MANKATO, Minn. – (RV) Minnesota State traveled to Sioux Falls this evening for their first conference dual of the season, beating the Cougars 37-6.
 
The dual began at 157-lb. with No. 14 Caleb Meunier, the junior from Winneconne, Wis., putting the first points on the board for MSU with a 8-5 decision win over Lincoln Fink.
 
At 165-lb., junior Kole Marko, ranked No. 12 from St. Croix Falls, Wis., faced Cooper Sanders. Marko tallied five takedowns against Sanders to win by a 15-6 MD.
 
No. 13 Drake Hayward, from Neenah, Wis., found a quick pin on Grant Moraski at 1:27 in the first period. The redshirt-junior helped notch the Mavericks at a 13-0 team score after three matches.
 
The next two matches also resulted in pins for the Mavericks. Redshirt-freshman Evan Farley, 184-lb. from New Prague, Minn., also had a pin in the first period at 1:28 against Tim Lacina, followed by Jesus Gonzalez, the 197-lb. freshman out of Reedsburg, Wis., with the pin at 6:00. After the first five matches, Minnesota State led the dual 25-0 over the University of Sioux Falls.
 
After a close loss at 285-lb., freshman Jacob Fitzpatrick, from La Crescent, Minn., came back with a 12-3 MD win over Jaxton Packer at 125-lb.
 
The Cougars won the 133-lb. match, however redshirt-freshman Brayden Sonnentag, of Boyd, Wis., won by a 4-0 decision at 141-lb. against Jordon Oehme to continue the Maverick momentum.
 
In the last match of the evening, redshirt-sophomore Walker Bents, 149-lb. from Glenwood, Minn., won by a 16-1 tech fall at 1:07 in the first period, rounding out the team score 37-6 Mavericks.
 
Head coach Jim Makovsky commented on the success of the evening, "It was great to start conference dual season with a win. Highlighted by wins from five guys new to the lineup. Jacob Fitzpatrick, Brayden Sonnentag, Walker Bents, Evan Farley, and Jesus Gonzalez wrestled at a high level and got their first wins as Mavericks. Overall the team wrestled at a high level and more to our full potential. We look forward to continuously improving throughout the season and showcasing our skills."
 
With this win, the Mavericks hold a 1-1 overall record, 1-0 NSIC record.
 
The Mavericks stay on the road over the break, traveling to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Desert Duals on Dec. 21^st.