Academic Teams Announced -- DSU 8th Nationally

by Galen Morton, SID

April-16-10

COMPLETE LIST -- NATIONAL ACADEMIC TEAMS

Dickinson State University is pleased to announce the academic successes of its wrestling team as honored by the NAIA/NWCA Coaches Association.

The Blue Hawks finished in 6th place of the national competition placing seven All-Americans and they also ranked 8th nationally with a team GPA of 2.963. DSU was led by national scholars (minimum GPA 3.5) Colt Goff (3.944) and Robert Carothers (3.846). Head Coach Thadd O’Donnell stated that, “This is good evidence that our program is successful to the student athlete. We are exceedingly proud of our athletes.”

Besides Dickinson State, only the University of Great Falls (Great Falls, Mont.) and Dana College (Blair, Neb.) had teams who finished in the top 10 nationally in both categories.

Blue Hawks Add Several Prep Stars to 2010-11 Roster

by Galen Morton, SID

April-15-10

Dickinson State University is pleased to announce that prep stars Cody Hilzendeger (Bismarck Century HS, Bismarck, N.D.), Andrew Ramos (Sierra Vista HS, Las Vegas, Nev.), Tyson Mullen (Mobridge-Pollock HS, Mobridge, S.D.), Dennis Wilson (Caldwell HS, Caldwell, Idaho) and Jacob Stewart (Columbus HS, Columbus, Mont.) have all signed a Letter of Intent to compete for the Blue Hawks.

Hilzendeger is “one of the top recruits in the region,” according to Head Coach Thadd O’Donnell. Hilzendeger, coached by his father, Randy, was a state placer for four years for the Patriots (135-lb) including runner-up in his senior season. Three times he was awarded the “Hardest Worker” honors and he also won the 2008 Belle Fourche Tournament (Belle Fourche, S.D.). He was equally stellar in the classroom, gaining National Honor Society status three times. He is expected to wrestle at 133-lbs for the Hawks.

Ramos compiled a career record of 133-28 as a heavyweight. He was the Nevada State Champion his senior season for the Mountain Lions. He figures to have continued success for the Hawks in the uppermost weight category.

Mullen was also a standout cross-country runner, qualifying for the state meet twice. His success on the mat earned him 7th place at state (135-lb) his senior season. He should compete for the Blue Hawks in the 133-lb weight class.

Wilson climbed from his 5th place state finish to a 3rd place from his junior to senior season (285-lb) for the Cougars. He was voted Senior Wrestler of the Year and will most like compete for the Blue Hawks at the 197-lb division.

Stewart wrestled at both the 189 and 215-lb for the Cougars and was 5th in his senior year, compiling a 34-12 record. He was also a standout football player. He was both All-Conference and All-State on the offensive and defensive lines.

Head Coach Thadd O’Donnell remarked, “We are very excited to have these young men to be part of our program. We expect them to make an immediate impact in our lower and upper weights as they have proven themselves as preps and should transition well to the collegiate level.”

Blue Hawk Wrestling Finishes in 6th Place at NAIA National Tournament- 7 All Americans Named

by Ryan Platt

March-07-10

Jake Kallestad Takes 2nd Place at NAIA National Tournament

2010 NAIA Wrestling Championships - CLICK HERE

Senior Jake Kallestad leads Blue Hawk Wrestling Team to a sixth place finish at the NAIA National Tournament. The Dickinson State University Blue Hawks finished the day with 105.5 total points and had a large total of seven All Americans named.

Kallestad, 32-1 for the season took second place (Wt 197) after suffering a painful knee injury during his championship match. Strength of will pushed Kallestad to finish his match and deciding to decline a forfeit.

Despite only being a freshman Frank Lopez finished in third place (Wt 285), Angel Olea in fourth place (Wt 125), Cameron Schrempp in fourth (Wt 174), Brett Owen fifth place (Wt 184), Blake Hunter in sixth place (Wt 133), and Shane Bennett in eighth place (Wt 174).

