JACKS START THE SEASON ON THE ROAD

Derrick Cardinal returns his opponent to the mat in his match against Augustana on 11/15/2024.

Photo by: Jenna Batka

11/7/2025 9:17:00 AM | Wrestling

Week 1: # 17 South Dakota State at Bison Open, Tiger Style Invite
Date and Time	Sunday, Nov. 9th, 10 a.m.
Location	Columbia, Mo. (Tiger Style Invite), Fargo, N.D. (Bison Open)
Site	Hearnes Center (Tiger Style Invite), Scheels Center (Bison Open)
Television/Stream	FloWrestling (Tiger Style Invite)
Live Stats	FloWrestling.com (Tiger Style Invite), FloWrestling.com (Bison Open)
South Dakota State	Game Notes \| Home Page

BROOKINGS, S.D. - The Jackrabbits will split their squad to open the season this weekend as they travel to Columbia, Missouri and Fargo, North Dakota for the Tiger Style Invite and the Bison Open. The Jacks competing at the Tiger Style Invite will face off against wrestlers from Oklahoma, Missouri, Little Rock, Purdue and Maryland. Wrestlers competing at the Bison Open will go up against athletes from NDSU, Minnesota and Oklahoma.

THE LINEUP: These are the wrestlers competing at each tournament:

Bison Open:
Kenton Cooke - 133 pounds
Liam Neitzel - 141 pounds
Conlan Carlson - 149 pounds
Bas Diaz - 157 pounds
Zach Ballante - 157 pounds
Jacob Herm - 165 pounds
Keenan Sheridan - 174 pounds
Jacob Fistler - 174 pounds
Shane McConville - 184 pounds

Tiger Style Invite:
Brady Roark - 125 pounds
Daniel Guanajuato - 125 pounds
Logan Graf - 125 pounds
Derrick Cardinal - 133 pounds
Logan Swensen - 133 pounds
Cale Seaton - 133 pounds
Julian Tagg - 141 pounds
Tyson Peach - 141 pounds
Alek Martin - 149 pounds
Avery Allen - 149 pounds
Cael Swensen - 157 pounds
Marcus Espinoza-Owens - 165 pounds
Moses Espinoza-Owens - 174 pounds
Connor Gaynor - 174 pounds
Ryan Dolezal - 174 pounds
Brock Fettig - 184 pounds
Burk Blasius - 184 pounds
Jared Thiry - 184 pounds
Quin Morgan - 197 pounds
Thomas Dineen - 197 pounds

JACKS IN THE RANKINGS:
125: Brady Roark 22/29
133: Derrick Cardinal 17/15
141: Julian Tagg 12/12
149: Alek Martin 17/22
157: Cael Swensen 14/14
165: Drake Rhodes 14/10
174: Moses Espinoza-Owens 30/31
184: Brock Fettig 25/26
197: Bennett Berge 8/7
285: Luke Rasmussen 21/21
*Flo/Intermat

NWCA COACHES POLL
1. Penn State (16) (0-0) 400
2. Nebraska (0-0) 382
3. Iowa (0-0) 366
4. Ohio State (0-0) 340
5. Oklahoma State (0-0) 338
6. Iowa State (0-0) 332
7. NC State (0-0) 290
8. Lehigh (0-0) 289
9. Minnesota (0-0) 263
10. Virginia Tech (0-0) 259
11. Michigan (0-0) 236
12. Cornell (0-0) 222
13. Northern Iowa (0-0) 197
14. Rutgers (3-0) 184
15. Illinois (0-0) 181
16. Missouri (3-0) 136
17. South Dakota State (0-0) 126
18. Oklahoma (0-0) 117
19. Stanford (0-1) 100
20. Pittsburgh (1-0) 98
21. West Virginia (0-0) 91
22. Little Rock (2-0) 75
23. (tie) North Carolina (0-0) 44
23. (tie) Army West Point (0-0) 44
25. Wyoming (1-0) 24
Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin 19, Utah Valley 13, Penn 10, Purdue 7, Arizona State 6, Lock Haven 5, Navy 2, Cal Poly 2, Central Michigan 1, Oregon State 1

LAST TIME OUT: NCAA Tournament Day 3
Cade DeVos finished his collegiate career placing sixth at the NCAA Tournament in the 174-pound weight class.

