MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State wrestling team returns to the road, traveling for a match at UMary on Friday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., before heading to Minot State for a dual on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.
 
MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS: SMSU has two wrestlers ranked in the InterMat rankings (Jan. 19) and one wrestler ranked in the NWCA rankings (Jan. 21). The team is also ranked inside of both rankings … Jackson Stauffacher jumped a spot, slotting in at No. 15 in the InterMat rankings at 125 pounds. He's 7-0 this season, going 3-0 and winning each open tournament he has participated in, and won by forfeit in his lone dual appearance. He's recorded two pins and a major decision, and is 3-0 in decisions … Caden Steffen leads the charge for the individuals, ranking fourth in both the InterMat and NWCA rankings at 184 pounds. Steffen is 11-1 on the season and 3-0 in duals after defeating Gage Roaldson of MSUM by decision (7-1) in SMSU's 32-8 dual win on Jan. 20, 2022. His only loss this season has been by injury default, and has won three matches by fall, one by tech fall, and three by major decision … SMSU has also been recognized for its team success, as InterMat ranks the Mustangs at No. 20 in the team rankings, and NWCA ranks them at No. 21.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Southwest Minnesota State wrestling team picked up their first victory in the Chayse Jackson era with a 32-8 victory at MSU Moorhead in the Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn., on Thursday night. After an MSUM forfeit at 125 pounds, the action started at 133, with Cole Jones leading wire to wire, defeating Hunter Pfantz by major decision to get MSUM on the board with SMSU leading 6-4 through two bouts. Luke Peterson would extend the Mustang lead at 141, scoring 10 first period points en route to a 16-0 tech fall victory. Robert Shields kept the momentum rolling, picking up two third period takedowns to help fuel a 5-3 victory. Lucas Hodges would end the first half of the dual on a high note, picking up a takedown within a minute and sticking the pin with just over a minute left in the first period. Braydon Ortloff would try and get the Dragons back on track after the intermission, picking up a major decision at 165 to cut SMSU's lead to 20-8, but Carter Marx would pick up a 7-2 decision to end any hope for MSUM. Caden Steffen would follow Marx with a clinical 7-1 victory before a dominant 11-4 win by Dillon McEachran to lead 29-8 into the last bout. Jacob Dykes would close the dual with a dandy, winning in sudden victory, 3-1, to punctuate the Mustangs victory.
 
SMSU Leaders:
Caden Steffen (11-1)
Carter Marx (10-5)
Dillon McEachran (9-6)
Hunter Pfantz (9-8)
Neil Hanson (8-4)
 
The Mustangs finally come home, hosting St. Cloud State in their home opener on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.
 
UMARY NOTES: The Marauders (7-1 overall, 1-1 NSIC) Come into the weekend ranked 15^th in the nation on InterMat and 20^th in the nation in the NWCA rankings … UMary has ranked four wrestlers in the InterMat/NWCA rankings … No. 5/No. 8 133 Reece Barnhardt, No. 13/No. 10 157 Braydon Huber, No. 9/No. 9 174 Max Bruss, and No. 7/No. 10 Matt Kaylor … UMary has won seven matches by an average of 33.6 points, with their lone loss coming to No. 9/No. 8 UW-Parkside 21-16 on Sunday, Jan. 23 in Kenosha, Wis. … UMary has four wrestlers with at least 20 wins, with Bruss (22-6), Kaylor (21-5), Huber (20-6), and 165 Leo Mushinsky (20-8) leading the way. 
 
UMARY SERIES HISTORY: SMSU leads the all-time series 9-5 in a series that dates back to 2007.  UMary has won the previous three meetings, including an 18-16 victory in their last meeting on Feb. 8, 2021. SMSU had won eight of the previous nine meetings before the UMary win streak. SMSU is 5-2 in Bismarck, and last won there on Jan. 27, 2017, when the Mustangs defeated the Marauders 20-16.
 
MINOT STATE NOTES: The Beavers (0-3 overall, 0-2 NSIC) have wrestled once since Dec. 10, 2021, losing on the road to UW-Parkside 28-9 on Jan. 21 … The Beavers are led by 285 Jake Swirple, ranked ninth in the NWCA rankings. He's a perfect 9-0 this season, with a pair of dual wins and first place finishes in the Younes Hospitality Open and the 2021 Dragon Open … 165 Cannon Potts leads the team with 12 wins, including six pins, while 133 Brandon Meikel has seven wins, including a 2-1 record in duals
 
MINOT STATE SERIES HISTORY: SMSU leads the all-time series 8-3 in a series that dates back to 1970.  Minot State has won two of the previous three meetings, including an 20-17 victory in Minot in their last meeting on Feb. 11, 2021. SMSU is 4-3 all-time in Minot, with their last road victory coming on Jan. 26, 2017, when the Mustangs defeated the Beavers 22-16.
 
 
SMSU Probable Wrestlers:
 
125 - Jackson Stauffacher or Ben Emrich
133 - Hunter Pfantz
141 - Luke Peterson or Justin Sampson
149 - Bobby Shields or Sean Howk
157 - Lucas Hodges
165 - Elijah Sterner or Nate Moore
174 - Carter Marx
184 - Caden Steffen
197 - Dillon McEachran
285 - Jacob Dykes or Neil Hanson
 
UMary Probable Wrestlers:
 
125 – Jaden Verhagen
133 – Reece Barnhardt
141 – Laken Boese
149 – Devin Steidler – or – Ryan Scherber
157 – Braydon Huber
165 – Leo Mushinsky
174 – Max Bruss
184 – Wyatt Lidberg
197 – Matt Kaylor
285 – Gerardo Jaime – or – Dom Tudor
 
Minot State Probable Wrestlers:
 
125 - Oscar Nellis or Logen Fischer
133 - Brandon Meikel
141 - Lincoln Stormer or Kelby Armstrong
149 - Shadi Mitwalli or Brendan Barnes
157 - Nathan Baca or Brody Mohr
165 - Cannon Potts
174 - Cayden White or Joey Lopez
184 - Keegan Berry or Shane Hansen
197 - Noe Garcia or Dustin Swisher
285 - Jordan Will or Jake Swirple