Blue Hawks Win 5th Consecutive Regional Championship and Have 7 Individual Champions Crowned

by Ryan Platt

February-22-10

Blue Hawk Wrestling Crowned 7 Individual Champions

It was another dominating performance this weekend by the Blue Hawk Wrestling Team as they won the NAIA Qualifying Tournament in Sioux City, IA. This was the teams fifth consecutive regional championship and the team scored a record 194 total points. The next closest DAC wrestling program was more than 100 points behind the champions. The Blue Hawks also had seven individual champions over the weekend. The Blue Hawks will finish their season at the NAIA National Tournament March 4-6, in Oklahoma City, OK.

Blue Hawk Champions:

Angel Olea at 125

Jordan Ewen at 149

Nick Zumwalt at 157

Cameron Schrempp at 174

Brett Owen at 184

Jake Kallestad at 197

Frank Lopez at 285

UGF Topples DSU in Last Dual Before National Qualifying, 19-12

by Galen Morton, SID

February-11-10

Jake Kallestad (197) out scored Alex Calvi, 6-5 in their bout (McIntyre photo)

Complete Dual Results -- CLICK HERE

Dickinson State was upended tonight at Scott Gym by the University of Great Falls (Mont.), 19-12. It was the first time in six years of their program that UGF defeated the Blue Hawks in a dual competition.

The Argonauts are the NAIA’s #2 ranked team while the Hawks came into the battle ranked #11. Neither team gave much to the other with nine of the ten bouts ending by decision and six of those were one or two point affairs. In fact the competitive tone was set early when the 125-lb bout was decided in overtime.

In that match, Angel Olea defeated Akmal Adilov 7-5 earning a take-down in the opening moments of the extra session. Olea forced the overtime by virtue of his riding time advantage, knotting the bout at 5-5 when time expired.

Other wins were posted by Cameron Schrempp (174), Jake Kallestad (197) and Frank Lopez (285). Edgar Mercado (141) and Jordan Ewen (149) were edged in their bouts by a single point. Robert Carothers (165) the North Region’s #1 ranked wrestler at 157-lbs, competed one weight class up, presumably in an effort to help the overall team score, but he was on the short end of a 4-2 score against Noah Hatton.

Schrempp’s 5-3 win was a key for the Hawks. His foe, Brendon DeCock, entered the night as the NAIA’s #3 ranked wrestler. Schrempp, the North Region #2 wrestler, had plenty to say about DeCock’s status and ended up with the two-point win. It also was a timely victory because with three matches remaining, DSU was able to close the team score to 16-6.

Kallestad wore-down Alex Calvi to win 6-5. There was action throughout the match and much scoring early, but eventually Kallestad proved to be the better grappler.

Lopez had an important win in the last match of the night against Eric Hinebauch, 9-4. Hinebauch'S #4 national ranking was superior to Lopez’s #11, but of course that is on paper. On the mat, the freshman from Pahrump, Nev., showed why he was a top recruit because he was never in serious danger and controlled the match from the opening whistle.

DSU moves onto the national qualifying competition in Sioux City, Iowa next Saturday, February 20.

DSU Defeats Northern State, 31-9, Also Competes in Briar Cliff Open

by Galen Morton, SID

February-07-10

A typical way that All-American Jake Kallestad treats his opponents (File photo)

RESULTS -- Northern State Dual -- Briar Cliff Brackets

Dickinson State powered through Northern State University on Thursday, winning the dual 31-9, with wins by Angel Olea (125), Blake Hunter (133), Edgar Mercado (141), Jordan Ewen (149), Robert Carothers (157), Cameron Schrempp (174), Brett Mathern (184) and Jake Kallestad (197).

Hunter’s win was by major decision, 15-6. The other wins by the Blue Hawks were decision (five) and one by default (Olea) and another by forfeit (Mathern).

Following that comp0etition, the Blue Hawks competed in the Briar Cliff University Open on Saturday.

