Thursday, January 16
Mankato, MN
7 P.M.
St. Cloud State
at
RV Minnesota State
No. 1 St. Cloud State Wrestling Faces Off Against Two Ranked Conference Opponents
1/14/2025 12:20:00 PM | Wrestling
Huskies set to wrestle RV Minnesota State and No. 7 Augustana
St. Cloud, Minn.- No. 1 St. Cloud State Wrestling (7-0, 3-0 NSIC) returns to conference action this week as they travel to RV Minnesota State on Thursday, January 16 and then hosts No. 7 Augustana on Saturday, January 18. The Huskies will also be competing in the Worthington Open on January 18 and the North Country Invite on Sunday, January 19. Thursday's dual is set for 7:00 p.m. while Saturday's dual will begin at 2:00 p.m.
Â
Follow the Huskies
Both duals will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Live results throughout the week will also be available on TrackWrestling. Links to both options can be found on the St. Cloud State Wrestling Schedule.
Â
Gameday promotions
Saturday's dual against Augustana will serve as alumni day for the Huskies.
The full itinerary for the day is as follows:
For the third consecutive Nation Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, the Huskies were tabbed the No. 1 ranked team in Division II. SCSU accumulated 103.5 points in the latest ranking. Glennville State tallied 77 points to rank second and were followed by Wisconsin Parkside (75.5), Central Oklahoma (67), and Nebraska Kearney (65).
The Huskies hold 10 ranked wrestlers for the second straight poll after having nine in the preseason poll. SCSU is the only team in Division II to have a ranked wrestler at all 10 weight classes.
The individuals that are ranked for SCSU are as follows:
Â
Last Time Out
St. Cloud State traveled to Cedar Falls, IA this past weekend as they competed in the NWCA National Duals. In round 1 against King, the Huskies got off to an electric start as Dominic Ducato and Caleb Meekins both captured falls in sub-50 seconds to put the St. Cloud State on the board with a 12-0 lead. Ashtan Hendricks of King halted the momentum for SCSU as he pinned No. 6 Alyus Craig to cut St. Cloud State's lead in half. The Huskies responded well as they won the next four bouts, three of which in bonus point fashion. Nolan Throne got St. Cloud State back on track with a 13-4 major decision against Brennan Watkins at 149. No. 5 Joel Jesuroga stayed perfect on the year as he beat Trent Mahoney 10-1 to give SCSU a 20-6 lead. Derek Johnson made his duel debut this season as he shutout Joe Bertrand with a 12-0 major decision. Logan Vaughan strung together the fourth consecutive win for St. Cloud State as he won his bout at 174 14-7. King picked up their final points of the dual as a takedown by Ethan Lopez on Tyson Meyer with 10 seconds remaining gave him an 8-5 decision victory. The Huskies closed out the dual with a pair of decision wins as No. 4 Dominic Murphy won 5-1 at 197 and then Jadon Mims shutout Jacob Telles with a 6-0 win. St. Cloud State ultimately advanced to the quarterfinals with a 33-9 victory over King.
Moving to the quarterfinals, the Huskies faced off against No. 9 Tiffin. Conor Knopick got it started for the Huskies as he captured a 14-4 major decision. At 133, No. 7 Sam Spencer wrestled against No. 4 Max Shore. The two-ranked wrestlers battled to a stalemate in the first period as neither wrestler scored a point. Spencer had his choice to start the period as he would defer. Shore chose down and came away with an early escape to take a 1-0 lead. 20 seconds later, Spencer was able to grab Shore's leg and finished his takedown opportunity to now lead 3-1. He racked up 1:07 of ride time before Shore escaped to set the score at 3-2. The third period saw Spencer choose the down position as Shore ate into his ride time. With 40 seconds left in the match, Shore allowed Spencer to escape to allow himself an opportunity to win off a takedown. The No.7 ranked wrestler was stout in defending himself from all attacks. Shore created an offensive opportunity with four seconds remaining, but was unable to score the takedown before time expired as Sam Spencer came up with a big win against the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 133. Moving to 141, No. 6 Alyeus Craig responded to his loss in the last dual by pinning Christopher Oleksiak in 56 seconds. No. 1 Colby Njos would win by forfeit to now put the Huskies up 19-0. No. 5 Joel Jesuroga captured his second win of the day as he defeated #14 Casey Barnett. Moving to 165, No. 2 Nick Novak faced off against No. 3 Nolan Gessler. The first period was a battle as neither wrestler scored any points. Novak would be awarded choice of position to start the second period and would defer. Gessler chose to start down as he worked his way to a reversal in 23 seconds to take a 2-0 lead. Novak would earn an escape point as he now trailed by one. Now in the third period, Novak started down and came away with a quick escape to tie the match 2-2. Neither wrestler was able to score points the rest of the period as the match now went into overtime. In the first overtime period, Novak created a scoring opportunity as he nearly grabbed ahold of Gessler's left leg. Now headed to the mat, both wrestlers fought for possession, but Gessler ultimately worked his to a takedown as he defeated the No. 2 ranked Novak 5-2 in sudden victory. That match was the only one that Tiffin would win as No. 5 Bryce Dagel and No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick each came away with 17-1 tech falls to put St. Cloud State up 32-3. Dagel would defeat the 15th ranked wrestler at 174 in Jakob Hurley. No. 4 Dominic Murphy picked up his second win of the day as he beat No. 11 Lucas Salmon 5-2. Closing with 285, No. 2 La'Ron Parks came back from being taken down early as he defeated Jake Powell 6-3. St. Cloud State advanced to the semifinals with a 38-3 win against No. 9 Tiffin.
