University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN

Ness, Minnesota Dominate Northern Quad

The No. 11 University of Minnesota wrestling team opened its dual meet season with a three-meet sweep over Portland State (54-0), Northern Colorado (42-4) and North Dakota State (36-6) at the Northern Quad on Saturday at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. Jayson Ness led the Minnesota effort with pins in each of his three matches at 133 pounds.

Ness stuck Portland State’s Thomas Cotterll in 2:13, Northern Colorado’s Zach Maes in 2:33 and North Dakota State’s Tyler Steinwand in 4:22. Ness, ranked first nationally at 133 pounds, owns a perfect 9-0 record this year with eight pins. The two-time All-American matched a school record last year when he recorded 20 pins on his way to a 39-2 record and an appearance in the national title match as a 125-pounder.

Five other Gophers recorded perfect 3-0 records at the Northern Quad, including #18 Zach Sanders (125 pounds), #15 Tyler Safratowich (157 pounds), Scott Glasser (165 pounds), Kaleb Young (174 pounds) and Chris McPhail (197 pounds).

Gophers’ 141-pounder Mike Thorn, the reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, also went unbeaten on Saturday. Thorn pinned PSU’s Camrun Arkills in his first match of the afternoon and recorded a 9-3 decision victory over NDSU’s Gabe Mooney in the Gophers’ final dual of the day. With his two victories Saturday, Thorn ran his record to 11-0 this season.

David Zilverburg also competed for the Gophers Saturday at 141 pounds. The Wayzata, MInn. recorded a pin over Northern Colorado’s Lance Gallegos in 2:39, helping the Gophers to a 42-4 dual meet victory over the Bears.

The Gophers were also a perfect 3-0 at the heavyweight class on Saturday, garnering a pair of wins from Hayward, Minn. native and 18^th-ranked Ben Berhow. Berhow decisioned Portland State’s Levi Copper 17-9 in the Gophers’ opening match and pinned Northern Colorado’s Justin Tuell in 6:54 to polish off a 42-4 Minnesota victory in the second dual of the afternoon. Sophomore Joe Nord pinned NDSU’s Tyler Hemmesch in 2:51 to polish a 36-6 Minnesota victory in the final dual of the day.

Redshirt freshmen Sonny Yohn (184 pounds) and Brian Peterson (149 pounds) also recorded wins in their only matches of the day. Yohn stuck Portland State’s Brady Garner in just 29 seconds, while Peterson pinned the Vikings’ Henry Kofa in 4:39 as the Gophers cruised to a 54-4 win in the opening dual of the day.

The Gophers return to action next weekend. Minnesota will participate in the Las Vegas Invitational next Friday and Saturday in an individual tournament format.

Minnesota Wrestling Signs Seven Student-Athletes to NLIs

Head coach J Robinson and the University of Minnesota wrestling program announced seven National-Letter-of-Intent signees today.

Once again there is a strong local flavor in the Gophers recruiting class, with five of the seven student-athletes hailing from the state of Minnesota. The class 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.).

"Having five Minnesota High School wrestlers sign with us during the fall period is a tribute to the great programs for youth wrestling that exist here in Minnesota," Robinson said. "There is exceptional quality in this state and we are very excited about this incoming class. They have proven themselves on the national level and we expect big things from this group at the collegiate level."

Kettler, a product of Anoka High School, wrestled in the heavyweight class as a prep and placed third at the 2008 Minnesota high school tournament. A 2008 second team academic all-state selection, Kettler posted a 40-6 overall record as a junior. On a national level, Kettler was named a Junior National Greco-Roman All-American.

Ortiz, is a three-time Oregon state champion at 160 pounds from Newberg High School. The No. 4 overall recruit in the nation and the No. 1-ranked wrestler in his weight class, Ortiz has been a dominant force in Oregon wrestling, compiling a 95-0 record during his prep career to go with four Junior National All-America citations (two in Freestyle and two in Greco-Roman).

Reiter, the younger brother of Gopher three-time All-American Mac Reiter, is a three-time state wrestling champion at Don Bosco High School in Gilbertville, Iowa. A National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Junior National All-American, Reiter owns a 118-2 prep record and is ranked as the No. 10 recruit in his weight class and No. 80 prospect overall by Intermat. He is currently ranked No. 1 in Iowa in the 125-pound class.

Smith, who attends Chaska High School, placed third in the 2008 Minnesota high school state tournament at 135 pounds. Considered the No. 11-rated recruit in his weight class, Smith compiled a 37-4 record as a junior and was named second team academic all-state. Smith was also honored as an NHSCA Junior National All-American.

