BROOKINGS — South Dakota State wrestling finished off the regular season and retained the Border Bell on Sunday with a 34-6 victory over North Dakota State at Frost Arena.

SDSU won eight of the 10 matches on Senior Day and four wrestlers competed in their final matches at home. 

“Anytime you get to beat the Bison it’s always fun,” said SDSU head coach Damion Hahn. “For me, this was more than just a wrestling match tonight. I got here six years ago and we have guys where that was their last time stepping on the mat at home. So for me, it was a little emotional because these guys were a part of it from the beginning when we got here.” 

No. 14 ranked Tanner Jordan opened the match for the Jacks in the 125-pound weight class. He won a 13-0 major decision over Ryan Henningson and put SDSU up 4-0. The Bison would pick up an upset win in the next match at 133 as Fernando Barreto won a 7-2 decision over No. 18 Derrick Cardinal. 

At 144 22nd-ranked Clay Carlson took the mat for the final time at home. He took on Gavin Drexler and a takedown with 15 seconds left in the match gave Carlson a 4-1 decision. It was the 114th victory for the sixth-year senior and he said it wasn’t just a normal match for him.

“For me, I was really nervous today,” Carlson said. “Which I didn’t need to be, but I was. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve talked about this moment and this day for six years now. I remember being in the dorms talking about how in our senior year we’re going to have a pretty good team and now we’re sitting here with that pretty good team. 

“… I was way more nervous than I should have been and then I’ve been in a long time. The whole time I was thinking, just calm down dude, it’s just another match. But at the same time it’s not just another match. It’s the last match. So it’s pretty emotional.”

No. 22 Alek Martin took the mat for the Jacks next and he faced No. 31 Max Petersen at 149. Martin led 7-2 heading into the third period but Petersen rallied to tie things up. A late escape from Martin gave him an 8-7 decision win and put the Jacks up 10-3. No. 18 Cael Swensen wrestled in the final match before the intermission and he won a 10-1 major decision over Landen Johnson at 157.

Tanner Cook then wrestled his final match at Frost in the 165-pound weight class. Cook pinned Brendan Howes 76 seconds into the match and it was the 46th time in his career he won by pinfall. 

Cook said losing was not an option on Sunday because he had a lot of friends and family in attendance. 

“It was definitely my favorite win ever. I had some of my family here for the first time, so that was definitely important for me. I didn’t want to let them down. They drove all the way from New York and I had one of my best friends come from Colorado. I had to win that match. Whatever it took I was going to do it,” Cook said.

No. 4 Cade DeVos won his 20th match of the season on Sunday as he won a 5-2 decision over No. 17 Gaven Sax at 174. No. 8 Bennett Berge had the second pin of the match for the Jacks as he pinned Adam Cherne in one minute and 23 seconds at 184.

No. 4 Tanner Sloan finished his career undefeated at Frost Arena as he won via technical fall, 15-0. It was the eighth time this season that Sloan won by technical fall and he picked up his 105th victory of his career and his 39th consecutive dual win.

Senior Bowen McConville closed things out for the Jacks at heavyweight and he lost a 4-2 decision to Devon Dawson after Dawson had a late takedown.

SDSU finished the season with a dual record of 13-4 and the Jacks were 7-2 in the Big 12. When Carlson and Sloan got SDSU in 2018 it was the first season for Hahn as well. The Jacks went 3-10 overall that season and 2-7 in conference play.

Hahn said it was special to honor those guys on Sunday and they have meant a lot to both him and the program.

“These kids that we brought in six years ago, they bought into what our vision was and our system and the process. … They never deviated and they never questioned. They believed. I think one of the greatest things about being a coach, and it’s not just me, it’s my entire staff, is the relationships that we have with these guys. It’s the most amazing thing in the world. It truly is,” Hahn said.

Up next SDSU will head to the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 9 and 10. The Jackrabbit wrestlers will look to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships in the conference tournament and Cook said he thinks everyone is ready to make their mark in the postseason.

“I would say that we’re ready to go and we’re where we need to be. … If you’re a true wrestling fan, we want All-Americans and National Champs. So, we had a couple guys take losses here and there, but none of that matters. What matters is two weeks from now [at the conference tournament] and then the national tournament and we’re going to be ready,” Cook said.