Lots O’ Stuff
College wrestlers update; pitching clinic; Toronto WNBA team has a name
In this edition of Lots O’ Stuff, some information on area grads competing in college wrestling, there’s a pitching clinic early next month in Milford and Toronto’s WNBA team has a nickname and logo.
College wrestling
Getting caught up on some area wrestlers from last weekend:
Three area graduates wrestled for No. 7 Augustana as the Vikings opened their NSIC schedule with a 22-15 road upset over No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday in Kenosha, Wis.
Martin County West graduate Jaxson Rohman, a senior for the Vikings, started the dual with a win over a familiar opponent at 125 pounds.
The top-ranked Rohman scored a pair of early takedowns for a 6-1 lead and would pin fourth-ranked Shane Corrigan in 1:54. Those two have met six times since the 2022-23 season with Rohman holding a 4-2 advantage.
Another MCW grad, Connor Simmonds, a redshirt junior, won over a ranked wrestler as he defeated No. 5 Ben Durocher 7-2 as he registered a takedown in the first period and a four-point nearfall in the third.
At 165, Jackson County Central graduate Payton Handevidt lost a 7-6 decision to Parkside’s Dajun Johnson.
Augustana’s next action is Friday, Dec. 20 when the Vikings head to Lincoln, Neb. for duals against Division II No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney and Division I No. 5 Nebraska.
Two MCW grads wrestled for Augsburg at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational.
Junior Lucas Jagodzinske placed third at 149 pounds and senior Blake Jagodzinske shared third place with an Augsburg teammate.
Martin County West graduate Katie Lange won by fall for the Grand Valley State women’s wrestling team in a meeting of ranked wrestlers in the Lakers dual with North Central in Naperville, Ill.
The second-ranked Lange won by fall in 1:00 over No. 7 Emma Grimm. North Central, second in the team rankings, defeated No. 5 Grand Valley 25-17 in the dual.
Pitching clinic
After a few months in sunny Southern California, Jackson County Central graduate Gavin Jacobsen is coming home for the holidays and before he heads back, he plans to share what he has learned that has led him to an opportunity to play Division I baseball in So Cal.
Jacobsen will play his senior season at NCAA Division I Loyola Marymount University. He spent the last three seasons at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato.
Gavin will conduct a pitching clinic for athletes in grades 7-12 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Okoboji Baseball Facility in Milford. Cost is $60.
Jacobsen ranked among NCAA Division III leaders in strikeouts the past two seasons.
In 2024 he finished 10th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings as he fanned 60 batters in 39.2 innings, an average of 13.61. In 2023 he was first in the nation with 15.0 per nine.
Jacobsen has played with the Jackson Bulls amateur baseball team and spent the summer of 2023 with the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League.
Gavin entered the transfer portal and will play his senior season at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
LMU plays in the 11-team West Coast Conference along with Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Seattle.
The Lions are scheduled to open their 2025 schedule at home Feb. 14 vs. Seattle.
Among the teams on Loyola’s nonconference schedule are Los Angeles rivals UCLA and USC of the Big 10. Also on the schedule is Baylor of the Big 12.
Head coach of the Lions is Donegal Fergus, who was the hitting coordinator for the Minnesota Twins from 2020-2022, where he oversaw all of their minor league hitting staff across MILB.
For more information, contact Blaise Jacobsen at 507-841-0951 or blaise13j@yahoo.com.
Toronto Tempo
It was more than a month earlier than planned, but Jackson County Central graduate Teresa Resch and the expansion Toronto Tempo of the WNBA revealed their new identity last week.
The team was planning to make the announcement on Jan. 14, but when Tempo was leaked as the nickname on a drop-down menu on the league's website, everything changed.
"It's sports, nothing ever goes as planned, right?” Resch said to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “So, you just go with the flow and everything happens for a reason. So, we had a plan to launch and we're really excited to press go. And we feel like we've been well-received," Resch said.
The CBC said that the flexibility encapsulates the name Tempo itself.
"It can be fast; it can be slow. Ultimately, it's about control. … People operate at different paces and things like that, but ultimately when you're all aligned and you're in the same tempo and the same rhythm, it's something powerful that cannot be stopped," Resch said.
Resch says the team went through more than 10,000 submissions before coming to a decision. The franchise will play its first game in May 2026.
Fun fact
When James Naismith first introduced basketball, he wrote down just 13 simple rules to guide the game. These original rules are still the backbone of modern basketball, although some have evolved. For example, dribbling was not allowed at first. Players could only pass the ball and shoot.
You say you’ve never heard YMCA in German? Well, you’re in luck.