South Dakota StateNCAA Division II at the close of the 2003-04 season, the SDSU wrestling program had pro - duced 46 All-Americans, 11 national champions and 36 NWCA All-Academic Team

South Dakota StateJACKRABBIT ATHLETICS NEWS RELEASEJackrabbit Sports Information Stanley J. Marshall HPER Center 1047 16th Ave Brookings, SD 57007-1497Grad. Assist./Wrestling Contact: Chris McKeown Phone: (605) 688-4822 E-mail: [email protected] Information Director: Jason Hove Phone: (605) 688-4623 E-mail: [email protected] Director: Ryan Sweeter Phone: (605) 688-4822 E-mail: [email protected]: (605) 688-5999 Website: www.GoJacks.com

2009 - 1 0 WRES T L I NG I N FORMAT I ON

SDSU hosting No. 12 NebraskaSports Information Contact: Chris McKeown Dec. 10, 2009

BROOKINGS, S.D. — The South Dakota State wrestling team opens its home dual scheduleagainst the 12th-ranked University of Nebraska on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Swiftel Center.The Jackrabbits (1-5), who have seven underclassmen in the probable line-up, have their

hands full with another ranked opponent — their third of the season. The Cornhuskers (4-1)have four individuals ranked in the top-7, including three in the top-3, by Intermat.The 197-pound match features a pair of ranked wrestlers in South Dakota State’s Tyler

Sorenson (No. 9) and Nebraska’s Craig Brester (No. 2). Sorenson has a 17-2 record (5-1duals) on the season, while Brester is 11-0 (5-0 duals).Aaron Pickrel (125 pounds) is tied with Sorenson for the team-lead in wins (17-6, 4-2 duals).Nebraska won last season’s dual 43-3 in Lincoln, Neb. Weston Blasius, who is in the proba-

ble lineup for Saturday, got the lone win for the Jacks, posting a 4-3 decision over PaulSanders in the 157-pound match.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE VS. NO. 12 NEBRASKA125: Aaron Pickrel, RFr., Watertown S.D. vs. David Klingsheim, Fr., Bentwood, Calif.133: Tyler Johnson, Fr., Canton, S.D. vs. C.J. Napier, Fr., Columbus, Kan.141: Dustin Walraven, So., Huron, S.D. vs. Mike Koehnlein, Jr., West Minster, Calif.149: Nick Hagar, Fr., Tomahawk, Wis. vs. Chris Hacker, RFr. El Reno, Okla.157: Weston Blasius, Sr., Kimball, S.D.or Nick Flynn, So., Lansing, Kan. vs. No. 1 Jordan Burroughs, Sr., Sicklerville, N.J.

165: OPEN vs. James Nakashima, Jr., Dwight, Ill.or Tyler Koehn, RFr., Pittsburg, Kan.

174: Joe Rasmussen, Fr., Ankeny, Iowa vs. No. 3 Stephen Dwyer, Sr., Rockton, Ill.184: David Michaud, So., Pine Ridge, S.D. vs. Josh Ihnen, RFr., Sheldon, Iowa197: No. 8 Tyler Sorenson, Sr., Garretson, S.D. vs. No. 2 Craig Brester, Sr., Howells, Neb.HWT: Jeremy Swier, Sr., Colton, S.D. vs. No. 7 Tucker Lane, So., Redvale, Colo.

SERIES: SDSU leads Nebraska 17-14-2 in the all-time series, which dates back to the1949-50 season — a 30-0 win for the Cornhuskers. Through the first six years, Nebraskaopened up a 5-1 lead in the series, before SDSU came storming back. The Jacks won or tiedthe next six matches to even the series at 5-5-2. Following a Nebraska win during the 1963-64 season, SDSU rattled off back-to-back wins over the next two years to take its first lead, 7-6-2. Nebraska evened things up at 7-7-2 with a win in 1966-67, but the Jacks proceeded towin nine consecutive duals between 1967-68 and 1977-78 to open up a 16-7-2 margin.Nebraska has won seven of the last eight, including six straight, to tighten things up. SDSU’slast win was a 28-14 triumph during the 1979-80 season. Since SDSU’s move to NCAADivision I in 2004-05, Nebraska has won all three matches — 32-9 in 2006-07, 37-12 in2007-08 and 43-3 in 2008-09.WHAT’S NEXT: The SDSU wrestling squad heads to the Tournament of Champions in Reno,