Â
The Huskies got day two started by taking on No. 6 McKendree in the semifinals. The dual kicked off at 125 where No. 15 Conor Knopick got the party started with an 11-1 major decision against No. 14 Jason Strope. No. 7 Sam Spencer gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead after defeating Anthony Bernardo 9-2. The dual then tightened up as McKendree won the next two bouts as No. 3 Ronan Schuelke beat No. 6 Alyeus Craig 8-1 and then No. 12 Joey Semerad came up with a takedown in overtime to beat No. 1 Colby Njos 4-1 in sudden victory. With the score now being set a 7-6, No. 5 Joel Jesuroga got the St. Cloud State back on track with a 14-3 major decision James Hoskinson. At 165, No. 2 Nick Novak came away with two escape points to defeat No. 6 Corey Peterson 2-0. At 174, No. 5 Bryce Dagel faced off against No. 2 Matt Ortiz. Dagel struck first as he started to grab a leg of Ortiz. The two then went to the mat where Dagel positioned himself well to complete the takedown and take a 3-0 lead. Dagel rode Ortiz the remainder of the opening period and then came away with a quick escape in period two to lead 4-0. Dagel's had stellar defense in the match as he blocked and avoided every attack by Ortiz. The No. 2 ranked wrestler could only come away with an escape point to start the third period as Bryce Dagel came up with a 4-1 upset to give the Huskies a 17-6 lead. No. 11 Zeke Waltz beat No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick 3-1 as McKendree got back within striking distance. Moving to 197, No. 4 Dominic Murphy faced off against No. 2 Logan Kvien. Late in the first period, Kvien wrapped up a leg of Murphy and then swept his standing leg to take a 3-0 lead. Murphy would not be able to escape before the end of the first period, but escaped instantly to start the second period. No more scoring occurred in period two as Murphy racked up another escape point to start period three. With 1:18 left in the match, Murphy countered a single leg attack by Kvien and maneuvered around to score a takedown. Kvien would escape but would be unable to score a takedown for the victory as No. 4 Dominic Murphy upset the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 197. McKendree would win the final match as No. 15 Tyler Haynes beat No. 2 La'Ron Parks 10-7 in sudden victory, but SCSU ultimately advanced to the finals with a 20-12 win.
In the finals, the Huskies matched up with No. 4 Central Oklahoma who beat the SCSU in the semifinals of last year's NWCA National Duals. The Bronchos got off to a fast start as No. 5 Studd Morris beat No. 15 Conor Knopick 4-1 and then No. 10 Peter Rolle pinned No. 7 Sam Spencer to take a 9-0 lead. UCO continued to build their lead as Josh Taylor upset No. 6 Alyeus Craig with a 12-2 major decision and then No. 7 Dylan Brown came away with a takedown with mere seconds remaining against No. 1 Colby Njos to beat him 4-1. Now leading 16-0, the match moved to 157 where No. 5 Joel Jesuroga faced off against No. 1 Gabe Johnson. In what was an excellent display of wrestling from both men, the bout headed to overtime tied 1-1 after both wrestlers were stout defensively. Jesuroga looked to initially have the upper hand as he grabbed Johnson's leg and went to sweep it for a takedown. Johnson positioned himself well to avoid being taken down and then attacked Jesuroga with a single leg of his own. While it looked like Johnson would score and win the match, Jesuroga overpowered Johnson and put him on his back before turning him over and scoring the takedown. Jesuroga came away with a 4-1 sudden victory against the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 157 and reigning National Champion. That win sparked the Huskies as No. 2 Nick Novak shutout No. 7 Hunter Jump with an 8-0 major decision as St. Cloud State now trailed 7-16. At 174, Bryce Dagel kept it rolling for St. Cloud State as he came away with a 12-2 major decision of his own against Zane Coleman. No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick then took to the mat at 184 as he wrestled No. 5 Garrett Wells. Wells put the first points on the board as he scored a takedown early, but FitzPatrick was able to escape. FitzPatrick then countered a single leg attack by Wells as he worked around to securing a takedown. He would ride Wells the remainder of the period to lead 4-3. Wells escaped to start period two as the wrestlers would now be neutral. The No. 10 ranked wrestler scored another takedown, which Wells would again escape to now lead 7-5. Starting period three, Wells allowed FitzPatrick to initially escape but would ultimately lead to FitzPatrick scoring another takedown. Adding in another point from riding time, the No. 10 ranked Bryce FitzPatrick upset the No. 5 Garrett Wells 12-6 as St. Cloud State now trailed 14-16. Moving to 197, No, 4 Dominic Murphy came up big for the Huskies as a 20-11 major decision gave SCSU an 18-16 lead going into 285 which would decide the match and the champion. No. 2 La'Ron Parks took to the mat where he wrestled Judson Rowland. Late into period three, the match would be tied 1-1 after both wrestlers scored an escape point. With 15 seconds remaining, Rowland grabbed the left leg Parks, putting himself in prime position to score a takedown. Parks freed his leg and hopped over to have Rowland in a takedown opportunity. With five seconds left, Parks wrapped around Rowland and controlled Rowland to complete the takedown With ice in his veins, Parks came up with a clutch 4-1 decision to complete the comeback for St. Cloud State and give them their eighth NWCA National Duals Championship.
Â
St. Cloud State secured their eighth NWCA National Duals title. The previous title by the Huskies had been captured in the 2022-23 season where they beat Central Oklahoma 19-16. The Huskies have now accumulated 14 consecutive top-three finishes at the NWCA National Duals.
