen (No.17), and Moses Espinoza-Owens (No.16). In addition to individual rankings, SDSU is now ranked eighth in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll—the highest mark in school history.
Looking ahead after this week’s action in Sioux Falls and Coralville, South Dakota State is scheduled to participate in the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls on January 9-10.