Johnnies Host Top-Ranked St. Cloud State Thursday Night
Saint John’s wrestling hosts No. 1 (Division II) St. Cloud State for a 7 p.m. dual on Thursday, Dec. 28, in Sexton Arena.
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A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John’s (0-1 dual record) placed four wrestlers, including top-two finishes from its two nationally ranked student-athletes, back on Dec. 9 at the St. Cloud State Husky Open. Junior Luke Dodd (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) led the Johnnies with a 3-0 record and a first-place finish at 184 pounds. He is now 6-4 on the year and started his day with a 5-0 win over Augsburg’s Lorenzo Hernandez and won the semifinal bout, 4-2 over St. Cloud State’s Riley Vanik. Dodd won the title with a narrow 6-5 victory over the Auggies’ Jackson Graham, a transfer from SJU. He posted a 3-1 overtime win over Graham earlier this season Nov. 18 at the Augsburg Open.
The 125- and 133-pound weight classes only had six participants each, so those participants wrestled five matches in a round-robin format. Sophomore Noah Becker(Browerville, Minn.) finished second at 125 with a 4-1 record and is now 10-3 on the season. His lone loss was a 9-6 decision to St. Cloud State’s Brett Velasquez, who is ranked No. 1 in Division II. Sophomore Jerod Novak (Aitkin, Minn.) went 2-2 to claim fifth at 157 pounds and sophomore Andrew Smith (Amery, Wis.) totaled a 2-3 record to take sixth in the round-robin 133-pound bracket.
DODD STAYS, BECKER OUT: Dodd dropped from eighth to No. 10 at 184 pounds in the latest National Wrestling Coaches’ Association (NWCA) rankings released Dec. 12. Becker, meanwhile, was ranked ninth nationally at 133 pounds but dropped out of the top 10. He did not crack the top 10 at 125 pounds either, despite boasting a 9-1 record at that weight and a 10-2 overall record against non-Division III competition.
Both wrestlers were still listed as “Contenders,” just outside of the top 10, in D3wrestle.com’s most recent rankings released today (Dec. 27). Smith was listed honorable mention.
SJU ADDS ITASCA FOR JAN. 12: The Johnnies added a home dual against Itasca Community College at 7p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, in Sexton Arena.
A LOOK AT THE HUSKIES: Eleven Huskies went undefeated for St. Cloud State (5-0 dual record) at its own Husky Open Dec. 9 after posting four wins Dec. 3 at the Newberry (S.C.) Duals. Six Huskies were listed in the NWCA Division II rankings released Dec. 11, including four in the top four: senior Larry Bomstad (13-0 record), No. 1 at 157 pounds; redshirt-junior Brett Velasquez (10-1 record), No. 1 at 125; redshirt-sophomore James Pleski (12-1 record), No. 3 at 149; redshirt-senior Jarred Oftedahl (15-0 record), No. 4 at 141; redshirt-junior Vince Dietz (14-1 record), No. 8 at 197; and redshirt-junior Lawrence Phillips (14-1 record), No. 12 at heavyweight. Three of the six were All-Americans last season – Bomstad (third at 157), Velasquez (third at 125) and Pleski (fourth at 149) – as SCSU finished second at the NCAA Division II Championships after winning back-to-back national titles in 2015 and 2016. Velasquez won the Division II national title at 125 pounds as a redshirt-freshman in 2016, while Bomstad earned All-America honors as a freshman at 149 in 2015.
LAST YEAR’S DUAL: SCSU recorded eight bonus-point wins, including four technical falls and three pins, in a 51-0 win over SJU last Jan. 26 (2017) in St. Cloud. The Huskies’ lineup consisted of seven nationally-ranked wrestlers. Two others did not compete. Novak suffered a 4-1 loss for SJU at 157 pounds. The Johnnies forfeited the match at 133 pounds.
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 6-14 against St. Cloud State in duals since 1998. SJU won five straight from 2002-07, but the Huskies have won each of the last 10 meetings (since SJU’s 25-13 home win on Feb. 9, 2007). The Johnnies have only registered three team points in the last three duals with SCSU.
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