Nev., on Dec. 20. The Jacks then have a month off before opening Western WrestlingConference action at Northern Iowa on Jan. 23

TH I S WEEK

PROBABLE L INEUP125: Aaron Pickrel, RFr., Watertown, S.D.133: Tyler Johnson, Fr., Canton, S.D.141: Dustin Walraven, So., Huron, S.D.149: Nick Hagar, Fr., Tomahawk, Wis.157: Weston Blasius, Sr., Kimball, S.D.or Nick Flynn, So., Lansing, Kan.165: Open174: Joe Rasmussen, Fr., Ankeny, Iowa184: David Michaud, So., Pine Ridge, S.D.197: Tyler Sorenson, Sr., Garretson, S.D.HWT: Jeremy Swier, Sr., Colton, S.D.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (1-5) vs.No. 12 Nebraska (4-1)

2 p.m. / SaturdayBrookings, S.D. / Swiftel Center

2009 -10 RECORDSWT. WRESTLER OVERALL DUALS125 Aaron Pickrel 17-6 4-2133 Tyler Johnson 0-7 0-5141 Seth Moe 1-2 0-0141 Dustin Walraven 13-5 3-3149 Nick Hagar 7-11 0-6149 Ted Kruger 0-2 0-0157 Weston Blasius 5-8 2-2165 Weston Blasius 1-3 1-3157 Nick Flynn 13-7 1-1165 Nick Flynn 0-1 0-1165 Weston Ginther 0-2 0-0174 Joe Rasmussen 5-12 0-6174 Cord Willers 1-1 0-0184 David Michaud 5-4 0-1184 Bryce Drefke 2-8 1-4197 Tyler Sorenson 17-2 5-1HWT Jared Aesoph 1-0 1-0HWT Jeremy Swier 3-8 1-4

SORENSON RANKED: Senior Tyler Sorenson (Garretson, S.D.) dropped to No. 9 in the lat-est Intermat rankings. Last week, he held the No. 8 spot, the highest ever by a Jackrabbit in theschool’s Division I-era.On the season, Sorenson has a 17-2 record (5-1 duals). He won his weight class at the

Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings on Nov. 7, and was the Elite Division cham-pion at 197 pounds at the Kaufman/Brand Open (Nebraska-Omaha) in Omaha, Neb., on Nov.21. He also took second at the Harold Nichols Open (Iowa State) in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 14.His only two losses on the season came at the hands of top-ranked Jake Varner, the defening

national champion from Iowa State.Last season, Sorenson became just the second SDSU wrestler to qualify for the national

tournament in the Division I-era.HOOSIER DUALS (INDIANA): SDSU went 1-4 at the Hoosier Duals on Nov. 28, picking up a

30-12 win over Cumberlands. The Jackrabbits, who started as many as eight underclassmen, fell37-6 to No. 11 Indiana, 27-17 to Liberty, 32-15 to Northern Illinois and 40-4 to Chattanooga.Tyler Sorenson led the way for the Jacks, recording a perfect 5-0 record at 197 pounds. He

won two matches by fall, one by technical fall and one by major decision, and then wrapped upthe day with a 9-7 decision over Indiana’s Matt Powless.Aaron Pickrel (125 pounds) and Dustin Walraven (141 pounds) also had solid days for the

Jacks, posting 3-2 records. Nick Flynn posted a two-win day with a 2-2 record at 157 pounds.SORENSON EARNS WWC WEEKLY HONOR: Tyler Sorenson was named the Western

Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week, as announced Nov. 10 by league officials.Sorenson won the 197-pound weight class at the Jackrabbits' Warren Williamson/Daktronics

Open on Nov. 7. He posted four technical-fall victories, while outscoring his opponents a com-bined 75-12. Sorenson was also named Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the open.COACH JASON LILES: South Dakota State University wrestling coach Jason Liles begins his

17th season as head coach during the 2009-10 campaign.Liles enters the season with a career record of 230-138-4. That mark includes a 141-110-3

mark at SDSU, where he is the all-time winningest coach. Liles overtook long-time head coachWarren Williamson — who coached the Jacks from 1957-68 and 1970-73, and compiled arecord of 134-74-9 in 16 seasons at SDSU — on Jan. 7, 2009, when the Jackrabbits beatDelaware St., 31-15.Liles has led SDSU to a winning dual record nine times, including a streak of eight consecu-

tive winning seasons from 1996-2003. As part of that streak, the Jackrabbits tied a schoolrecord with 17 dual victories during the 1997-98 season. SDSU won the National WrestlingCoaches Association National Duals that season and repeated the feat during the 1999-2000season.In 1993-94, Liles took over the South Dakota State wrestling program and guided the

