Jackrabbits’ Bonus-Ballooning Secures 31-10 Win Over Northern Colorado
South Dakota State turned late bonus-point finishes into separation in Brookings, with tech fall and pins from ranked starters swinging the dual away from the Bears.
South Dakota State used a sequence of bonus-point finishes to turn a tight dual into a 31-10 victory over Northern Colorado in Brookings on Feb. 1, 2026.
The match opened with an 11-2 major decision from SDSU’s Daniel Guanajuato at 125, a strong start that set the tone before Northern Colorado’s big result at 133. No. 13 Dominick Serrano answered with a 15-5 major decision over Cale Seaton; transcript details show Serrano adding an escape and a late takedown in the third to lock up the margin.
The dual remained within reach for the Bears through the middle weights, but South Dakota State’s middle-to-late bonuses created separation. No. 22 Cael Swensen ended his 157-pound bout by pin, and No. 5 Bennett Berge turned a 197-pound match into a technical fall. Berge’s performance included an early nearfall in Period 1 and a pair of takedowns in Period 2 that were part of the decisive stretch.
SDSU finished the night with heavyweight Luke Rasmussen scoring a fall to close the dual, and decision wins at 174 and 184 helped preserve the margin. Northern Colorado’s Kilian Schultz produced a notable 4-1 sudden-victory victory at 165 over No. 31 Marcus Espinoza-Owens, one of the Bears’ more consequential individual results on the afternoon.
Collectively the majors, tech fall and pins supplied the Jackrabbits with the extra-team points they needed; without those bonus results the dual scoreboard would have been much tighter. The 31-10 final line reflects how SDSU’s bonus-point haul — spearheaded by No. 5 Bennett Berge and the pins from No. 22 Cael Swensen and Luke Rasmussen — determined the outcome in Brookings.