Minnesota now 5-0 in the Big Ten
The Golden Gophers continued their dominance in the Big Ten conference this afternoon as they crushed Wisconsin 37-3, at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota won its first five matches against the Badgers including a pin by Dylan Ness over No. 14 Cole Schmitt, with 35 seconds left in the opening period.
With the win today Minnesota is now 8-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the Big Ten. The Gophers have control of first place in the conference, after Iowa lost to Ohio State on Friday night 21-9 in Columbus.
The Gophers started out on a high note this afternoon winning their first five matches. Action began at 125 where No. 1 ranked Zach Sanders took care of Austin Hietpas pretty easily, as he picked up a 24-9 tech fall.
Before Ness fall at 149, Minnesota would pick up two major decisions from the Daradanes brothers at 133 and 141. Chris defeated Shane McQuade 14-4 and Nick scored a 14-6 win over Thomas Glenn.
Alec Ortiz would give the crowd of over 3,000 something to cheer about right before the break. Ortiz defeated Shawn Perry in a down-to-the wire 11-9 decision. With Ortiz's win the Gophers went up 22-0 heading into the intermission.
Logan Storley picked up a 15-0 tech fall win over Frank Cousins and Kevin Steinhaus would pick up more bonus points following Storley, as he scored a 14-3 major decision over Timmy McCall.
Minnesota had Sonny Yohn back in the lineup today at 197 and he had no trouble with the Badgers Jackson Hein winning.
Tony Nelson would close out the afternoon for the Maroon and Gold in fashion, as he scored a 6-1 decision over Cole Tobin.
Minnesota will next host No. 10 Michigan this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion and then head down south to take on rival Iowa on Sunday Jan. 29 at 3 p.m.
Box Score
125: Zach Sanders (MINN) 24-9 tech fall over Austin Hietpas (WIS) 5-0
133: Chris Dardanes (MINN) 14-4 maj. dec. over Shane McQuade (WIS) 9-0
141: Nick Dardanes (MINN) 14-6 maj. over Thomas Glenn (WIS) 13-0
149: Dylan Ness (MINN) pins Cole Scmitt (WIS) 2:35 19-0
157: Alec Ortiz (MINN) 11-9 dec. over Shawn Perry (WIS) 22-0
165: Ben Jordan (WIS) 5-3 dec. over Cody Yohn (OSU) 22-3
174: Logan Storley (MINN) 15-0 tech fall dec. No. 5 Nick Heflin (OSU) 27-3
184: Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 14-3 maj. over Tim McCall (WIS) 31-3
197: Sonny Yohn (MINN) 7-2 dec. Jackson Hein (WIS) 34-3
Hwt: Tony Nelson (MINN) 6-1 dec. Cole Tobin (WIS) 37-3
Final Score: Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 3
Minnesota- No. 3 Gophers Takedown No. 6 Ohio State
Chris Dardanes upset win over second ranked Logan Stieber helps pace Minnesota
The No. 3 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes 24-13 this afternoon at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota came out winning its first six matches of the afternoon, including Chris Dardanes 5-3 upset win, over No. 2 ranked Logan Stieber.
In the first match after intermission, Dardanes, who came in unranked, took down Stieber in a thrilling 5-3 decision. The crowd of nearly 4,000 erupted as Dardanes scored a late takedown with four seconds left in the match to take the 5-3 lead. The score was tied (3-3) before the takedown and with the victory Minnesota was able to seal the win.
With the victory today, Minnesota improves to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State falls to 7-2 and 1-2 in the Big Ten. It was the Buckeyes second straight loss this weekend, as they fell to No. 14 Nebraska, 18-16 in Lincoln on Friday night.
Sunday's action began at 174 lbs. were true freshman Logan Storley defeated fifth ranked Nick Heflin, in a 4-2 decision. It was Storley's first Big Ten win of his career. Storley battled through an injury early on in the season, but has been putting on a good show for fans lately.
The Gophers would go onto to win its next four matches pretty easily. Kevin Steinhaus picked up an 18-3 technical fall win over Craig Thomas, while Sonny Yohn defeated Andrew Campolattano 5-1.
Tony Nelson scored a 2-0 victory over Peter Capone in the heavyweight division, while No.1 ranked Zach Sanders improved to 17-0 on the season with a 20-10 major decision over Johnni Dijulius.
Cody Yohn closed out the day for the Maroon and Gold with a 5-3 decision over Derek Garcia.
Minnesota will next the road for two Big Ten Dual matches. First up will be a date with the Fighting Illini of Illinois on Friday Jan. 13. The Gophers will turn around and head to West Lafayette, IN to take on the Boilermakers of Purdue on Sunday Jan. 15. Friday's match is set to begin at 7 p.m. and Sunday's is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Minnesota- Jake Deitchler Ends Wrestling Career
Multiple concussions force former US Olympian to give up wrestling
University of Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson announced today that redshirt sophomore Jake Deitchler will no longer be competing for the Gopher wrestling program due to his history with concussions that have dated back since he was 7-years old.
"I am very proud to say that I was a wrestler here at the University of Minnesota," said Deitchler. "I have been through a lot since I arrived here on campus a few years back and in the end, I am very proud to say that I was a wrestler for the Minnesota Golden Gophers."
Over the holiday break Deitchler and coach Robinson traveled to meet with Sports Concussion Specialist Dr. Michael Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to discuss Deitchler's issue. This was Deitchler's third trip to the clinic in efforts to try and get him back on the mat. After conducting several tests, Dr. Collins advised Deitchler that it would be in his best interest not to continue his wrestling career.
Deitchler had previously met with Dr. Collins back during the 2010-11 school year, to help resolve his concussion problem. He went through many tests and waited for positive results, before he finally was given the green light to get back on the mat that fall.
"Talking with coach Robinson we both agreed that God closes one door and then opens up another door for you," Detichler said. "I am sad that my wrestling career is over, but I am looking forward to the many opportunities that will come my way in the future."
This past fall, Deitchler made his comeback to the mat and began training with the Gophers. On Nov. 12 at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D., he captured the 157 pound title for the Maroon and Gold. A week later he dropped a decision to top-ranked Kyle Dake of Cornell, but responded with a victory over No.9 ranked Dylan Alton of Penn State, in the Gophers upset win over the defending national champion Nittany Lions.
"He (Deitchler) is a very special person who has been through a lot," Robinson said. "It is very hard to tell someone who has put in so much time, hard work and dedication into this sport that you can no longer wrestle. Jake is a competitor and I know he will find other opportunities that will fuel his competitive spirit."
Deitchler was the 2007 NHSCA Junior National Champion at 145 pounds; he went on to represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the 66 kg./145.5 lb. Greco-Roman division, becoming the first high school wrestler to make the U.S. Olympic team since Mike Farina in 1976. To get to Beijing, Deitchler knocked off 2006 World bronze medalist Harry Lester in the semifinals and 32-year-old Faruk Sahin, in Las Vegas at the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Robinson said that Deitchler will still be part of the No. 4 Golden Gophers while finishing up his education.
"He is a Gopher and will continue to be a member of this team in some shape or form," Robinson said. "He is going to continue his education here and wants to get into business one day."
The Anoka, Minn., native prepped at Anoka High School where he won three state championships and compiled a 201-38 record. Over his last three seasons at Anoka, Deitchler dominated with a 125-1 over record, en route to his Olympic dream.
Request for interviews with Coach Robinson or Deitchler must be made through Michael Levy of the University of Minnesota Athletic Communications office. His direct line is 612.624.4345 and email is mdlevy@umn.edu.
No. 3 Minnesota Finish Second at the Southern Scuffle; Three Gophers Bring Home Titles
Zach Sanders, Chris Dardanes and Tony Nelson each won a title at the 2012 Southern Scuffle
The No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team finished in second place at the 2012 Southern Scuffle, after scoring 177.5 points. Three Gophers were crowned individual champions of their respective weight classes. Zach Sanders, Chris Dardanes and Tony Nelson all finished the weekend with a perfect 6-0 record. Penn State won the overall team title with 191.5 points.
Sanders defeated Alan Waters of Missouri by a 1-0 decision, to cap off the title at 125 lbs. With the perfect finish Sanders is now 16-0 on the season and ranked No. 1 in the country.
Dardanes defeated Nick Soto of host school Chattanooga, by a 7-2 decision and Nelson picked up a 2-0 decision over Oregon State's Clayton Jack, in their championship matches.
Dylan Ness (133 lbs.) and Cody Yohn (165 lbs.) each finished in second place at the Scuffle.
True freshman Logan Storley finished in third place at 174 lbs. after a 4-1 decision over Patrick Wright of Missouri. Kevin Steinhaus finished in third as well, after defeating Hofstra's Ben Clymer in a 4-0 decision; at 184 lbs. Sonny Yohn took third place after picking up a 4-1 decision of Indiana's Matt Powless.
The Gophers will next be in action this Sunday, when they host Ohio State on Sunday Jan. 8 at 1 pm., at the Sports Pavilion.
No. 3 Minnesota Cruises to a 34-6 Rollarcoaster Victory Over No. 13 Iowa State
The No. 3 Minnesota wrestling team dominated from the start of the evening in route to its 34-6 pounding over No. 13 ranked Iowa State. Minnesota picked up eight wins on the evening including four wins by a major decision and one fall.
With the win, Minnesota improves to 4-2 overall on the season and the Cyclones fall to 0-7 on the year.
In front of over 3,000 fans inside Williams Arena, the Gophers picked up the first points of the dual at 125 lbs. as Zach Sanders won his match by a forfeit. Iowa State did not have a 125 ponder in the line-up.
David Thorn was the first real match of the evening. He picked up a 14-5 major decision victory over RJ Hallman. Thorn had total control of the match as he ended with 3:48 of riding time and scored six takedowns.
Minnesota would go onto to win the next three matches. Nick Dardanes won a 3-2 decision over Luke Goettle, Dylan Ness picked up a 13-3 major decision against Joe Cozart and the highlight of the evening came at the 157 lbs. match between Alex Oritz and Mike Moreno. Both were tied up for the majority of the opening period before Oritz scored the two-point takedown and quickly turned that into a pin, with 20 seconds left, to put the Gophers up 23-0 at the intermission.
Iowa State picked up wins in the first two matches to score six team points after the break, but Minnesota would fight back strong to take the last three.
Kevin Steinhaus, Sonny Yohn and Tony Nelson all were victorious for the Gophers to close out the night. Steinhaus won by a 16-3 major and Yohn picked up an 11-0 major victory. Nelson would be the final Gopher to wrestle as he scored a 4-0 decision.
Minnesota will now rest up a before heading south to Tennessee, for the Southern Scuffle. The Scuffle is a two day tournament and will be on Jan. 1 and 2 from Chattanooga, Tenn. Some Gophers will compete at the Husky Open tomorrow at St. Cloud State University.
Minnesota-No. 2 Cowboys Hand No. 3 Gophers Second Loss of the Season
The No. 3 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers were defeated this afternoon by the No.2 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, by a score of 23-14.
Minnesota (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) picked up its first win of the day from Nick Dardanes, who upset No. 7 ranked Josh Kindig 14-12 in overtime. Dardanes (ranked 19th) wore down Kindig midway through the second period and was the more physical and dominate wrestler of the match. Kindig was out of gas at the end of the third period (tied 12-12) and Dardanes used that to his advantage and quickly scored the takedown in the overtime period.
The Gophers would pick up two jaw dropping wins from the Yohn brothers (Cody and Sonny) later on. Cody, ranked No. 9 at 165 lbs. took down No. 13 ranked Dallas Bailey by a 12-1 major decision victory.
Sonny would step onto the mat three matches later against No. 3 ranked Cayle Byers. Both were scoreless through the first period before Yohn scored the escape point, after starting the second period down. Byers would record the two-point takedown late in the second to go up 2-1 heading into the final period. The two would battle back and forth all the way down to the wire, before Yohn would score a takedown just inside the circle with four seconds remaining, to pick up the 3-2 decision.
