RCTC Yellowjacket Athletics

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RCTC Yellowjackets Place 2ND at NJCAA National Tournament!!!

While high school section tournaments were being wrestled across the state, Rochester Community and Technical College hosted the NJCAA National Wrestling Tournament. This was the eleventh year for RCTC to host the National Tournament and is the last year before the tournament will be moved to Des Moines, IA. The Yellowjackets took full advantage of wrestling at home and were the National Runner-Ups among Division-III schools. “It’s a difficult situation for D-III schools. There are only eight All-American spots in each weight and we are wrestling against NJCAA D-I wrestlers. These are guys that are being paid to wrestle. Our kids for the most part are local and wrestling for the love the sport,” said Head Coach Randy Rager.

RCTC had two wrestlers earn All-American honors. Devin Clark (Sioux Falls, SD) was a National Champion at 184 pounds, while Parker Brand (Rushford, MN) placed 2nd at 197 pounds. Ethan Hackbarth (Utica, MN) narrowly missed the All-American round, and lost a match that he was winning on an illegal hold call. “In all my years of being involved with wrestling, I have never seen such a controversial call,” noted Rager.

Devin Clark came into the tournament ranked 8th according to the most recent NJCAA poll. Clark put together four solid wins before reaching the finals of the tournament. In the finals Clark faced undefeated George Hargrove of Springfield Tech. The match was a battle of defense with the exchange of escapes being the only points scored until the final seconds of the third period. In the closing seconds of the match, Clark went to shoot Hargrove off the mat on the edge. He found himself in a position to score and was able to peek out and get around Hargrove for two and win the NJCAA National Championship. Clark was the only National Champion who had all of his opponents throughout the tournament reach All-American status.

Parker Brand came into the tournament unranked and was a wildcard entrant from the regional. He was injured most of the season and only had ten matches coming into the tournament. Throughout the tournament he began to pick off the top ranked wrestlers. In his finals match Parker lost a hard fought battle to Phil Hawes of Iowa Central 15-6.

Also picking up victories in the National Tournament were Dan Anderson (Rushford, MN) at 125, Luke Evjen (Hayfield, MN) at 165, and Ethan Hackbarth (Utica, MN) at 174. The team finished the highest among Minnesota Junior Colleges. “At the beginning of the year I knew that we had the kids to put something together. It is a tough sport and along the way we lost some kids, but for the ones that staid and remained focused, this was a great thing,” said coach Rager. Next season the team returns several of their starters including Brand and Clark. With another successful recruiting class, anything is possible for RCTC.

Minnesota Junior College Results
Rochester Community and Technical College 52
Itasca Community College 28
Ridgewater Community College 13
MN-West Community College 0

RCTC Shutsdown MN-West 42-9 in MCAC Dual

The Yellowjackets wrestled MN-West Community College at RCTC on 1/8. This was the second MCAC dual for the team this season. The Yellowjackets won the dual 42-9 and winning by fall for the Yellowjackets were Lee Burg (Caledonia, MN), Luke Evjen (Hayfield, MN), and Tyler Lindhart (Zumbrota, MN).

The Yellowjackets wrestle the D-I NJCAA National Champions Iowa Central next at RCTC on January 15th.

Rochester CTC 42, Minnesota West 9
125- Ashton Griffin MN-West dec. 8-5 over Dan Anderson RCTC
133- Lee Burg RCTC fall :24 over Jamal McAllister MN-West
141- Jose Ayala MN-West forfeit RCTC
149- Jake Zeiher RCTC dec. 9-8 over Randy Hummel MN-West
157- Dan Copp RCTC forfeit MN-West
165- Luke Evjen RCTC fall 2:00 over Bryan Loius MN-West
174- Ethan Hackbarth RCTC dec. 7-2 over Ryan Teal MN-West
184- Devin Clark RCTC forfeit MN-West
197- Parker Brand RCTC forfeit MN-West
Hwt- Tyler Lindhart fall 2:18 over Brance Frahse

Yellowjackets Pin Loss on Itasca in MCAC Dual

The Rochester Community and Technical College wrestled Itasca Community College on 12/10. It was the first MCAC dual for the Yellowjackets this season, and the jackets came out on top with a 28-15 victory.

12/10/2008 @ RCTC
Rochester Comm. & Tech. College RCTC 28, Itasca 16
125-Dan Anderson (RCTC) Pinned John Duch (ICC) 4:07
133-Lee Burg (RCTC) Forfeit
141-Joe Diekmann (ICC) Forfeit
149-Jake Orth(RCTC)Dec. Dan Merth (ICC) 11-9
157-Jake Zeiher (RCTC) Maj. Dec. Wes Ronchi (ICC) 10-2
165-Luke Evjen (RCTC) Dec. Steve Merth (ICC) 8-6
174-Bruce Babcock(ICC) Dec. Ethan Hackbarth (RCTC) 4-2
184-Devin Clark (RCTC) Dec. Garrett Olson (ICC) 6-1
197-Skip Johnson (ICC) Forfeit
Hwt-Tyler Lindhart (RCTC) Dec. Ben Brown (ICC) 2-1

RCTC Opens Dual Season with 38-3 Win Over St. Olaf

The Rochester Community and Technical College Yellowjackets opened their dual season on 11/25 in Northfield against NCAA D-III Saint Olaf College. The Yellowjackets put together 10 impressive matches to win the dual 38-3.

