A Close Battle in Iowa

HUMBOLDT, Iowa — The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Jackrabbits put up a strong fight against the No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday afternoon, but ultimately fell to their opponents with a final score of 29-7.

The dual started at 125 pounds with a ranked matchup between No. 13 Stevo Poulin and No. 21 Brady Roark. Poulin took an early lead in the first period and maintained his position throughout the match, securing a 5-2 decision and giving the Cyclones a three-point advantage.

At 133 pounds, Cale Seaton faced a tough challenge against No. 3 Evan Frost. Frost dominated the match from the start, scoring multiple times and eventually earning a technical fall with a final score of 20-4.

The Jacks managed to secure one of their two wins at 141 pounds when Julian Tagg faced off against Cyclone backup Carter Pearson. Tagg scored early in the first period and continued to dominate, leading to a 14-3 major decision.

Colin Dupill took on No. 6 Jacob Frost at 149 pounds. Frost proved to be a formidable opponent, wrestling a tough seven-minute match and winning by a major decision, increasing the Cyclone lead to nine points.

At 157 pounds, No. 20 Cael Swensen faced Kane Naaktgeboren. Swensen secured the only takedown of the match in the first period and held off Naaktgeboren for the rest of the bout, earning a 3-0 decision.

After the break, Marcus Espinoza-Owens faced No. 17 Connor Euton. Despite a strong effort, Euton came out on top with an 11-4 decision.

No. 18 Moses Espinoza-Owens took on No. 15 MJ Gaitan at 174 pounds. Although Espinoza-Owens had several opportunities, Gaitan’s superior technique led to a 5-1 decision in favor of the Cyclones.

Brock Fettig faced another top-15 opponent in No. 12 Isaac Dean. Fettig started strong with a takedown, but Dean fought back and forced sudden victory, securing the win with a final score of 8-5.

A top-10 showdown occurred at 197 pounds as No. 6 Bennett Berge faced No. 2 Rocky Elam. Elam took an early lead, and despite Berge’s efforts, he was unable to score against the experienced Elam, resulting in a 5-1 decision.

Luke Rasmussen began his match against No. 1 Yonger Bastida with a quick takedown, but Bastida quickly regained control, scoring multiple takedowns and securing a tech fall with a final score of 25-9.

Key Notes

• Luke Rasmussen recorded the second takedown of the season against Yonger Bastida to open their match.
• The Jacks will return to Brookings for the home stretch of their dual season when Air Force visits on January 30th at 7 p.m.

Match Results

• 125: Stevo Poulin (ISU) over Brady Roark (SDSU) – Decision 5-2
• 133: Evan Frost (ISU) over Cale Seaton (SDSU) – Technical Fall 20-4 (6:39)
• 141: Julian Tagg (SDSU) over Carter Pearson (ISU) – Major Decision 14-3
• 149: Jacob Frost (ISU) over Colin Dupill (SDSU) – Major Decision 17-4
• 157: Cael Swensen (SDSU) over Kane Naaktgeboren (ISU) – Decision 3-0
• 165: Connor Euton (ISU) over Marcus Espinoza-Owens (SDSU) – Decision 11-4
• 174: MJ Gaitan (ISU) over Moses Espinoza-Owens (SDSU) – Decision 5-1
• 184: Isaac Dean (ISU) over Brock Fettig (SDSU) – Sudden Victory 8-5
• 197: Rocky Elam (ISU) over Bennett Berge (SDSU) – Decision 5-1
• 285: Yonger Bastida (ISU) over Luke Rasmussen (SDSU) – Technical Fall 25-9 (6:33)

Final Score

• #15 SDSU 7, #3 Iowa State 29