For Immediate Release
Monday, January 16, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Wrestler of the Week
Jacob Dykes (285 lbs., Jr., Iowa City, Iowa / Iowa City HS) - SMSU
- Defeated Darrell Mason in SMSU's dual meet against Minnesota State. Dykes won by 3-1 decision
- Handed Mason, the reigning NWCA Wrestler of the Year and National Champion, his first career Division-II loss
- Scored a takedown in the first period and an escape in the third period to pick up the win
- Improved to 11-4 overall and 3-0 in NSIC duals this season
Other Top Performances
Wyatt Lidberg (UMary) led the #11 Marauders to wins over Minnesota State (23-15) and MSU Moorhead (41-0) to open Northern Sun action. He defeated the Mavericks Shane Gibson by a 17-0 technical fall and followed with a pin of Caleb Vacura of the Dragons at 2:47 of the match. He improved to 17-6 on the year.
Drake Hayward (MSU) went 2-0 in duals this week for a combined total of nine team points. He pinned #9 Braydon Huber of UMary at 6:00 in the third period. His 3-2 decision win in dual against #24 Southwest Minnesota State to help win the dual 26-18.
Clayson Mele (MSUM) collected a decision win (11-4) over Upper Iowa's Colby Lopez on Saturday afternoon, his 12th victory of the season. He registered four takedowns and racked up over two minutes of riding time against Lopez. He lost a tough decision to Mary's Chase Milligan (11-7) on Friday night, getting two takedowns against Milligan.
Jake Swirple (MINOT) won his lone match of the week in his return to the mats after a slight injury, scoring an 8-0 major decision win in the Beavers NSIC dual on Friday.
Abner Romero (SCSU) dominated in the Huskies' two duals last week, going 2-0 at 174 with a pair of tech falls. He outscored his opponents 34-4. He scored a 16-1 second-period tech of UW-Parkside's Crosby Schlosser at 4:14 and tech'd All-NSIC opponent Kolby Kost of Augustana 18-3 with a late nearfall in the third period...
Chase Luensman (UIU) posted a 2-0 record with a 12-4 major decision and a 25-10 technical fall in Upper Iowa's weekend sweep at MSU Moorhead and No. 21 Northern State. The senior is now 19-1 on the sea-son and ranked No. 2 in the nation. Luensman grabbed 17 takedowns over the weekend to add to his team-high total, which reached 73 after the bouts, and now is scoring 3.65 takedowns per match this year.
Jalen Spuhler (Parkside) came away with a huge upset over No.4 ranked Joey Bianchini by 12-6 decision. This set the tone as Parkside defeated St. Cloud 20-19, handing the Huskies their first NSIC loss in over a decade and ending an 88 NSIC dual win streak.
NSIC Wrestling Pages
NSIC Wrestlers of the Week
11/7/22: Caleb Meekins – St. Cloud State
11/14/22: Caden Steffen – SMSU
11/21/22: Eric Faught – Upper Iowa
12/5/22: Tyler Wagener - Augustana
12/12/22: Shane Gantz - Parkside
12/19/22: Caden Steffen – SMSU (2)
1/9/23: Nick Novak – St. Cloud State
1/16/23: Jacob Dykes - SMSU
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.
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