South Dakota State won two matches by technical fall and added a pair of major decisions to defeat 18th-ranked Iowa State, 27-9, in a season-opening wrestling dual Friday night before a record crowd of 1,814 at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits, who were the top team receiving votes in the preseason USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings, won seven matches overall, starting with a 14-2 major decision over Colston DiBlasi at 165 pounds.
The 174-pound matchup featured a pair of returning national qualifiers in Iowa State’s seventh-ranked Lelund Weatherspoon and the Jackrabbits’ David Kocer. Weatherspoon recorded a second-period escape to take a 1-0 lead into the final period, but Kocer evened the match with an early escape, then recorded the lone takedown of the bout with two seconds remaining to give SDSU a 7-0 lead and send the crowd into a frenzy.