Â
No. 1 St. Cloud State 33, King University 9
125- Dominic Ducato fall Tyson Upchurch, 0:48
133- Caleb Meekins fall Alex Fernandez III, 0:44
141- Ashtan Hendricks fall No. 6Â Alyeus Craig, 4:21
149- Nolan Throne MD Brennan Watkins, 13-4
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga MD Trent Mahoney, 10-1
165- Derek Johnson MD, Joe Bertrand, 12-0
174- Logan Vaughan dec Clinton Morrisette, 14-7
184- Ethan Lopez dec Tyson Meyer, 8-5
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy dec Nathan Coley, 5-1
285- Jadon Mims dec Jacob Telles, 6-0
No. 1 St. Cloud State 38, No. 9 Tiffin 3
125- No. 15 Conor Knopick MD Cael Woods, 14-4
133- No. 7 Sam Spencer dec No. 4 Max Shore, 4-2
141- No. 6 Alyeus Craig fall Christopher Oleksiak, 0:56
149- No. 1 Colby Njos wins by forfeit
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga dec No. 14 Casey Barnett, 6-0
165- No. 3 Nolan Gessler dec No. 2Â Nick Novak, 5-2 SV-1
174- No. 5 Bryce Dagel Tf No. 15 Jakob Hurley, 17-1
184- No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick TF David Davis, 17-1
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy dec No. 11 Lucas Salmon, 5-2
285- No. 2 La'Ron Parks dec Jake Powell, 6-3
Â
No. 1 St. Cloud State 20, No. 6 McKendree 12
125- No. 15 Conor Knopick MD No. 14 Jason Strope, 11-1
133- No. 7 Sam Spencer dec Anthony Bernardo, 9-2
141- No. 3 Ronan Schuelke dec No. 6Â Alyeus Craig, 8-1
149- No. 12 Joey Semerad dec No. 1Â Colby Njos, 4-1 SV
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga MD James Hoskinson, 14-3
165- No. 2 Nick Novak dec No. 6 Corey Peterson, 2-0
174- No. 5 Bryce Dagel dec No. 2 Matt Ortiz, 4-1
184- No. 11 Zeke Waltz dec No. 10Â Bryce FitzPatrick, 3-1
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy dec No. 2 Logan Kvien, 5-4
285- No. 15 Tyler Haynes dec No. 2Â La'Ron Parks, 10-7 SV
No. 1 St. Cloud State 21, No. 4 Central Oklahoma 16
125- No. 5 Studd Morris dec No. 15Â Conor Knopick, 4-1
133- No. 10 Peter Rolle fall No.7Â Sam Spencer, 2:56
141- Josh Taylor MD No. 6Â Alyeus Craig, 12-2
149- No. 7 Dylan Brown dec No. 1Â Colby Njos, 4-1
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga dec No. 1 Gabe Johnson, 4-1 SV
165- No. 2 Nick Novak MD No. 7 Hunter Jump, 8-0
174- No. 5 Bryce Dagel MD Zane Coleman, 12-2
184- No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick dec No. 5 Garrett Wells, 12-6
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy MD Emmanuel Skillings, 20-11
285- No. 2 La'Ron Parks dec Judson Rowland, 4-1
Â
NSIC Wrestler of the Week
Following the title for the Huskies Joel Jesuroga was named NSIC Wrestler of the Week. Jesuroga was a crucial part of the Huskies title run On day one, Jesuroga defeated Trent Mahoney of King 10-1 and then picked up a ranked win as he shutout No. 14 Casey Barnett of Tiffin 6-0. In the semifinals against No. 6 McKendree, Jesuroga picked up his second bonus point win of the weekend with a 14-3 major decision against James Hoskinson. In the championship dual against No. 4 Central Oklahoma, Jesuroga faced off against No. 1 and reigning national champion Gabe Johnson. The two wrestlers would be tied 1-1 headed into overtime before Jesuroga came up with a clutch takedown to seal the 4-1 sudden victory win. Following Jesuroga's victory, St. Cloud State rallied off the next five matches as they came from behind 16-0 to beat UCO 21-16 to capture their eighth NWCA National Duals Championship. Currently sitting as the No. 5 ranked wrestler at 157, Jesuroga went 4-0 on the weekend to remain unbeaten with a perfect 12-0 record.
Â
Series History
St. Cloud State comes into this dual against Minnesota State having won 15 consecutive duals against the Mavericks which dates back to 2009-10 season. SCSU extended their winning streak to 15 following last year's victory.
Â
The Huskies jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the dual thanks to back-to-back technical fall victories from its 125- and 133-pounders. First on the mat, 125-pounder Conor Knopick wrestled his way to a 15-0 victory early in the third period over Lucas Ryan. Knopick scored a takedown and two four point near-falls in the first period, then rode out his opponent for the entire second period before earning an escape and takedown early in the third period to close the match. Then, at 133, Caleb Meekins made quick work of Andrew Weiss, recording a 16-0 technical fall just 3:58 into the match. Meekins scored a takedown, a two-point near-fall and a four-point near fall in the first period, and then continued his control in the second period with a takedown and near-fall to clinch the victory.
At 157 pounds, Nick Novak controlled the pace of his match against Caleb Meunier en route to a 10-0 major decision. He scored a takedown and two-point near-fall in the first period to take a 5-0 lead before earning a reversal and two-point near fall in the third period. Bryce FitzPatrick had arguably the most impressive performance of the night, earning a 15-0 technical fall in the first period over Grant Cook. FitzPatrick took Cook down quickly in the first period and then put him on his back for three sets of four-point near falls for the win at 2:50.
Colby Njos, Anthony Herrera, Dominic Murphy and Elijah Novak  all earned wins by decision in the 31-6 victory for the Huskies.
No. 6 St. Cloud State 31, Minnesota State 6
Jan. 18, 2024 | Halenbeck Hall | St. Cloud, Minn.
