Travis Kriens

The 2008-09 SDSU wrestling team is young but has enough returning upperclassmen to improve on last season’s performance.

The Jacks went 2-9 in duals last season, with wins over Dakota Wesleyan and Portland State; this is the lowest win total since the 1955-56 season.

Head coach Jason Liles returns for his 16th season at SDSU. Liles comes into this season with 132 career dual wins, second in school history behind Warren Williamson (134-74-9 record from 1957-68, 1970-73).

Lower Weights, 125-141

Adam Everson returns at the 141-weight class after posting a team-high 22 wins last season as a redshirt freshman. Everson was the 2005 South Dakota state high school wrestling champion and will be looked upon to continue his dominance of last season.

Alan Marvin will provide senior leadership for the Jackrabbits after going 10-10 last season. Marvin will lead SDSU in the 125-pound weight class.

Middleweights, 149-165

Junior Ryan Meyer from Parkston leads the middleweights. Meyer became the first SDSU athlete to qualify for an NCAA Tournament during his freshman season. Meyer had another solid performance in 2007-08, compiling a 21-11 record at 165 pounds. Meyer has a career record of 49-28 and is on pace to finish in the top 15 for career wins at SDSU.

Upper Weights, 174-Heavyweight

The Jacks welcome the return of heavyweight senior Jason Stripling to the mat this season after he elected to redshirt last year. Stripling had a team best 26-13 record in 2005-06, while compiling a 22-6 overall record with a team-high 11 points in 2006-07. He also leads all active Jackrabbits with 65 career victories. Stripling should solidify the heavyweight division where the Jacks struggled last season.

The Jackrabbits regained the services of sophomore 184-pounder Tyler Sorenson, who wrestled for the first time in nearly a year when he made his season debut during duals at Utah Valley State and Northern Colorado in early January of last season. A Garretson native, Sorenson ranked among the team leaders in victories with an 18-6 record during the 2006-07 campaign before suffering a season-ending injury in February 2007. Despite missing the final month of the season, Sorenson led the team with 247 match points and eight victories by technical fall.

Schedule

The Jackrabbits open the season on Nov. 8 at the Daktronics/Warren Williamson Open at Frost Arena. Start time is 9 a.m.

SDSU will be tested early in the year at the Harold Nichols Open, Kaufman-Brand Open, the Indiana Duals and the Cliff Keen Duals in Las Vegas.

The five dual matches at home start with Northern State on Jan. 22. SDSU will also host Western Wrestling Conference opponents Northern Colorado, Utah Valley State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

The Jacks will go on the road for dual meets against Franklin & Marshall (Pa.), Sacred Heart (Conn.), Nebraska, Maryland and Western Wrestling Conference challengers Wyoming and Air Force. Nebraska ended last season ranked fifth in the final national poll.

The West Regional Qualifier for the NCAA Division I National Championship takes place in Greeley, Colo., on March 8, 2009.