DES MOINES, Iowa -- Robert Kokesh won the battle of South Dakota grapplers on Saturday.
The Nebraska sophomore defeated Minnesota sophomore Logan Storley 3-1 in overtime to finish third in the 174-pound division at the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament. Koskesh is from Wagner, while Storley is from Webster.
Kokesh, the fourth seed, earned an escape in the second period and Storley matched it in the third period after a scoreless first three minutes. They headed to sudden victory in a 1-1 tie, similar to their matchup on Nov. 16, which Storley won 3-1. But this time around, Kokesh earned the take down and a 3-1 sudden victory to finish third at the NCAA Championships.
Storley, the sixth seed, began his day with a 3-2 win over Nick Heflin of Ohio State. Kokesh defeated Mike Evans of Iowa 3-2 in his match to set up the third-place battle between the two former South Dakota state champions.
The two South Dakotans earned All-American honors at the national tournament. Minnesota boasted a tournament-high of eight All-Americans. It is the second year in a row that the Gophers have topped the All-American numbers at the tournament. The top eight individual place-winners in each weight class earn All-American status.
It is Storley's second year in a row earning All-American status, while it is Kokesh's first time being an All-American. Storley finishes his sophomore campaign with a 28-5 record, while Kokesh went 38-4 this season.