The Bison hit the mats over winter break

NDSU wrestling is finally underway. The Herd kicked off their season in Fargo on Jan. 4. They faced off against two teams that night, Oregon State and Missouri. NDSU came a way with a close 19-15 win against Oregon State. However, they got pummeled by the #12 ranked Missouri. They lost 3-38.

The Oregon State matchup was a close one throughout. Every matchup came down to decision but one. NDSU Heavyweight Brandon Metz was able to win over OSU’s Brian Barnes 9-7 in an overtime period. Luke Weber came in clutch for NDSU in the 165-weight class. He pinned his opponent, Dillon Ulrey, in 2:36 in the final bout of the matchup.

Only one Bison won in the match against Missouri. Kelly March in the 133-weight class beat his opponent in a 7-4 decision. March, a true freshman, also won his match against OSU in a major decision 14-5.

NDSU got in a second round of teams to meet on the mats on Jan. 10. The Bison took on SDSU and Northern Iowa in Brookings, SD. NDSU loss 11-27 against UNI and played four extra matches. They were able to beat the rival Jackrabbits though, 21-13. They also fit in three extra matches.

Three NDSU players came away with wins against UNI: Dylan Droegemueller in the 141 weight-class, Jared Franek in the 157 weight-class, and Michael Nelson in the 197 weight-class. They all one in decisions. Metz had a tough day getting pinned in just 41 seconds.

In the win against SDSU, seven different Bison won their matchups. Everyone won by decision. Metz had some redemption for himself, winning in second tiebreaker round over Blake Wolters. Most matchups were kept close. NDSU will have to take on the Jackrabbits again on February 7^th. They will need to watch themselves to make sure SDSU doesn’t change the tide

The Bison are 2-2 exiting the break and have a quick, but packed season on the mats ahead of them. They’re next competition day is Jan. 24. They’ll go up against four separate colleges on that day, Fresno State, California Baptist, Cal Poly and Little Rock.