For Immediate Release
Monday, November 7, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Wrestler of the Week
Caleb Meekins (133, R-Jr., Livonia, Mich. / John Glenn HS) – St. Cloud State
- Went 3-0 at the Yellowjacket Open to earn the Open Title at 133, recording three bonus-point wins
- Won the title with a pin of No. 1 Reece Barnhardt (MARY) at 4:03 of the championship match
- Majored Cael Bartels (UW-Eau Claire) 12-3 in the quarterfinals
- Scored a 20-5 tech fall of Rocco Visci (RCTC) in the semifinals
Other Top Performances
Miles Fitzgerald (AUGIE) paced second at the Yellow Jacket Open as he went 2-1. He won by 3-2 decision over opponent from UMary.
Braydon Huber (UMary) was undefeated in four matches to capture the Yellowjacket Open 165 pound title. In a series of close wins, Huber opened the season with a 4-1 decision over St. Cloud State's Bryce Dagel. After a 7-2 win over Alfred Daniel of UW-Eau Claire, Huber claimed a 6-2 decision over Augustana's Tyler Wagener, who is ranked 6th in the nation at 157. Huber wrapped up the title with a 4-1 decision over Kaleb O'Reilly of UW-LaCrosse.
Drake Hayward (MSU) led the Mavericks at the Yellowjacket Open hosted by Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, Minn., Saturday. Hayward went 5-0 at 157 pounds at the tournament, defeating Cooper Larson (Wisconsin-La Crosse) in the championship match 8-3.
Clayson Mele (MSUM) earned a win by fall at 4:08 in MSUM's dual against Jamestown on Friday night. Wrestling in this weekend's Jimmie Open, he took runner-up honors at 125 pounds. This included a win by fall in the quarterfinal round and by decision in the semifinal round.
Cannon Potts (MINOT) won the 174-pound weight bracket title at the Jamestown Jimmie Open tournament on Saturday, racking up four wins, including two by pin.
Wyatt Turnquist (NSU) opened the 2022-23 season with two wins in Oklahoma as he defeated Kayson Kenney of Carl Albert State by fall (2:19). He matched up against No. 3 Brik Filippo of No. 4 Central Oklahoma and recorded a 6-4 decision victory over Filippo who was an All-American in 2021-22.
Shane Gantz (UWP), ranked No. 1 in the NWCA Preseason Poll, dominated the 165-pound class with four victories with one coming as an 18-5 major. Five Rangers took home champion honors as five others finished in the top three of their respective weight classes at the Pointer Open hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
NSIC Wrestling Pages
NSIC Wrestlers of the Week
11/7/22: Caleb Meekins – 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 25 team national championships and crowned 96 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.
#NSICWres