Again it was Kallestad who led the way for DSU. In the 197-lb division, Kallestad whipped three opponents to take the division title. His first bout was won by technical fall, out-scoring Nate Lemmings (Bacone College) 17-1 and from there is when he really ratcheted-up his performance. His next two contests both resulted in falls: Matt Bates (Wayne State) suffered a pin at 2:00 and then it was Justin Rau (Grand View University) whose day ended in the same fashion at 6:30 of the championship match.

Additional top performances were turned in by Blake Hunter (133) and Matt Pridgeon (149) who both took 3rd place; and Cameron Schrempp (174) who claimed 4th place in his class.

Hunter collected two falls in his seven wins. He was awarded a third fall by disqualification and also had a technical fall victory over Cameron Ream (Oklahoma City) 16-0 late in the wrestleback rounds. Hunter finally won a decision over Travis Evans (Grand View University) in the third place bout.

Pridgeon won five matches, including a 6-5 decision in the third place bout over teammate Nate Schweitzer who had beaten Pridgeon 3-2 in an earlier match-up. All five of Pridgeon’s wins were by decision attesting to the senior’s sense of perseverance.

Solid Showing by Blue Hawks in North Country Open Demonstrates Team Depth

by Galen Morton, SID

January-31-10

Cameron Schrempp was the runner-up in the 174-lb division (File photo, McIntyre)

Complete Brackets

The Blue Hawks had an excellent showing recently at the North Country Open hosted by St John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

The highest finishers were Cameron Schrempp’s runner-up in the 174-lb division, losing on a 6-3 decision in the finals. Steven Urquizo (165) and Brett Owen (184) took 4th place in their respective weight classes. Edgar Mercado (141) and Robert Carothers (157) claimed 5th place; Colt Goff (174) and Frank Lopez (285) finished 6th; Shane Bennett (174) 7th; and Blake Hunter (133), Jordan Ewen (149) and Robert Elias (285) all ended up in 8th place.

The meet is one of the tougher if not deeper wrestling tournaments in the region, so for Schrempp, a sophomore, to blast through three competitors in a 32-man field was impressive. He pinned his first two foes in the opening periods of each bout in a total of 2:54 (Gabe Vasquez, Waldorf College, 1:10; Dustin Raygor, St John’s, 1:44). Schrempp then dispatched Dennis Reckelberg (Univ. Wisc. Stevens Point) in a 7-3 decision before squaring off against Zach Molitor (Augsburg) for the championship.

Urquizo won four matches on the day. He is proving himself as a quality wrestler with one of his wins coming by fall (Jake Grygelko, Augsburg, 3:13) to get to the 3rd place match, and two of his wins by major decision. The first, 14-1, was against Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) and the other was suffered by Tyler Wells (NDSU) by a 14-1 margin.

Owen’s path to 4th place took three victories. He pinned Chris White (Waldorf College) in a brisk 1:27 in Owen’s opening match. Later, he earned a technical fall by piling up an 18-3 margin over James Carlson (St. John’s). Owen was turned back by Will Johnson (NDSU) in the 3rd place bout, 12-6.

Both Mercado and Carothers won their last matches of the day. Although Mercado’s win was granted by forfeit, he had claimed three on-mat wins to get there. Carothers had five wins on the day. After two wins in his 30-man bracket, Carothers was pushed to the wrestle-backs after a 4-0 decision loss to Mike Sandy (Wartburg College). Not to despair however, as Carothers won two more matches and finally ended up wrestling for 5th place against Sandy’s teammate Chris Tims. Carothers perhaps gained a measure of respect, taking a comfortable 13-6 decision over Tims.

#12 Blue Hawks Clash With #17 Jimmies at Scott Gym; DSU Prevails 35-3

by Galen Morton, SID

January-26-10

Steven Urquizo pins Pat Nord (4:45) to put the finishing touches on a 35-3 DSU triumph over Jamestown College (McIntyre photo)

Score by Match

Intra-state rival Jamestown College arrived at Scott Gym tonight in a North Region tilt that was expected to be tight all the way through the 10 weight classes. DSU prevailed by a surprising 35-3, in a win that should give them confidence as the season winds down to its most exciting six weeks.

