North Dakota State (9-4, 5-0 WWC) is scheduled to host the NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships on Saturday, March 7, at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. The NCAA West Region has been awarded 19 automatic qualifiers. With a 19-13 win at South Dakota State on Feb. 22, the Bison won their second outright WWC regular season dual title over the past three seasons.
The Schedule
Competition is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, with the finals beginning at 4 p.m. at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Here’s the breakdown:
- 10 a.m. — Start of competition (First round, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
- 11:45 a.m. –Second Round/Semifinals (11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
- 1:45 p.m. — Third Round/Consolation Semifinals (1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.)
- 4 p.m. — Finals/3rd-Place matches followed by true second-place bouts (as needed)
- 6:30 p.m. — Award Ceremonies
Rewind
North Dakota State won its first NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Tournament with 74 points in 2014. Wyoming placed second with 66 points, Air Force was third with 50, Utah Valley placed fourth with 49.5, South Dakota State finished fifth at 34.5 and Northern Colorado was sixth with 12.5 points. North Dakota State individual champions were Steven Monk (165), Hayden Zillmer (184) and Evan Knutson (285). NDSU’s Kurtis Julson (184) was runner-up and received an at-large bid. Monk was the Most Outstanding Wrestler and NDSU’s Roger Kish was named Coach of the Year. Monk went on to place third at the 2014 NCAA Championships, the highest ever finish for a WWC wrestler.
The Lineup
#20 North Dakota State Bison (9-4 Overall, 5-0 WWC)
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125 #16 Josh Rodriguez (15-7, 10-3)
133 Kyle Gliva (5-10, 0-6)
141 Mitch Bengtson (21-10, 9-4)
149 Clay Ream (21-11, 10-3)
157 Grant Nehring (6-10, 3-3)
165 Steven Keogh (7-16, 1-8)
174 Kurtis Julson (16-9, 8-5)
184 #9 Hayden Zillmer (29-4, 13-0)
197 Tommy Petersen (9-16, 1-9)
285 #11 Evan Knutson (23-7, 11-2)
Ticket Information
Tickets for the NCAA West Regional (March 7) are $12 for adult general admission and $5 for youth general admission (ages 3-17). For more information, call the ticket office at (701) 231-6378 or (888) 231-6378 or email [email protected].
Coverage
The NCAA West Regional will be streamed live online at www.GoBison.com/showcase (pay per view) with Fargo-Moorhead radio personality Derek Hanson describing the action and live scoring will be provided through TrackWrestling.
NDSU In the NCAA Individual RPI Rankings/Coaches’ Panel
Six North Dakota State University wrestlers are in the NCAA RPI individual rankings thru matches Feb. 22 — By weight class, 125 sophomore Josh Rodriguez (15-7) is No. 14/16 … 141 redshirt freshman Mitch Bengtson (21-10) is No. 33/29 … 149 redshirt freshman Clay Ream (21-11) is No. 24/NR … 174 senior Kurtis Julson (16-9) is No. 21/26 … 184 junior Hayden Zillmer (29-4) is No. 9/8 … 285 senior Evan Knutson (23-7) is No. 18/13.
Bison Against the Nationally-Ranked
Fifteen North Dakota State University wrestlers have taken on nationally-ranked opponents and three have posted wins led by 184-pound junior Hayden Zillmer (Crosby, Minn.), who improved to 9-4 on the season with his 6-5 comeback win over 13th-ranked Brett Pfarr of Minnesota. All four of Zillmer’s losses have come to ranked opponents and by a total of eight points. NDSU senior 285 Evan Knutson (Wausau, Wis.) is 3-5 including his first career win over Minnesota’s Michael Kroells. Bison 125 Josh Rodriguez (Guadalupe, Calif.) is currently 4-4 including 3-1 record within the Western Wrestling Conference.
Four NDSU Wrestlers at 20-Wins, Bengtson Leader in Pins
Four North Dakota State wrestlers have reached 20 wins this season, while one is close to the 30-win plateau. 184-pound senior Hayden Zillmer (Crosby, Minn.) leads the way at 29-4. Zillmer has won seven in a row and 10 of his last 12. 285 Evan Knutson (23-7), 141 Mitch Bengtson (21-10) and 149 Clay Ream (21-11) follow. Bengtson leads team with nine pins, Ream and Zillmer each have seven.
Bison in the Rankings
North Dakota State is ranked 18th in the InterMat.com Dual rankings, 18th in the WIN Wrestling Magazine’s Dual rankings and 20th in the USA Today/NWCA Top 25. The Bison are also tied for 37th with Ohio University in WIN’s Tournament Power Index (TPI). NDSU has finished the regular season ranked in the Top 25 for the third straight season.
… In the InterMat.com (Feb. 24) individual weight class rankings, 184 Hayden Zillmer (29-4) is No. 9, 285 Evan Knutson (23-7) is No. 11 and 125 Josh Rodriguez (15-7) is No. 16 …
… In The Open Mat.com (Feb. 24) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 8, and 285 Knutson is No. 13 …
… In the Amateur Wrestling News (Feb. 23) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 9, Rodriguez is No. 13 and 285 Knutson is No. 17 …
… In the WIN Wrestling Magazine (Feb. 23) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 9, 285 Knutson is No. 14 and 125 Rodriguez is No. 20 …
… In Asics/Flowrestling Rankings (Feb. 24) rankings, 184 Zillmer is No. 6, 285 Knutson are No. 10, and 125 Rodriguez is No. 17.
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