No. 2 ranked Zach Sanders would close out the afternoon with a 15-7 major decision over No. 13 ranked Ladd Rupp. Sanders could move up to the top spot in the country at 125 lbs. after Illinois freshman Jess Delgado (ranked ninth) overcame a 6-2 deficit to upset Iowa's top-rated Matt McDonough, 11-7 in overtime Friday night.
Minnesota will now return home after the weekend road trip and host Iowa State on Friday Dec. 9 at 7:30, inside Williams Arena. It is the only dual schedule to be held inside Williams Arena this year and admission is just $1. Make sure to come on out to "Burst the Barn" this coming Friday.
No. 2 Oklahoma State 23, No. 3 Minnesota 14 (Final)
Dec. 4, 2011 | 1 p.m. CST | Gallagher-Iba Arena | Attendance: 2,908
Officials: Mike McCormick, Kenny Richie
Records: Oklahoma State 2-0-0; Minnesota 3-2-0
Bout Results
Dual Started At 133 Pounds OSU MINN
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall No. 10 David Thorn (MINN); 2:16 6 0
141: No. 19 Nick Dardanes (MINN) dec. No. 7 Josh Kindig (OSU); 14-12, SV1 6 3
149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 15 Dylan Ness (MINN); 6-5 9 3
157: No. 9 Albert White (OSU) dec. Alec Ortiz (MINN); 5-4 12 3
165: No. 9 Cody Yohn (MINN) MD No. 13 Dallas Bailey (OSU); 12-1 12 7
174: Chris McNeil (OSU) MD Steven Avalos (MINN); 13-5 16 7
184: No. 9 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 4 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN); 4-3 19 7
197: No. 3 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. No. 2 Cayle Byers (OSU); 3-2 19 10
285: No. 4 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) MD No. 3 Tony Nelson (MINN); 16-5 23 10
125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (MINN) MD No. 13 Ladd Rupp (OSU); 15-7 23 14
Minnesota-No. 3 Gophers Demolish No. 19 Central Michigan 24-9
No.2 Oklahoma State next test for No. 3 Minnesota
The No. 3 Minnesota wrestling team continued its hot streak against No. 19 Central Michigan tonight, after defeating the Chippewas 24-9. With the win, the Gophers extend their all-time win streak against the Chippewas to 12-0. Minnesota started the evening out strong winning the first six matches.
The night started out at 125 lbs. and Zach Sanders would come out strong in the opening match and only need two full periods, as he defeated Joe Roth by a 24-9 technical fall. It was Sanders third win of the season by a count of a technical fall.
Next up for Minnesota was David Thorn, who pulled out the win over the Chippeawas Christian Cullinan by a 5-4 decision. Nick Dardanes would follow Thorn and won an 8-5 decision over Scott Mattingly.
Dylan Ness took the mat next for the Gophers, who came into the third match of the night up 11-0. Ness would have total control of CMU's Joey Kielbasa and picked up his fifth win of the season with a 8-1 decision.
Alec Ortiz would come into the Gopher lineup at 157 lbs., and picked up a huge 5-2 dec. The sophomore from Grand Ronde, Ore., would put Minnesota on top 17-0, heading into intermission.
The Chippewas would break into the Gophers six match win streak and pick up back-to-back wins at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs. In the 184 lbs. match between No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus and No. 9 Ben Bennett, both wrestlers went down to the wire with Bennett picking up the 2-1 decision, after picking up the extra point from riding time.
Sonny Yohn would pick up the Gophers final points on the evening after winning by a 21-7 major decision over Chad Friend.
Minnesota will next travel to face rival Oklahoma State on Sunday. The Cowboys are ranked No. 2 in the nation. Minnesota has lost to Oklahoma State the last two times they have faced. Action is set to get underway in Stillwater at 1 p.m.
FINAL RESULTS
125: No. 2 Zach Sanders won by tech fall over No. 19 Joe Roth; 5:00 24-9; MINN: 5 CMU: 0
133: No. 6 David Thorn won by dec. over Christian Cullinan; 5-4; MINN: 8 CMU: 0
141: No. 13 Nick Dardanes won by dec. over Scott Mattingly; 8-5; MINN: 11 CMU: 0
149: No. 13 Dylan Ness won by dec. over Joey Kielbasa; 8-1; MINN: 14 CMU: 0
157: Alec Ortiz won by dec. over Jared Porter; 5-2; MINN: 17 CMU: 0
165: No. 8 Cody Yohn won by dec. over Mike Ottinger; 2-1 -MINN: 20 CMU: 0
174: Anthony Bill won by dec. over Steven Avalos: 10-4; MINN: 20 CMU: 3
184: No.9 Ben Bennett won by dec. over No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus; 2-1; MINN: 20 CMU: 6
197: No. 3 Sonny Yohn won by major dec. over Chad Friend; 21-7; MINN: 24 CMU: 6
HWT: No. 9 Peter Sturgeon won by dec. over No. 2 Tony Nelson; 6-4; MINN:24 CMU: 9
Minnesota- 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships Tickets Now on Sale
Purdue University Athletics has announced that general seating tickets for the 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships March 3-4 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. are now available for purchase by calling the Purdue ticket office at 1-800-49SPORT.
All-Session tickets will go on sale Thursday Dec. 1 at 9 a.m., while single-session tickets go on sale Wednesday Feb. 15 at 9 a.m.
A complete list of the price breakdown for the 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships can be found below:
All Session
Reserved - $40
GA - $36/$24 (adult/youth)
Saturday Single Session (2 sessions)
Reserved - $18
GA - $15/$12 (Adult/Youth)
Sunday
Reserved - $22
GA - $18/$15
Media Credential Information
All requests for media credentials for the 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships must be submitted to B1GWrestlingCred@purdue.edu by Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. ET. Credentials will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and Purdue reserves the right to refuse any request. Your request must contain the following information:
Name
Email
Phone
Affiliation (Newspaper, magazine, website, etc.)
Type of Media (Print, Web, Photo, Radio, etc.)
Number of seats requested in press row
Media is responsible for its own lodging. A list of hotel establishments can be found here: http://www.purdue.edu/vic/planning/lodging.php. Live results of the championships will be available through www.trackwrestling.com, and the BTN will be on hand to provide a live broadcast of the finals on Sunday.
Minnesota Defeats North Dakota State 29-9
Gophers win eight of 10 matches
The Minnesota wrestling team picked up their second consecutive victory of the season this afternoon. Minnesota defeated North Dakota State 29-9, in front of 2,260 fans inside the Sports Pavilion.
With the win, the No. 3 ranked Gophers improve to 2-1 on the season.
"Our guys wrestled very hard today," said Head Coach J Robinson. "We want to improve on each match each week and we just need to continue wrestling aggressively and dominantly."
Sonny Yohn started things off for the first home dual of the season at 197 lbs. The senior would pick up the first of six straight wins for Minnesota with a 7-1 dec. over John Gusewelle.
Tony Nelson was next to the mat and took on Evan Knutson, who Nelson pinned in the opening period back at the Bison Open earlier this season. This time out, Nelson didn't score a pin, but scored four takedowns in route to his 10-1 major dec. victory.
Zach Sanders would jump onto the mat next for the Gophers at 125 lbs. Sanders took on the Bison's Trent Sprenkle, who is ranked No. 7. Both were attacking each other back and forth, before Sanders picked up the 4-2 win, to put Minnesota up 10-0.
Minnesota would go on to win the next three matches scoring points from David Thorn at 133 lbs., Nick Dardanes at 141 lbs. and Matt Mincey at 149 lbs. Thorn defeated Justin Solberg by a 16-6 major dec., Dardanes picked up the 17-8 major dec. over Tyler Diamond and Mincey, who stepped in for Dylan Ness won a 13-6 dec. over Mark Erickson.
The other two winners for Minnesota were Cody Yohn at 165 lbs. and Kevin Steinhaus at 184 lbs. Yohn, would pick up the 12-3 major dec. over Tyler Johnson after a scoreless period and Steinhaus, who was this week's Big Ten Wrestler of The Week, closed out the afternoon with a 12-3 major dec. over Mac Stoll.
Minnesota will next hit the road for two duals. First up for the Gophers will be Central Michigan on Friday December 2 and on Sunday Minnesota will travel to take on Oklahoma State, who is ranked. 2 in the nation at 1 p.m.
UM- Steinhaus Earns Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
Redshirt sophomore upset then No. 1 ranked Quentin Wright of Penn State
Minnesota redshirt sophomore Kevin Steinhaus has been honored as the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after leading the No. 3 Golden Gophers to an upset win over then No. 2 Penn State on Sunday.
Steinhaus, now ranked fifth in the country at 184 pounds by InterMat, earned a 6-1 decision win over then-No. 1 Quentin Wright of Penn State, which helped Minnesota score a 23-14 victory over the then No. 2 Nittany Lions on Sunday.
Steinhaus is now 5-1 overall this season, with a record of 1-1 in dual matches and a 1-0 record in Big Ten duals. He was previously ranked eighth in the InterMat rankings before this past weekend's contests.
The award is the second Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor for Steinhaus and the first for Minnesota since Steinhaus was honored with the accolade on Dec. 14, 2010.
Minnesota returns to action this Sunday Nov. 27 when they host North Dakota State at 2 p.m. inside the Sports Pavilion.
Minnesota Wrestling Signs Seven Student-Athletes
The third-ranked Minnesota wrestling team has announced that Sam Brancale, Jarod Doner, Brandon Kingsley, Michael Kroells, Brett Pfarr, Dakota Trom and Cody Phillips have all signed National Letters of Intent to wrestle for Minnesota next season.
"We have a great group of kids coming in," said Head Coach J Robinson. "These are very hardnosed student-athletes who love to wrestle, who are hard workers and are dedicated to the sport. We are very excited about this class."
Brancale is from Eden Prarie, Minn., and recently won the 132 lb. division at the InterMat JJ Classic. He currently holds a career record of 54 wins and 14 losses. Brancale has 23 wins by fall and 12 coming from tech fall.
Donar, who hails from Cuba City, WI is a three-time state champion from the state of Wisconsin and is undefeated. He won the title at 119 lbs. his freshman season and went 49-0, with 28 pins and recorded 78 takedowns. In his sophomore year he won the state title at 125 lbs. and recorded 23 pins after finishing 48-0. This past spring he competed at 135 lbs. and went 46-0.
Kingsley was crowned the 152 lbs. division champion at the InterMat JJ Classic last month. He is a three-time Minnesota state wrestling champion out Apple Valley, Minn. and won the 140-pound Class 3A championship last year as a junior after winning at 135 pounds as a sophomore and 125 as a freshman. Apple Valley High School native is the younger brother of current Minnesota freshman Jordan Kingsley.
Kroells, like Brancale and Kingsley won the InterMat JJ Classic, but at 285 lbs. He won the 215 pound Class 2A state title last March as a junior. He is also a three-time state place winner. He was runner-up at 189 pounds as a sophomore and sixth at 189 pounds as a freshman. Kroells was a USA Wrestling Cadet Folkstyle National Champion in 2010. Kroells was The Guillotine's top 2011 Academic All-State wrestler with a perfect 47-0 season record, and a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Pfarr, is a three-time Minnesota state tournament finalist. He finished second at 140 lbs. in 2010. Pfarr took fourth at the NHSCA National tournament in Virginia Beach in 2010 in the sophomore division. In 2009 he placed sixth state high school tournament.
Phillps, who is from Liberty, Ind., won state championships his freshman and sophomore seasons, both at 103 pounds. He was third at last year's state meet at 112 pounds.
Trom is a three-time state champion for Apple Valley. He won the 125-pound Class AAA state championship last season as a junior, the 119 pounds title as a sophomore and the 112 pound title as a freshman. Trom was a USA Wrestling Cadet National freestyle runner-up in 2010.