125: Conor Knopick (SCSU) TF Lucas Ryan (MSU), 15-0 (5:15)
133: Caleb Meekins (SCSU) TF Andrew Weiss (MSU), 16-0 (3:58)
141: Trayton Anderson (MSU) dec. No. 12 Alyeus Craig (SCSU), 7-6
149: No. 8 Colby Njos (SCSU) dec. Max Schwabe Kain Sanders (MSU), 4-1
157: No. 1 Nick Novak (SCSU) MD Caleb Meunier (MSU), 10-0
165: No. 7 Anthony Herrera (SCSU) dec. Kole Marko (MSU), 4-2
174: Drake Hayward MSU) SV-1 Bryce Dagel (SCSU), 4-1
184: No. 11 Bryce FitzPatrick TF Grant Cook (MSU), 15-0 (2:50)
197: No. 3 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) dec. Shane Gibson (MSU), 7-3
HWT: Elijah Novak (SCSU) dec. Tanner Gaffey (MSU), 5-2
Â
Saturday's dual against Augustana will be an opportunity for the Huskies to extend their current 13-match winning streak over the Vikings. That streak dates back to the 2011-12 season and was extended last year.
Â
The Huskies won nine of 10 bouts to earn a 29-6 win over No. 14 Augustana in Sioux Falls. Nick Novak earned the lone win by bonus points for the Huskies, recording a technical fall in his victory. SCSU won nine of 10 matches in the match, including the first three to take a 9-0 win. Colby Njos and Dominic Murphy each earned ranked wins in the match. Njos defeated No. 11-ranked Cael Larson, 1-0, while Murphy beat No. 11-ranked Max Ramberg, 7-3.
Â
No. 5 St. Cloud State 29, No. 14 Augustana 3
Feb. 16, 2024 | Elmen Center | Sioux Falls, S.D.
HWT: Elijah Novak (SCSU) dec. Zach Peterson (AUGIE), 4-0
125: No. 7 Conor Knopick (SCSU) dec. Christian Olsen (AUGIE), 6-2
133: Caleb Meekins (SCSU) dec. Jack Huffman (AUGIE), 7-1
141: No. 11 Hunter Burnett (AUGIE) dec. No. 12 Alyeus Craig (SCSU), 7-3
149: No. 8 Colby Njos (SCSU) dec. No. 11 Cael Larson (AUGIE), 1-0
157: No. 1 Nick Novak (SCSU) TF Connor Simmonds (AUGIE), 15-0 (5:31)
165: No. 10 Anthony Herrera (SCSU) dec. Tyler Waegener (AUGIE), 11-4
174: Cole Glazie (SCSU) dec. Coy Gunderson (AUGIE), 6-4
184: No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick (SCSU) dec. Cade Mueller (AUGIE), 4-1
197: No. 4 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) dec. No. 11 Max Ramberg (AUGIE), 7-3
Â
Scouting Minnesota State Mankato
The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks come into this dual as receiving votes in the latest NWCA Poll. The Mavericks currently hold a 6-1 record with a 3-0 record in conference play. The Mavericks have beaten Sioux Falls, No. 11 UMary and RV Minot State in their conference duals so far. The lone loss has come against No. 24 Upper Iowa. MSU came into this season projected to finish sixth in the conference after going 7-6 last season. The Mavericks placed eighth at the Super Region V tournament a season ago and did not qualify any wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament.
Â
In the latest NWCA Poll, four Mavericks are ranked in Walker Bents (No. 13 at 149), Caleb Meunier (No. 12 at 157), Kole Marko (No.14 at 165), and Drake Hayward (No. 13 at 174). Bents is 21-5 on the year and has 13 bonus point wins. Meunier has totaled a 21-4 record with 17 bonus point wins. Marko comes in with a 13-3 record and holds eight bonus point wins. Hayward is 19-4 this season with 13 bonus point wins.
Â
Head coach Jim Makovsky enters his 32nd season with the Mavericks in the 2024-25 season. Makovsky has accumulated a 305-140-3 record in his tenure and has guided the MSU to 19 top-10 national finishes.
Â
Scouting Augustana
The Augustana Vikings come into this dual ranked as the No. 7 team in the NWCA Poll. The Vikings currently sit at 5-5 on the year with a 2-0 conference record. Augustana beat No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside and Southwest Minnesota State for their two conference victories. This past weekend, the Vikings placed seventh at the NWCA National Duals after beating No. 12 Grand Valley State, No. 2 Glenville State and No. 11 UMary. They were beaten by No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside.
Â
The Vikings currently hold five ranked wrestlers in the NWCA Poll in Jaxson Rohman (No. 2 at 125), Cael Larson (No. 2 at 149), Connor Simmonds (No. 15 at 157), Cade Mueller (No. 3 at 184), and Max Ramberg (No. 5 at 197).
Â
Head coach Jason Reitmeier enters his 22nd season with Augustana in the 2024-25 season. Reitmeier is currently the winningest coach in program history and has coached at least one All-American in 20 of his 21 seasons.
Â
Augustana will wrestle RV Northern State on Thursday before facing off against the Huskies on Saturday.
Â
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling stay tuned to scsuhuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Â
Â
Follow the Huskies
Both duals will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Live results throughout the week will also be available on TrackWrestling. Links to both options can be found on the St. Cloud State Wrestling Schedule.
Â
Gameday promotions
Saturday's dual against Augustana will serve as alumni day for the Huskies.
The full itinerary for the day is as follows:
- 10:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Pres-Match Social at the Ultimate Sports Bar, 1101 Division St. Waite Park, MN
- 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Alumni Check-In – Halenbeck Hall Gym Balcony
- 2 p.m. – Dual with Augustana University
- Match Intermission – Alumni Introductions
- (Raffle prizes announced – 4 Hats)
- 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.  – Post-Match Social at Howie's Sports Bar, 101 9th Ave. North, St. Cloud, MN
For the third consecutive Nation Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, the Huskies were tabbed the No. 1 ranked team in Division II. SCSU accumulated 103.5 points in the latest ranking. Glennville State tallied 77 points to rank second and were followed by Wisconsin Parkside (75.5), Central Oklahoma (67), and Nebraska Kearney (65).