Both programs are of high caliber; according to the most recent national polls (January 19), DSU is rated #12 and JC #17 in the NAIA. Additionally both rosters are well-stocked with ranked wrestlers on the national level--the Blue Hawks with four and the Jimmies with three.

In the North Region, the Hawks claim the top team spot, with Jamestown ranked at the third slot. Dickinson State put nine men on the mat tonight that were ranked #6 or better in the region including Robert Carothers (157) and Jake Kallestad (197) who are ranked #1 in their respective divisions. Jamestown put eight men on the mat who are similarly qualified: that octet ranked #5 or better in the region including Joseph Michel (133) and Willie Hernandez (285) who both top their respective divisions.

So tonight held great expectations for both sides and there was plenty of drama too, especially as the fifth match of the dual closed. In it, nationally ranked Sean Blumhardt (125), in Jamestown’s only win of the night, edged Elias Armendariz, 3-2 and the Hawks’ lead was trimmed to 13-3.

There was plenty of mat time left, at the halfway point (The teams started with the 174-lb match and worked through three more upper divisions before the 125-lb bout.). Jamestown's time, if it had a chance to seize momentum of the dual, was now. And certainly they had their opportunity.

However, Dickinson State’s Blake Hunter (133-lbs) turned a 5-1 deficit into an 8-5 win over Jamestown College’s Joseph Michel and that decision turned the momentum back to the Blue Hawks. The final team score was deceptive, because after Hunter’s decision, the Hawks were not to be denied.

In rapid succession, in the final four matches, Edgar Mercado (141) posted a major decision (17-6), Jordan Ewen won by decision (5-0), and then Robert Carothers (157) and Steven Urquizo (165) closed out the night’s competition by pinning their opponents. Carothers had more than one golden opportunity, and in fact, recorded near-fall points before taking Brandon Roehrich at 6:34. Urquizo’s pin against Pat Nord came in a swifter 4:45.

Blue Hawks Defeat Eagles But Several Matches Close, 30-12

by Galen Morton, SID

January-21-10

Jordan Ewen held the upper hand in his bout with Jake Lords and finally earned a technical fall, 19-4

CSC Scoring Summary

Dickinson State defeated Chadron State College last night in a dual competition at Scott Gym. 30-12. The matches were fiercely contested with five of them being decided by three points or fewer, however, the Eagles put themselves in a huge bind by not contesting two weight classes giving the Hawks six points from both the 125-lb and 197-lb divisions.

Jordan Ewen (149) won his bout in a technical fall, 19-4 over Jake Lords. Ewen is ranked 4th in the north region as the polls came out this last week. He is aggressive and athletic, and if he was wrestling against a lesser opponent in Lords, one would never know it because Ewen is constantly on the attack and had Lords nearly pinned at least two times. The points awarded for a near-fall however mounted quickly and by the time seven minutes had elapsed, Ewen had 15 point advantage.

Brett Owen (184) is another ranked Blue Hawk. He is the 9th best in his weight class nationally and 2nd in the region. He took a major decision over Chris Leak, 14-5. Owen had only a few moments where Leak might have turned the match around but Owen recovered sufficiently enough to give the Hawks four team points.

Other winners were Edgar Mercado (141) in a 6-4 decision; Andrew Wasserburger (165) a 6-5 winner in a match that saw both men nearly pinning the other; and Frank Lopez (285) trimming his foe, RJ Boylan, 2-0.

Neither Angle Olea (125) nor Jake Kallestad (197) had to break a sweat because the Eagles left both of those two weight classes open. The Blue Hawks were credited with six points per match, the equivalent score of a pin. Olea and Kallestad are ranked 1st in their respective weight classes and they are both recognized nationally as well: Olea being 6th and Kallestad the country’s 3rd best grappler.

Blue Hawks Win Dickinson Classic, Claim 4 Individual Titles

by Galen Morton, SID

January-19-10

Complete Match Results

Dickinson State defeated four other teams in the Blue Hawk Classic in Wienbergen Gym this Saturday, earning 136.0 total points. Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.) was the runner-up with 109.5 points, followed by Jamestown College 41.0, University of Great Falls 39.0 and Montana State University-Northern who collected 22.0 team points.

