St. Cloud State tops NSIC Preseason Wrestling Rankings
BURNSVILLE, Minn. – St. Cloud State was selected to win the league in the NSIC Preseason Wrestling Coaches’ Poll. The Huskies had 64 points and all eight first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) to rank 11 points ahead of Upper Iowa, which was second with 53 points and received the other first-place vote. Augustana and Minnesota State tied for third with 48 points while MSU Moorhead was fifth with 36 points.
St. Cloud State’s Brett Velasquez was voted by the league coaches as the preseason wrestler of the year. Velasquez was the 2016 national champion and finished third at nationals a year ago.
NSIC Wrestling’s non-conference schedule gets underway this weekend with Upper Iowa hosting Truman State on Thursday at 7 p.m. On Saturday NSU and UMary travel to the Jamestown Open and MSU and UIU will be a the RCTC Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, Minnesota. Sunday will have Augie and NSU at the Daktronics Open in Brookings, South Dakota.
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Rank, Team, Points
1. St. Cloud State (8) 64
2. Upper Iowa (1) 53
3. Augustana 48
Minnesota State 48
5. MSU Moorhead 36
6. University of Mary 24
7. Northern State 23
8. Southwest Minnesota State 18
9. Minot State 10
(first-place votes in)
NSIC Preseason Wrestler of the Year – Brett Velasquez, St. Cloud State
125 lbs, R-Jr., Bennington, Neb. / Bennington HS)
St. Cloud State
– Ranked #2 at 125 pounds in NCAA DII preseason poll for 2017-18
– Two-time All-American
– NCAA National Champion at 125-pounds in 2016 and placed third at 125-pounds in 2017
– 25-3 record in 2016-17 and a 50-5 career record at SCSU
– 2017 and 2016 All-NSIC selection
NSIC Team Previews:Augustana University VikingsLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners201612-7, 6-2 NSIC6203rdTeam PreviewAugustana brings back two of its five national qualifiers from last year including All-American and two-time Super Region 3 champ senior Aero Amo. Amo begins the season ranked No. 3 at 184 pounds after going 38-9 last season and taking fifth at nationals. Sophomore Brandon Carroll became the first Viking true freshman to qualify for nationals since 2003 after taking second at the Super Region 3 Championships and was named the Super Region 3 Freshman of the Year. Carroll went 20-13 at 125 last season. Other returning starters for the Vikings are: senior Austin Jordan at 141 (14-14), junior Colin Ayers at 149 (18-11), sophomore Bailey Neises at 157 (11-11 at 149 last season), senior Mitch Rechtzigel at 165 (15-12) and sophomore Lukas Poloncic at 174 (11-12). Other projected starters are: redshirt freshman Jebben Keyes at 133 (18-13), junior Clayton Wahlstrom at 197 (13-6) and senior Lane Lettau at heavyweight (6-6).Player to WatchAero Amo (184 lbs, Sr., Rapid City, S.D., Central HS)First WeekSunday, Nov. 5 at the Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. – 9 a.m.University of Mary MaraudersLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Retuning2016-17 Standings8-8, 3-5 NSIC814t-5thTeam PreviewLast year the University of Mary posted a program-best total for NSIC wins and the most team wins in a season since becoming an NCAA member in 2006-07. Head coach Adam Aho returns a veteran squad, including eight grapplers who competed at the 2017 Super Regional 3 tournament. It is also the program’s deepest group in recent years with 27 on the roster. Junior Tate Barnhardt (133) posted a team-best mark of 25-10 overall in 2017 with a mark of 18-6 against NCAA D2 competition and a run of 12 straight wins. Senior Paul Michaelson finished with 17 wins at 165 and will begin his final season of competition in the spring. At 285, Dominic Tudors is back after picking up 16 wins as a freshman. Rudy Guillen had a big freshman year in 2015-16, finishing the season 21-6 with 82 takedowns and seven wins by major decision and two by takedown before finishing his rookie campaign 2-2 at the Super Region 3 tournament. The UMary sophomore redshirted last year but and took third in Greco Roman wrestling at the Dave Schulz Memorial Invitational before finishing fourth at the UWW-World team trial in April.Wrestler to WatchRudy Guillen (149, So., Duluth, Ga. / Norcross HS)First MatchSaturday, Nov. 4 at Jamestown Open – 9 a.m.Minnesota State University, Mankato MavericksLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Retuning2016-17 Standings10-4, 7-1 NSIC7132ndTeam PreviewThe Mavericks, who enter the year tied for 16th in the national preseason poll, take to the mat on November 4, beginning the new season at the RCTC Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, Minnesota.
Minnesota State returns three NCAA Championship qualifiers, including two All-Americans. Corey Abernathy and Matthew Blome each earned All-American status after both wrestlers finished in eighth place at the National Championships in Birmingham, Ala., last March. Abernathy (184 lbs.), rated fourth nationally in his weight class heading into 2017-18, recorded a 24-9 record last season while Blome (197 lbs., rated fifth nationally), wrestled to a 28-11 mark and garnered the team’s Newcomer of the Year Award. Dylan Herman (157 lbs., rated ninth nationally), also qualified for the NCAA tournament on the back of an 18-12 record.