The Huskies hold 10 ranked wrestlers for the second straight poll after having nine in the preseason poll. SCSU is the only team in Division II to have a ranked wrestler at all 10 weight classes.
The individuals that are ranked for SCSU are as follows:
- 125 Pounds- No. 15 Conor Knopick (7-4 record (4-1 dual), six bonus point victories, 6th place Wisconsin Open)
- 133 Pounds- No. 7 Sam Spencer (17-2 record (4-1 dual), nine bonus point victories, 1st place Yellowjacket and Luther College Open, 3rd place Wisconsin Open)
- 141 Pounds- No. 6 Alyeus Craig (12-5 record (3-3 dual), nine bonus point victories, 3rd place Luther College Open, 4th place Wisconsin Open)
- 149 Pounds- No. 1 Colby Njos (4-2 record (3-2 dual), three bonus point victories)
- 157 Pounds- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga (12-0 record (7-0 dual), seven bonus point victories, 1st place Luther College Open)
- 165 Pounds- No. 2 Nick Novak (13-2 record (5-1 dual), eight bonus point victories, 1st place Wisconsin Open, 2nd place Luther College Open)
- 174 Pounds- No. 5 Bryce Dagel (13-2 record (6-0 dual) seven bonus point victories, 6th place Luther College Open, 1st place Wisconsin Open)
- 184 Pounds- No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick (10-4 record (3-1 dual), five bonus point victories, 1st place Luther College Open, 6th place Wisconsin Open)
- 197 Pounds- No. 4 Dominic Murphy (14-0 record (7-0 dual), nine bonus point victories, 1st place Luther College Open and Wisconsin Open)
- 285 Pounds- No. 2 La'Ron Parks (15-1 record (4-1 dual), five bonus point victories, 1st place Yellowjacket Open, Luther College Open, and Wisconsin Open)
Â
Last Time Out
St. Cloud State traveled to Cedar Falls, IA this past weekend as they competed in the NWCA National Duals. In round 1 against King, the Huskies got off to an electric start as Dominic Ducato and Caleb Meekins both captured falls in sub-50 seconds to put the St. Cloud State on the board with a 12-0 lead. Ashtan Hendricks of King halted the momentum for SCSU as he pinned No. 6 Alyus Craig to cut St. Cloud State's lead in half. The Huskies responded well as they won the next four bouts, three of which in bonus point fashion. Nolan Throne got St. Cloud State back on track with a 13-4 major decision against Brennan Watkins at 149. No. 5 Joel Jesuroga stayed perfect on the year as he beat Trent Mahoney 10-1 to give SCSU a 20-6 lead. Derek Johnson made his duel debut this season as he shutout Joe Bertrand with a 12-0 major decision. Logan Vaughan strung together the fourth consecutive win for St. Cloud State as he won his bout at 174 14-7. King picked up their final points of the dual as a takedown by Ethan Lopez on Tyson Meyer with 10 seconds remaining gave him an 8-5 decision victory. The Huskies closed out the dual with a pair of decision wins as No. 4 Dominic Murphy won 5-1 at 197 and then Jadon Mims shutout Jacob Telles with a 6-0 win. St. Cloud State ultimately advanced to the quarterfinals with a 33-9 victory over King.
Moving to the quarterfinals, the Huskies faced off against No. 9 Tiffin. Conor Knopick got it started for the Huskies as he captured a 14-4 major decision. At 133, No. 7 Sam Spencer wrestled against No. 4 Max Shore. The two-ranked wrestlers battled to a stalemate in the first period as neither wrestler scored a point. Spencer had his choice to start the period as he would defer. Shore chose down and came away with an early escape to take a 1-0 lead. 20 seconds later, Spencer was able to grab Shore's leg and finished his takedown opportunity to now lead 3-1. He racked up 1:07 of ride time before Shore escaped to set the score at 3-2. The third period saw Spencer choose the down position as Shore ate into his ride time. With 40 seconds left in the match, Shore allowed Spencer to escape to allow himself an opportunity to win off a takedown. The No.7 ranked wrestler was stout in defending himself from all attacks. Shore created an offensive opportunity with four seconds remaining, but was unable to score the takedown before time expired as Sam Spencer came up with a big win against the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 133. Moving to 141, No. 6 Alyeus Craig responded to his loss in the last dual by pinning Christopher Oleksiak in 56 seconds. No. 1 Colby Njos would win by forfeit to now put the Huskies up 19-0. No. 5 Joel Jesuroga captured his second win of the day as he defeated #14 Casey Barnett. Moving to 165, No. 2 Nick Novak faced off against No. 3 Nolan Gessler. The first period was a battle as neither wrestler scored any points. Novak would be awarded choice of position to start the second period and would defer. Gessler chose to start down as he worked his way to a reversal in 23 seconds to take a 2-0 lead. Novak would earn an escape point as he now trailed by one. Now in the third period, Novak started down and came away with a quick escape to tie the match 2-2. Neither wrestler was able to score points the rest of the period as the match now went into overtime. In the first overtime period, Novak created a scoring opportunity as he nearly grabbed ahold of Gessler's left leg. Now headed to the mat, both wrestlers fought for possession, but Gessler ultimately worked his to a takedown as he defeated the No. 2 ranked Novak 5-2 in sudden victory. That match was the only one that Tiffin would win as No. 5 Bryce Dagel and No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick each came away with 17-1 tech falls to put St. Cloud State up 32-3. Dagel would defeat the 15th ranked wrestler at 174 in Jakob Hurley. No. 4 Dominic Murphy picked up his second win of the day as he beat No. 11 Lucas Salmon 5-2. Closing with 285, No. 2 La'Ron Parks came back from being taken down early as he defeated Jake Powell 6-3. St. Cloud State advanced to the semifinals with a 38-3 win against No. 9 Tiffin.