DeVos started his day against No. 11 Patrick Kennedy from Iowa in the consolation semis. The pair would find themselves scoreless after the first period before each adding an escape in the following two periods. Kennedy struck quickly in sudden victory, getting a single leg on DeVos before scoring a takedown to take the match 4-1.

In his fifth-place match, DeVos found himself up against No. 5 Simon Ruiz from Cornell in a rematch from the quarterfinals. The pair stood scoreless after the first, but Ruiz was able to build a minute and 23 seconds ride time heading to the third. Ruiz quickly scored an escape in the third, forcing DeVos to go on the offensive, hunting a takedown. DeVos got in deep on a double leg, but it was too late in the match, as the takedown was not awarded. DeVos dropped the match, 2-1 via the ride time point. He finished sixth at 174 pounds.

Cade DeVos finished his career as a five-time NCAA qualifier, a Big 12 Champion, a two-time All-American and a member of SDSU's 100-wins club.

WRESTLER TO WATCH: Derrick Cardinal
Derrick Cardinal will be one to watch this weekend and this upcoming season as he looks set to lead the Jacks at 133 pounds. Cardinal put up a 20-16 record overall last season and started it off strong by going 2-0 at last year's Bison Open with two tech falls, taking home the 133-pound crown.

Cardinal will compete at the Tiger Style Invite this year, where he will face a collection of 133-pounders from across the Big 12, Big 10 and Pac-12. The top wrestlers at 133 pounds will be Mizzou's Kade Moore, Purdue's Blake Boarman and Maryland's Braxton Brown. All three wrestled at the National Tournament last year. Cardinal faced off against Brown and Moore last year, dropping a bout to Brown by MD at the Rider Duals and injury defaulting to Kade Moore at the Big 12 Championships on the final day.

In his final season at SDSU, Cardinal will look to put together a strong season, looking for his third consecutive NCAA Tournament and hunting for an elusive All-American finish.

LINEUP BREAKDOWN

125
Brady Roark is set to take over the 125-pound spot from graduated senior Tanner Jordan. In his time at SDSU, Jordan was an All-American, three-time NCAA Qualifier and racked up 97 wins along the way. Roark will have his work cut out for him replacing Jordan. Roark went 8-1 overall and 1-0 in duals last year competing in three competitions, as he impressively built on his redshirt season where he went 15-3 overall.

Behind Roark will be a mix of wrestlers, most notably Daniel Guanajuato and Logan Graf. Guanajuato found work in open competition last year racking up an 8-3 record building on his 4-1 record his redshirt year.

Graf has put together a 9-0 record, going 2-0 in duals, over his time at SDSU and could fight for the 125-pound spot this year, alongside Roark and Guanajuato

133
Derrick Cardinal is set to lead the way for the Jacks at 133 pounds as he moves into his fourth season in the starting role. Cardinal is a two-time NCAA Qualifier and is coming off of two seasons where he picked up 20 wins. The InterMat Pre-Season No. 17 in the country, will look to lead the line for Jacks heading into his senior season.

He will most likely be backed up by impressive redshirt freshmen Cale Seaton and Logan Swensen. Seaton is coming off a season where he went 13-4 overall and 0-1 in duals. Swensen put together a 28-6 season in open competition for the Jacks, splitting time between 133 and 141 pounds. Both will look to make and impact for the Jacks this upcoming season.

141
Returning NCAA Qualifier Julian Tagg is set to be the starter at 141 pounds this season. After begininning 2024-25 in a battle for the 141 pound spot, Tagg quickly secured it with wins over All-Americans Cael Happel and CJ Composto, on his way to an 18-13 record overall.

Tagg will most likely be backed up by Parker Janssen and Tyson Peach. Janssen put together a 2-4 record last year through two open competitions. Peach split time between 141 and 149 pounds last year. He put up an impressive 15-4 record overall and looks to be the likely main backup to Tagg at 141 pounds.