No. 3/4 Minnesota Upsets No. 2 Penn State 23-14
Sonny Yohn and Kevin Steinhaus pick up huge wins to help the Gophers get the win
The No. 3/4 Golden Gopher Wrestling team pulled off the upset this afternoon over No. 2 Penn State University, 23-14. Penn State came into the dual as the defending Big Ten and NCAA Champions. Minnesota took seven of the 10 matches, with Sonny Yohn's match at 197 lbs., being the deciding factor, as he defeated the Nittany Lions Morgan McIntosh by a thrilling 4-3 decision, to give the Gophers a 20-14 lead heading into the final match.
Yohn, who was down 0-1 after the second, started down to begin the final period and quickly got the escape point to make it 1-1. Both grapplers then went down to the wire in the closing minute. McIntosh scored a takedown with 20 seconds left to go, to take the 3-1 lead, but Yohn quickly got the escape and scored a takedown to take a 4-3 lead in the final seconds, to ice the dual for the Gophers .
Tony Nelson stepped into the circle needing to just stay alive and not fall to a pin to give Minnesota the win. Nelson and Penn State's Cameron Wade went scoreless through the first period, before Nelson started on bottom in the second and scored the escape point. Nelson would then record a takedown to make it 4-0 and close it out winning 5-0, to give the Gophers the 23-14 team victory.
"This was great for the guys today," Head Coach J Robinson said. "The guys wrestled with great intensity, focus and dominance today. Overall it was our attitude that carried us today and that is what will carry us throughout the season."
Other Gopher wins came from senior Zach Sanders (125), David Thorn (133), Nick Dardanes (141), Jake Dietchler (157) and Kevin Steinhaus (184).
Sanders started off the morning pretty similar to his match on Friday night. He had control of Penn State's Nico Megaludis for all seven minutes and pulled through with the 6-2 victory. Sanders now has 108 career wins for the Gophers.
Following Sanders performance, Minnesota picked up two wins by major decisions. Thorn, who was trying to follow up from his performance on Friday night (fall: 2:25) took down Derek Reber , by score of 14-5. Nick Dardanes got back on the winning side of things today and picked up the19-6 major over Sam Sherlock.
Dardanes's victory gave Minnesota the 11-0 lead and gave the Gophers a total of 10 takedowns oppose to Penn State's zero.
Deitchler picked up the win in a close 9-4 decision over Dylan Alton. Both wrestlers traded shots during the first period and most the action took place in the second. Alton started underneath to start the second and got away at 20 seconds into the period. They both battled back for a bit before Deitchler got in on a single leg for the takedown, to make it 3-3 after the second. Deitchler would score a couple more takedowns in the third and with the riding time pulled out the win.
Steinhaus's upset over No. 1 Quentin Wright was the highlight that gave the spark the Gophers needed. This match was quiet for the first period, as no points were scored until Wright started on bottom to open the second and quickly scored the escape. Steinhaus responded right back with a take down to take the 2-1 lead and would control the remainder of the match with a pair of takedowns and riding time, to pick up the 6-1 win.
"That match was a huge match for us," Assistant Head Coach Brandon Eggum said in regards to Steinhaus's upset. "As a group we regrouped pretty well after Friday's loss. We told the guys that today was a new day and that we can learn from our mistakes."
Minnesota will now return home for their first home dual competition of the season, next Sunday Nov. 17, when they host North Dakota State University at 2 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion.
NOTE: With today's win Head Coach J Robinson now has 375 wins as the Gophers commander. His overall record is 375-127-4.
125 Zach Sanders won by decision over Nicholas Megaludis 6-2
133 David Thorn won by major decision over Derek Reber 14-5
141 Nick Dardanes won by major decision over Samuel Sherlock 19-6
149 Frank Molinaro won by decision over Dylan Ness 16-10
157 Jake Deitchler won by decision over Dylan Alton 9-4
165 David Taylor won by tech fall over Cody Yohn 4:29 16-1
174 Edward Ruth won by pin over Alec Ortiz 2:28.
184 Kevin Steinhaus won by decision over Quentin Wright 6-1
197 Sonny Yohn won by decision over Morgan McIntosh 4-3
285 Tony Nelson won by decision over Cameron Wade 5-0
No. 4 Gophers Fall to No. 5 Cornell in First Dual of the Season
Zach Sanders, David Thorn, Cody Yohn and Tony Nelson pick up wins for Minnesota
The No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers came up short in its first dual completion of the season. Minnesota fell to No. 5 Cornell by a score of 21-16, in Ithaca, N.Y. The Gophers had four victories on the evening coming from Zach Sanders (125 lbs.), David Thorn (133 lbs.), Cody Yohn (165 lbs.) and Tony Nelson (Hwt.)
Sanders, who is ranked No.2 in his divison squared off with No. 8 Frank Perrelli. Sanders and Perrelli stayed pretty neutral for the most part of the match. Sanders scored a takedown midway through the first, but Perrelli was able to score an escape late in the period. Perrelli started down to start off the second period and quickly scored another escape, but Sanders responded right back with another takedown, to grab a 4-2 lead heading into the final period. Sanders would earn 1:29 of riding time in the final period and won the match by a count of 6-3.
Thorn had a very quick match, in fact he closed out his first dual against Cornell's Joe Stanzione is just 2:25, as he picked up the fall. Thorn scored a takedown at 1:44 in the first period to go up 4-1. Stanzione got the escape at the 0:46 mark, but Thorn quickly took him down and secured the pin just outside the inner circle to put the Gophers on top 9-0.
Cornell would go onto to win the next three matches, before Cody Yohn would pick up a victory after a dog fight with Marshall Peppelman. Yohn (No.8) and Peppelman (No. 17) battled to a blank score after the opening period. Thirty seconds into the second, Yohn nearly had Peppelman pinned, but came up with a three-point near fall. Peppelman would score an escape to earn his first point and would end the period after a stalling warning. Yohn kept control in the final period to hold on to win 5-3 and put the Gophers back on top 12-9.
The Big Red would pick up three more straight wins, which gave them the victory before Nelson everstepped foot onto the mat. Nelson controlled Jace Bennett for the entire seven minutes in the circle. He would win by a 15-4 major decision and scored five takedowns and had 3:18 seconds of riding time.
Minnesota will next take on the defending NCAA National Champions Penn State University this Sunday at 11 a.m. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked No. 2 in the country and already have a dual victory under their belts, against Bloomsburg. The dual will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
NOTE: Redshirt freshman Chris Dardanes and redshirt sophomore Scott Schiller will both compete in the Body Bar Invitational hosted by Cornell. Action gets underway at 8 a.m.
125: No. 2 Zach Sanders 6-3 dec. No. 8 Frank Perrelli 3-0
133: No. 7 David Thorn fall 2:25 No. 18 Joe Stanzione 9-0
141: No. 17 Mike Nevinger 9-6 dec. No. 10 Nick Dardanes 9-3
149: No. 17 Craig Eifert No. 6 Dylan Ness 10-7 dec. 9-6
157: No. 1 Kyle Dake 5-0 dec. No. 8 Jake Deitchler 9-9
165: No. 8 Cody Yohn 5-3 dec. No. 17 Marshall Peppelman 12-9
174: Billy George 6-1 dec. Alec Oritz 12-12
184: No. 4 Steve Bosak 8-2 dec. No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus 12-15
197: No. 1 Cam Simaz fall 6:46 No. 2 Sonny Yohn 12-21
Hwt: No. 4 Tony Nelson 15-4 maj dec. Jace Bennett 16-21
Gopher Grapplers Head to No. 5 Cornell and No. 1 Penn State this Weekend
Penn State dual live on Big Ten Network on Sunday Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. CST.
THIS WEEK IN MINNESOTA WRESTLING
The Golden Gophers hit the road for two very important, early season dual matches. First up is a contest against No. 5 Cornell on Friday Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. CST, followed by a matchup with the No.1 and defending NCAA National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions.
Fans can access the Cornell match a couple different ways. One option is 1160espn.com, which will provide free audio for the dual. The second option is on Cornell's website (http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/#liveevents) where you can purchase a one-time event fee, which will provide a video feed of the dual. The dual may not be set up online until later in the week.
The match against the Nittany Lions will be broadcasted LIVE on the Big Ten Network. Tim Johnson will have the play-by-play, while Jim Gibbons will be the analyst. Free audio will also be provided by Theopenmat.com
WRAP UP FROM THE BISON
Minnesota opened the season at the 41st annual Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. The Gophers brought home nine titles from Zach Sanders (125), David Thorn (133), Nick Dardanes (141), Dylan Ness (149), Jake Deitchler (157), Cody Yohn (165), Kevin Steinhaus (184), Sonny Yohn (197) and Tony Nelson (Hwt).
A LOOK AT THE BIG RED
Cornell is coming off 2010-11 with a record of 13-1 and were crowned Ivy League Champions after a perfect 5-0 run. The Big Red finished second at the NCAA Championships and were the 2011 National Dual Champions. Cornell defeated the Gophers 20-16 at the National Duals.
FAMILIAR FACE AT CORNELL
Former Gopher and two-time NCAA champion Damion Hahn is entering his sixth season on the Cornell bench. Hahn finished his Gopher career a 118-21 record, which included a 33-1 mark during his senior season in 2003-04. Hahn became the third wrestler in school history to capture two NCAA titles when he won back-to-back crowns in 2003 and 2004.
A LOOK AT THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State comes into the season as the returning National Champions from a year ago. Last season the Gophers and the Nittany Lions tied (18-18) at the Sports Pavilion.
DEITCHLER IS BACK
Redshirt Sophomore Jake Deitchler is back in the Gopher lineup for this season at 157 lbs. Last week at the Bison Open he finished 4-0. The former 2008 US Olympic Team member will square off with Cornell's Kyle Dake, who is ranked No. 1 by InterMat, while Deitchler is No. 8
SANDERS MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Senior All-American Zach Sanders currently sits at No. 30 on the all-time career wins list for the Gophers. Sanders has 106 wins in his career.
FOUR ALL-AMERICAN CAPTAINS
The four returning All-Americans from last season have been named as team captains for the 2011-12 season. Sanders is joined by fellow senior Sonny Yohn and sophomores Kevin Steinhaus and Tony Nelson to guide the team. At the NCAA Championships last season Sanders finished 5th (125 lbs.), Yohn 7th (197 lbs.), Steinhaus 8th (184 lbs.) and Nelson 7th (Hwt.)
GOPHER COACHING STAFF
Minnesota's coaching staff is led by the legend J Robinson, who enters his 26th season at the helm. Longtime assistant Joe Russell left over the summer to take the head coaching job at George Mason University. Now, Brandon Eggum has moved up to Head Assistant Coach, while Luke Becker is a full-time assistant. Former National Champion Jayson Ness has also joined the staff as an assistant for the Gophers.
WITH ONE WIN….
Head Coach J Robinson needs one win to bump his career record at Minnesota to 375 wins. Robinson's current record for the Gophers is 374-126-4, which is just 18 wins shy of tying the all-time record, which is currently held by Wally Johnson, whose record is 392-209-11.
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Four All-Americans Named Captains for 2011-12 Season
Sanders, Yohn, Nelson and Steinhaus will guide the Gophers this season
Four All-Americans have been named captains of the 2011-12 University of Minnesota wrestling team. Seniors Zach Sanders and Sonny Yohn have been tabbed to lead the team, along with sophomores Tony Nelson and Kevin Steinhaus. The Gophers return seven of their nine competitors, from its NCAA Championship Team, which finished seventh overall last season. Minnesota will be looking to claim their fourth national championship this season.
"Having great leaders is an important factor in achieving success here at Minnesota," assistant head coach Brandon Eggum. "We are fortunate to have captains with great leadership and characteristics."
Sanders, is a three-time All-American at 125 lbs, who has placed fifth at nationals the last two years. The Wabasha, Minn., native went 34-6 last season with seven pins. He holds a career record of 102-23 with 28 pins.