Â
The Huskies got day two started by taking on No. 6 McKendree in the semifinals. The dual kicked off at 125 where No. 15 Conor Knopick got the party started with an 11-1 major decision against No. 14 Jason Strope. No. 7 Sam Spencer gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead after defeating Anthony Bernardo 9-2. The dual then tightened up as McKendree won the next two bouts as No. 3 Ronan Schuelke beat No. 6 Alyeus Craig 8-1 and then No. 12 Joey Semerad came up with a takedown in overtime to beat No. 1 Colby Njos 4-1 in sudden victory. With the score now being set a 7-6, No. 5 Joel Jesuroga got the St. Cloud State back on track with a 14-3 major decision James Hoskinson. At 165, No. 2 Nick Novak came away with two escape points to defeat No. 6 Corey Peterson 2-0. At 174, No. 5 Bryce Dagel faced off against No. 2 Matt Ortiz. Dagel struck first as he started to grab a leg of Ortiz. The two then went to the mat where Dagel positioned himself well to complete the takedown and take a 3-0 lead. Dagel rode Ortiz the remainder of the opening period and then came away with a quick escape in period two to lead 4-0. Dagel's had stellar defense in the match as he blocked and avoided every attack by Ortiz. The No. 2 ranked wrestler could only come away with an escape point to start the third period as Bryce Dagel came up with a 4-1 upset to give the Huskies a 17-6 lead. No. 11 Zeke Waltz beat No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick 3-1 as McKendree got back within striking distance. Moving to 197, No. 4 Dominic Murphy faced off against No. 2 Logan Kvien. Late in the first period, Kvien wrapped up a leg of Murphy and then swept his standing leg to take a 3-0 lead. Murphy would not be able to escape before the end of the first period, but escaped instantly to start the second period. No more scoring occurred in period two as Murphy racked up another escape point to start period three. With 1:18 left in the match, Murphy countered a single leg attack by Kvien and maneuvered around to score a takedown. Kvien would escape but would be unable to score a takedown for the victory as No. 4 Dominic Murphy upset the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 197. McKendree would win the final match as No. 15 Tyler Haynes beat No. 2 La'Ron Parks 10-7 in sudden victory, but SCSU ultimately advanced to the finals with a 20-12 win.
In the finals, the Huskies matched up with No. 4 Central Oklahoma who beat the SCSU in the semifinals of last year's NWCA National Duals. The Bronchos got off to a fast start as No. 5 Studd Morris beat No. 15 Conor Knopick 4-1 and then No. 10 Peter Rolle pinned No. 7 Sam Spencer to take a 9-0 lead. UCO continued to build their lead as Josh Taylor upset No. 6 Alyeus Craig with a 12-2 major decision and then No. 7 Dylan Brown came away with a takedown with mere seconds remaining against No. 1 Colby Njos to beat him 4-1. Now leading 16-0, the match moved to 157 where No. 5 Joel Jesuroga faced off against No. 1 Gabe Johnson. In what was an excellent display of wrestling from both men, the bout headed to overtime tied 1-1 after both wrestlers were stout defensively. Jesuroga looked to initially have the upper hand as he grabbed Johnson's leg and went to sweep it for a takedown. Johnson positioned himself well to avoid being taken down and then attacked Jesuroga with a single leg of his own. While it looked like Johnson would score and win the match, Jesuroga overpowered Johnson and put him on his back before turning him over and scoring the takedown. Jesuroga came away with a 4-1 sudden victory against the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 157 and reigning National Champion. That win sparked the Huskies as No. 2 Nick Novak shutout No. 7 Hunter Jump with an 8-0 major decision as St. Cloud State now trailed 7-16. At 174, Bryce Dagel kept it rolling for St. Cloud State as he came away with a 12-2 major decision of his own against Zane Coleman. No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick then took to the mat at 184 as he wrestled No. 5 Garrett Wells. Wells put the first points on the board as he scored a takedown early, but FitzPatrick was able to escape. FitzPatrick then countered a single leg attack by Wells as he worked around to securing a takedown. He would ride Wells the remainder of the period to lead 4-3. Wells escaped to start period two as the wrestlers would now be neutral. The No. 10 ranked wrestler scored another takedown, which Wells would again escape to now lead 7-5. Starting period three, Wells allowed FitzPatrick to initially escape but would ultimately lead to FitzPatrick scoring another takedown. Adding in another point from riding time, the No. 10 ranked Bryce FitzPatrick upset the No. 5 Garrett Wells 12-6 as St. Cloud State now trailed 14-16. Moving to 197, No, 4 Dominic Murphy came up big for the Huskies as a 20-11 major decision gave SCSU an 18-16 lead going into 285 which would decide the match and the champion. No. 2 La'Ron Parks took to the mat where he wrestled Judson Rowland. Late into period three, the match would be tied 1-1 after both wrestlers scored an escape point. With 15 seconds remaining, Rowland grabbed the left leg Parks, putting himself in prime position to score a takedown. Parks freed his leg and hopped over to have Rowland in a takedown opportunity. With five seconds left, Parks wrapped around Rowland and controlled Rowland to complete the takedown With ice in his veins, Parks came up with a clutch 4-1 decision to complete the comeback for St. Cloud State and give them their eighth NWCA National Duals Championship.
Â
St. Cloud State secured their eighth NWCA National Duals title. The previous title by the Huskies had been captured in the 2022-23 season where they beat Central Oklahoma 19-16. The Huskies have now accumulated 14 consecutive top-three finishes at the NWCA National Duals.
