INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – It's been a memorable senior season for Minot State's two-sport star student-athlete Jake Swirple, one that might get even better.

With a pair of victories on Friday in the 285-pound weight class, the Beavers' two-sport star moved into the national semifinals at the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championship.

With those two wins, Swirple guarantees himself All-American honors for the second time in his career, but now he is focused on potentially becoming Minot State's first-ever NCAA National Champion.

To earn that distinction, Swirple needs two more wins, a push that starts against Ryan Herman from Maryville (Mo.), the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the nation at 285 pounds in the semifinals Saturday morning.

Swirple, the No. 6 seed at heavyweight, started his run in the championships with a 4-2 win by decision over Ogden Atwood from UNC Pembroke. The Minot State senior scored a first-round takedown and added an escape in the second period for a comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the final two minutes where he fended off any comeback attempt by Atwood.

Moving into the quarterfinals with the victory, Swirple gutted out a 2-1 upset win by decision in the tie-breaker over No. 3-ranked Carter Blough from Grand Valley State.

Scoreless after the first period, Blough scored a second-round escape, and Swirple tied it with an escape in the third, sending the match into a two-minute, sudden-victory overtime.

With neither wrestler scoring in overtime, the match went to two 30-second tie-breaker rounds where Swirple controlled Blough and did not allow him to escape in the first round, then Swirple escaped into the semifinals in the final tie-break for the win.

Swirple now faces off against Herman, who won his opening match by an 8-2 decision and won in the quarterfinals by a 4-0 decision, but the heavyweight field has been filled with upsets beyond Swirple's win over No. 3 Blough.

In the top half of the bracket, No. 1-ranked Crew Howard from Nebraska-Kearney lost his opening match to unseeded Freddie Retter of Kutztown by an 8-2 decision, No. 4 seed Dorian Crosby from Gannon lost an 8-2 decision in the quarterfinals to No. 5 Isaiah Vance from Pittsburg-Johnstown, and No. 8 ranked Luke Tweeton from Mary lost his first match by a 5-2 decision to unseeded Tyler Doyle of Colorado Mesa.

With a win in the semifinals on Saturday, which get underway at 9 a.m. (Minot time), Swirple would advance to the national championship match against the winner of the other semifinal between Retter and Vance. The National Championship round begins at 6 p.m. (Minot time) on Saturday night.

Swirple, who finished eighth at the 2022-23 NCAA National Championships to earn All-American honors, becomes the first Minot State men's wrestler to advance to the national semifinals.

Earlier this year, Swirple finished his senior season in football anchoring the offensive line and helping lead Minot State to its best season ever as an NCAA program, a performance that earned the senior from Livonia, Michigan an invitation to the Podyum All-Star Bowl in Florida in January.
 
2025 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Results for Minot St.
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Jake Swirple (26-6) placed 6th and scored 8.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Jake Swirple (Minot St.) 26-6 won by decision over Ogden Atwood (UNC Pembroke) 25-6 (Dec 4-2)
• Quarterfinal - Jake Swirple (Minot St.) 26-6 won in tie breaker - 1 over Carter Blough (Grand Valley St.) 28-5 (TB-1 2-1)