Steinhaus, of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School, is a two-time Minnesota state champion, a three-time finalist, and a four-time placewinner. Steinhaus is also a first team academic all-state selection and won the 152-pound Class A title as a junior after capturing the 145-pound title as a sophomore. During an outstanding junior campaign, Steinhaus posted a 47-0 record. The No. 5-ranked prospect in his weight calls, Steinhaus was the 2008 NHSCA Junior National Championships runner-up.

Thorn, from St. Michael-Albertville High School and the brother of current Gopher Mike Thorn, is a three-time state champion and a two-time Junior National Freestyle All-American. He captured the Minnesota state title at 125 pounds as a junior and finished the 2008 campaign with a 46-2 record. Ranked as the No. 24 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 2 recruit in his weight class, Thorn also earned second team academic all-state honors as a junior.

Zilverberg, a Wayzata High School product and the brother of current Gopher David Zilverberg, is a two-time state placer at the Minnesota state tournament. He posted a 48-2 record as a junior and finished third at the 2008 state meet after taking fourth as sophomore in 2007. Zilverberg also won the 2006 Folkstyle National Championship at the cadet level.

"I am very pleased with the direction of our recruiting right now," Robinson added. "Coming off our No. 1-ranked recruiting class last year, we believe the University of Minnesota wrestling program will continue to do great things."

Minnesota opened its 2008-09 campaign by winning eight titles at last weekend's Bison open. The Gophers continue their season this Saturday at the Nebraska-Omaha Open before traveling to Rochester, Minn., for the Northern Quad on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Minnesota's Ness Draws New Opponent for All-Star Classic

Two-time All-American wrestler Jayson Ness of the University of Minnesota has drawn a new opponent for his match at the 43rd annual National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic.

Ness, who will be competing in the 133-pound class this year after earning All-American accolades at the 125-pound level each of the last two seasons, will wrestle Jimmy Kennedy from Illinois. Ness was originally slated to face Iowa's Joey Slayton.

The NWCA All-Star Classic annually showcases the nation's top wrestlers. This year's event is being hosted by Ohio State on Nov. 24 at St. John's Arena and will be televised live on ESPNU.

Last year, Ness tied a single-season school record with 20 pins. The national runner-up at 125 pounds at the NCAA Championships last March in St. Louis, the junior is one of four returning starters and one of two returning All-Americans for a Minnesota squad that is just two years removed from a national championship.
Minnesotas' All-American Ness to Participate in NWCA All-Star Classic

University of Minnesota two-time All-American wrestler Jayson Ness has been selected to participate in the 43^rd annual National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic. Ness will wrestle on Nov. 24 at St. John’s Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The event will be televised live on ESPNU.

The event, hosted this fall by Ohio State University, annually invites the nation’s top wrestlers to compete in a dual meet format that serves to showcase the nation’s top wrestlers and to celebrate those athletes as ambassadors to their sport.

“It’s a great way to get the season started,” Ness said. “It’ll be a great test to see where I’m at early in the season and to test myself against some of the best wrestlers in the country. It’s an honor to be chosen and I’m looking forward to it.”

Although Ness’ opponent has yet to be announced, the junior will be competing in the 133 lb. class after earning All-American accolades at the 125 lb. level each of the last two seasons. Ness makes the transition to 133 pounds for the 2008-09 season after recording a 39-2 record at 125 pounds last season.

“Considering I’ve moved up a class, I was surprised to be picked just because there are a lot of good wrestlers [at 133].” Ness said. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Ness, who tied a single-season school record with 20 pins during the 2007-08 season, is one of four returning starters and one of two returning All-Americans for a Minnesota squad that is just two years removed from a national championship. The Bloomington, Minn. native was the national runner-up at 125 lbs. at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. last March.

Although the NWCA All-Star event is nationally televised and features some of the college wrestling’s most accomplished athletes, Ness’ participation will not count as an official event and the result of his match will not affect his 2008-09 official record.

Minnesota wrestling begins its season just one month from today, and gets underway with its 2008-09 calendar at the Bison Open on Nov. 15. Minnesota’s first home event of the season comes when the team hosts Oklahoma State in a New Year’s Day dual meet at the Sports Pavilion at 2:00 p.m. For tickets, call 1-800-U-GOPHER or contact the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.

Minnesota Wrestling to Hold Annual Coaches Clinic Oct. 24

J Robinson and the University of Minnesota wrestling coaching staff will host its annual coaches’ clinic on Friday, October 24. The event begins at 1:00 p.m. at Bierman Field Athletic Complex. Registration runs from 12:30-1:00 p.m.

