Wrestling

Tiger wrestling signs two in-state standouts

MITCHELL, S.D. – Dakota Wesleyan University head wrestling coach Matt Sedivy brought his recruiting total for 2012-13 up to five this week when he announced the signing of two more in-state athletes. Rapid City Stevens’ Jarrick Jensen and Harrisburg’s Jacob Devine will both join the Tigers this coming fall.

Jensen comes to Dakota Wesleyan after a standout career for the Raiders. He earned five varsity letters and placed at the Class A state tournament in each of his five seasons at Stevens High School. Didn’t lose more than 12 matches a year throughout high school, and finished his prep wrestling career with a 183-40 record.

He took fifth at 103 pounds as an eighth-grade and again at 119 pounds as a freshman, placed sixth at 135 pounds as a sophomore and third as a junior at 135 pounds. Jensen capped off his career with a 34-3 record and a state title at 145 pounds this past season. Jensen, who plans to major in nursing, was part of two title-winning teams in 2008 and 2011 and was a five-time all-conference and three-time Rapid City Journal Best of the West selection.

Devine is a Sioux Falls native who went to school at Harrisburg High School. He earned six varsity letters and recorded more than 100 wins in his high school career. He qualified for the state wrestling tournament as a junior and senior and took seventh as a senior in 2012. Devine, who plans to major in athletic training, earned all-conference honors and led his team in reversals.

“We’re excited to have two more South Dakota wrestlers join Dakota Wesleyan wrestling,” Sedivy said. “They’re both solid students with a great amount of potential for the future. Although they were in the same weight class this year at the state tournament, I don’t see them being anywhere near each other in our lineup.

“Jarrick is a kid that holds very high expectations of himself and understands the preparation it takes to win consistently. He will immediately help the mindset in our room and will challenge for a starting spot early on. Jacob has the height that we will be working to fill out and build him into a heavier wrestler. He will be stepping into a spot in the lineup that has more depth, but we’re excited to see how he progresses and challenges those wrestlers for that spot.”

Jensen and Devine join three wrestlers who have already signed with the Tigers. Tri-Valley High School’s Caleb Heiberger, Britton-Hecla’s Jade Hoisington  and Carson, Wash., native Karl Bell. Dakota Wesleyan, which qualified 10 wrestlers to the NAIA National Championships this past season, loses three seniors to graduation in May but returns plenty of experienced athletes.