MOORHEAD, Minn. – The No. 20 ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons wrestling team visited cross-town rival, NCAA Division-III No. 7 ranked Concordia Cobbers for the 60th time in both team's history. The Cobbers won just their 16th dual against the Dragons by a final of 21-12.
The Dragons kicked off the dual with a big win by 125-pounder Cory Ulmer who took on NCAA D-III No. 7 Ben Presler. Ulmer, ranked No. 6 in the nation, gained early control in the match, taking down Presler just 20 seconds into the match. A reversal in the second gave Ulmer a 4-0 lead after two periods.
Presler took down Ulmer midway through the third but released Ulmer to put the match with in striking distance. Ulmer wrestled on the offense and did not let Presler gain anymore points, tacking on one more point for riding time, 3:42 total minutes, for a 6-3 win.
After a narrow loss at 133 pounds, the Dragons turned to freshman
Connor MacGregor at 141-pounds. MacGregor took on David Baker looking to give the Dragons the momentum. Baker capitalized on MacGregor's aggressiveness, earning an early takedown but MacGregor composed himself, getting a reversal just 21 seconds later.
MacGregor escaped from the bottom position early in the second, and took Baker down just 22 seconds later. Just like in the 125-pound match, the Cobbers got a takedown but were forced to release in search of more points. MacGregor made Baker pay and gained one more takedown to secure the 8-4 win.
Tyler Steinwand continued to apply the pressure on the Cobbers as he faced off against Jacob Long at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first, Steinwand escaped the bottom position just 22 seconds into the period, and took down Long with only 18 seconds remaining to give himself a 3-0 lead. Long managed an escaped in the third but would not gain another point as Steinwand held on to a 3-1 win.
After the midway point, a victory at 157 pounds put the Cobbers just three points behind the Dragons. After the break, the Cobbers brought in Matt Jeska at 165 pounds while the Dragons countered with
Tyler Kivel. Jeska earned a takedown late in the first but Kivel held him scoreless in the second, heading into the third down 0-2.
Kivel escaped from the bottom position in the third, and would reverse a Jeska takedown with only 32 seconds left, nearly earning a nearfall to win the match. Kivel's 1:31 riding time tied the match at 4-4 heading into overtime. There, Kivel gained a takedown just 12 seconds into sudden victory overtime to gain a 6-4 win.
The Cobbers won three straight matches, giving themselves an 18-12 lead. Swart was unable to get the pinfall in the third the Dragons needed for a tie, as the Cobbers snuck out a home win by a final of 12-21. The Dragons continue on the road as they take on Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, Minn. on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Dragons return home on Feb. 10 for the John Sterner Endowment Dual at 7 p.m.
Full Results
