Going to be a fun year for the Jacks. Looking forward to the Minnesota Dual @ Minnesota!
Mike Flynn
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BROOKINGS, S.D. – A dual match with the defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers and six home duals, along with the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open, highlight the 2007-08 South Dakota State wrestling schedule.
“We still need to add a couple of dates, but I like the way the schedule is coming together,” said SDSU head coach Jason Liles. “We have some great competition coming into Frost Arena, which is good for our program and for our fans.”
The six home duals include four with non-conference opponents, including Nebraska on Dec. 7, Northern State on Jan. 18, Dakota Wesleyan on Feb. 2, and Portland State on Feb. 16.
The two other home duals pit the Jackrabbits against Western Wrestling Conference opponents and give them a chance to avenge losses from last season. Wyoming, who topped the Jacks 31-12 last season, comes to Frost Arena on Feb., 2 and the Air Force Academy, who beat SDSU 25-21 comes to town on Feb. 16.
“I intentionally scheduled two duals on February 2,” said Liles. “We’ve done it in the past and we usually wrestle better in the second match of the day, which could give us an edge against Wyoming.”
The Jackrabbits open the season on Oct. 27, with a coach’s clinic at 9 a.m., followed by wrestle-offs at 1:30 p.m.
The first competition of the season comes a week later on Nov. 3, when the SDSU hosts the Warren Williamson/Daktronics open in Frost Arena.
The Jacks head to Omaha on Nov. 17, where Division II powerhouse Nebraska-Omaha hosts the UNO open.
Following an open week, SDSU heads to Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 30-Dec. 1, to compete in the Cliff Keen Invitational.
The conference season starts on Jan. 3, in Orem, Utah, when the Jacks battle Utah Valley State (34-6 win), and then continues two days later in Greeley, Colo., against Northern Colorado. (23-15 loss)
After hosting Northern State and traveling to Minnesota, conference action picks up again on Jan. 23, in Fargo N.D., against the Bison, who the Jacks tied with last season.
The final road dual of the season comes on Feb. 10, when the Jacks travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take on Northern Iowa. The Panthers, who sent six wrestlers to the NCAA National Championships in 2007, beat the Jacks 41-6 last season.
Fargo hosts the NCAA Division I Western Regional on March 8, and St. Louis, Mo., hosts the NCAA Division I National Championships from March 20-22.
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Jack's Wrestling Schedule Jack's Wrestling Roster 07/08