A welcome from head coach J Robinson and a season outlook will begin the event. The day also includes a technique clinic led by former Olympican Cary Kolat, a two-time NCAA champion and four-time NCAA All-American. Mack Reiter, a three-time NCAA All-American, Big Ten individual champion and Junior Pan-American champion, will lead a session on cradles and defense to cradles later in the afternoon. The afternoon session will conclude with a live Minnesota wrestling practice.

After an hour-long dinner break, Duke University professor and doctor of sports psychology, Dr. Gregory Dale, will deliver a speech on ‘A Model For Success and Teambuilding’ to kick off the evening session. A second technique clinic by Cary Kolat and a social will follow.

Registration is available until Oct. 21 for a cost of $100. Those registering after Oct. 21 will incur an additional $15 fee. Days Inn is offering a hotel discount for the event. For more information, contact:

Minnesota to Wrestle Iowa on Big Ten Network

The annual wrestling dual between Minnesota and Iowa will air live on the Big Ten Network, the network announced this week. The Gophers and Hawkeyes will meet on Sun., Feb. 15 at 2:00 p.m. in Iowa City.

The program also finalized start times for three other road dual meets. The program’s Jan. 30 dual at Penn State will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CT). A Feb. 13 meet at Wisconsin is also slated for a 7:00 start, as is the Gophers’ Feb. 20 dual at Iowa State.

Minnesota’s full 2008 schedule is as follows:

Date                              Event                                        Location                         Start Time    

Minnesota Wrestling Announces Oct. 1 Media Day

The University of Minnesota wrestling program will hold its annual media day on Wednesday, October 1 at the Bierman Field Athletic Building at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday also marks the first day of practice for the Gophers of the 2008-09 season.

Coaches and selected athletes will be made available. Requests for interviews with specific coaches or wrestlers can be submitted to Doug Vose with the Office of Athletic Communications (612-203-3028).

Minnesota Wrestling begins its 2008-09 schedule on Nov. 15 at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. The Gophers’ first home meet is a New Year’s Day dual with Oklahoma State at the Sports Pavilion.

Deitchler Loses Close Match in Repechage Round; Finishes 12^th in Beijing

University of Minnesota wrestling recruit Jake Deitchler fell in a close match to Armen Vardanyan of Ukraine in the second repechage round of the 66 kg/145.5 lb. weight class at the Olympic Greco Roman competition early Wednesday morning – late Wednesday afternoon in Beijing - and was eliminated from medal contention by a score of 1-1, 1-3, 1-1. Both of his opponents went on to win medals.

In the Greco-Roman discipline, rounds are awarded to the wrestler who scores last in any rounds that ends in a tie. This was the case in both the first and third rounds of Deitchler’s bout with Vardanyan. Although Deitchler won the second round on the strength of a two-point reversal, Vardanyan clinched the match when he was given the opportunity to defend the bottom last in the third stanza and recorded an escape.

Due to chance – a referee pulls one of two colored balls out of a bag to determine which wrestler starts on top – Vardanyan was granted the opportunity to defend last in both the first and third rounds, where he scored escapes to tie Deitchler. Vardanyan went on to win a bronze medal later in the competition.

Deitchler was afforded the opportunity to wrestle in the repechage round due to his first round opponent, Kanatbek Begaliev of Kyrgyzstan, advancing to the gold medal match. Begaliev, who went on to capture the silver medal, defeated Deitchler by a 6-0, 3-3 tally in the opening round.

The 18-year-old Deitchler will enroll in classes at the Minnesota this fall, where he has committed to wrestle for the Gophers. After graduating from Anoka High School this spring, Deitchler became the first high school wrestler to qualify for the Olympic Greco Roman team in 32 years.

Navy SEAL Leap Frogs Descend on Bierman Field

The University of Minnesota welcomed the Navy SEAL Leap Frogs, an elite parachute jumping core, to Bierman Field on Tuesday morning. The Leap Frogs were hosted by the J Robinson Intensive Wrestling Camp, which comes to a close on Friday, July 25 after 28 days.

The camp is hosted annually by the University of Minnesota wrestling coaching staff as a part of J Robinson wrestling camps. Since 1978, J Robinson and his staff have hosted their unique wrestling training experience for thousands of wrestlers from across the country.

J Robinson wrestling camps’ welcoming of the Leap Frogs began Monday evening as about 200 of the more than 500 campers participated in the Trident Challenge. The Navy SEALs promote the challenge to promote fitness and to introduce young people to the value of physical wellness.

Each year, Minnesota wrestling concludes their intensive camp with a poignant event meant to promote Robinson and his staff’s vision of community service, achievement and physical wellness.