The Mavericks will also be boosted by the return of Louie Sanders, Daniel Close, and Zach Johnson, all of whom finished with at least 17 wins last season and participated in the NCAA Super Region 3 Tournament for Minnesota State. Andrew McFall and Chris Zimmer are expected to contribute greatly to the team this season after wrestling in duals and regionals for the Mavericks last year.
Transferring into the team this season is George Farmah from Iowa Lakes Community College. A Minnesota native, Farmah has podium finishes at the 3A Minnesota State High School Championships, and has recently finished third at the NJCAA Championships last season.Wrestler to WatchCorey Abernathy (184 lbs, Sr., Waverly, Iowa / Waverly HS)First MatchSaturday, Nov. 22 at RCTC Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, Minn. – 9 a.m.Minnesota State University Moorhead DragonsLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Returning2016-17 Standings6-9, 3-5 NSIC46t-5thTeam PreviewMSUM returns four starters from a year ago but faces the task of replacing four-time All-American Blake Bosch, who was the national runner-up at 133 pounds. Junior Adam Blees is back after going 17-11 at 174 pounds a year ago. Blees went 2-2 at the Super Region 3 tournament. Junior Jared Goldsmith returns at 125 pounds after going 15-17 last year; he was the champ in that division at the Dragon Open. Junior Austin May is back after going 8-4 a year ago at 184; his season was ended early by an injury. The Dragons will also count on some D1 transfers, including senior Tommy Walton (141), Preston Lehmann (184-197) and Weston Dobler (165) for key contributions this season.Wrestler to WatchAdam Blees (174 lbs, Jr., Bismarck, N.D. / Bismarck HS)First MatchSaturday, Nov. 8 at Northland CTC – 7 p.m.Minot State University BeaversLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Retuning2016-17 Standings4-16, 0-8 NSIC8239thTeam PreviewThe Minot State wrestling team returns eight starters from last season and 23 letterwinners return overall for the 2017-18 campaign. The Beavers posted a 4-16 overall record and an 0-8 mark in league competition. Heavyweight Mitch Eull returns for the Beavers after posting a 6-2 record last season. Minot State 141 pounder Jared Sublet is the Beavers top returner in wins after recording a 14-12 record last season, which was the second most wins for the team. Carlos Toledano, who wrestles at 174 pounds, posted a 13-5 overall record last season which ranked third on the team in wins. Parker Osterman was 7-11 at 165 pounds last season, while Keegan Berry posted a 10-18 mark at 184 pounds. Dean Arevalo wrestled at 133 pounds last season, but will drop to 125 this year and Michael Rangel will move from 125 pounds to 133. Liam Hayden, Nick Pereira, Shane Williams, Jeseb Mogen, Anthony Battle, Tanner Crissler, Dimitri Grivas, Zach Berry, Jake Knudsvig, Stosh Sitkowski, Frank Straka, Bryce Broome, Andrew Helfrich, Jake Belland and Austin Moen also return for the Beavers.Wrestler to WatchMitch Eull (285 lbs, Sr., Buffalo, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville HS)First MatchWednesday, Nov. 8 vs. UMary – 7 p.m.Northern State University WolvesLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Retuning2016-17 Standings5-12, 1-7 NSIC358thTeam PreviewThe Northern State University wrestling team enters the 2017-18 season with 15 new faces as well as three redshirt freshmen from a season ago. The NSU wrestlers hail from across the country including Kansas, Texas, Washington, Missouri, California, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The newcomers include Riley Alderman, Truman Ashes, Bryan Burnett, Kaden Campbell, Cortez Castellanos, Logan Donais, Diego Gallegos, Griffin Hieb, Justice Horn, Jens Knutson, Jay Maxville, Aspen Naylor, Bradley Nelson, Braiden Nelson, and David Opheim. Northern has at least two wrestlers rostered at each weight class, other than 141 this season. The Wolves also return three starters in Blake Perryman (157), Tanner Olson (174), and David Murphy (184). Perryman was nabbed as the Wolves wrestler to watch heading into his senior campaign. As a junior, Perryman went 23-10 overall with the team’s second fastest pin on the season (0:40). He went 9-5 in duals overall and 2-4 in the NSIC. With seven weight classes open from a season ago the Wolves will see some battles in the wrestling room. In 2016-17, Northern sent three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in seniors Joe Gomez, Sean Havlovic, and Tyler Stenberg. Gomez came away with the third All-American honor of his career finishing seventh overall at 197. The Wolves open the 2017-18 season with four open tournaments prior to heading to Spearfish, S.D. for the annual SD Showdown with Augustana, Dakota Wesleyan, and South Dakota State. Northern’s home opener is scheduled for January 25th versus St. Cloud State over I Hate Winter weekend.Wrestler to WatchBlake Perryman (157/165 lbs, Sr., Dakota Dunes, S.D. / Dakota Valley HS)First MatchSaturday, Nov. 4 at Jamestown Open – 9 a.m.Southwest Minnesota State UniversityLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Retuning2016-17 Standings8-13, 3-5 NSIC813t-5thTeam PreviewThe Mustangs’ 2017-18 roster features a total of 29 wrestlers that includes three seniors, nine juniors, eight sophomores, four true freshman and five redshirt freshman.