The Hawks also had three weight class champions, two runner-ups and three third-place finishers. A fourth championship was claimed by Shane Bennett at 174-lbs but he was officially listed as wrestling unattached.

Jake Kallestad whipped through three opponents to earn the 197-lb title. His first foe, Andrew Peterson from Concordia was defeated 11-2. Kallestad then pinned BJ Moseley of Jamestown (2:26) before winning by decision over Evan Mattingly (MSU-Northern) 6-1. Frank Lopez was a second division winner at the heavyweight class when he defeated Juan Enriquez of University of Great Falls, 2-0. Lopez had already defeated two other opponents Nick Nadeau (Concordia), 2-0, and Cole Amende (UGF), 8-3. Owen won the 184-lb division over Will Johnson (NDSU), 9-4. Previously he pinned Justin Hollingshead (Jamestown), 0:32 into their opening bout and he followed that with a 9-1 defeat of Justin Schuele (Jamestown).

Bennett’s championship also took just three rounds, and although the championship bout was won by default, he was clearly ready to wrestle. His first match was won in a fall over Max Payne (MSU-Northern) at 6:02. Bennett then won a major decision, 18-6, over Ross Dankers (Concordia).

Angel Olea was the runner-up in the 125-lb division, in a tight 2-1 decision against Trent Sprenkle (NDSU). Olea had already won two bouts, one by a tech fall (19-3) and one by a fall (1:09). He picked up a third win by default before facing Sprenkle. Kylan Zumpf claimed third place in the same weight class in a tech fall win (24-4) over Patrick Neal (UGF).

Edgar Mercado was another Hawk to claim 2nd place. He was edged 4-2 in the championship for the 141-lb title. Mercado had three wins prior to that, one of which was by fall over Rene Rengel (Jamestown) at 4:30 of the match. At 165-lbs, Steven Urquizo took 2nd place. After a first round bye, he won by fall (0:38) over Jacob Hagen (NDSU) before sending Tyler Wells (NDSU) to the wrestle-back brackets.

Nathen Schweitzer wrestled in the 141-lb division and claimed 3rd place. Schweitzer collected five wins on the day and in the 3rd place bout, he reversed his second round loss to teammate Adam Orton; this time Schweitzer triumphed, 10-0. Other 3rd place finishers--all of whom had one pin--were Cameron Schrempp (174), Robert Carothers (157) and Jordan Ewen (149).

Blue Hawks Defeat MSU-Moorhead by Winning Seven Straight Matches, 28-9

by Galen Morton, SID

January-15-10

Dickinson State opened its home dual season with a 28-9 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead, with all but two of the 10 matches going in favor of the Hawks.

Angel Olea opened the night with 13-5 major decision over Corey Ulmer in the 125-lb match. Unfortunately for DSU Blake Hunter had his shoulders pinned to the mat in the very next match. The quick 4-0 DSU lead established by Olea’s win, quickly evaporated into a 6-4 Blue Hawk deficit to the Dragons.

The Hawks won the next seven bouts however and instead of restoring order, soon found themselves with an insurmountable team advantage. The last of the string came from All-American Jake Kallestad’s (197 lb) 20-4 technical fall win over Jon Swart; DSU had stretched its lead to 28-6 with just one match remaining. Frank Lopez was trimmed 8-2 by Tim Johnson in the heavyweight division, but that could only close the gap to the 28-9 final margin.

In the seven straight wins, six were by decision. Edgar Mercado (141) edged his opponent 9-4, Jordan Ewen (149) won 7-2, Nick Zumwalt (157) was victorious by a 3-1 score, Andrew Wasserburger (165) picked-up another win 8-2 and Brett Owen (184) grabbed the other decision 8-3.

The only win that was not by decision of that group--reflecting how tight the overall team battle really was--came on a major decision turned in by Cameron Schrempp (174). His opponent Jacob McLean could not solve Schrempp. The sophomore from Eagle Butte, S.D., claimed the match with an 11-1 scoring advantage.