Jackrabbits to a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Division II tournament. That marked the highestnational finish for the Jackrabbits in 25 years and was the first time that SDSU had two individualnational champions — Chad Lamer at 177 and Justin Blasius at 190 — in the same season.In the 1996-97 season, SDSU won the NCC title — its first since 1980 — as Liles was

named Coach of the Year in the conference. After coming within 1.5 points of NCC championNebraska-Omaha a year earlier, the Jacks eliminated the suspense early in 1997 by putting sixwrestlers in the finals of the conference tournament in Grand Forks, N.D. It translated to an 80-65 victory over the runner-up Mavericks.In each of his first 10 seasons, Liles led the Jackrabbits to a top-10 finish at the NCAA

Division II Championships, including nine top-five finishes. SDSU placed second at nationalstwice (1998, 2001), third once (2001), fourth four times (1994, 1996, 1997, 2000) and fifthtwo times (1995, 1999).Liles was named Division II Wrestling Coach of the Year during the 2000-01 season, one in

which the Jackrabbits posted a 9-5-1 dual record and came within a victory of claiming thefirst team national championship in school history.By the time SDSU completed its run as a member of the North Central Conference and

NCAA Division II at the close of the 2003-04 season, the SDSU wrestling program had pro-duced 46 All-Americans, 11 national champions and 36 NWCA All-Academic Team selectionsduring Liles’ tenure.Starting with the 2004-05 season, the Jackrabbits have competed at the NCAA Division I

level. SDSU wrestled as an independent the first two seasons in the D-I ranks, then joined sixother schools in forming the Western Wrestling Conference in time for the 2006-07 season.Since moving to the highest level of collegiate competition, SDSU has posted a 36-47-2

2009 -10 SCHEDULENOVEMBER7 Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open 1 Champ12 at Iowa State L, 43-314 Harold Nichols Open (Iowa State) No Champs21 Kaufman/Brand Open (UNO) 2 Champs28 Hoosier Duals (Indiana)

Cumberlands W, 30-12Indiana L. 37-6Chattanooga L, 40-4Northern Illinois L, 32-15Liberty L, 27-27

DECEMBER12 #NEBRASKA 2 p.m.20 Tournament of Champions (Reno, Nev.) 9 a.m.

JANUARY23 *at Northern Iowa 7 p.m.30 *AIR FORCE 7 p.m.

FEBRUARY5 *WYOMING 7 p.m.12 *at Utah Valley 7 p.m.14 *at Northern Colorado 1 p.m.18 *at North Dakota State 7 p.m.

MARCH6 NCAA WEST REGIONAL TBA18-20 NCAA National Championships TBA

(Omaha, Neb.)

*Western Wrestling Conference Opponent#Held at the Swiftel Center in BrookingsNotes: Schedule subject to changeAll start times Central

WWC STAND INGSSCHOOL CONF. OVERALLUtah Valley University - 3-0Northern Iowa - 3-3Wyoming - 1-1South Dakota State - 1-5Air Force - 0-0North Dakota State - 0-0Northern Colorado - 0-4

dual record, starting with a 10-8 record during the 2004-05 season. Highlighting theJackrabbits’ 2006-07 season was the program’s second American Division title in three years atthe Virginia Duals.SDSU completed a fast-tracked transition to Division I prior to the 2006-07 season, making

the Jackrabbits eligible for postseason consideration. Under Liles’ guidance, redshirt freshmanRyan Meyer became the first SDSU wrestler in the D-I era to qualify for the national meet fol-lowing a runner-up effort in the 165-pound weight class at the 2007 West Regional. As a team, the Jackrabbits placed fifth out of seven teams at the 2007 West Regional.Liles came to SDSU in 1993 after a nine-year stay at Montana State University-Northern, in

