Huskies claim fifth consecutive regional title

Saturday, February 27

Aberdeen, S.D.

TBA

St. Cloud State

Super Region V Tournament

No. 3 St. Cloud State won its fifth consecutive Regional Title Saturday evening with 116.5 points.

Photo by: Northern State Athletic Communications

2/27/2021 10:55:00 PM | Wrestling

ABERDEEN, S.D. - If anyone questioned the St. Cloud State University wrestling team's dominance heading into the Super Region V Championship in Aberdeen, South Dakota, they need not anymore. After one of the most bizarre seasons in recent history, the Huskies once again stood atop the podium, earning their fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Championship with 116.5 points.

St. Cloud State was forced to share the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Title in mid-February due to the COVID-19 shortened season, but the team left little doubt that it's the best in the region. The Huskies saw seven wrestlers qualify for semifinal matches, with six of those seven reaching the finals. Additionally, Garrett Vos (Bonifacius, Minn. / Waconia), Joseph Bianchini (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Immaculate Conception), Devin FitzPatrick (Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi), Billy Pitzner (Jefferson, Wis. / Milton) and Kameron Teacher (Grove City, Ohio / Central Crossing) all need to make more room in their trophy cases, as they were crowned Regional Champions in their respective weight classes Saturday evening.

No. 1 Voss went 4-0 at 133 pounds, winning his second consecutive regional weight class with a 13-4 major decision win over Augustana's Brandon Carroll. The junior will make his third consecutive trip to nationals with the win and improves his already impressive perfect season record to 9-0.

No. 4 Bianchini continued to dominate at 141 pounds, as, like Vos, he won the regional championship for the second straight season. The sophomore went 2-0 in his opening matches before earning a 9-3 decision win in the championship bout over Northern State's Kolton Roth, allowing him to end the day with a 3-0 record.

No. 6 FitzPatrick earned his regional champion title at 165 pounds in the best way possible, as he avenged his lone defeat of the 2020-21 season to earn the crown for the second consecutive season. The senior downed UW-Parkside's Shane Gantz 3-1 in the final, securing the title and ending the day with a pristine 4-0 record.

The 184 pound championship bout was a nail biter, as No. 8 Pitzner needed all of regulation to defeat UW-Parkside's Reece Woracheck. Pitzner defeated the upset minded Woracheck by decision 1-0 to qualify for nations for the first time in his St. Cloud State career. He additionally finished the day with a 3-0 record.

Teacher was the final Husky to earn a regional championship on Saturday, as the top heavy weight in the nation cruised to the championship with two wins by fall. In the final match of the day, the senior earned a close 5-4 victory over Augustana's Stevens Hajas, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Like his teammates, Teacher concluded the day with a 3-0 record.

Noah Ryan (Mantorville, Minn. / Kasson-Mantorville) and Garrett Aldrich (Albert Lea, Minn. / Albert Lea) both took second place in their respective weight classes, punching their tickets to the NCAA Championships as well. No. 6 Ryan lost a tight 3-1 decision in the championship bout before defeating Southwest Minnesota State's Jackson Ryan in the second place match.

Like Ryan, Aldrich also finished second at 149 pounds, qualifying for nationals for the first time in his St. Cloud State career. Aldrich went 3-1 on the day, with his only loss coming in the championship match.

Colby Njos (Anoka, Minn. / Anoka) finished third at 157 pounds, earning a key 3-2 decision in the third place match over Cooper Siebrecht. Devin Donovan (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North) placed fourth at 174 pounds after going 2-2 during the day. Paxton Creese (Shakopee, Minn. / Shakopee) wrestled his way back to the consolation semifinal at 125 pounds before losing in sudden death overtime to UW-Parkside's Joe Arroyo 4-1.

Thanks to these outstanding performances, the Huskies won the NCAA Regional Championship for the fifth consecutive season with 116.5 total team points. St. Cloud State will wrestle for its third national championship since 2018-19 on March 12-13 in St. Louis, Missouri. More information regarding the championship, including weight class brackets, will be released in the upcoming weeks.

Team Results:
1 St. Cloud St. 116.5
2 Upper Iowa 66.5
3 Minnesota St. 59.5
4 Augustana (SD) 57.0
5 Northern St. 46.0
6 Wis.-Parkside 39.0
7 SMSU 31.0
8 Mary 23.0
8 MSU-Moorhead 23.0
10 Minot St. 13.0

Individual results:
125
Paxton Creese (5-4) scored 4.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Paxton Creese (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Kaden Anderlik (Upper Iowa) 6-4 won by decision over Paxton Creese (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 (Dec 7-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Paxton Creese (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 won by fall over Ben Emrich (Southwest Minn. St.) 1-6 (Fall 2:05)
Cons. Round 3 - Paxton Creese (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 won by major decision over Jeremy Leintz (Mary) 0-7 (MD 9-1)
Cons. Semi - Joe Arroyo (Wis.-Parkside) 4-1 won in sudden victory - 1 over Paxton Creese (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 (SV-1 9-7)

133
Garrett Vos (8-0) placed 1st and scored 17.5 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Garrett Vos (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by tech fall over Jackson Stauffacher (Southwest Minn. St.) 5-4 (TF-1.5 4:47 (16-0))
Quarterfinal - Garrett Vos (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by major decision over Declan Malone (MSU Moorhead) 0-2 (MD 10-1)
Semifinal - Garrett Vos (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by major decision over Donny Schmit (Upper Iowa) 5-6 (MD 12-1)
1st Place Match - Garrett Vos (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by major decision over Brandon Carroll (Augustana (SD)) 8-3 (MD 13-4)

