Mavericks wrestling sends 4 to NCAA Championship
Andrew Neururer
Sports Editor
The Minnesota State Mavericks wrestling team will be sending four wrestlers to the Division II National Championship meet after placing fourth as a team in the NCAA Division II Super Regionals.
The four Mavericks that will be representing the school at the National Championship meet are: junior Kyle Rathman, sophomore Trevor Turriff, junior Trenton McManus and senior Louie Sanders.
McManus finished third in the 125-pound weight class after defeating St. Cloud State’s Brandon Betancourt in the third-place match. McManus lost his first match to No. 8-ranked Dean Arevalo of Minot State, but rebounded by winning the next three matches.
No. 10-ranked Sanders also placed third in the 141-pound weight class. After losing his first match, Sanders won four straight, including a win over UW-Parkside’s Pernevlon Sheppard in a 7-2 decision.
The No. 3-ranked Rathman wrestled his way to a second-place finish after winning his first two matches, one to the No. 6-ranked Chase Luensman of Upper Iowa. In the championship round, Rathman was defeated by St. Cloud’s James Pleski, who holds the No. 2 rank.
Rathman acknowledges that being one of the four Mavericks to represent Minnesota State in South Dakota means everything.
“This team has been through a lot the last 6-7 months and now we finally get to showcase all the hard work we’ve been putting in,” Rathman said. “This is truly the best time of the year and I’m very blessed to have another opportunity to make an appearance at nationals along with my boys.”
The other Maverick to head to the National Championship and finish in second place was Turriff. He won two matches and eventually found himself in the championship round against No. 3-ranked Tyree Overton of St. Cloud, but was unable to win that round.
Minnesota State finished with 93 points, good for fourth place.
The four Mavericks will be competing in the NCAA Championship meet March 12-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Header photo: Minnesota State wrestler Trenton McManus wrestles at the 125-lb weight class against St. Cloud State at the Taylor Center Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)