Bison Handle No. 24 Boise State, 24-15

FARGO, N.D. - By random draw, it was decided that Friday night's dual between the North Dakota State wrestling team and No. 24 Boise State would begin at the 157-pound weight class, meaning that NDSU redshirt freshman Hayden Zillmer would lead off against a nationally ranked opponent on a nationally ranked team in his Bison debut.

Zillmer did not flinch, and his double-overtime victory over No. 20 George Ivanov sparked an inspired NDSU team effort that the Broncos were never quite able to extinguish. The Bison went on to total six match victories and post a 24-15 win over Boise State.

Zillmer (Crosby, Minn.) scored a takedown of Ivanov with three seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime. After a pair of scoreless sudden victory periods and a pair of escapes by both wrestlers, Zillmer finally claimed an 8-7 victory in the second overtime by virtue of riding time.

No. 8 Steven Monk followed up with a 7-2 decision over Boise State's Holden Packard to give NDSU a 6-0 lead.

The Bison dropped back-to-back matches at 174 and 184 pounds, with Kurtis Julson losing a 4-3 decision to Scott Bacon and Mac Stoll falling by major decision to No. 12 Jake Swartz, 13-5.

With NDSU trailing 7-6, senior Kallen Kleinschmidt lifted the Bison back into the lead with a back-and-forth 11-9 decision over Cody Dixon at 197 pounds. Kleinschmidt trailed 7-2 late in the second period, but outscored Dixon 9-2 over the final 2:13 to win.

Boise State heavyweight J.T. Felix won by 12-3 major decision over NDSU sophomore Evan Knutson to give the Broncos an 11-9 lead, but Bison senior Trent Sprenkle made sure that was short-lived.

The No. 7-ranked Sprenkle was well on his way to a major decision of Boise's Rami Haddadin at 125 pounds - leading 16-5 with one minute remaining in the third period - when he tallied one final takedown and pinned Haddadin at 6:12.

Sprenkle's win by fall and a forfeit to NDSU freshman Josh Rodriguez at 133 pounds put the Bison up 21-11, and senior Mark Erickson cruised to a 6-1 victory over Travis Himmelman at 141 pounds to seal the victory.

In the night's final match, Bison senior Joe Garner wrestled tough against the nation's No. 2 149-pounder in Jason Chamberlain but dropped a 10-2 major decision.

Boise State entered the dual ranked No. 24 in the nation in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Top 25 poll, but the Broncos were also rated as high as No. 16 in the nation by Intermat.

North Dakota State (1-0) will host the Bison Quad on Saturday, Nov. 24, when it welcomes No. 1 Minnesota, Eastern Michigan University and Itasca Community College to the Bison Sports Arena.

Match Results

157 - Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) dec. No. 20 George Ivanov (BSU), 8-7 (2OT, RT)
165 - No. 8 Steven Monk (NDSU) dec. Holden Packard (BSU), 7-2
174 - Scott Bacon (BSU) dec. Kurtis Julson (NDSU), 4-3
184 - No. 12 Jake Swartz (BSU) maj. dec. No. 17 Mac Stoll (NDSU), 13-5
197 - Kallen Kleinschmidt (NDSU) dec. Cody Dixon (BSU), 11-9
Hwt - J.T. Felix (BSU) maj. dec. Evan Knutson (NDSU), 12-3
125 - No. 7 Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) win by fall Rami Haddadin (BSU), 6:12
133 - Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) win by forfeit
141 - Mark Erickson (NDSU) dec. Travis Himmelman (BSU), 6-1
149 - No. 2 Jason Chamberlain (BSU) maj. dec. Joe Garner (NDSU), 10-2