Jackrabbits score upset at No. 16 UNI

Photo courtesy of South Dakota State athletics

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – South Dakota State took control of its wrestling dual Friday night against Northern Iowa by winning five of the first six matches and went on to defeat the 16th-ranked Panthers, 25-13, at West Gym.
In running their dual winning streak to four, the Jackrabbits improved to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12 Conference. UNI dropped to 1-3 overall and 1-1 against league opponents.
Danny Vega set the tone for SDSU in the opening bout of the night, scoring a 10-6 decision over 18th-ranked Jacob Schwarm at 125 pounds. After Schwarm opened the scoring with a takedown, Vega countered with a reversal and four-point near-fall for a 6-2 lead. Vega put the match away in the third period with a pair of takedowns.
Redshirt freshman 133-pounder Zach Price gave SDSU a 6-0 lead with an 11-4 decision over Kyle Biscoglia before UNI got on the board as 16th-ranked Michael Blockhus rallied in the third period for a 7-5 decision over Clay Carlson at 141 pounds. Carlson led 4-2 through two periods before Blockhus scored on an escape and two takedowns in the third and final stanza.
Two-time NCAA qualifier Henry Pohlmeyer swung the momentum back in the Jackrabbits' favor with a win over seventh-ranked Max Thomsen in a battle between nationally ranked 149-pound wrestlers. The 17th-ranked Pohlmeyer began the scoring with a first-period takedown and led 4-0 early in the second period following a reversal. In the third period, Pohlmeyer recorded his second takedown of the match, picked up two points on a near-fall and added a point for riding time to post a 9-1 major decision.
It was Pohlmeyer's third win in a row over Thomsen, following a pair of one-point victories last season.
The Jackrabbits pushed their winning streak to three matches in a row as Colten Carlson tallied a 4-0 decision over Derek Holschlag at 157 pounds and newcomer Tanner Cook continued to impress at 165 pounds with a third-period pin of Austin Yant. Since being inserted into the lineup at the South Beach Duals two weeks ago, Cook is 4-0 with all four victories by fall. He leads the squad with nine pins on the season.
UNI stemmed the tide with wins by fifth-ranked Bryce Steiert and fourth-ranked Taylor Lujan at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, to close the gap to 19-10. Lujan's victory was a 10-3 decision over Zach Carlson, who entered the matchup ranked 16th by FloWrestling.
Tanner Sloan, ranked 20th at 197 pounds, slammed the door shut on a late UNI comeback by notching the Jackrabbits' second fall of the dual, pinning Noah Glaser in 1 minute and 42 seconds.
In the final bout of the night, 14th-ranked heavyweight Carter Isley of UNI needed overtime to defeat the Jackrabbits' Blake Wolters, 3-1.


UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits close out the weekend by hosting Wyoming in dual action Sunday afternoon at Frost Arena. Action is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
NOTES
Northern Iowa leads the all-time dual series, 39-6-1, although SDSU has won two of the last three matchups
The Jackrabbits improved to 26-9 in duals against Big 12 opponents since joining the conference as an affiliate member at the start of the 2015-16 season
SDSU's last dual win over a ranked opponent was a 22-16 victory over an 11th-ranked Northern Iowa squad on Jan. 21, 2018, at Frost Arena
Pohlmeyer wrestled for the first time since a Dec. 20 dual against Minnesota
Vega has won five dual matches in a row, improving to 5-1 in duals and 13-5 overall
Cook improved to 10-1 overall, with all of his wins either by fall (9) or technical fall (1)
Sloan moved into a tie with Zach Carlson for the team lead in dual wins this season with six
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 25, #16 NORTHERN IOWA 13
125: Danny Vega (SDSU) dec. #18 Jacob Schwarm (UNI), 10-6
133: Zach Price (SDSU) dec. Kyle Biscoglia (UNI), 11-4
141: #16 Michael Blockhus (UNI) dec. Clay Carlson (SDSU), 7-5
149: #17 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) major dec. #7 Max Thomsen (UNI), 9-1
157: Colten Carlson (SDSU) dec. Derek Holschlag (UNI), 4-0
165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Austin Yant (UNI), by fall 6:11
174: #5 Bryce Steiert (UNI) major dec. Cade King (SDSU), 12-1
184: #4 Taylor Lujan (UNI) dec. #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU), 10-3
197: #20 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Noah Glaser (UNI), by fall 1:42
285: #14 Carter Isley (UNI) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 3-1 [SV-1]
Note: Individual rankings by FloWrestling