141
Joseph Bianchini (8-0) placed 1st and scored 14.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Joey Bianchini (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Joey Bianchini (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by major decision over Drew Steidler (Mary) 0-5 (MD 10-2)
Semifinal - Joey Bianchini (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by decision over Tate Murty (Upper Iowa) 7-5 (Dec 5-1)
1st Place Match - Joey Bianchini (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by decision over Kolton Roth (Northern St.) 7-2 (Dec 9-3)

149
Garrett Aldrich (5-2) placed 2nd and scored 10.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Garrett Aldrich (St. Cloud St.) 5-2 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Garrett Aldrich (St. Cloud St.) 5-2 won by decision over Jebben Keyes (Augustana (SD)) 1-2 (Dec 9-2)
Semifinal - Garrett Aldrich (St. Cloud St.) 5-2 won by decision over Eric Faught (Upper Iowa) 7-2 (Dec 5-4)
1st Place Match - Kyle Rathman (Minnesota St.) 9-0 won by decision over Garrett Aldrich (St. Cloud St.) 5-2 (Dec 7-0)
2nd Place Match - Garrett Aldrich (St. Cloud St.) 5-2 won by no contest over Eric Faught (Upper Iowa) 7-2 (NC)

157
Coby Njos (4-1) placed 3rd and scored 8.5 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Coby Njos (St. Cloud St.) 4-1 won by major decision over Tyler Wagener (Augustana (SD)) 4-4 (MD 10-2)
Quarterfinal - Coby Njos (St. Cloud St.) 4-1 won by major decision over Cooper Siebrecht (Minnesota St.) 6-4 (MD 13-3)
Semifinal - Caden Moore (Northern St.) 6-2 won by decision over Coby Njos (St. Cloud St.) 4-1 (Dec 5-2)
Cons. Semi - Coby Njos (St. Cloud St.) 4-1 won by decision over Ben Durocher (Wis.-Parkside) 2-3 (Dec 3-1)
3rd Place Match - Coby Njos (St. Cloud St.) 4-1 won by decision over Cooper Siebrecht (Minnesota St.) 6-4 (Dec 3-2)\
2nd Place Match - Caden Moore (Northern St.) 6-2 won by no contest over Coby Njos (St. Cloud St.) 4-1 (NC)

165
Devin FitzPatrick (7-1) placed 1st and scored 14.5 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud St.) 7-1 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud St.) 7-1 won by tech fall over Carter Marx (Southwest Minn. St.) 0-7 (TF-1.5 2:45 (18-1))
Semifinal - Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud St.) 7-1 won by decision over James Burks (Northern St.) 5-3 (Dec 8-4)
1st Place Match - Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud St.) 7-1 won by decision over Shane Gantz (Wis.-Parkside) 3-1 (Dec 3-1)

174
Devin Donovan (5-4) placed 4th and scored 5.5 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Devin Donovan (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Devin Donovan (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 won by decision over Ryan Neu (Wis.-Parkside) 1-3 (Dec 5-3)
Semifinal - Trevor Turriff (Minnesota St.) 9-0 won by decision over Devin Donovan (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Semi - Devin Donovan (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 won by major decision over Gage Roaldson (MSU Moorhead) 6-3 (MD 9-1)
3rd Place Match - Cade Mueller (Augustana (SD)) 9-2 won in sudden victory - 1 over Devin Donovan (St. Cloud St.) 5-4 (SV-1 3-1)

184
Billy Pitzner (8-0) placed 1st and scored 16.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - William Pitzner (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - William Pitzner (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by fall over Grant Litke (Mary) 0-7 (Fall 4:34)
Semifinal - William Pitzner (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by major decision over Dalton Hahn (Upper Iowa) 4-5 (MD 8-0)
1st Place Match - William Pitzner (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by decision over Reece Woracheck (Wis.-Parkside) 4-2 (Dec 1-0)

197
Noah Ryan (6-2) placed 2nd and scored 10.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Noah Ryan (St. Cloud St.) 6-2 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Noah Ryan (St. Cloud St.) 6-2 won by decision over Steven Abbott (MSU Moorhead) 1-5 (Dec 11-5)
Semifinal - Noah Ryan (St. Cloud St.) 6-2 won by decision over Jackson Ryan (Southwest Minn. St.) 8-1 (Dec 5-2)
1st Place Match - Zach Ryg (Upper Iowa) 9-0 won by decision over Noah Ryan (St. Cloud St.) 6-2 (Dec 3-1)
2nd Place Match - Noah Ryan (St. Cloud St.) 6-2 won by no contest over Jackson Ryan (Southwest Minn. St.) 8-1 (NC)

285
Kameron Teacher (8-0) placed 1st and scored 16.5 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Kameron Teacher (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Kameron Teacher (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by fall over Andre Baguma (MSU Moorhead) 0-4 (Fall 2:43)
Semifinal - Kameron Teacher (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by tech fall over Jacob Dykes (Southwest Minn. St.) 5-4 (TF-1.5 6:16 (21-6))
1st Place Match - Kameron Teacher (St. Cloud St.) 8-0 won by decision over Steven Hajas (Augustana (SD)) 7-3 (Dec 5-4)