Havre, where he led his squads to NAIA national championships in 1991 and 1992. Liles wasinducted into the MSU-Northern Athletic Hall of Fame during the fall of 2003.Over his last four seasons at MSU-Northern, his teams sandwiched back-to-back national

championships (1991 and 1992) between a pair of national runner-up finishes (1990 and1993). His teams at MSU-N won NAIA District-12 championships in 1988, 1990, 1991 and1992. During his career at MSU-N, Liles posted a dual record of 89-33, coached six individualnational champions, including the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1990 national tournament, andproduced 48 All-Americans.His teams produced eight academic All-Americans, with the team earning a 3.00 cumulative

grade point average from 1987-1993. Prior to joining the staff at MSU-N, Liles was assistantwrestling coach at Miami University in Ohio (1981-84). Liles got his start in coaching at the high school level in his native Ohio. In two seasons at

Arcadia High School, he produced back-to-back Blanchard Valley Conference championships in1980 and 1981, when his teams combined for a 20-6 dual record. He then moved on to Miami University (Ohio), where he served as an assistant coach while

working toward the master’s degree he received in 1982. At Miami, Liles played an integralpart in developing three NCAA Division I All-Americans. Miami won the Mid-AmericaConference title in 1984 and had an alternate to the 1984 USA Olympic Freestyle team.A 1979 graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Liles ended his career as the

winningest wrestler in the university’s history. A four-year starter, he was chosen as the team’smost valuable wrestler his last three seasons (1977-79).He and his wife Holly reside in Brookings. They have two sons: Walker and Hunter.THE ROSTER: The 2009-10 SDSU wrestling roster features 19 wrestlers from five different

states. Of the 19 wrestlers, 11 are South Dakota natives and three are from Iowa. Wisconsinand Kansas are represented by two wrestlers, while Minnesota is represented by one wrestler.By class, five are seniors, six are sophomores, one is a redshirt freshmen and seven are incom-ing freshmen.NAME WT. YR. HOMETOWNJared Aesoph 184 So. Watertown, S.D.Weston Blasius 157 Sr. Kimball, S.D.Bryce Drefke 184 Fr. Parker, S.D.Scott Elliott 174 So. Derby, Kan.Nick Flynn 157 So. Lansing, Kan.Nick Hagar 149 Fr. Tomahawk, Wis.Tyler Johnson 133 Fr. Canton, S.D.Nick Kulseth 133 Sr. Windom, Minn.David Michaud 184 So. Pine Ridge, S.D.Seth Moe 141 Fr. Seymour, Wis.Tyler Palmer 149 Fr. Brookings, S.D.Aaron Pickrel 125 RFr. Watertown, S.D.Joe Rasmussen 174 Fr. Ankeny, IowaTyler Sorenson 197 Sr. Garretson, S.D.Jeremy Swier Hwt. Sr. Colton, S.D.Randall Waldner 197 Fr. Redfield, S.D.Dustin Walraven 141 So. Huron, S.D.Marc Wermersen 149 Sr. Sioux Center, IowaCord Willers 174 So. Shenandoah, Iowa

Head Coach: Jason Liles Assistant Coach: Zack SchaferAssistant Coach: Josh Hardman Assistant Coach: Nate HansenVolunteer Assistant Coach: Chad Lamer

SDSU QUICK FACTSLocationFoundedEnrollmentPresidentDirector of AthleticsNicknameColorsConference

Brookings, S.D.1881

12,376 (Fall 2009)Dr. David Chicoine

Justin SellJackrabbits

Yellow and BlueWestern Wrestling Conf.

COACH LILESSEASON OVERALL CONF.1993-94 5-6-0 2-5-01994-95 4-6-0 2-5-01995-96 10-2-0 6-1-01996-97 8-2-0 6-1-01997-98 17-4-0 4-3-01998-99 15-7-0 3-3-01999-00 12-4-0 4-2-02000-01 9-5-1 3-2-12001-02 9-8-0 2-4-02002-03 12-9-0 3-3-02003-04 4-10-0 1-5-02004-05 10-8-0 N/A2005-06 7-11-0 N/A2006-07 8-8-1 1-4-12007-08 2-9-0 0-6-02008-09 9-11-1 0-6-02009-10 1-5-0 0-0-0SDSU 142-115-3 37-49-2Overall 231-143-4 N/A

• 2000-01 National Wrestling Coaches AssociationDivision II Coach of the Year• 1998 NCAA Division II Runner-Up• 2001 NCAA Division II Runner-Up

WWC Wres t l e r o f t h e WeekDate Wrestler SchoolNOV. 10 TYLER SORENSON SDSUNov. 17 Michael Martinez WyomingNov. 24 Ben Kjar Utah ValleyDec. 1 Kenny Hashimoto Northern ColoradoDec. 8 Shane Onufer Wyoming