Yohn enters his final campaign in the maroon and gold after coming off his second straight NCAA Championship appearance. Yohn, who hails from Alamosa, Colo., finished with 18 wins last season and a seventh place finish at nationals at 197 lbs. He lost to Big Ten foe Matt Powless in the second round by split victory 3-5, but came back to defeat Powless 5-2 for the seventh place match in Philadelphia.
The other two captains (Nelson and Steinhaus) as said before come from the sophomore class. This is something new to the Gopher tradition of having a couple sophomores take on the role, but Eggum and his staff feel pretty confident in their decision for this season.
"It is a little unique to have two sophomore captains in Tony Nelson and Kevin Steinhaus," Eggum said. "These two have showed the skills on the mat and have shown the responsibility of being great captains.
Nelson is coming off a very impressive freshman season. The Cambridge, Minn., native finished with a record of 33-8 and took seventh in the heavyweight division at the NCAA Championships, to earn him All-American honors. He took second at the Big Ten Championships after falling just short to Iowa's Blake Rasing.
Steinhaus, who picked up his first All-American honors with an eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships, finished with a record of 34-12 for the Gophers at 184 lbs. Hailing from Pennock, Minn., Steinhaus also recorded 11 major decisions in the 2010-11 season. He placed second at the Big Ten Championships after falling 3-4 against the Nittany Lions Quentin Wright.
Minnesota is set to open up practice on Monday October 10. The Gophers first competition of the season will be on Saturday November 12, as they will compete at the Bison Open.
Brandon Eggum and Luke Becker Receive a Promotion; Eggum named Head Assistant Coach and Becker named Assistant Coach
The University of Minnesota Wrestling program has announced a couple of changes on its coaching staff for the 2011-12 season. Brandon Eggum who has been the assistant coach for the last 10 seasons has been promoted to Head Assistant Coach. He takes over after the departure of Joe Russell, who took the head coaching job at George Mason University. The second change is Luke Becker who has been a volunteer assistant for the past nine years is now the Assistant Coach for the Gophers.
Head Coach J Robinson who be entering his 26th season at the helm for the Gophers' is really excited about what Eggum and Becker can continue to bring to the program. Staying in the Gopher family was a very important decision for Robinson in this process
"One of the things we wanted to do was to keep the continuity in the program," Robinson said. "I think Brandon and Luke have the philosophy that we strive on and that's being aggressive as well as being dominate. I think they will bring that same thought process into their new jobs."
Eggum was a three-time All-American and four-year letter winner for the Golden Gophers from 1997 to 2000. As a sophomore, Eggum earned his first All-American certificate with a fifth-place finish at 177 pounds at the 1998 NCAA Championships. He ranks tied for 17th in school history in wins with a 115-23-0 overall record, while his .833 winning percentage ranks tied for 15th. Eggum is tied for 11th place all-time with a stellar 61-11 dual meet record. In Eggum's first season on the Gopher coaching staff (2001) Minnesota earned the program's first national championship with an NCAA record 10 All-Americans. The team also captured the Big Ten Championship, as well as the National Duals Championship.
Becker was the 157-pound national champion at the 2002 NCAA Championships as a junior. He then closed his career with his fourth All-America certificate, earning a fourth place finish. Becker ended his career ranked eighth in school history with a 125-29-0 career record and ranked 10th with 29 career pins. Currently he stands at 11th and 15th respectively in each category. Becker has helped develop 12 All-America honorees including 2010 NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner Jayson Ness. Becker also coached Ness and Mike Thorn to Big Ten championships. After serving as one of the key contributors on the mat for Minnesota's first two national titles in 2001 and 2002, Becker was on staff during its run to the 2007 national championship.
Minnesota Gophers Clinch Five All-America Honors
PHILADELPHIA -- Five members of the Minnesota wrestling program clinched All-America honors on Friday night at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, Pa. All five Gophers remain active in the consolation brackets as Minnesota sits in ninth place in the team standings with 49.5 points. Penn State leads the NCAA championships with 92.5 points.
Zach Sanders clinched All-America honors for the third time in his career on Friday night while Sonny Yohn and Mike Thorn each earned their second-career All-America honor. Redshirt freshmen Kevin Steinhaus and Tony Nelson both captured the prestigious honor in their first appearance at the national championships.
Sanders sealed his third All-America honor with a 6-5 win over Matthew Snyder of Virginia in the 125 lbs. consolation brackets and added another win later in the evening session, this time a 4-2 sudden victory win over Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma to advance to Sunday morning. The redshirt junior will take on three-seed Brandon Precin of Northwestern in the consolation semifinals tomorrow morning.
Thorn, a 2010 All-American who already sealed his second All-America honor heading into the semis, had his national championship hopes dashed by three seed Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly. Thorn, seeded second at 141 lbs., fell via 9-3 decision when Novachov tallied takedowns in the first and third periods with a three-point nearfall following his second takedown. Cal Poly's 141-pounder added a bonus point with the riding time bonus. Thorn recorded three escapes in the loss, which dropped his season record to 37-5. The redshirt senior will meet Illinois' James Kennedy tomorrow morning for chance to wrestle for third.
Steinhaus opened the evening by clinching All-America honors in his first NCAA championships appearance. The redshirt freshman opened Session IV with a 7-1 decision over Chris Perry of Oklahoma but fell to Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming 11-9 in his final match of the evening. He'll wrestle Travis Rutt of Wisconsin tomorrow in the seventh-place match.
Yohn picked up his second career All-America honor after opening Session IV with a 2-1 decision over Zac Thomusseit of Pitt, but fell in the follow up to Stanford's Zac Giesen 3-2. The redshirt junior will Matt Powless for the second time this week tomorrow morning for seventh. Powless knocked Yohn out of the championship round on Thursday with a 5-3 decision.
Nelson was the fifth and final Gopher to pick up All-America honors, scoring a 3-2 win in the first tiebreaker over Oklahoma's Nathan Fernandez to pick up All-America honors in his first NCAA appearance. Nelson wouldn't be able to replicate his tiebreaker win in the evening's final matchup, dropping a 2-1 contest in the first tiebreaker session to Maryland's Spencer Myers. Nelson will close out the NCAA tournament against Arizona State's Levi Cooper in the heavyweight seventh-place match.
125: Zach Sanders
First Round: #5 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. Jason Lara (ORST) 6-2
Second Round: #5 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. #12 Jason Garnett (VATECH) 8-6
Quarterfinals: Ben Kjar (UTAHV) dec. #5 Zach Sanders (MINN) 5-3
Consolations: #5 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. Matthew Snyder (UVA) 6-5
Consolations: #5 Zach Sanders (MINN) SV #8 Jarrod Patterson 4-2
133: David Thorn
First Round: David Thorn (MINN) SV. Jordan Thome (ARMY) 6-4
Second Round: #3 Andrew Long (PSU) SV. David Thorn (MINN) 7-5
Consolations: David Thorn (MINN) dec. Ian Paddock (OSU) 8-2
Consolations: #6 Tony Ramos (Iowa) SV David Thorn (MINN) 7-5
141: Mike Thorn
First Round: #2 Mike Thorn (MINN) dec. Darius Little (NCSU) 2-1
Second Round: #2 Mike Thorn (MINN) dec. Nick Nelson (UVA) 6-1
Quarterfinals: #2 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall #10 Todd Schavrien (MIZZ) 2:03
Semifinals: #3 Boris Novachkov (CPOLY) dec. #2 Mike Thorn (MINN) 9-3
149: Danny Zilverberg
First Round: #5 Jamal Parks (OKST) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN) 6-3
Consolations: #12 Desi Green (BUFF) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN) 8-5
165: Cody Yohn
First Round: Eren Civan (COLUM) fall #12 Cody Yohn (MINN) 2:28
Consolations: #12 Cody Yohn (MINN) fall Chad Porter (LIBTY) 1:40
Consolations: Brandon Hatchett (LEHI) dec. #12 Cody Yohn (MINN) 8-3
174: Scott Glasser
First Round: Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. Patrick Martinez (WYO) 10-3
Second Round: #2 Ed Ruth (PSU) dec. Scott Glasser (MINN) 5-3
Consolations: Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. Eric Starks (AZST) 6-0
Consolations: #10 Nick Heflin (OSU) SV Scott Glasser (MINN) 4-2
184: Kevin Steinhaus
First Round: #8 Kevins Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Jason McCroskey (WYO) 10-3
Second Round: #9 Quentin Wright (PSU) dec. #8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 8-4
Consolations: #8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Brad Dieckhaus (NIU) 10-7
Consolations: #8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Luke Rebertus (NAVY) 4-1
Consolations: #8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. #7 Chris Perry (OKST) 7-1
Consolations: #7 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) dec. #8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 11-9
197: Sonny Yohn
First Round: #9 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. Anthony Biondo (MICH) 6-1
Second Round: #8 Matt Powless (IND) SV. #9 Sonny Yohn (MINN) 5-3
Consolations: #9 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. Chad Hanke (ORST) 5-3
Consolations: #9 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. Andy Johnson (NEB) 3-1
Consolations: #9 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. #7 Zac Thomusseit (PITT) 2-1
Consolations: #12 Zack Giesen (STAN) dec. #9 Sonny Yohn (MINN) 3-2
285: Tony Nelson
First Round: #8 Tony Nelson (MINN) SV. Christian Brantley (UNI) 3-1
Second Round: #9 Cameron Wade (PSU) dec. #8 Tony Nelson (MINN) 4-1
Consolations: #8 Tony Nelson (MINN) dec. Ben Apland (MICH) 2-0
Consolations: #8 Tony Nelson (MINN) dec. #6 Ryan Tomei (PITT) 10-3
Consolations: #8 Tony Nelson (MINN) TB1 #10 Nathan Fernandez (OKLA) 3-2
Consolations: Spencer Myers (MARY) TB1 #8 Tony Nelson 2-1
Minnesota Top No. 15 Illinois 21-16
The No. 5 Minnesota wrestling program completed a weekend sweep over a pair of ranked opponents, topping No. 15 Illinois 21-16 on Sunday after beating Purdue on Friday night. The Gophers earned wins from Tony Nelson (HWT), Zach Sanders (125), Mike Thorn (141), Cody Yohn (165), Scott Glasser (174) and Kevin Steinhaus (184).
Tony Nelson started the day off right for Minnesota with a 7-0 decision over Patrick Walker in the heavyweight match, and Zach Sanders followed up with a six-minute pin on Logan Arlis in the 125 lbs. match to give the Gophers a 9-0 lead after the opening two matches. The Illini would take six points in the 133 lbs. match when No. 7 Bernard Futrell scored a pin over David Thorn, but Mike Thorn would answer right back with a 9-4 win over Daryl Thomas in the 141 lbs. match to remain unbeaten in duals this season.
Illinois would pick up seven points in the middle weights however to take a 13-12 lead. No. 14 Eric Terrazas scored a 5-2 decision over Danny Zilverberg in the 149 lbs. match and Jackson Morse followed with an 11-2 major decision over Joe Grygelko in the 157 lbs. match.
But the Illini's lead would be short lived as the Gophers would go on to take the next three matches to lock up the dual. Cody Yohn recorded a 1-0 decision over Conrad Polz at 165 lbs. and Scott Glasser and Kevin Steinhaus followed suit with decisions of their own over Benjamin Friedl at 174 lbs. (7-4) and Tony Dallago at 184 lbs. (4-0, respectively. The three-match swing put Minnesota up 21-13 and a 6-4 decision for Joseph Barczak over Joe Nord would give Minnesota a win with a final score of 21-16.
The Gophers return to action next Sunday in a matchup of top-five programs. The fifth-ranked Gophers will host Big Ten rival and No. 4 Wisconsin at the Sports Pavilion a week from today at 2 p.m. CST.
No. 5 Minnesota at. No. 15 Illinois
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Champaign, Ill.