149
The Jacks will have a multitude of options at 149 pounds this year. Last year's starter Avery Allen returns for his redshirt-sophomore season with Jacks after putting together a 21-14 record overall, going 4-4 in duals. His season was highlighted by a win over All-American Gavin Drexler, in the Border Bell Dual and a sixth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. He will compete for the starting spot this year alongside 2024 NCAA Qualifier Alek Martin and Colin Dupill.

Alek Martin returns to the squad this year after sitting out the last year with an injury sustained during the prior season. Martin was the starter for the 2023-24 Jackrabbits at 149 pounds, where he put together a 20-12 record overall, going 10-5 in duals. He finished seventh at the Big 12 Championships and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. He will look to take back the spot at 149 pounds going into his fifth season with the Jacks.

Colin Dupill provided solid back up to Avery Allen at 149 pounds during the 2024-25 season. Dupill put together a 12-13 record overall, going 5-6 in duals. He will provide needed depth for the Jacks at the spot.

157
Cael Swensen is back from injury this year and will look to get back to form at 157 pounds for the Jacks. Swensen is two-time NCAA Qualifier making it to the round of 12 and 16 in consecutive years. He is coming off a ligament injury which sidelined him for all of the 2024-25 season. Swensen holds a career record of 46-20 and last placed third at the Big 12 Championships in 2024.

Backing up Swensen is freshman Bas Diaz. Diaz was a two-time Iowa state champion in high school and earned All-American honors in Greco-Roman at the Fargo Nationals in 2024 and 2025

165
Drake Rhodes is back after a succesful first year in the blue and yellow. Rhodes qualified for his first NCAA Tournament after transferring from Iowa at the start of the year. Rhodes was a rock for the Jackrabbits at 165 pounds, going 21-7 and 8-1 in duals, simultaneously battling through injuries on his way to his first NCAA appearance. His biggest win came at the Cliff Keen Invitational where he took down two-time All-American Hunter Garvin to capture fifth at CKLV.

The likely backup for Rhodes at 165 pounds is redshirt sophomore Marcus Espinoza-Owens. Espinoza-Owens filled in when called upon for the Jacks last year, putting together a 20-9 record overall, going 5-4 in duals at 165 and 174 pounds. Espinoza-Owens best win came against two-time NCAA Qualifier Joey Bianchi by major decision at the NWCA National Duals.

174
The Jackrabbits will have a few options at 174 pounds as they try to replace two-time All-American Cade DeVos. The front runners are Moses Espinoza-Owens and Connor Gaynor.

Espinoza-Owens is coming off a successful redshirt season where he backed up 157 pound starter and Big 12 Finalist Cobe Siebrecht. Espinoza-Owens went 14-13 overall and 3-6 in duals and will look to put together another strong season as he makes the jump to 174 pounds.

Connor Gaynor has backed up multiple Jackrabbits at 165 pounds over his four years at SDSU. Now Gaynor makes the jump to 174 pounds for his final season in the blue and yellow after going 3-3 overall in 2024-25. He will look to finish his collegiate career out on a high note going into his final season as a Jackrabbit.

184
Brock Fettig is likely starter at 184 pounds this year for the Jacks after backing up NCAA Qualifier and Bennett Berge during the 2024-25 season. After bouncing between 165, 174 and 184 pounds during his time at SDSU, Fettig seems to have found a home at 184 pounds during the 2024-25 season, going 16-5 overall and 1-1 in duals. His biggest win came over NCAA Qualifier and current Iowa State Cyclone Isaac Dean during the Jacks dual with Rider, scoring a takedown in sudden victory to seal the deal.

Backing up Fettig will likely be redshirt freshman Burk Blasius. Blasius put up a 14-5 record in open competition during his true freshman season, being crowned champion at the Worthington Open to finish his first season in the blue and yellow.

197
Bennett Berge will make the jump from 184 pounds to 197 pounds this year as he looks to fill the gap left by graduated senior Zach Glazier.

Berge is a two-time NCAA Qualifier and was an All-American in 2024, finishing fourth. He put together a 27-7 record overall last year and was 14-3 in duals with all his dual losses coming against opponents who finished top-three to end the season. He has a career record of 52-14 and looks to lead the Jacks for a third consecutive season.

