For Immediate Release
Monday, January 24, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Wrestler of the Week
Joey Bianchini (149 lbs., R-Jr., Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep) - St. Cloud State
- Dominated the 141 pound Gold division on his way to a
North Country Open Championship
- Pinned Cade Willis (Augsburg), Ryan Watts (NDSU) and Cade Lundeen (Concordia-Moorhead)
- Earned a 10-4 decision over No. 2 Sam Stuhl of Augsburg in the finals
Other Top Performances
Reece Barnhardt (UMary) pinned UW-Parkside's Joey Roti at the 2:10 mark in a 21-16 loss.
Cole Jones (MSUM) went 2-0 on week at 133 to improve to 7-6 on the season. He recorded a major decision over SMSU's Hunter Pfantz (18-7) during Thursday's dual and pinned Northern State's Ty Althoff in 5:46 in a loss to No. 21 Northern State.
Jordan Will (MINOT) scored a perfect 7-0 victory in his 285-pound match in a dual at Parkside in the Beavers' first action since the holiday break.
Kolton Roth (NSU) tallied one of two extra point victories in the Wolves 21-18 win over MSU Moorhead. He wrestled up a weight class to 149-pounds and defeated Gunnar Mogen in a 12-2 major decision. He recorded two takedowns, a reversal, 4-point nearfall, and a penalty point in the victory to improve to 7-3 on the year and 3-0 in the NSIC.
Lucas Hodges (SMSU) collected SMSU's fastest pin in a dual this season, defeating Peyton Ringling by fall at 1:53 to help the Mustangs past MSU Moorhead, 32-8. The win was his seventh of the season, and brought his record in matches with a fall to 3-1.
Rodsean Graham (UWP) helped Parkside to a big 2-0 home weekend, going 2-0 at 197 pounds and earning a key 5-2 decision over #10 Matt Kaylor of UMary. He also defeated Minot State’s Dustin Swisher by major decision, 10-2. Graham improved to 13-10 this season.
NSIC Wrestling Pages
NSIC Wrestlers of the Week
11/9/21 - Anthony Herrera - St. Cloud State
11/16/21 - Caden Steffen - Southwest Minnesota State
11/22/21 - Shane Gantz - Parkside
11/29/21 - Not Selected
12/6/21 - Darrell Mason - Minnesota State
12/13/21 - Dominic Murphy - St. Cloud State
12/20/21 - Cade Mueller - Augustana
1/10/22 - Reece Barnhardt - University of Mary
1/17/22- Tyler Wagener - Augustana
1/24/22 - Joey Bianchini - St. Cloud State
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 24 team national championships and crowned 81 individual national champions. For additional information, visit
NorthernSun.org.
About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit
NCAA.org.
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