Minnesota: 21
Illinois: 16
285: No. 9 Tony Nelson (MINN) dec. Patrick Walker (ILL) 7-0
125: No. 5 Zach Sanders (MINN) fall Logan Arlis (ILL) 6:00
133: No. 7 Bernard Futrell (ILL) fall David Thorn (MINN) 2:53
141: No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) dec. Daryl Thomas (ILL) 9-4
149: No. 14 Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN) 5-2
157: Jackson Morse (ILL) maj. Joe Grygelko (MINN) 11-2
165: Cody Yohn (MINN) dec. Conrad Polz (ILL) 1-0
174: No. 8 Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. Benjamin Friedl (ILL) 7-4
184: No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Tony Dallago (ILL) 4-0
197: Joseph Barczak (ILL) dec. Joe Nord (MINN) 6-4
Minnesota Takes Down No. 23 Purdue 26-15
WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. -- The No. 5 Golden Gopher wrestling program picked up its 11th win of the season on Friday night, taking down No. 23 Purdue 26-15 in West Lafayette to improve to 2-0 in the Big Ten season. Minnesota recorded wins from Zach Sanders (125), David Thorn (133), Mike Thorn (141), Matt Mincey (149), Scott Glasser (174) and Tony Nelson (HWT).
As is fast becoming a trend, the Gophers (11-3 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) swept through the lower weights to jump out to an early 20-0 lead over the Boilermakers with bonus points in the first four matches of the night. All-American Zach Sanders, the No. 5 125-pounder in the nation, scored a 14-5 major decision over Camden Eppert in the opening match before David Thorn picked up another five points for Minnesota with a 17-2 technical fall over Matt Fields in the 133 lbs. match. Second-ranked 141 lbs. grappler Mike Thorn followed up with a pin at 3:31 over Jake Fleckenstein to make it 15-0 before Matt Mincey made his career dual debut with a 15-0 technical fall over Tommy Churchard at 149 lbs.
Purdue (5-6-1, 0-3) fought back with a pair of wins in the middle weights. No. 20 Colton Salazar fended off a strong push by Joe Grygelko in the 157 lbs. match to pick up a 5-3 decision and break the Boilermakers onto the scoreboard. The Boilermakers would add another six team points in the 165 lbs. match when unranked Kyle Mosier upset No. 11 Cody Yohn with a pin at the 6:08 mark to cut the Gophers' lead to 20-9.
But Minnesota would bounce back in the highly anticipated 174 lbs. match that pitted two top-ten wrestlers against each other on the mat. In a close battle, Minnesota's Scott Glasser, ranked eighth in the country in his weight class, picked up a 4-2 decision victory over No. 9 Luke Manuel.
Purdue would add a pair of decision at 184 and 197 lbs. but couldn't lock up bonus points in either match and by the time No. 9 Tony Nelson scored a 4-3 decision win in the heavyweight match, the dual was already out of reach for the Boilermakers.
The fifth-ranked Gophers return to action on Sunday at No. 15 Illinois. Start time for Sunday's competition is slated for 1 p.m. CST.
No. 5 Minnesota at. No. 23 Purdue
Friday, January 21, 2011
West Lafayette, Ind.
Minnesota: 26
Purdue: 15
125: No. 5 Zach Sanders (MINN) maj. Camden Eppert (PU) 14-5
133: David Thorn (MINN) tech. Matt Fields (PU) 17-2; 7:00
141: No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall Jake Fleckenstein (PU) 3:31
149: Matt Mincey (MINN) tech. Tommy Churchard (PU) 15-0; 4:56
157: No. 20 Colton Salazar (PU) dec. Joe Grygelko(MINN) 5-3
165: Kyle Mosier (PU) fall No. 11 Cody Yohn (MINN) 6:08
174: No. 8 Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. No. 9 Luke Manuel (PU) 4-2
184: No. 13 A.J. Kissel (PU) dec. No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 4-3
197: No. 10 Logan Brown (PU) dec. Joe Nord (MINN) 4-2
285: No. 9 Tony Nelson (MINN) dec. Roger Vukobratovich (PU) 4-3
Minnesota Sweeps at Northern Quad
ROCHESTER, Minn. (November 28, 2010) -- The No. 3 Minnesota wrestling program swept the Northern Quad in Rochester, Minn. on Sunday, posting wins in all three duals. In a battle of nationally ranked teams, the Gophers came from behind to beat No. 9 Central Michigan 21-17 while also earning team wins over Appalachian State (30-6) and North Dakota State (35-9).
No. 3 Minnesota 30, Appalachian State 6
Minnesota cruised to its first dual win of the season with a 30-6 win over the Mountaineers starting with a pin from Zach Sanders over ASU's Tony Gravely in 4:26 in the 125 lbs. match followed up by a 7-5 decision in favor of Thane Antczak over Chris Johnson at 133 lbs. Mike Thorn provided the Gophers third-straight win of the day at 141 lbs. when he scored a major decision over Mike Kessler before the Mountaineers finally found the score sheet in the 149 lbs. matchup when Savva Kostis earned a 10-8 decision over Danny Zilverberg. But Minnesota would answer right back as Alec Ortiz picked up a 14-8 decision over John Blakely at 157 lbs. and Cody Yohns added an 8-5 decision of his own at 165 lbs. over Appalachian State's Kyle Blevins.
The Gophers (3-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten) built up a 21-point lead following the 174 lbs. match between Scott Glasser and Carter Downs. Glasser earned a 21-7 win for Minnesota when he tallied nine takedowns in the match including four in the third period. After Kevin Steinhaus dropped an 11-9 decision to Austin Trotman in the 184 pounders meeting, the Gophers closed out the dual with a 7-0 decision victory for Sonny Yohn over Paul Glover and a 7-1 decision for Tony Nelson over Marc Tyson.
No. 3 Minnesota 21, No. 9 Central Michigan 17
The day's most anticipated matchup certainly didn't disappoint as the No. 3 Gophers and No. 9 Chippewas battled back in forth with Minnesota picking up a 21-7 win. Zach Sanders picked up his second win of the day in the opener against Central Michigan, earning a 19-5. In the follow-up match, Antczak wasn't as lucky, giving up a 10-0 major decision to Scotti Sentes. But Mike Thorn regained the lead for the Gophers in the next match when he scored a pin in 4:53 at 141 lbs. Danny Zilverberg added to the Gophers advantage with a come-from-behind 7-5 decision over CMU's Donnie Corby in extra time. Zilverberg scored a late point in the third to tie the match up and then scored a takedown to lock up the win and give the Gophers a nine-point lead at the halfway point.
But the Chippewas turned the tide on Minnesota, gaining the lead with victories in the next three matches. At 157 lbs, Eric Cubberly picked up a 9-2 decision over Alec Ortiz and Mike Miller followed that up with a major decision(10-2) over Cody Yohn at 165 lbs. Then in a battle of nationally ranked 174 pounders, No. 6 Ben Bennett picked up a 7-1 decision over No. 10 Scott Glasser.
But a technical fall by Kevin Steinhaus in the 184 lbs. match regained the lead for Minnesota when the redshirt freshman scored an 18-2 win over Chad Friend. Sonny Yohn added a 6-1 decision over Craig Kelliher and Tony Nelson dropped a close 3-2 decision to No. 4 Jarod Trice as the Gophers hung on to win 21-17.
No. 3 Minnesota 35, North Dakota State 9
Sanders picked up his third win of the afternoon in the opening match against Trent Sprenkle of NDSU, pegging a 14-5 major decision over Sprenkle at 125 lbs. After dropping a major decision earlier in the day, Antczak rebounded nicely in the evening finale. The sophomore earned a 10-1 major decision over the Bison's Justin Solberg before Danny Zilverberg added a 7-4 decision at 149 lbs. over Andrey Patselov to give Minnesota a 17-0 lead. The Bison got on the board with a 3-0 decision for Vince Salminen over Pat Smith at 157 lbs., and Minnesota's Cody Yohn picked up a 7-4 decision over Tyler Johnson at 165 lbs. before Joel Hill was pinned by NDSU's Steve Monk in 3:49.
The Gophers swept the final three events with Kevin Steinhaus earning a 10-4 decision over Kevin Moenkedick and Sonny Yohn earning a fall over Drew Ross in 16 seconds at 197 lbs. Minnesota's Tony Nelson recorded the win in the heavyweight matchup via forfeit.
Minnesota's Ness, Dorniden Named Big Ten Medal of Honor Winners
Minnesota seniors Jayson Ness (wrestling) and Heather Dorniden (cross country, track and field) have been named Minnesota's representatives for this year's Big Ten Medal of Honor award - given annually to the top male and female student-athletes at each conference institution.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor was established in 1914, when the conference endowed an award to honor a student in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. The Medal of Honor was expanded in 1982 to include a senior female athlete from each institution. It is the highest award bestowed on a student-athlete in the Big Ten Conference.
Ness (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) capped off an impressive collegiate career by posting a perfect 31-0 record in 2009-10 and capturing his first national championship at 133 pounds. A four-time All-American, Ness tallied a career record of 148-15 with 73 falls and won Big Ten titles at 125 pounds as a redshirt freshman in 2006-07 and at 133 points as a senior. He also recorded a second-place finish at both the Big Ten tournament and the national tournament as a sophomore.
Academically, Ness was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I All-Academic Team twice during his career along with a pair of Academic All-Big Ten honors. He also earned the Golden Gopher Academic Award for the 2008-2009 season.
"The beauty of Jayson Ness is that as a third grader he decided he wanted to be a Gopher. He dreamed about it for years, and he ended up being able to live his dream," Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson said. "Jayson is a young man that comes in and does everything he's supposed to do. He does it the right way. He takes care of school, he takes care of his social life and at the same time he is an incredibly hard worker and just a great human being."
A two-sport athlete competing in both cross country and track and field, Dorniden (Inver Groves Heights, Minn./Rosemount HS) wrapped up her college career as the most decorated women's runner in Gophers history including the distinction of being Minnesota's first-ever national champion, winning the 2006 800-meter NCAA indoor title.
Successful from her first season at Minnesota, when she earned the 2006 indoor and outdoor Big Ten Freshman of the Year awards, Dorniden would go on to collect nine All-America citations and compete in a total of 12 NCAA Championships. Her teams won a combined six Big Ten championships (track - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009; and cross country - 2007, 2008) while Dorniden was a four-time Big Ten individual event winner and was named the 2009 Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships.
Dorniden has been equally successful in the classroom, posting a 3.946 cumulative GPA. Her dedication to education has earned her 2008, 2009 and 2010 Top-Five Awards for owning one of the best GPAs in the Gophers' Athletic Department. Her academic accolades include a slot on the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team (an award Dorniden is eligible for once again this year), the 2009 President's Student Leadership and Service Award, the 2009 University of Minnesota Alumni Association Student Leadership Award and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. A 2008 and 2009 captain of the cross country team and a 2009 captain of the track and field team, Dorniden is also Minnesota's 2010 nominee for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award.
"Heather is every coach's dream. I don't think our program would be where it is without what she has done for it," Minnesota head women's cross country coach Gary Wilson said. "She's coachable, she's a great student and she's a great person. She is the perfect kid, and she's well deserving of this honor."
Minnesota's Ness Completes Perfect Season
Neb. - Recently crowned four-time All-American Jayson Ness sealed the deal today (Mar. 20), completing a perfect season with his first career National Championship.
The tension ran high in his 11-minute 1-0 win in the semifinals, but that was nothing compared to the drama that unfolded tonight. In a rematch of the Big Ten championship, Ness was matched up with Daniel Dennis of rival Iowa. Despite several close calls, Ness had only an escape to his credit and trailed 1-4 after Dennis scored his second takedown with just 1:20 to go in the third period.
Ness was able to escape but still trialed two and needed to score. As the clock ticked down, past a minute, past 30 second and past 15 seconds he was still behind. Then, with just five seconds left in his career, Ness shot and landed the biggest takedown yet. Once he had Dennis on his back, he got the near fall call and the clock hit zeros.
"I was just thinking about getting a takedown to tie it up," Ness said of the final 10 seconds. "I came after him ass hard as I could. Good things happen when you wrestle hard for a full seven minutes."
