University of Mary Wrestler Ben Imdieke to Transfer to North Dakota State
5/24/2005 5:00:00 AM | Wrestling
FARGO, N.D.?North Dakota State head wrestling coach Bucky Maughan has announced the signing of Ben Imdieke to a National Letter of Intent to wrestle and continue his education at NDSU in 2005.
Imdieke attended the University of Mary during the 2004-05 season and wrestled at 165 pounds. As a true freshman, Imdieke had a 20-21 record for the year for the Marauders and was a national qualifier for the NAIA Championships. At the 2004 Bison Open, he finished in fourth place with a 4-2 record with two wins by fall.
While at Linton High School he was a six-time state placewinner and a four-time state champion. He finished with a 223-21 prep record which included a 93 consecutive wining streak to finish his career. For his efforts he was voted as the 2004 Class B Wrestler of the Year.
The University of Mary recently announced the move to Division II athletics and will have a four-year transition period.
"We're happy to add Ben to our team and at the same time feel bad for Josh Kerbaugh, an ex-Bison wrestler and current coach at Mary," Maughan said.
"We have had five wrestlers leave NDSU because of the transition and had we not gotten our time reduced we would have lost most of last year's freshman class. The transition period imposed on individual sports like wrestling is something the NCAA needs to address and hopefully change."
Imdieke joins seven other recruits who have signed this year at North Dakota State. They are Heath Lynnes (Fargo, N.D.), Ryan Adams (Coon Rapids, Minn.), Zach Molitor (Cambridge, Minn.), David Albrecht (St. Paul, Minn.), Sean Connor (Idaho Falls, Idaho), Brandon Heie (Running Springs, Calif.) and Dominique Small (Federal Way, Wash.).
North Dakota State finished the 2004-05 season 10-4 in its first year as an NCAA Division I independent team. The Bison won Division II national titles in 1988, 1998, 2000 and 2001, and will be eligible for the Division I championships beginning in 2006-07.
