For Immediate Release
Monday, January 23, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Wrestler of the Week
Reece Worachek (184 lbs., R-So., Luxemburg, Wis. / Luxemburg-Casco HS) - Parkside
- Went 2-0 for No. 7 Parkside as the Rangers improved to 4-0 in the NSIC
- Defeated Danny Reynolds of No. 14 Augustana in an 10-2 major decision
- Helped the Rangers defeat the Vikings 25-14
- Defeated No.2 ranked Caden Steffen of SMSU via injury default
- Earned an escape in the second overtime to take a 2-1 lead and held on early in the third overtime before Steffen retired due to injury
- Helped the Rangers earn a 34-9 win over the Mustangs
Other Top Performances
Connor Simmonds (AUGIE) defeated No. 6 Jalen Spuhler of UW-Parkside by way of 5-2 decision. He totaled an escape, a reversal, a penalty point and an added point for riding time in the win. He then recorded a fall at 4:47 against Ethen Doty of Upper Iowa.
Luke Tweeton (UMary), in the heavyweight matchup in the annual Battle for the Barrel between visiting UMary and Minot State, downed No. 9 Jack Swirple 3-2 in the first tiebreaker. An escape point for each wrestler sent the match to double-overtime where Tweeton overcame Swirple with a two-second riding time difference.
Jonas Anez (MSUM) took home runner-up honors at Sunday's North Country Open, adding two wins to his season total. He defeat Concordia College's Rhett Hudoba by major decision (17-5) in the quarterfinal round. Following that up with an 8-1 decision win over Mary's Leo Mushinsky. He lost a hard-fought 11-10 decision to Minot State's Brendan Barnes on Thursday night in dual action, tallying three takedowns and two escapes.
Oscar Nellis (MINOT) won both of his matches on the week for the Beavers in a pair of NSIC duals, scoring a 9-7 overtime win on Thursday against MSU Moorhead, then a major decision victory on Sunday against UMary.
Wyatt Turnquist (NSU) went 3-0 at the Midwest Duals, where the Wolves tallied wins over No. 3 Nebraska Kearney, No. 17 Fort Hays State, and (RV) Central Missouri. He scored 16 points for the Wolves on the day. He opened with a victory by fall over John Burger (UNK) at 6:46,. He then took down Drew Burgoon (FHSU) in a 12-0 major decision. He capped off the day with a victory by fall over Charlie Getz (UCM) at 1:53. He improved his season record to 13-1 and holds the No. 7 national ranking at 149 pounds.
Eric Faught (UIU) collected two wins over the weekend in No. 10 Upper Iowa's pair of home victories over No. 14 Augustana (30-11) and No. 22 SMSU (41-0). Faught upset No. 10 Miles Fitzgerald in a 6-3 decision fueled by a late takedown and two nearfall points, which provided the cushion to the Clear Lake native to post the win. On Sunday, Faught won a 7-3 decision over Sean Howk of SMSU highlighted by three takedowns. Kaden Anderlik (133) and Cameron Lopez (184/197) joined Faught with 2-0 records over the weekend.
Elijah Novak (SCSU) made a statement on Saturday afternoon, winning a 6-1 decision over reigning NCAA Champion and NWCA National Wrestler of the Year Darrell Mason to help the Huskies shut out Minnesota State for the first time in program history. Down 1-0 to the No. 7 heavyweight in the country with 20 sec-onds to go, the true freshman Novak earned his escape then turned an incredible switch to put Mason on his back for a four-point nearfall. The nearfall is the first and only backpoints Mason has ever given up at the NCAA level. Novak's win was his first over a ranked wrestler this season.
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
1/23/23: Reece Worachek - Parkside
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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