Â
No. 1 St. Cloud State 33, King University 9
125- Dominic Ducato fall Tyson Upchurch, 0:48
133- Caleb Meekins fall Alex Fernandez III, 0:44
141- Ashtan Hendricks fall No. 6Â Alyeus Craig, 4:21
149- Nolan Throne MD Brennan Watkins, 13-4
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga MD Trent Mahoney, 10-1
165- Derek Johnson MD, Joe Bertrand, 12-0
174- Logan Vaughan dec Clinton Morrisette, 14-7
184- Ethan Lopez dec Tyson Meyer, 8-5
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy dec Nathan Coley, 5-1
285- Jadon Mims dec Jacob Telles, 6-0
No. 1 St. Cloud State 38, No. 9 Tiffin 3
125- No. 15 Conor Knopick MD Cael Woods, 14-4
133- No. 7 Sam Spencer dec No. 4 Max Shore, 4-2
141- No. 6 Alyeus Craig fall Christopher Oleksiak, 0:56
149- No. 1 Colby Njos wins by forfeit
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga dec No. 14 Casey Barnett, 6-0
165- No. 3 Nolan Gessler dec No. 2Â Nick Novak, 5-2 SV-1
174- No. 5 Bryce Dagel Tf No. 15 Jakob Hurley, 17-1
184- No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick TF David Davis, 17-1
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy dec No. 11 Lucas Salmon, 5-2
285- No. 2 La'Ron Parks dec Jake Powell, 6-3
Â
No. 1 St. Cloud State 20, No. 6 McKendree 12
125- No. 15 Conor Knopick MD No. 14 Jason Strope, 11-1
133- No. 7 Sam Spencer dec Anthony Bernardo, 9-2
141- No. 3 Ronan Schuelke dec No. 6Â Alyeus Craig, 8-1
149- No. 12 Joey Semerad dec No. 1Â Colby Njos, 4-1 SV
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga MD James Hoskinson, 14-3
165- No. 2 Nick Novak dec No. 6 Corey Peterson, 2-0
174- No. 5 Bryce Dagel dec No. 2 Matt Ortiz, 4-1
184- No. 11 Zeke Waltz dec No. 10Â Bryce FitzPatrick, 3-1
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy dec No. 2 Logan Kvien, 5-4
285- No. 15 Tyler Haynes dec No. 2Â La'Ron Parks, 10-7 SV
No. 1 St. Cloud State 21, No. 4 Central Oklahoma 16
125- No. 5 Studd Morris dec No. 15Â Conor Knopick, 4-1
133- No. 10 Peter Rolle fall No.7Â Sam Spencer, 2:56
141- Josh Taylor MD No. 6Â Alyeus Craig, 12-2
149- No. 7 Dylan Brown dec No. 1Â Colby Njos, 4-1
157- No. 5 Joel Jesuroga dec No. 1 Gabe Johnson, 4-1 SV
165- No. 2 Nick Novak MD No. 7 Hunter Jump, 8-0
174- No. 5 Bryce Dagel MD Zane Coleman, 12-2
184- No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick dec No. 5 Garrett Wells, 12-6
197- No. 4 Dominic Murphy MD Emmanuel Skillings, 20-11
285- No. 2 La'Ron Parks dec Judson Rowland, 4-1
Â
NSIC Wrestler of the Week
Following the title for the Huskies Joel Jesuroga was named NSIC Wrestler of the Week. Jesuroga was a crucial part of the Huskies title run On day one, Jesuroga defeated Trent Mahoney of King 10-1 and then picked up a ranked win as he shutout No. 14 Casey Barnett of Tiffin 6-0. In the semifinals against No. 6 McKendree, Jesuroga picked up his second bonus point win of the weekend with a 14-3 major decision against James Hoskinson. In the championship dual against No. 4 Central Oklahoma, Jesuroga faced off against No. 1 and reigning national champion Gabe Johnson. The two wrestlers would be tied 1-1 headed into overtime before Jesuroga came up with a clutch takedown to seal the 4-1 sudden victory win. Following Jesuroga's victory, St. Cloud State rallied off the next five matches as they came from behind 16-0 to beat UCO 21-16 to capture their eighth NWCA National Duals Championship. Currently sitting as the No. 5 ranked wrestler at 157, Jesuroga went 4-0 on the weekend to remain unbeaten with a perfect 12-0 record.
Â
Series History
St. Cloud State comes into this dual against Minnesota State having won 15 consecutive duals against the Mavericks which dates back to 2009-10 season. SCSU extended their winning streak to 15 following last year's victory.
Â
The Huskies jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the dual thanks to back-to-back technical fall victories from its 125- and 133-pounders. First on the mat, 125-pounder Conor Knopick wrestled his way to a 15-0 victory early in the third period over Lucas Ryan. Knopick scored a takedown and two four point near-falls in the first period, then rode out his opponent for the entire second period before earning an escape and takedown early in the third period to close the match. Then, at 133, Caleb Meekins made quick work of Andrew Weiss, recording a 16-0 technical fall just 3:58 into the match. Meekins scored a takedown, a two-point near-fall and a four-point near fall in the first period, and then continued his control in the second period with a takedown and near-fall to clinch the victory.
At 157 pounds, Nick Novak controlled the pace of his match against Caleb Meunier en route to a 10-0 major decision. He scored a takedown and two-point near-fall in the first period to take a 5-0 lead before earning a reversal and two-point near fall in the third period. Bryce FitzPatrick had arguably the most impressive performance of the night, earning a 15-0 technical fall in the first period over Grant Cook. FitzPatrick took Cook down quickly in the first period and then put him on his back for three sets of four-point near falls for the win at 2:50.
Colby Njos, Anthony Herrera, Dominic Murphy and Elijah Novak  all earned wins by decision in the 31-6 victory for the Huskies.
No. 6 St. Cloud State 31, Minnesota State 6
Jan. 18, 2024 | Halenbeck Hall | St. Cloud, Minn.
