The SDSU wrestling team experienced its own devastating loss  Thursday night in Frost Arena, being swept by the University of Wyoming, 45-0 on senior night.

Wyoming, ranked 7th nationally, improved to a record of 9-3 (5-0 in the Western Wrestling Conference), while the Jacks slide to 4-9 overall and 0-6 in conference.  Thursday’s dual match marked the end of the regular season for SDSU.

Throughout the match, there were brief moments of glory on the side of the Jackrabbits, including Nick Flynn’s match, which went down to the wire before going into overtime and losing 7-2, once riding time factored in.  Although Flynn, the lone senior on the team, did not win his match, he felt that there were still some positives to be taken away from the meet.

“I just wanted to give it one last, hard fight.  It’s been an enjoyable experience for me, and now I’m looking ahead to Regionals,” Flynn said.

The Jackrabbit wrestlers could not find a foot to stand on, as they dropped all ten of their matches, four of which were determined by fall.  Wyoming boasted some of the top wrestlers in the country, including senior Joe LeBlanc, the number one wrestler in the country for the 184 pound weight class.

“When you’re that good, you’re just that good,” said head coach Jason Liles.  “They were pretty salty.”

Despite the numbers on the scoreboard, Liles felt that the team has shown marked improvement this whole season, and especially in the last two weeks.

“We’re miles ahead of where we were even a year ago.  These last four meets have been real close, and we were in position to win the majority of them,” he said.

The Jacks will now turn their focus to the looming West Regionals, hosted in Cedar Falls, Iowa on March 4th.  SDSU has several wrestlers that could make some noise at the regional level, including juniors Aaron Pickrel and Dustin Walraven.  For these final weeks of practice, the Jackrabbits will be focused on getting healthier and being rested for the match.  In this time off, the team hopes to find more motivation and enthusiasm for their final competition of the season.

“We have to bring our A-game,” Flynn said. “We’re a really talented team; we’ve just had trouble doing the right thing on the mat at the right time.  When the lights go on, we’re going to have to put it all together.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmoKilZCExI&list=UU0pX7uj4_88j30hXNX0aYiQ&index=1&feature=plcp[/youtube]

The SDSU wrestling team assembled one of its strongest showings of the young season at the UNI Open on Dec. 3 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Jacks placed five of their grapplers in four different weight classes, including an individual title for redshirt junior Aaron Pickrel.

“I thought we performed very well considering the level of competition and the experience that our kids have,” said head coach Jason Liles. “To have a champion and another one of our kids in the finals was very encouraging.”

SDSU junior heavyweight Joe Skow fights for position against Midland Lutheran’s Leviticus Roberson during the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 6. - Collegian Photo by Kathy Kroeger

The level of competition was indeed exceedingly high at Saturday’s tournament, which featured participants from powerhouse programs Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and Nebraska, but the Jackrabbits more than held their own.  The Jacks were once again guided by team leader Pickrel; the Watertown native posting a 4-0 mark for the day, concluding with a 3-0 victory over Cruse Aarhus of UNI in the final round of the 125-pound weight class. It was another strong showing for Pickerel who reached the semifinals at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open and earned two decisions, including a major, at the Campbell triangular.

Another Jacks leader, senior Nick Flynn, nearly grabbed his squad a second individual championship on the day at 157 pounds. Flynn scored three point decisions and a technical fall to advance to the final round where he would come up short to UNI’s Dustin Bonin 12-6.

“He’s (Flynn) wrestled that kid (Bonin) before, he’s been a national qualifier and I think we closed the gap on him a little bit since last year,” Liles said of Flynn’s finals match. “I think he (Flynn) did a nice job in how he competed and he needs to just keep improving.”

Junior transfers Austin Lindsay and Tony Lisek had their strongest showings of the season thus far, both placing in a tournament for the first time in their Jackrabbit careers. Lindsey advanced to the semifinals at 165 pounds before being defeated by unattached Logan Molina of Iowa State. Lindsay would rebound in the wrestleback and advance to the third-place match where he then lost to Riley Branch of UNI and finish fourth. Lisek placed third at 184 pounds, defeating true freshman teammate Dylan Penka in a wrestleback semifinal before going on to take the third place match. Penka dropped the fifth-place tilt to take sixth.

Redshirt junior Dustin Walraven suffered an early exit with a first-round loss to Matt Ortega of Indiana in the 141-pound weight class and would later falter in the wrestlebacks, failing to place.

It was a disappointing day for Walraven following his two wins in the Campbell triangular and a fifth place finish at the Williamson/Daktronics Open.