For more information on J Robinson wrestling camps, log on to jrobinsonwrestlingcamps.com or call the University of Minnesota wrestling office at 612-625-1013. To learn more about the Navy SEAL Leap Frogs, visit www.leapfrogs.navy.mil.

Minnesota Wrestling To Welcome Navy SEAL Leap Frogs to Bierman Field to Wrap Up 2008 J Robinson Intensive Camp

The University of Minnesota will welcome the Navy SEAL Leap Frogs, an elite parachute jumping core, to Bierman Field to wrap up the 2008 J Robinson Intensive Wrestling Camp on Tuesday, July 22 at 11:00 a.m.

The camp, hosted annually by the University of Minnesota wrestling coaching staff as a part of J Robinson wrestling camps, comes to an end Tuesday, July 22 after 28 days. Since 1978, J Robinson and his staff have hosted their unique wrestling training experience for thousands of wrestlers from across the country.

J Robinson wrestling camps’ welcoming of the Leap Frogs begins tonight as about 200 of the more than 500 campers will participate in the Trident Challenge. The Navy SEALs promote the challenge to promote fitness and to introduce young people to the value of physical wellness. The Trident Challenge includes a combination of timed swimming, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and running.

Each year, Minnesota wrestling concludes their intensive camp with a poignant event meant to promote Robinson and his staff’s vision of community service and physical wellness.

For more information on J Robinson wrestling camps, log on to jrobinsonwrestlingcamps.com or call the University of Minnesota wrestling office at 612-625-1013. For more information on the Navy SEAL Leap Frogs, visit www.leapfrogs.navy.mil.

Gopher Wrestling Recruiting Class Continues to Accumulate Accolades; InterMat Crowns Minnesota Class Tops in Nation

Highlighted by accomplished high school wrestlers such as Greco-Roman Olympian Jake Deitchler (Anoka, Minn.), Matt Mincey (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Mario Mason (Blairstown, NJ), the 2008 Gopher wrestling recruiting class has been ranked the best in the country. Heralded wrestling website InterMatWrestle.com joined the list of online publications hailing Minnesota’s class as tops in the country. The Gophers’ class was ranked just ahead of Big Ten rivals Wisconsin (2^nd) and Iowa (5^th).

InterMat utilizes a complex ranking system that includes a calculation of factors such as depth of class, quality of recruits, recruits’ potential impact on the 2008-09 season and impact on the future. Other Big Ten programs with classes ranked in InterMat’s top 30 include Michigan (7^th), Illinois (9^th), Northwestern (15^th), Ohio State (18^th), Indiana (24^th), and Purdue (26^th).

In addition to Deitchler, Mincey and Mason, the Gophers’ 2008 class also includes Atticus Disney (Topeka, Kan.), Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.), Thane Antczak (Chetek/Prairie Farm, Wis.), Zach Loppnow (Lake City, Minn.), and Wesley Richard (Dillingham, Alaska).

The Gophers’ regular season begins with the Bison Open in Fargo, ND on Sat., Nov. 15. Minnesota’s home opener is a New Year’s Day tilt with Oklahoma State at the Sports Pavilion.

Minnesota Wrestling Releases 2008-09 Schedule

A New Year’s Day home dual with perennial national power Oklahoma State highlights the 2008-2009 Minnesota wrestling slate released today. Other notable dates include the season-opening Northern Quad with Northern Colorado, North Dakota State and Portland State at Rochester, MInn. (Nov. 29), a road dual at defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Iowa (Feb. 15) and home meets with conference foes Michigan State (Jan. 25), Michigan (Feb. 6), Northwestern (Feb. 8) and Indiana (Feb. 22).

Each of the Gophers’ five home duals this season will be held at the University Sports Pavilion. After unfolding in Minneapolis a year ago, the Big Ten Championships travel to State College, Pa. (Mar. 8-9) this season, while the NCAA Championships will be held in St. Louis, Mo. (Mar. 19-21) for the second consecutive season.

Minnesota Wrestling

2008-09 Schedule

Date                  Opponent                                   Site                               Time                

Nov. 15             at Bison Open                             Fargo, ND                   All Day

Nov. 22             at Nebraska-Omaha Open     Omaha, Neb.                  All Day

**Begin Official Season **

Nov. 29             at Northern Quad                Rochester, Minn. All Day

Dec. 5-6 at Las Vegas Invite                   Las Vegas, Nev.                    All Day

Dec. 21              at Nebraska                                    Lincoln, Neb.                  2:00 PM

JAN. 1              OKLAHOMA STATE             SPORTS PAVILION            2:00 PM

Jan. 3                at Lone Star Duals                      Dallas, Texas                All Day

Jan. 10-11            at National Duals                Cedar Falls, Iowa            All Day

