Kirk Danielson

The men’s wrestling team has been slamming the last few weeks – body slamming that is.

The team has gone 4-1 since winning the Virginia Duals Jan.12-13 and has improved their season record to 8-5. Two weeks ago, the team won its first ever Western Conference meet at home against Utah Valley State 34-6. The team was on a four-match winning streak and was looking to add to that as they headed out west.

The first stop on their road trip was a match against Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. The Jacks won easily 41-6, taking all nine matches that took place. Derek Pirner scored a major decision with his 11-2 win in the 141-pound class. Other Jackrabbits Tyler Sorensen (184) and Jason Stripling (heavyweight) scored pinfalls in their matches.

Later that night, the Jacks downed Portland State 38-3 in Portland, Ore. In the match, SDSU won nine of 10 matches with major decisions going to Alan Marvin, Pirner and Andy Everson. Sorensen and Stripling both secured their second wins of the day, with pinfalls against Portland State. Dan Bonte also scored a pinfall in his match in the 149-pound category.

The team looked to add to their winning streak last weekend at home against Eastern Illinois and Northern Colorado. In the first match on Feb. 2, the Jacks held off a tough Eastern Illinois team to win 25-18. SDSU won five matches in the contest, with an additional win by forfeit. Winning Jackrabbit wrestlers were Pirner (141), Bonte (149), Everson (157), Ryan Meyer (165) and Stripling (heavyweight). Jackrabbit Travis Gottschalk (197) won the forfeited match.

Northern Colorado snapped the wrestling team’s winning streak at seven on Feb. 3, when they defeated the Jacks 23-15. Winning wrestlers in the loss were Bonte (149), Meyer (165), Chris Moran (174), Nate Althoff (184) and Gottschalk (197). The attendance for the weekend home matches was 867.

The Jackrabbits look to regain their winning ways this week on the road against Wyoming and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The Jacks finish up their home schedule in two weeks on Feb. 17 and 18 against Northern Iowa and North Dakota State.