Behind him are Tommy Dineen and Quin Morgan, who each had excellent offseasons coming into this collegiate year. Tommy Dineen backed up Zach Glazier last year, going 16-10 overall and 6-6 in duals. Dineen put together quite the showing on the international circuit this summer, finishing second at 97kg in the U23 Freestyle Nationals, before heading to Ascuncion, Paraguay and scoring a gold medal at the Junior Pan-American Games.

Morgan, likewise, had a solid year on the freestyle and greco-roman circuits. He was crowned champion at 97 kg in greco at the U20 US Open and brought home a silver medal from the U20 Pan-American Games. He put together a 14-3 record last year and will look to build on it this year in open competitions and duals.

285
Luke Rasmussen will be the starter for the Jacks at 285 pounds. Rasmussen is coming off a year where he qualified for his first NCAA Tournament, finished third at the Big 12 Championships and put up a 23-11 record, going 12-5 in duals. The Brookings native will look to build upon his impressive redshirt sophomore season as we head into 2025-26.

Key Storylines

BACK FOR MORE: The Jackrabbits return Cael Swensen and Alek Martin to their lineup after both sat out the 2024-25 season with injuries

PROGRAM RECORDS: The Jackrabbits continued to set program records under Damion Hahn in 2024-25, sending a record nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia

REPLACING DEVOS: The Jackrabbits will have a few options at 174 pounds this year as they try to replace two-time All-American and five-time NCAA Qualifier Cade DeVos. Fighting for the spot will be Connor Gaynor and Moses Espinoza-Owens.

MOVIN' ON, MOVIN' UP: All-American Bennett Berge will make the jump from 184 pounds, where he was a two-time NCAA Qualifier and a fourth-place finisher in 2024, to 197 pounds this year, replacing the graduated Zach Glazier. The jump to 197 pounds mirrors Coach Hahn's jump from 184 pounds to 197 pounds, where he won two National Championships.

RETURNING PRODUCTION: The Jacks will have an NCAA Qualifier at 7 of their 10 weights this year, while Moses Espinoza-Owens, Brock Fettig and Brady Roark all filled in at their respective weights due to injuries last season.

JACKS IN THE RANKINGS: SDSU has all 10 of its starters listed in InterMat's Rankings. Amongst the highest ranked are Berge at No. 7, Julian Tagg at No. 12, Drake Rhodes at No. 10 and Cael Swensen at No. 14.

PROVEN WINNER: Last season, Damion Hahn became the winningest coach at the D1 level in South Dakota State history, passing Chris Bono with 65 wins. Hahn's 72 dual wins for the Jackrabbits rank fourth all-time among all Jackrabbit Wrestling coaches behind Jason Liles, Warren Williamson and Mike Engels.

OFF-SEASON WORK: The JWC was incredibly successful on the freestyle and Greco-Roman circuits between March and August. Quin Morgan took home the U20 Greco-Roman Championship at 97kg at the US Open to start the season. Tommy Dineen and Daniel Guanjuato added runner-up finishes at their respective weights at the U23 Freestyle Nationals. Dineen also added a gold medal at the Junior Pan-American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay.

HOME COOKING: The Jacks have been consistent under head coach Damion Hahn at home. After posting a 7-1 record at home in 2023-24, the Jacks followed it up with a 4-2 record at home last year.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: Last year's freshman class put up an impressive 92-28 total record through open competitions and duals. Leading the way was freshman Logan Swensen with a 28-6 record overall. Swensen looks to back up returning NCAA Qualifier Derrick Cardinal at 133 pounds this year.

STOP SIGNS IN BROOKINGS: The incoming freshmen at SDSU are coming off an impressive summer. Micah Hach (8th), Keenan Sheridan (8th), Conlan Carlson (8th) and Jarrett Wadsen (2nd) all earned All-American honors at the Fargo Nationals in Freestyle. Wadsen (4th) and Bas Diaz (2nd) earned All-American honors in Greco as well.

A Look Ahead
The Jacks are home next week as they host Augustana on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the first dual of the 2025-26 season at First Bank & Trust Arena, followed by the Warren Williamson Daktronics Invite on Nov. 16th in the SJAC.

-GoJacks.com-