NDSU

Watch the 2024 Induction Ceremony

North Dakota State qualified eight wrestlers for the 1998 Division II wrestling national championship held in Pueblo, Colorado...All eight competitors earned All-America honors including two national championships from senior Mark Pazdernik at 158 pounds and freshman Steve Saxlund at 167 pounds...The Bison scored 112 points to outdistance second-place South Dakota State by 34 points and claim NDSU’s second of four national titles on the mat...Seniors George Thompson (134), Jason Cuperus (142) and Ryan Wolters (190) all made third-place finishes, sophomore Kris Nelson (126) placed fourth, and sophomores Wayne Mooney (150) and Dave Clymer (heavyweight) both placed seventh...Thompson, Pazdernik and Saxlund all won North Central Conference championships for the Bison, who scored 83 points to beat Nebraska-Omaha by a 12 ½ point margin...It was the 14th NCC championship in program history, but the first since 1994 for the Bison...NDSU went 8-4 in dual meets, including a 6-1 mark in conference...The 1997-98 Bison had six wrestlers inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame: Wayne Mooney, Kris Nelson, Mark Pazdernik, Steve Saxlund, George Thompson and Ryan Wolters.