125: Conor Knopick (SCSU) TF Lucas Ryan (MSU), 15-0 (5:15)
133: Caleb Meekins (SCSU) TF Andrew Weiss (MSU), 16-0 (3:58)
141: Trayton Anderson (MSU) dec. No. 12 Alyeus Craig (SCSU), 7-6
149: No. 8 Colby Njos (SCSU) dec. Max Schwabe Kain Sanders (MSU), 4-1
157: No. 1 Nick Novak (SCSU) MD Caleb Meunier (MSU), 10-0
165: No. 7 Anthony Herrera (SCSU) dec. Kole Marko (MSU), 4-2
174: Drake Hayward MSU) SV-1 Bryce Dagel (SCSU), 4-1
184: No. 11 Bryce FitzPatrick TF Grant Cook (MSU), 15-0 (2:50)
197: No. 3 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) dec. Shane Gibson (MSU), 7-3
HWT: Elijah Novak (SCSU) dec. Tanner Gaffey (MSU), 5-2
Â
Saturday's dual against Augustana will be an opportunity for the Huskies to extend their current 13-match winning streak over the Vikings. That streak dates back to the 2011-12 season and was extended last year.
Â
The Huskies won nine of 10 bouts to earn a 29-6 win over No. 14 Augustana in Sioux Falls. Nick Novak earned the lone win by bonus points for the Huskies, recording a technical fall in his victory. SCSU won nine of 10 matches in the match, including the first three to take a 9-0 win. Colby Njos and Dominic Murphy each earned ranked wins in the match. Njos defeated No. 11-ranked Cael Larson, 1-0, while Murphy beat No. 11-ranked Max Ramberg, 7-3.
Â
No. 5 St. Cloud State 29, No. 14 Augustana 3
Feb. 16, 2024 | Elmen Center | Sioux Falls, S.D.
HWT: Elijah Novak (SCSU) dec. Zach Peterson (AUGIE), 4-0
125: No. 7 Conor Knopick (SCSU) dec. Christian Olsen (AUGIE), 6-2
133: Caleb Meekins (SCSU) dec. Jack Huffman (AUGIE), 7-1
141: No. 11 Hunter Burnett (AUGIE) dec. No. 12 Alyeus Craig (SCSU), 7-3
149: No. 8 Colby Njos (SCSU) dec. No. 11 Cael Larson (AUGIE), 1-0
157: No. 1 Nick Novak (SCSU) TF Connor Simmonds (AUGIE), 15-0 (5:31)
165: No. 10 Anthony Herrera (SCSU) dec. Tyler Waegener (AUGIE), 11-4
174: Cole Glazie (SCSU) dec. Coy Gunderson (AUGIE), 6-4
184: No. 10 Bryce FitzPatrick (SCSU) dec. Cade Mueller (AUGIE), 4-1
197: No. 4 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) dec. No. 11 Max Ramberg (AUGIE), 7-3
Â
Scouting Minnesota State Mankato
The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks come into this dual as receiving votes in the latest NWCA Poll. The Mavericks currently hold a 6-1 record with a 3-0 record in conference play. The Mavericks have beaten Sioux Falls, No. 11 UMary and RV Minot State in their conference duals so far. The lone loss has come against No. 24 Upper Iowa. MSU came into this season projected to finish sixth in the conference after going 7-6 last season. The Mavericks placed eighth at the Super Region V tournament a season ago and did not qualify any wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament.
Â
In the latest NWCA Poll, four Mavericks are ranked in Walker Bents (No. 13 at 149), Caleb Meunier (No. 12 at 157), Kole Marko (No.14 at 165), and Drake Hayward (No. 13 at 174). Bents is 21-5 on the year and has 13 bonus point wins. Meunier has totaled a 21-4 record with 17 bonus point wins. Marko comes in with a 13-3 record and holds eight bonus point wins. Hayward is 19-4 this season with 13 bonus point wins.
Â
Head coach Jim Makovsky enters his 32nd season with the Mavericks in the 2024-25 season. Makovsky has accumulated a 305-140-3 record in his tenure and has guided the MSU to 19 top-10 national finishes.
Â
Scouting Augustana
The Augustana Vikings come into this dual ranked as the No. 7 team in the NWCA Poll. The Vikings currently sit at 5-5 on the year with a 2-0 conference record. Augustana beat No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside and Southwest Minnesota State for their two conference victories. This past weekend, the Vikings placed seventh at the NWCA National Duals after beating No. 12 Grand Valley State, No. 2 Glenville State and No. 11 UMary. They were beaten by No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside.
Â
The Vikings currently hold five ranked wrestlers in the NWCA Poll in Jaxson Rohman (No. 2 at 125), Cael Larson (No. 2 at 149), Connor Simmonds (No. 15 at 157), Cade Mueller (No. 3 at 184), and Max Ramberg (No. 5 at 197).
Â
Head coach Jason Reitmeier enters his 22nd season with Augustana in the 2024-25 season. Reitmeier is currently the winningest coach in program history and has coached at least one All-American in 20 of his 21 seasons.
Â
Augustana will wrestle RV Northern State on Thursday before facing off against the Huskies on Saturday.
Â
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling stay tuned to scsuhuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Â
Players Mentioned
141
/ Wrestling
174
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
165
/ Wrestling
157
/ Wrestling
157/165
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
133/141
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
HWT
/ Wrestling
197
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
HWT
/ Wrestling
165
/ Wrestling
HWT
/ Wrestling
133
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
174
/ WrestlingSCSU Winter Athletics Press Conference Wrestling
Wednesday, November 27
SCSU Winter Athletics Press Conference - Wrestling
Tuesday, December 12
Wrestling - Alumni Challenge 2022
Friday, August 25
What's Good, Huskies? | S1E6 | Steve Costanzo
Friday, August 25