On a night where the Gophers had already named three All-Americans, Ness was the main attraction. Yesterday he became the just the sixth four-time All-American in the 100-year history of Minnesota wrestling. He has wrestled in the national semifinals all four years of his career and his win Friday night made him just the 11th two-time NCAA finalist in Minnesota history.
All season long, Ness has been open, that the ultimate goal was to finish as a champion at the NCAA Championship meet, here in Omaha. Once the goal was complete the usually reserved Ness, jumped off the stage and into the stands for an embrace with his father worthy of four-years of waiting.
He is now the 14th national champion in program history and joins Brock Lesnar (2000) and Marty Morgan (1991) as the only Gophers to end their career with their first national championship. He also breaks a three-year drought of NCAA Champions for the Golden Gophers, as the first to win a NCAA title since Cole Konrad in 2007.
Ness' career seemed destined for success from the start. After an impressive redshirt season, he was the Big Ten's best freshman in 2007, winning the 125-pound title on his way to earning Freshman of the year honors. At his first NCAA Tournament he placed fifth to be named All-American, helping the Gophers to the team title.
>From there he went on to win 36 straight matches, one of the best stretches in school history, and one he nearly matched this year with 33, until he literally just ran out of matches to wrestle. This season he beat everyone on the schedule, winning 19-matches by pin. He faced 10 ranked opponents and beat them all, including three this weekend.
He has placed fifth, second, third and now first at the National tournament, placing him along side Konrad as the only two in Minnesota history to average better than a third place finish over four years and NCAA Championships.
The 2010 edition of Golden Gopher wrestling returned to their usual spot among the top ten nationally. This season marks the 13th time in the last 14 years that the Gophers have finished in the top-10, with last season as the only aberration.
Minnesota will bid farewell to Ness and fellow seniors Matt Everson (Mitchell, S.D.), Nate Matousek (Glencoe, Minn.) and Dustin Schlatter (Masillion, Ohio) this season, but will look to returning All-Americans Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.), Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) and Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) as they lead the Gophers into 2011.
Ness, Thorn Win Titles as Minnesota Gophers Place Second
Ann Arbor, Mich. - The Minnesota wrestling team put the wraps on a successful Big Ten Championships today (Mar. 7) finishing with two champions and seven NCAA qualifiers.
Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) led the way with his second Big Ten title, and first at 133. After an undefeated season, Ness was also named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Ness is the seventh Gopher to earn the honor, and first since Cole Konrad won it back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.
The Gophers locked up their 11th top-two finish at the Big Ten Tournament in the last 12 seasons, with the only aberration a fifth place finish a year ago. Minnesota scored 119.5 points on the weekend, behind Iowa who won for the third straight year with 156.5 points. Wisconsin took third with 109.0 points while Ohio State and Penn State rounded out the top-five with 102.5 and 91.0 points respectively.
Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.), Ness, Mike Thorn (St., Michael, Minn.), Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.), Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.), Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) and Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) will all finish their season in two weeks at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Quest Center in Omaha, Neb. Ness will be going back for the fourth time, looking for his fourth All-America honor and his first national championship. Berhow returns for the third time, while Sanders and Thorn each make their second trip. Mason, Glasser and Sonny Yohn each will make their first appearance in the NCAA Championships.
Ness led the charge as the first to win a title, becoming 24th multiple Big Ten Champion in school history. He also won at 125 his freshman season and becomes the first Gopher to win a Big Ten Championship since 2007. Ness was matched up with Daniel Dennis of Iowa after the two entered the tournament as the top-two seeds. Ness scored first on an escape and then took a 3-0 lead. He went on to take a 7-0 lead before Dennis scored three points late to before the 8-3 final.
Ness moves to 26-0 on the season, after a 3-0 performance this weekend. He also now has 143 career wins, moving him into third place on the Gophers all-time list. He sits behind only Ed Geise (1982-86) with 159 and Cole Konrad (2003-07) with 155.
One match later the Gophers had their second champion. Thorn entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and knocked off the No. 3 seed in the semifinals for advance to the title match. Matched up with the No. 1 seed, and the second ranked wrestler in the country, Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, Thorn scored first and controlled the match. Humphrey and a good chance late, but Thorn scrambled out of it to avoid the takedown and preserve his lead, en route to a 3-1 win.
Thorn becomes the first Gopher ever to win a 141-pound title and advances to his second NCAA tournament in two weeks.
In his title match, Glasser was matched up with the only opponent to beat him since Dec. 29, Jay Borschel of Iowa. The match started slow, but Borschel was the first to score and led the entire way, before winning 8-1. Glasser got into a good scramble late, but couldn't finish it before Borschel caught him for one final takedown.
The fourth Gopher in a championship match was Sonny Yohn, taking on Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin. Yohn beat top-seeded Chad Beatty of Iowa in the semis to advance to face second seeded Brandvold. Fifth seeded Yohn got the first points on an escape, but Brandvold answered right back with a takedown for a 2-1 lead. In the third period, Brandvold added another escape to take a 3-1 lead which is where the match would stay. The second place tally is the best finished for Yohn, after a seventh place finish at 184 last year.
Four wrestlers opened the day's action in the consolation semifinals, starting with Sanders at 125. Herwon to advance to the third place match as did Berhow at Heavyweight. Each went on to win and place third, giving them the best finishes of their careers.
Mason at 149 and Cody Yohn at 165 lost in the consolation semifinals, and ended their day in the fifth place match. Mason won to finish in fifth, but Yohn lost and placed sixth.
The seven NCAA qualifiers will continue their seasons at the NCAA Championships Mar. 18-20. Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) and Cody Yohn must now wait to lear their fate with the NCAA wild card selections set to come out on Thursday.
Minnesota Gophers Cruise by Michigan Wolverines, 30-6
The Minnesota wrestling team won their second straight to open the Big Ten season, dropping just two decisions to host Michigan this evening (Jan. 23) en route to their 30-6 win.
As he did a night ago, Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) started things off strong for the Gophers, with a major decision at 125 to give Minnesota (7-4) an early 4-0 lead. No. 6 Sanders beat Michigan's (4-9) Sean Boyle 14-5 for his third straight win and his third major decision of the year.
Taking the lead from Sanders, Thane Antczak (Prairie Farm, Wis.) rolled as well in his match at 133. Starting for the fourth straight match, Antczak earned his first career win in a dual with his 11-5 decision over Zach Stevens. The 11 points scored in the match represent a career high for the redshirt freshman as he extended the Gophers lead to 7-0.
With ranked wrestlers at 141 and 149 the Gophers racked up 10 points over the next two matches to take a 17-0 lead.
Sixth ranked Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) scored his fourth major decision of the season with a 13-5 win at 141. Thorn bet Mark Weber to win his sixth in the last seven matches, and his 17th on the season against just three losses.
Ahead 11-0, Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) put the exclamation point on the Gophers' match-opening run with his first career pin at 149. Early in the second period, No. 18 Mason got the fall over Mark Boyer, also snapping a rare three-match losing streak.
After Michigan got on the board at 157, Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) got his first career win at 165 with a 6-0 shutout at the expense of Aaron Hynes. Hynes was fifth at 157 at last season's Big Ten Championships, but fell to Yohn who was wrestling just his second career match at 165.
A match later at 174, Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) clinched the won for Minnesota with a decision in a match-up of two top-20 opponents. No. 8 Glasser scored a 5-2 win over No. 16 Justin Zeerip to put Minnesota ahead 23-3 with just three matches left, eliminating the chance of a comeback by the Wolverines.
Kaleb Young (Tenstrike, Minn.) won at 184, with a 6-5 decision over Hunter Collins. Collins entered the match with a 14-5 record before falling to Young.
In another match-up of ranked opponents, No. 16 Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) dropped a narrow 5-2 decision to No. 9 Anthony Biondo. The loss snaps a three-match winning streak for Yohn, and of his seven losses this season, six have come to ranked opponents.
Finally, Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) capped the meet with a major decision at heavyweight. Berhow hung a 14-5 score on Ben Appland for the final 30-6 team score. Berhow also won his second straight and improves to 10-0 in Big Ten competition over the last two seasons.
The 7-4 Gophers return home next weekend for the first time since Jan. 3. On Jan. 29, Wisconsin visits Williams Arena or a 7:00 p.m. match, and on Jan. 31 Purdue comes to the Sports Pavilion for a 2:00 p.m. contest. When the Gophers and Boilermakers face off on the 31st, it will be the Gopher Wrestling Endowment Meet, and all ticket proceeds from the match will go directly to the Gopher Wrestling Scholarship fund. Just by coming to the meet you can help secure the future of Golden Gopher Wrestling.
125 -- #6 Zach Sanders (Minn) major dec. Sean Boyle, 14-5 Minn, 4-0
133 -- Thane Antczak (Minn) dec. Zac Stevens, 11-5 Minn, 7-0
141 -- #6 Mike Thorn (Minn) major dec. Mark Weber, 13-5 Minn, 11-0
149 -- #18 Mario Mason (Minn) pinned Mark Boyer, 3:43 Minn, 17-0
157 -- Dave Johnson (U-M) dec. Joe Grygelko, 6-4 SV Minn, 17-3
165 -- Cody Yohn (Minn) dec. Aaron Hynes, 6-0 Minn, 20-3
174 -- #8 Scott Glasser (Minn) dec. Justin Zeerip, 5-2 Minn, 23-3
184 -- Kaleb Young (Minn) dec. Hunter Collins, 6-5 Minn, 26-3
197 -- #9 Anthony Biondo (U-M) dec. #16 Sonny Yohn, 5-2 Minn, 26-6
Hwt -- Ben Berhow (Minn) major dec. Ben Apland, 14-5 Minn, 30-6
Minnesota Gophers Come From Behind to Beat Michigan State Spartans
East Lansing, Mich. - Trailing by a point on the road, and entering the final match of the evening against Michigan State, the Minnesota Wrestling team got the winning decision at heavyweight to clinch the 18-16 match victory.
Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) notched the winning decision over the Spartans Alan O'Donnell, gaining a 10-3 victory. Berhow scored an early takedown and led 5-0 before O'Donnell got on the board. The win was also just the second in five matches for Berhow as he broke out in a big way from a mid season slump.
Just a match before, Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) put the Gophers in position for the win, with an 8-2 decision over Tyler Dickenson. The 16th ranked Yohn ran out to an 8-0 lead, only surrendering a late Dickenson reversal with just 30 seconds left in the match. Heading into his match, Yohn and the Gophers trailed the Spartans 12-16 after a Michigan State win at 184. Yohn won for the third straight time at 197, his longest winning streak at the weight class since opening the season 4-0 at 197.
Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) started the match strong for Minnesota with a pin of Brennan Lyon at 125. The fall was the sixth of the season for the sixth-ranked Sanders, and was his second fastest, coming just 3:59 into the match.
Thane Antczak (Prairie Farm, Wis.) was called upon once again to fill in for an injured Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) but was given no favors in facing No. 1 Franklin Gomez at 133. Gomez proved his worth, earning a 12-2 major decision over Antczak.
Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) put the Gophers back in the win column at 141 with an 11-4 win over the Spartans' Dan Osterman. Thorn surrendered the first takedown, but used an escape and takedown of his own to take a lead he would not relinquish, as he gave the Gophers a 9-4 lead in the match.
Michigan State won three straight at 149, 157 and 165 to take a 13-9 with four matches to go. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) stopped the Spartans streak with an 8-2 win at 174 over Ian Hinton. No. 8 Glasser continued on his hot streak, winning for the 13th time in his last 14 matches to draw the Gophers within one at 13-12.
A Spartan win at 184 extended their lead to 16-12 before Yohn began the comeback.
The Gophers improve to 6-4 on the season and 1-0 in Big Ten action. Michigan State falls for just the second time all season and sits at 6-2-1 and 0-1 in the conference. Minnesota returns to the mat tomorrow (Jan. 23) evening for a 6:00 p.m. dual with Michigan.
