No. 18 NDSU Wrestling Opens Up Home Schedule Against Binghamton

Friday, November 18

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Binghamton

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Photo by: Benjamin Dishong

No. 18 NDSU Wrestling Opens Up Home Schedule Against Binghamton

11/17/2022 1:38:00 PM | Wrestling

NDSU Notes

FARGO, N.D. - The No. 18 North Dakota State wrestling program will open up the home schedule for the 2022-23 season on Friday, as the Bison welcome in Binghamton University. The Bison (1-0) will match up against the Bearcats (0-1) with the first bout set for 7 p.m. inside the Scheels Center.

Back In the Top 25
The Bison made the biggest early-season statement with its 20-16 upset of then-No. 8 Nebraska in Lincoln, the opening night of the season. North Dakota State vaulted into the Top 25 for the first time since January 9, 2019 when they were ranked No. 23. After jumping in at No. 19 after week one, NDSU sits at No. 18 this week.

Dual Coverage
Friday's dual will be streamed live on NDSU All-Access. The dual will also have live results through TrackWrestling. Links for coverage will be available on GoBison.com.

Tickets
Tickets are available online at GoBison.com/tickets or by visiting or calling the Bison Ticket Office in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex at (701) 231-6378 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets will also be available on Friday night at the door. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 3-17.

Freshmen Make Early Statement
Redshirt freshmen Michael Caliendo (165) and Juan Mora (285) made a splash to begin the season. Caliendo scored a pin in his ranked dual match at Nebraska, while Mora picked up a ranked win in a winner-take-all final match to clinch the win at Nebraska. The two then returned to Fargo and put in weekend sweeps at the Bison Open to claim titles in their respective weight classes.

Approaching 100
NDSU Head Coach Roger Kish is quickly approaching 100 career victories in dual matches at the helm of the Bison. With the Bison win over Nebraska in the season opener, Kish is just two away in his 12th season. Kish currently holds a 98-67 record.

The Series
This is the fourth meeting between NDSU and Binghamton, including the second-straight season with a dual after NDSU won 27-12 last season in New York. The Bison hold a 3-0 record dating back to the first meeting in January of 1974, as the Bison won 36-9 in Binghamton. In the only other meeting, NDSU won 30-12 in January of 2013 at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Virginia.

Seven Bison in Major Rankings
NDSU has five wrestlers appearing in the rankings. Senior Jared Franek (157) sits 6th in Flo and 8th by InterMat to lead the way. Dylan Droegemueller (141) sits 9th by IM and 14th by Flo. Redshirt freshman Michael Caliendo (165) is ranked in both, led by a 15th in the IM poll. Owen Pentz (197) and DJ Parker (184) are both 29th in the IM rankings, while Pentz is 21st in Flo.

Who's Back?
The Bison return six main starters from the 2022 squad and nine dual starters overall, headlined by seniors Jared Franek (157) and Dylan Droegemueller (141), who both made runs at the NCAA Championships last season. Fellow NCAA qualifier Owen Pentz (197) is also back, as well as NCAA 133 alternate Kellyn March (149) and a pair of breakout freshmen from last season, DJ Parker (184) and Gaven Sax (174). Ryan Henningson (125), Riley Habisch (174) and Michael Nelson (184) also made spot starts for NDSU last season in duals and make their returns.

NCAA D1 Qualifiers
The Bison have had 58 NCAA Div. I qualifiers in 14 years of postseason eligibility since moving to Div. I in the 2004-05 season, including 15 qualifiers over the last three seasons. Rich in wrestling history, the Bison sent 26 wrestlers to the NCAA Div. I Championships from 1971 to 1991, bringing the total to 84 Div. I qualifiers in program history. The Bison have had 10 placing finishers at the Div. I Championships, including a best finish of 3rd by Steven Monk at 165 in 2014. In 2015, Kurtis Julson and Hayden Zillmer both placed in the top 8.

The Bison at Home
NDSU holds a 281-120-8 (.697) record at home over the course of the program's 65-year history. The Bison have not had back-to-back losses in duals at home since January 2019, when the Bison fell to No. 21 Iowa State and No. 18 Pitt. During the stretch since the consecutive losses, the Bison are 16-5 (.762) with four of the five losses coming against ranked opposition.

Head Coach Roger Kish
Roger Kish is in his 12th season as head coach of North Dakota State wrestling after taking over the program in 2011-12. Prior to taking over the reins, he spent two years as an assistant wrestling coach under the legendary Bucky Maughan.

Under his tenure, the Bison have had seven All-Americans, including a third by Steven Monk at 165 in 2014 and a fifth by Trent Sprenkle at 125 in 2013. Monk (134) and Sprenkle (109) are two of the top three win leaders in a storied Bison wrestling history. Since the move to the Big 12, Kish has also guided Cam Sykora (133 in 2020) and Luke Weber (165 in 2021) to Big 12 Individual Championships.

Kish was a two-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up for Minnesota at 184 pounds with a career record of 117-27 for the Gophers. He then spent two seasons on staff at Minnesota as a graduate assistant.

Up Next
The Bison will be back out on the road on Sunday with a small group headed to Brookings, S.D., set to compete in the Daktronics Open. Opening matches are set to begin at 9 a.m. at South Dakota State. The Bison will return to dual competition on December 9, as NDSU welcomes in Minnesota to the Scheels Center.