MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State wrestling team (0-2, 0-2 NSIC) will host the Minnesota West Blue Jays and the Ridgewater College Warriors., for a triangular meet on Friday. The first dual will be between the Blue Jays and the Warriors at 5 p.m., followed by SMSU vs. Ridgewater College at 6:30, before ending with the dual between SMSU and Minnesota West at 8 p.m.
 
MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS
OPEN MAT
SMSU has entered the top 25 in the Open Mat rankings released Wednesday afternoon. The Mustangs are ranked 25th in the team tournament ranking. Caden Steffen retained his #3 ranking at 197 pounds, sponsored by Borch's, after picking up a sudden victory over #6 Matt Kaylor (UMary) and a decision victory over Minot State's Cannon Potts. Despite losing a close match in overtime to #11 Luke Tweeton, Jacob Dykes improved his ranking by four spots, moving to #12 at 285, sponsored by Countryside Golf, after defeating Minot State's Jake Swirple, who was ranked #3 at the time.

NWCA
In the NWCA rankings released on Monday afternoon, the Mustangs are just outside of the top 25, the team currently is receiving 12 votes, while the teams tied for 25^th are receiving 13 votes. Caden Steffen has worked his way up the rankings, moving from #9 in the preseason polls to #4 in Monday's poll.

InterMat
In the InterMat ranking released on Tuesday afternoon, Caden Steffen was ranked #4 at 197.
 
NSIC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Steffen was named NSIC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 14, after placing first in the Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell S.D. It marked the fourth time in Steffen's career that he had earned the honor.
 
LAST WEEK: The Mustangs lost a pair of road duals in N.D., losing to UMary by a final score of 42-3 and losing to Minot State by a final score of 16-15. Carlo Arreola, a freshman, and Adam Sylvester, a junior transfer, each earned their first NSIC dual victories for the Mustangs. Arreola earned a 14-6 major decision, while Adam Sylvester earned a 7-5 decision.
       
SMSU Leaders:   
Caden Steffen (9-1) (Borch's)
Adam Sylvester (8-4)
Carlo Arreola (6-4)
Lucas Hodges (5-1)
 
MINNESOTA WEST NOTES: The Blue Jays (1-1 overall) were unranked in the NJCAA poll and have no wrestlers ranked in the NJCAA poll.
 
MINNESOTA WEST SEREIS HISTORY: SMSU defeated Ridgewater College on Nov. 5, 1974 in Worthington Minn. by a final score of 37-12 in the only matchup between the two teams.   
 
RIDGEWATER NOTES: The Warriors (0-1 overall) were ranked 4^th in the preseason NJCAA preseason poll, released on Nov. 2. The Warriors had four wrestlers ranked in the poll, No. 3 at 141 Cole Holien, No. 6 at 149 Brady Holien, No 2 at 157 Taedon Nichols and No. 3 at 285 Austin Schlangen. The Warriors are currently ranked 15^th in the Open Mat NJCAA Team Tournament rankings. The Warriors have the same four wrestlers ranked in the Open Mat rankings, No. 4 at 141 Cole Holien, No. 10 at 149 Brady Holien, No. 7 at 157 Taedon Nichols and No. 10 at 285 Austin Schlangen.
 
RIDGEWATER SERIES HISTORY: SMSU leads the all-time series 5-2 in a series that dates back to 1984. The Mustangs won the last matchup on Dec. 14, 2012 by a score of 28-18. This will be the first home dual for the Mustangs against the Warriors.  
     
SMSU Probable Line-Up
125 presented by
- Carlo Arreola (6-4)
133 presented by Fort Pierre Livestock Auction   
- Chase Hanson (2-3)
141 presented by Leirman Excavating Co.  
- Hunter Pfantz (0-3) or Jake Messner (2-7)
149 presented by Xcaliber Gunsmithing  
- Luke Peterson (2-4)   
157 presented by Wendinger Travel  
- Sean Howk (1-3) or Joseph Anderson (0-7)
165 presented by Mustang Wrestling Club
- Brandon Lalla (0-5) or Ashton LaBelle (4-5)
174 presented by Cottonwood Oil Co-op
- Elijah Sterner (1-5) or Lucas Hodges (5-1)
184 presented by The Marshall Army National Guard
- Adam Sylvester (8-4)
197 presented by Borch's Sporting Goods  
- Caden Steffen (9-1)
285 presented by Countryside Golf Club  
- Jacob Dykes (3-3) or Jackson Esping (1-1)
   
Minnesota West Line-Up 
125 - Jacob Hernandez 
133 - Ethan Meyer 
141 - Kaiden Lowman 
149 - Ty Borge 
157 - Ian Johnson 
165 - Joseph Kallevig or Dayveon Hill 
174 - Daunte Hill 
184 - Taten Shroyer 
197 - Deante Porter 
285 - Brody Knapp 
 
Ridgewater Line-Up 
125 - Open 
133 - Josh Sotelo 
141 - Cole Holien 
149 - Brady Holien  
157 - Taedon Nichols 
165 - Ross Meskimen 
174 - Cody Brott 
184 - Terrell Renne 
197 - Open 
285 - Tucker Hugg or Austin Schlangen