Minnesota Fall 28-12 to Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Iowa won seven of 10 bouts en route to a 28-12 win over Minnesota in the National Duals semifinals today (Jan. 10), at the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa.
The No. 6 ranked Gophers will now head to the third place match where they will face No. 3 ranked Ohio State, who lost to No. 2 Iowa State in the other semifinal. Ohio State entered the tournament as the third seed, while Minnesota was the fifth seed. No. 1 Iowa now moves on to the championship match against Iowa State. Both the third place and championship match are at 3:00 p.m. today.
Iowa (12-0) opened with two wins at 125 and 133, before Minnesota (5-3) got on the board at 141. With the match tied 6-6, the Hawkeyes won five straight to seal the victory.
The highlight for the Gophers came at 141, as they were down 6-0. Mike Thorn was faced with Montell Marion with Gophers needing points. Before you could blink, Thorn had Marion on his back and the Gopher crowd at their feet. Just 42 seconds into the match, it was over with Thorn earning his fifth fall of the season, his first in less than a minute.
The Gophers were unable to hold the momentum as a shuffled line-up lost the next five matches. At 149 David Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.) wrestled in place of Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) who was bumped up to 157. Zilverberg was tasked with the No. 1 149-pounder in the country in Brent Metcalf, who proved his worth. Metcalf tallied a first period fall over Zilverberg, earning the pin at the 2:18 mark.
In his first appearance of the season at 157, Mason scored first and led Aaron Janssen 4-1 at the end of the first period. Janssen, though, mounted his comeback late, as a series of late falls led to a 10-5 decision.
With Mason at 157, Joe Grygelko (Greenfield, Minn.) also got bumped up, wrestling his fist match of the year at 165. Nothing came easy against the Hawkeyes for the Gophers, and this match was no different as Grygelko had to face No. 5 Ryan Morningstar. The match started slow, but Morningstar poured the points on late, and after one final point for riding time had tallied a 17-2 tech fall to make the team score 20-6 with only four matches left.
With 11 straight wins entering the match, Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) had been the hottest Gopher of late. Against Central Michigan he beat the No. 5 ranked wrestler in the country, with his reward as the No. 2 ranked Jay Borschel. A close match at the start got away from Glasser late and Borschel finished with a major decision after the 11-3 final.
Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.), who had shared the 174 spot with Glasser earlier in the season, was bumped to 184 against the Hawkeyes where he met No. 6 Phillip Keddy. Keddy score the first takedown, and went on to shutout Yohn 11-0 in what would be the final win for the Hawkeyes.
At 197, Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) got the Gophers back in the win column, with a 6-1 win over Luke Lofthouse. Finally Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) snapped a two-match losing streak with a win at heavyweight in the final match. A pair of late takedowns were the difference for Berhow as he won 7-3 over Blake Rasing.
No. 6 Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) opened with a narrow loss at 125, falling 6-4 to No. 4 Matt McDonough. The loss was just his third of the season with all coming against ranked opponents.
Up 3-0, Iowa gained another 6-4 decision at 133, taking advantage of the missing Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.). Ness was dinged up in his match with Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan and was held out today. Thane Antczak (Prairie, Wis.) took Ness's spot and squared off with Nate Moore. Antczak scored first, but Moore proved to be too much, earning the 6-4 decision.
After closing the National Duals, the Gophers will get a much needed break, as they are off next week. The following weekend Big Ten action opens with Minnesota traveling to Michigan State on Jan. 22 and Michigan on Jan. 23.
125: #4 Matt McDonough (IOWA) dec. #6 Zach Sanders (MINN), 6-4 / 3-0
133: Nate Moore (IOWA) dec. Thane Antczak (MINN), 6-4 / 6-0
141: #7 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall Montell Marion (IOWA), 0:42 / 6-6
149: #1 Brent Metcalf (IOWA) fall David Zilverberg (MINN), 2:18 / 12-6
157: Aaron Janssen (IOWA) dec. Mario Mason (MINN), 10-5 / 15-6
165: #5 Ryan Morningstar (IOWA) tech. Joe Grygelko (MINN), 17-2 / 20-6
174: #2 Jay Borschel (IOWA) maj. #13 Scott Glasser (MINN), 11-3 / 24-6
184: #6 Phillip Keddy (IOWA) maj. Cody Yohn (MINN), 11-0 / 28-6
197: #15 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. Luke Lofthouse (IOWA), 6-1 / 28-9
HWT: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. Blake Rasing (IOWA), 7-3 / 28-12
Minnesota Gophers Lead After Day One at Southern Scuffle
Greensboro, N.C. - The University of Minnesota wrestling team returned to action at the Southern Scuffle today (Dec. 29), hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In the first day of the two day event, the Gophers had six wrestlers make it through unscathed and advance to the quarterfinals.
In the team standings, Minnesota holds a narrow one-point lead in first place over second place Cornell. The Gophers have 50 points, while the Big Red have 49. In third place is Indiana with 42, just ahead of fourth place Edinboro with 41.5 and fifth place Virginia with 41.
In the lower weights the Gophers dominated. Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) at 125, Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) at 133, and Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) at 141 all went 2-0 with two falls on the day.
At 125, Sanders extends his season record to 10-0, charting his third and fourth falls of the season. Of Sanders 10 wins this season, seven have come by major decision or better. In his first match of the day, Sanders beat Gabriel Gomez of Virginia with a first period pin, and in the second round he beat Brett Boston of Appalachian State with a fall in the third period.
Likewise, at 141 Thorn began with first period fall. Just 1:10 into the match, he pinned Dustin Haislip of the Naval Academy, marking his quickest fall of the season. In his next match, Thorn worked a little longer but still earned the same result. With a second left in the second period Thorn notched his second straight fall, this time over Nicholas Bundy of Army. Thorn improves to 9-1 on the season, and now has four falls.
The big name when it comes to falls, however, is Ness. Ness improves his team leading record to 13-0, and has won his last four by fall. Ness met Tyler Untrauer of the Air Force in his first match, and was forced to wrestle past the first period for just the third time all season, earning the fall at the 3:13 mark. He then closed his day with yet another first period fall, winning in just 2:25. The two wins extend his team-long winning streak to 15 straight.
Also showing his dominance was Dustin Schlatter (Massillon, Ohio). Schlatter tallied two major decisions in winning his third and fourth straight matches of the season. His first win was a 9-1 victory over Kyle Czarnecki of Boston and his second was a 13-4 drubbing of Robby Neill from the Naval Academy. Schlatter now has three major decisions on the season.
With two falls, and a major decision, David Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.) also reached the quarterfinals. At 149, Zilverberg, scored his first fall of the season, and didn't have to work long to get it. Just 58 seconds into the match, it was over with a pin of Nick Rex of Campbell. Zilverberg followed it with another fall, this time over Pierre Frazile of the Citadel at the 4:03 mark. For his final win, Zilverberg posted an 8-0 shutout of Cesar Grajales of Penn.
The final Gopher to end the day unbeaten was Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.), who did so wrestling a class up, at 197. Yohn tallied a fall at 4:36 over Tim Murphy of Edinboro for his first win, and a 2-0 decision over Neil Delany of the Air Force for his second. Yohn improved to 12-1 on the season, and 6-0 at 197.
The Gophers return to action tomorrow as they look to claim six individual titles and with their second Southern Scuffle.
Minnesota Wrestling Beats Northern Colorado 41-3
Colo. - The Golden Gopher Wrestling team won nine-of-10 matches en route to a 41-3 win over Northern Colorado this afternoon (Dec. 13), winning their second straight dual.
Minnesota (2-1) was in control the entire match, leading 17-0 before dropping their only contest. Northern Colorado (0-6) watched as six of the Gophers' wins accumulated bonus points for the lopsided final score.
Things began mildly for the Gophers, as Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) won by a 10-6 decision, taking a 3-0 lead after the opening match. Sanders improved his season record to 7-0, the second best mark on the team.
The only record better belongs to Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.), who surprised no one with his first period fall next at 133. Ness extends his record to 11-0 with 10 falls, nine of which have been in the first three minutes of the match. The win was also number 128 of his career, moving Ness into sole possession of eighth place all-time in Minnesota Wrestling history.
The top of the Gophers' line-up continued their dominance, as Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) won for the seventh time this season at 141, improving to 7-1. Thorn won his second straight match by tech fall, finishing with a 24-5 score as the final buzzer sounded.
In his first dual of the season, David Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.) was victorious next at 149. A 5-0 shutout by Zilverberg extended the Gophers lead to 17-0, just four matches in. It was also just the second dual meet appearance ever for the sophomore, running his career record to 2-0.
At 165, Dustin Schlatter (Massillon, Ohio) won his second straight, with his most dominating performance of the season in a 16-3 major decision win, while Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) followed with his team leading 13th victory at 174, on a 15-8 decision.
Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) at 184 and Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) at heavyweight closed out the match with a technical fall and pin respectively, as the Gophers put up a season high 41 points. Sonny Yohn already has a 15-0 shutout on his record this season, but equally as impressive was his 19-1 effort today, for his second tech fall of the season.
Berhow, meanwhile, won by fall for just the second time as well, winning his second straight match in the process. Early in the third period, Berhow notched the fall, for the final match of the day.
The Gophers will get to rest and relax now as the first half of the season comes to a close. Minnesota will return to action just before the calendar turns, on Dec. 29 and 30, in Greensboro, N.C. for the annual Southern Scuffle. It will be a start-studded line-up at the two-day tournament, providing plenty of great competition.
Minnesota returns to dual meet action not long after, as they welcome the second ranked team in the country to the Sports Pavilion, in Iowa State on Jan. 3.
125 - #4 Zach Sanders (UM) dec. Tony Mustari (UNC), 10-6 / 3-0
133 - #2 Jayson Ness (UM) fall Gavin Garza (UNC), 1:06 / 9-0
141 - #6 Mike Thorn (UM) tech fall Casey Cruz (UNC), 24-5 (7:00) / 14-0
149 - David Zilverberg (UM) dec. Rocco DePaolo (UNC), 5-0 / 17-0
157 - Justin Gaethje (NC) dec. Joe Grygelko (UNC), 8-6 / 17-3
165 - #4 Dustin Schlatter (UM) major Tanner Weiks (UNC), 16-3 / 21-3
174 - Cody Yohn (UM) dec. Brandon Kammerzell (UNC), 15-8 / 24-3
184 - #18 Sonny Yohn (UM) tech fall Eric Brennan (UNC), 19-1 (6:12) / 29-3
197 - Joe Nord (UM) MFor / 35-3
285 - #11 Ben Berhow (UM) fall Justin Tuell (UNC), 5:29 / 41-3
Minnesota Gophers Dominate in Opener, Win 31-6
Minneapolis - In their first dual match of the season, the Minnesota Wrestling team won seven of 10 matches, including five straight at one point, to claim a 31-9 win over visiting Cal State Bakersfield this evening (Nov. 28).
Ranked fifth in the country coming into the match, the Gophers treated the 3,019 in attendance to an impressive effort, especially at the top of the line-up, where the top four weights all scored a major decision or better.
At 125, 325& Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) got the Gophers on the board first with a tech fall to run his season record to 5-0. Sanders used takedown after takedown to rack up points on his way to the 21-5 final, before the match ended with a minute left in the third period.
Sanders' five points brought Minnesota within one at 5-6, after the Gophers went down 0-6, dropping decisions at 197 and heavyweight.
Their two top spots, Cal State Bakersfield boasted ranked wrestlers at each weight, led by No. 4 Mitch Montiero at heavyweight. In maybe the top match-up of the night, the Gophers' Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) and his No. 8 ranking were matched up with Montiero.
The match lived up to the billing as scoring was at a premium and neither wrestler was able to gain much of an advantage. Montiero used an early takedown for a quick led, and then held on for a 4-1 win. The loss was just the second of the season for Berhow, with each coming to ranked opponents.
The Berhow loss gave the Roadrunners a 6-0 lead after No. 19 Riley Orozco gained a 10-4 decision over the Gophers & Joe Nord (Waconia, Minn.) to being the night.