Returners from last season’s team include junior, Cortez Arredondo, and sophomore, Cole Hennen, who each finished in the top six of their respective weight classes in last season’s NCAA Super Region III tournament. Arredondo finished last season’s region tournament with a sixth place finish in the 149 bracket while Hennen finished the tournament with a 4-2 record and a fifth place finish wrestling at 184.
Hennen had a team high 23 wins last season and finished 2016-17 with three major decision victories, three pins and nine wins by tech fall while Arredondo finished with a 21-19 overall record that included two pins, one major decision and three wins by tech fall.
Junior, Kegen Fingalsen, also returns to the 2017-18 roster coming off of a season in which he finished with a 21-17 overall record that included a stretch of six consecutive dual victories. Fingalsen finished last season with a 6-2 NSIC record and had three pins with three major decisions on the year.
Sophomore, Jackson Ryan, finished with a 16-13 record last season wrestling at 197 and had a team high six major decisions and four pins.
SMSU will compete in its first open tournament of the season on Nov. 11 when they travel to the Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell, S.D.
The Mustangs will then open their 2017-18 dual season when they face Dakota Wesleyan at home on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.Wrestler to WatchCortez Arredondo (149 lbs, Jr., West St. Paul, Minn. / Simley HS)First MatchSaturday, Nov. 11 at Dakota Wesleyan Open – 9 a.m.St. Cloud State University HuskiesLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners Retuning2016-17 Standings17-1, 8-0 NSIC6201stTeam PreviewThe St. Cloud State Wrestling team is looking to defend its NSIC championship for the seventh consecutive time in 2017-18. The Huskies have won the last six NSIC titles and have not lost a conference dual match since a loss to Augustana in 2010-11. SCSU will bring back two-time All-American Brett Velasquez at 125-pounds. He won the NCAA title in 2016 and placed 3rd in 2017. Other NCAA qualifiers back in 2017-18 for the Huskies will be Larry Bomstad at 157 lbs., James Pleski at 149 lbs. and Jarred Oftedahl at 141 lbs. SCSU is 47-0 in NSIC dual meet action over the last six seasons under the leadership of head coach Steve Costanzo, who begins his 12th season at SCSU in 2017-18 with a 169-28 record with the Huskies. SCSU was ranked #2 in this year’s NCAA DII preseason poll and six SCSU wrestlers were ranked in the top 12 of the individual national polls. Bomstad (157) and Pleski (149) both gained #1 national preseason rankings, while Velasquez (125), Oftedahl (141), newcomer Tyree Overton (174) and Vince Dietz (197) were ranked among the nation’s top 12 preseason DII wrestlers.Wrestler to WatchBrett Velasquez (125 lbs, R-Jr., Bennington, Neb. / Bennington HS)First MatchNov. 11 – Dakota Wesleyan Open, Mitchell, S.D. – 9 a.m.Upper Iowa University PeacocksLast YearReturning StartersLetter winners2016-17 Standings9-5, 5-3 NSIC6144thTeam PreviewUpper Iowa ranks eighth in the NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 sharing that spot in the list with the University of Central Oklahoma. The Peacocks also boast five young men in the individual rankings including seniors Logan Hopp and Josh Walker as well as three juniors in the form of Ryan Parmely, Damian Penichet and Maleek Williams. Hopp ranks second in the heavyweight class. The New Hampton, Iowa product posted a 23-10 record in 2016-17. Hopp closed out his redshirt junior campaign with a third appearance at the NCAA DII Championships finishing fifth in the nation and earning his first NCAA All-American honor. Walker, who transferred to Upper Iowa last season, ranks fourth in the 133-pound weight class. As a redshirt junior, he registered a 16-8 mark with seven bonus-point wins while also earning a place on the All-NSIC Second Team. Walker placed seventh at the NCAA DII Championships in Alabama earning an All-American honor. Ryan Parmely returns for his third season at UIU and ranks eleventh at 197 lbs. The Delhi, Iowa product is looking to return to the NCAA DII Championships this season after earning an All-American honor as a freshman with a seventh place finish. Redshirt junior Damian Penichet ranks eighth at 149 pounds. The Miami, Fla. product carries a 59-21 record during his two varsity seasons. Penichet qualified for the 2015-16 NCAA Championships as a redshirt freshman. Maleek Williams is a two-time NCAA Division II Championships qualifier with a 1-4 record in his first two national tournaments. Williams ranks seventh in the preseason rankings at 125 pounds. Last season, Williams (18-9 in 2016-17) was just one win away from his first NCAA All-American honor after an opening round win.Wrestler to WatchLogan Hopp (285 lbs, R-Sr., New Hampton, Iowa / New Hampton HS)First MatchThur., Nov. 2 vs. Truman State in Fayette, Iowa – 7 p.m.