North Dakota State (2-2, 1-1 Big 12) returns to the wrestling mat for the first time in nearly three weeks against Big 12 foe Fresno State (0-1) and non-conference opponent California Baptist (0-3) this Saturday, Jan. 30, in Riverside, Calif. NDSU faces Fresno State at 11 a.m. PT followed by California Baptist at 3 p.m. PT in the Van Dyne Gym. The NDSU-CBU dual will be streamed live on WACDigitalNetwork.com. The Bison were scheduled to face both teams at Cal Poly last Sunday, Jan. 24, but the matches were canceled due to COVID-19 testing protocol.

Series History

This is the third meeting between North Dakota State and Fresno State with the Bison holding a series lead of 2-0-0, including a 28-7 triumph last February in Fargo. ... This is the first meeting between North Dakota State and California Baptist, which is a third-year Division I program.

The Lineup

125— McGwire Midkiff (1-1), Jr., Carter Lake, Iowa

133—#19 Kellyn March (2-2), Fr., Canton, S.D.

or Sam Stuhl (0-1), So., Ellsworth, Wis.

141—#21 Dylan Droegemueller (1-3), So., Champlin, Minn.

or Zach Watts (0-0), Fr., Fresno, Calif.

149—Jaden Van Maanen (2-2), Jr., La Crosse, Wis.

157—#13 Jared Franek (3-1), So., Harwood, N.D.

165—Luke Weber (2-2), Sr., Forsyth, Mont.

or Austin Brenner (3-1), So., St. Cloud, Minn.

174—Riley Habisch (0-1), RFr., Buffalo, Minn.

184—TJ Pottinger (1-2), So., Hastings, Minn.

or Luke Rasmussen (0-0), Fr., Barrington, Ill.

197—Michael Nelson (1-3), RFr., Dover, Minn.

285—#15 Brandon Metz (2-2), Jr., West Fargo, N.D.

#Trackwrestling individual rankings

Bison in the National Rankings

North Dakota State has six wrestlers in the latest Division I rankings. Sophomore 157 Jared Franek is 13th in Trackwrestling, 14th in InterMat and 15th in FloWrestling. Junior heavyweight Brandon Metz is 15th in Trackwrestling and 16th in both InterMat and FloWrestling. Freshman 133 Kellyn March checks in at 19th in Trackwrestling. Sophomore 141 Dylan Droegemueller also slots in at 21st on Trackwrestling.

NDSU Splits Pair of Big 12 Conference Duals 

North Dakota State split a pair of duals against Big 12 Conference opponents Jan. 10 in Brookings, S.D., with a 27-11 loss to 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa, before defeating South Dakota State 21-13. Sophomore 157 Jared Franek won both matches, including a 4-2 overtime victory over 20th-ranked Cade DeVos of SDSU to help lead the Bison to victory. With the Bison leading 18-13 after nine bouts, heavyweight Brandon Metz put the match on ice with a 5-4 overtime win in the second tiebreaker round. NDSU 141 Dylan Droegemueller defeated Drew Bennett of UNI by major decision, 12-2, one of three victories against UNI on the day. The Panthers won two bouts by pins en route to victory. 

Bison Split Opening Duals

North Dakota State opened the 2020-21 season at home with a 19-15 victory over Oregon State and a 38-3 loss to 12th-ranked Missouri. Heavyweight Brandon Metz's 9-7 overtime victory secured the Bison victory after OSU rallied back from a 16-6 deficit winning three straight decisions in the upper weights. Freshman 133 Kellyn March won his first two collegiate matches including a 14-5 major decision over seventh-ranked Devan Turner of Oregon State in the opener. March picked up NDSU's only win against Missouri with a 7-4 decision against Trey Crawford. The Tigers won three bouts by major decision plus one technical fall and two pins.

Who's Back

North Dakota State returns three NCAA qualifiers and six starters from last year's team that went 10-4 overall in duals and placed fifth at the Big 12 tournament before cancellation of the NCAA tournament. Sophomore 141 Dylan Droegemueller (15-10), sophomore 157 Jared Franek (27-7) and junior heavyweight Brandon Metz (22-10) each qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. Other returning starters include junior 149 Jaden Van Maanen (12-17), senior 174 Luke Weber (15-13) and sophomore 184 Noah Cressell (10-12).

Tickets Available for Feb. 7 Home Duals

Tickets are on sale at GoBison.com/tickets for North Dakota State's final two home duals of the season Sunday, Feb. 7, in the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The Bison face South Dakota State in the annual Border Bell match at 11 a.m. followed by Iowa State at 1 p.m. The Jackrabbits and Cyclones will go head-to-head at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 3-17. One ticket is good for admission all day. All seating will be general admission in designated, physically distanced areas and face coverings are required.

Big 12 Championship Tickets on Sale

All-session tickets are on sale at BOKcenter.com for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship scheduled for March 6-7 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. General admission reserved tickets start as low as $49, while reserved seating is $69 and premium seats are available for $89 and $109. All fans will be in pod seating, which increases distancing and minimizes fan crossover when entering and exiting their seats. Fans must purchase all tickets in a selected pod group, available in select section groupings of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 seats.