Trailing just a point, Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) made quick work at getting the Gophers back on top with a first period fall to give Minnesota an 11-6 lead they would never lose.
Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) at 141 and Luke Mellmer (Dickinson, N.D.) at 149 each earned 9-1 major decisions, and with just four matches left, the Gophers were in command at 19-6. Thorn's win came over a fellow national qualifier from last season, while Mellmer was impressive as a late addition to the starting line-up.
In the closest match of the night, Joe Grygelko (Greenfield, Minn.) used several early takedowns to sprint to a lead, and then held off a late rally for the 8-7 win, capping run of five straight victories for the Gophers and stretching the lead to 22-6.
The final win of the evening for the Roadrunners came at 165, where Joey Granata scored a 10-3 win over Brian Peterson (Richmond, Mich.). It was too little too late for Cal State Bakersfield, however, as the 22-9 team score was too much to overcome with just two matches left to go.
Closing out the win for the Gophers were Cody and Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) at 174 and 184 respectively. In his first career start, Cody Yohn used three consecutive near falls in the first period on his way to a major decision at 13-3.
Sonny Yohn then put the perfect cap on the evening with a 15-0 tech fall in the second period for the 31-9 final.
Minnesota will continue dual meet action next weekend with a major test in Oklahoma State. The No. 5 Gophers will go on the road to face the No. 3 Cowboys, with the match scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start on Friday, Dec. 4.
Results
197: No. 19 Riley Orozco (CSUB) dec. Joe Nord (MINN), 10-4 / 0-3
HWT: No. 4 Mitch Monteiro (CSUB) dec. No. 8 Ben Berhow (MINN), 4-1 / 0-6
125: No. 4 Zach Sanders (MINN) tech. Tyler Iwamura (CSUB), 21-5;6:04 / 5/6
133: No. 2 Jayson Ness (MINN) fall Justin Durham (CSUB), 2:20 / 11-6
141: No. 4 Mike Thorn (MINN) maj. Elijah Nacita (CSUB), 9-1 / 15-6
149: Luke Mellmer (MINN) maj. Anthony Box (CSUB), 9-1 / 19-6
157: Joe Grygelko (MINN) dec. Andrew Balch (CSUB), 8-7 / 22-6
165: Joey Granata (CSUB) dec. Brian Peterson (MINN), 10-3 / 22-9
174: Cody Yohn (MINN) maj. Trevor Hall (CSUB), 13-3 / 26-9
184: No. 16 Sonny Yohn (MINN) tech. Mike Larson (CSUB) 15-0;4:29 / 31-9
Minnesota's Sanders Wins at NWCA All-Star Event
Fullerton , Calif. - University of Minnesota Wrestling sophomore Zach Sanders competed at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic on Sunday (Nov. 22), and earned an exciting 7-5 victory.
The crowd at the Titan Gym at Cal State Fullerton was standing room only and in excess of 4,000, and saw a great comeback win on display from fourth ranked Sanders.
The Wabasha, Minn. native was matched up with No. 5 James Nicholson of Old Dominion, a familiar opponent. The two met last season in the NCAA Tournament, with Sanders earning a 5-4 second round win.
This time it was Nicholson who looked as if he would have the upper hand, as he led 5-3 late in the third period.
Trailing by two, Sanders first used a reversal, and then a near fall with just 25 seconds left to take a 7-5 lead on his way to the victory.
The annual NWCA All-Star Classic was held in California for the first time, in part as a fund-raiser for Fullerton's endangered program.
Sanders and the Gophers will return to the mat on Saturday, Nov. 28 to host Cal State Bakersfield in their first dual of the season. The Gophers and Roadrunners will get under way at 7:00 p.m.
All-Star Results
125 - Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. James Nicholson (Old Dominion), 7-5
133 - Daniel Dennis (Iowa) dec. Steve Bell (Maryland), 9-8
141 - Alex Krom (Maryland) dec. Adin Duenas (Cal State Fullerton), 8-0
149 - Kyle Borshoff (American) dec. Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 3-2
157 - Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) dec. Matt Moley (Bloomsburg), 10-4
165 - Jonathan Reader (Iowa State) maj. Dec. Andrew Rendos (Bucknell) , 11-2
174 - Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska) dec. Chris Henrich (Virginia), 7-6
184 - Max Askren (Missouri) dec. Josh Patterson (Binghamton), 14-7
197 - Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. Craig Brister (Nebraska), 5-3
285 - Mitch Monteiro (Cal State Bakersfield) dec. David Zabriskie (Iowa State), 4-3
Featured bout
184 - Zach Giesen (Stanford) dec. Enoch Francois (Cal Baptist), 3-1 OT
Top-Ranked Prospect Signs with Minnesota Wrestling
The Minnesota wrestling program has added another gem to it 2008-09 recruiting class.
Cambridge-Isanti High School product Tony Nelson, the nation's top-ranked prospect at 215 pounds, signed a National Letter of Intent with the Golden Gophers Friday, head coach J Robinson announced.
The 2009 Minnesota Class AAA state champion, Nelson posted a 47-0 record as a senior, including a staggering 35 wins by fall. He also captured the 2009 National Wrestling Championship in the 215-pound class, going 6-0 during the tournament with three pins. In the national championship match, Nelson pinned his opponent in 30 seconds.
"We are really happy that Tony has decided to stay in state and attend the University of Minnesota," head coach Robinson said. "He is everything you are looking for - a state champion, a national champion and the valedictorian of his high school class. How could you ask for anything more?"
Nelson was a state tournament place-winner as a junior and a sophomore, finishing as the runner-up in 2008 after recording a third-place finish in 2007. He also won more than 40 bouts in each of the final three seasons of his prep career, going 44-3 as a junior and 41-6 as a sophomore.
In all, Nelson concluded his high school career with an impressive 141-18 record as a prep, including 80 victories by fall, and was named an academic All-American for his success in the classroom.
In addition to his prowess on the mat, Nelson also starred on the gridiron as a standout defensive end and linebacker. The 2008 Mississippi Eight Conference Linebacker of the Year, Nelson collected 112 tackles, including 20 for losses, as a senior and earned all-metro and all-conference accolades and received honorable mention all-state recognition from The Associated Press. He finished his three-year football career with 259 tackles.
The addition of Nelson, to go along with Thursday's re-signing of Olympian Jake Deitchler, could push Robinson's 2008-09 recruiting class to the top of the national recruiting rankings.
Heading into the week, the class already included Jake Kettler (Ramsey, Minn.), Alec Ortiz (Newberg Ore.), Bart Reiter (Gilbertville, Iowa), Pat Smith (Chaska, Minn.), Kevin Steinhaus (Pennock, Minn.), David Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) and Danny Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.) as well as Jake Filkins (Prescott, Wis.) and Austin Waliullah (Rockton, Ill.), who inked Acceptance of Admission forms with the Gophers.
The class was ranked No. 6 in the nation according to W.I.N magazine prior the addition of Nelson, Deitchler, Filkins and Waliullah.
Deitchler Recommits to Minnesota Gopher Wrestling Program
Olympic wrestler Jake Deitchler is a Gopher again.
Head coach J Robinson announced Thursday that the Anoka, Minn., product and three-time state champion has signed a grant-in-aid agreement and plans to enroll at the University of Minnesota for the fall semester.
The 2007 NHSCA Junior National Champion at 145 pounds, Deitchler represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the 66 kg./145.5 lb. Greco-Roman division, becoming the first high school wrestler to make the U.S. Olympic team since Mike Farina in 1976.
Following the Olympics, Deitchler decided to train and wrestle full time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs rather than enroll at the University right away. The opportunity to compete with USA Wrestling gave Deitchler the chance to take on the best wrestlers on the planet in meets in countries all over the world, including Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Cuba and China.
Still, a desire to take to the mat at the NCAA Championships and complete his education at the University of Minnesota continued to call him home.
"I made the U.S. Olympic team at a very young age and that gave me a lot of insight and experience," Deitchler said. "But at the same time I really missed Minnesota wrestling. I want to wrestle in the NCAA tournament and I'm excited to be part of this team. To win an NCAA championship as a team and as an individual are the goals.
"I still have a passion for Greco-Roman wrestling and I will continue to try to make the U.S. World and Olympic teams during the spring and summer. But when I'm there, I'm there to be at the University of Minnesota and help the Gophers win."
Robinson said that he was happy that Deitchler had reevaluated his decision to compete at the collegiate level while pursuing his education.
"The entire Olympic experience was a whirlwind for Jake," Robinson said. "Achieving what Jake did at a very young age can overwhelming at times. The college wrestling experience is like no other in the world and we're thrilled that Jake has decided to rejoin the Minnesota program."
Deitchler, the 2007 Junior Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year for 2007, Minnesota's Mr. Wrestling for both 2007 and 2008, and one of the highest-ranked recruits in the class of 2008 regardless of weight class, originally signed a national letter of intent with the Gophers in November of 2007.
The five-time state placewinner compiled a 201-38 record as a prep and was a dominating 125-1 over his last three seasons.
Minnesota Wrestling Adds Two Student-athletes to Program
University of Minnesota head coach J Robinson announced Tuesday that Jake Filkins (Prescott, Wis.) and Austin Waliullah (Rockton, Ill.) have signed Acceptance of Admission forms and will join the Golden Gophers' wrestling program for the 2009-10 season.
The pair joins an incoming class that has already been ranked No. 6 in the nation according to W.I.N magazine and includes Jake Kettler (Ramsey, Minn.), Alec Ortiz (Newberg Ore.), Bart Reiter (Gilbertville, Iowa), Pat Smith (Chaska, Minn.), Kevin Steinhaus (Pennock, Minn.), David Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) and Danny Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.).
"Jake and Austin are great additions to what we believe is a very strong class," Robinson said. "These young men will add to the level of competition that already exists in the program and help propel us toward our ultimate goal, which is to consistently compete for national championships."
Filkins, who will compete in the 197-pound class, is from Prescott, Wis., and attends Prescott High School. A Cadet All-American and FILA Cadet All-American, Filkins was a two-time placer in the Wisconsin state high school tournament and this past season brought a 34-0 record into the state meet.
Waliullah is currently a senior at Hononegah High School in Rockton, Ill. A three time conference and regional champion, Waliullah compiled a 116-20 record as a prep and is expected to compete in the 125-pound weight class next fall.
Ness Places Third to Lead Minnesota Gophers at NCAA Wrestling
Note: Final team scores will not be determined until following tonight's individual finals. Minnesota is currently in 14th place entering tonight's competition.
Jayson Ness won twice on Saturday to place third at the NCAA wrestling championships and lead a trio of Minnesota All-Americans in St. Louis.
Zach Sanders also placed sixth at 125 pounds and Tyler Safratowich was eighth at 157 pounds on the final day for the Gophers.
Ness has finished in the top five at nationals in each of his three seasons at Minnesota, placing runner-up last year and fifth as a freshman at 125 pounds. He moved up to 133 pounds this season and finished the year 38-8 overall while seeded sixth at nationals.
Ness opened the day by avenging a loss to third-seeded Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois from the Big Ten championships. Ness beat Kennedy by the same score in which he lost two weeks ago with an 8-2 decision. He followed with a 7-3 win over Boise State's Andrew Hochstrasser in the third-place match.
Sanders lost both of his matches on Saturday, dropping his opener to Anthony Robles of Arizona State 19-10. Robles, seeded 12th and well-known for his wrestling success with just one leg, built an 11-1 lead through the first period with three near falls in the opening three minutes.
Sanders lost in the fifth place match to third-seeded Angel Escobedo of Indiana 8-0. It was the second straight day he lost to the defending national champion after Escobedo posted an 8-1 victory in the quarterfinals on Friday. Sanders finished the season with a 39-10 record.
Safratowich lost in his only match on Saturday in overtime with a 4-2 setback against Chase Pemi of Cal Poly. Pemi recorded a takedown in the extra time to earn the sudden victory and drop Safratowich's season record to 32-15.