"You never know how the first dual of the season is going to go. The guys wrestled aggressively and controlled the tempo of the matches. It was a lot of fun to watch these guys wrestle together, " said Coach Rager.

The Yellowjackets are currently ranked #3 among D-III Junior Colleges. Individually, Ethan Hackbarth is ranked #2 at 174, while Parker Brand is ranked #4 at 197. Individual rankings are for both D-I and D-III NJCAA schools together.

Rochester wrestles its next match in Mason City, IA on December 6th. They will be facing three D-I NJCAA schools: NIACC, Ellsworth, and NW Wyoming.

11/25/2008 @ St. Olaf (Northfield, MN)
Rochester Tech. and Comm. College 38, St. Olaf 3
125: Dan Anderson (RCTC) def. Brian Cross (StO) 9-3 - RCTC 3, St. Olaf 0
133: Ryan Timmerman (StO) def. Jade Mehling (RCTC) 8-4 - RCTC 3, St. Olaf 3
141: Lee Burg (RCTC) def. Nathan Waslaski (StO) 5-2 - RCTC 6, St. Olaf 3
149: Jake Zeiher (RCTC) wins by forfeit - RCTC 12, St. Olaf 3
157: Jake Orth (RCTC) def. Ian Gacheru (StO) 18-6 - RCTC 16, St. Olaf 3
165: Luke Evjen (RCTC) def. Josef Waples (StO) 6-5 - RCTC 19, St. Olaf 3
174: RCTC wins by forfeit - RCTC 25, St. Olaf 3
184: Ethan Hackbarth(RCTC) def. Paul Reily (StO) Fall 0:54 - RCTC 31, St. Olaf 3
197: Devin Clark (RCTC) def. William Molano (StO) 15-6 - RCTC 35, St. Olaf 3
Hwt: Tyler Lindhart (RCTC) def. Justin Luthey (StO) 4-1 - RCTC 38, St. Olaf 3

Yellowjackets Gear up for 2008-2009 Season!!!

The Rochester Community and Technical College Yellowjackets are looking to build of their 2008 3rd Place NJCAA National Tournament Placing. The Yellowjackets return three National Qualifiers and have brought in a high quality freshmen class.

Leading the Yellowjackets this season will be NJCAA All-American Ethan Hackbarth at 174 pounds. Luke Evjen (Hayfield, MN) at 165 pounds narrowly missed All-American honors in 2008 and returns to the line-up this year as a NJCAA National Qualifier and State Conference Champ at 165. Dan Copp Lake City, MN also returns to the line-up at 157. Copp was a NJCAA National Qualifier in 2008.

New to the Yellowjackets this season is Luke Schlee (Grand Meadow, MN) at 125. Schlee is a 4x Minnesota State Tournament entrant and 2x place winner. Dan Anderson (Rushford, MN) will challenge Schlee for the 125 pound spot.

At 133 the Yellowjackets will have Lee Burg (Caledonia, MN) and Jade Mehling (Mantorville, MN). Burg was a Minnesota State Tournament entrant in 2006.

Wrestling 141 for the RCTC will be Joe Selly (Le Center, MN). Selly is a 5x Minnesota State Entrant. Selly was a State Champion in 2007 and 2008, and a Runner-up in 2006.

Jake Zeiher (Sibley East) will wrestle 149 for the Yellowjackets. Zeiher placed 6th at the Minnesota State Tournament in 2008.

At 157 Rochester will have four wrestlers fighting for the starting position: Jake Orth (Byron, MN), Mike Giglio (Woodbury, MN), and Zach Gehrmann (Cottage Grove, MN). Orth was a Minnesota State entrant in 2008, and is also a 2x Iowa State entrant. Giglio is a 2x Minnesota State entrant.

Wrestling at 184 will be Devin Clark (Sioux Falls, SD). Devin is a 3x South Dakota State entrant winning the State Tournament in 2008 and a Runner-up in 2007.

Parker Brand (Rushford, MN) will wrestle 197 this season. Brand is a 3x Minnesota State Entrant. In 2008, Brand was a Minnesota State Champ, 2007 placed 3rd, and 2006 placed 2nd. Parker placed 3rd at Senior Nationals in 2008 and won the Pin Award with 4 falls.

Tyler Lindhart (Zumbrota, MN) will fill the Hwt spot this season. Lindhart was a 2008 Minnesota State Champ.

With the return of quality leadership and the incoming class, the Yellowjackets have set high goals for themselves this season. “As long as they keep working hard, and remain healthy, they can accomplish whatever they want as a team,” said wrestling coach Randy Rager. “The biggest thing with this group is keeping them together, and making sure that they are having fun while working hard.”

The Yellowjackets open their season at Steven’s Point, WI on November 8th. Wrestling starts at 9:00.

Coach: Randy Rager
Asst. Coaches: Klaus Alberts, Eric Hauan

Contact Information:
507-280-3558
randy.rager@roch.edu