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.