Upper weights help Bison

The Forum, Fargo, North Dakota

NDSU’s Dustin Benz, right, tries to take control against MSUM’s Dustin Uselman during their 197-pound match. Benz beat Uselman 14-3.

By Jeff Kolpack jkolpack@forumcomm.com
Sports - 01/29/2005

For 3½ years, Chris Tuchscherer put his wrestling soul into North Dakota State. Friday night, he went from the Hatfields to the McCoys, so to speak.

The Minnesota State Moorhead heavyweight, who transferred after the first semester because of NCAA rules, beat his old teammate Tim Kraemer.

It didn’t matter in the team race -- NDSU took a 24-16 win at the Bison Sports Arena for its 20th straight home dual victory and 32nd in a row over the Dragons.

“I almost didn’t want to do it -- going against my team that I love,” Tuchscherer said. “I was really nervous.”

Tuchscherer was a victim of NDSU’s new Division I rules, which dictate an athlete has five years to complete four years of eligibility. Tuch scherer briefly attended a junior college in the 1990s.

“I would have loved to stay here,” he said.

Like they have for so many years, the Bison got on an upper-weight roll to pull away from the upset-minded Dragons. Four straight wins from 165 pounds to 197 gave the Bison an insurmountable lead and turned the heavyweight match into strictly an individual battle.

Kraemer led 4-1 after the first period. But Tuchscherer put a near fall on Kraemer in a scuffle that left Kraemer bleeding on the mat.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Tuchscherer said.

The Dragons had the upper hand through the first five matches. NDSU forfeited at 133 to rest Nick Magee’s ailing shoulder, and Ben Keen’s 4-3 decision over Lucas Christianson at 141 made it 9-3.

One match later, MSUM’s Josh Jansen almost pinned Bison senior Collin Kelly.

Jansen had Kelly on the ropes and the Dragon fans on their feet in the third period with several attempts at a pin. He got only three team points -- instead of six for a fall -- in the 10-5 win, but the Dragons still led 12-7 with five matches remaining.

“Where they had people, they wrestled hard,” NDSU coach Bucky Maughan said of the Dragons.

The Bison, however, had too much strength from there. “You don’t like to see it that close,” said Dustin Benz, NDSU’s 197-pounder. “I wasn’t too worried about it but we had to get the job done on top.” Andy Pickar’s win at 165 and Adam Dahlstrom’s pin at 174 gave NDSU a 17-12 lead. Dahlstrom put Eric Hageman on his back with 11 seconds left in the first period. “Once we got up there (in the upper weights), I thought we should win four straight matches,” Maughan said. 125: Meger, NDSU, dec. Burgard, 10-8. 133: McFarland, MSUM, won by forfeit. 141: Keen, MSUM, dec. Christianson, 4-3. 149: Stevens, NDSU, dec. Walton, 11-1. 157: Jansen, MSUM, dec. Kelly, 10-5. 165: Pickar, NDSU, dec. Stavn, 13-5. 174: Dahlstrom, NDSU, pinned Hageman, 2:49. 184: Hermann, NDSU, dec. Roseen, 9-3. 197: Benz, NDSU, dec. Uselman, 14-3. Hwt.: Tuchscherer, MSUM, maj. dec. Kraemer, 13-5.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546