Jan. 23              at Arizona State                              Tempe, Ariz.                 7:00 PM

JAN. 25             MICHIGAN STATE                SPORTS PAVILION            2:00 PM

Jan. 30              at Penn State                             State College, Pa.            TBD

Feb. 1               at Ohio State                             Columbus, Ohio             TBD

FEB. 6              MICHIGAN                             SPORTS PAVILION            7:00 PM

FEB. 8              NORTHWESTERN                SPORTS PAVILION            2:00 PM

Feb. 13              at Wisconsin                                  Madison, Wis.                TBD

Feb. 15              at Iowa                                      Iowa City, Iowa                      TBD

Feb. 20              at Iowa State                             Ames, Iowa                  TBD

FEB. 22                        INDIANA                                  SPORTS PAVILION            2:00 PM

Mar. 8-9 at Big Ten Championships            State College, Pa.            All Day

Four Minnesota Wrestlers to Represent United States at 2008 Junior World Championships

Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestlers Zach Sanders, Jake Deitchler, Ben Berhow and Brent Eidenschink will help represent the United States at the 2008 Junior National Championships in Istanbul, Turkey July 29-August 3. Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) qualified by winning the 55 kg./121 lbs. freestyle division at last weekend's FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Col., and incoming Gopher recruit Deitchler (Ramsey, Minn.) did the same in the 66 kg./145 lbs. Greco-Roman division.

Rising sophomore Berhow finished second at the Trials in the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. freestyle division and will serve as an alternate on the team, while rising junior Eidenschink was the runner up at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. in Greco-Roman and will also serve as an alternate. Both wrestlers will represent their country June 20-22 at the Junior Pan American Championships in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Sanders defeated David Taylor in two of three championship round matches to qualify for his first-ever U.S. Junior World Team, while Deitchler (who will also compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in mid-June) defeated Esai Dominguez in the final two matches of their best-of-three battle.

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will take place June 13-15 in Las Vegas, Nev., and Deitchler will be competing for a spot on the Greco-Roman team at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Sanders, who was redshirted last season, finished second at FILA Junior Nationals last month.
Minnesota Wrestling Inks Nation's Top Recruiting Class, According to W.I.N. Magazine

The Golden Gopher wrestling program has signed the top recruiting class in the nation this year, according to the most recent issue of W.I.N. Magazine. All six of Minnesota's early period recruits ended their prep careers ranked in the top-11 in the final W.I.N. Magazine national high school rankings.

Jake Deitchler (Anoka, Minn.) and Ryland Geiger (Scapposse, Ore.) were each ranked No. 1 in their weight classes following outstanding prep careers - Deitchler at 152 pounds and Geiger at 189. Deitchler will also have a chance to make the U.S. Olympic team this June when he competes at the U.S. Team Trials in Las Vegas.

Blair Academy's (N.J.) Mario Mason was the nation's second-best recruit at 145 pounds, according to the publication, while Apple Valley High School (Minn.) product Matt Mincey was the nation's fourth-ranked wrestler at 135 pounds. Rounding out the nation's top recruiting class are Topeka, Kan. native Atticus Disney (seventh) and 171-pounder Cody Yohn (11th), the brother of current Gopher freshman Sonny Yohn (both hail from Alamosa, Col.).

Minnesota boasts the only class in the nation with six incoming wrestlers ranked in W.I.N.'s final prep rankings. This is generally considered to be the program's most-heralded class in several years - W.I.N. ranked the Gophers 10th in 2007, fourth in 2006, 14th in 2005 and 19th in 2004.
Minnesota Wrestler C.P. Schlatter Earns Third Career NWCA All-American Honor

University of Minnesota wrestler C.P. Schlatter has been named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-America Team for the 2007-08 season, the organization announced late last week. It is the third and final career honor for the senior.

Schlatter, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2007 All-American, posted a 3.31 GPA during the fall semester as a nursing major at the University. Earlier this season, Schlatter was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team for the fourth time in his career. He is also a four-time U of M Scholar Athlete.

The Masillon, Ohio native was an NWCA Academic All-American following his redshirt freshman season in 2004-05 as well as in 2006-07.

On the mat, Schlatter enjoyed an outstanding 2007-08 season, his final one as a collegiate wrestler. Schlatter posted a 28-5 overall record, including 26-2 during the regular season. He carried a 19-match winning streak into the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships, and won his 100th career match Jan. 25 against Michigan State. Schlatter's 109-31 career record puts him 25th on the Gophers' all-time wins leaderboard.

A former recipient of the prestigious Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award as the top prep wrestler in the nation, Schlatter was an Academic All-American and graduated fourth in his class with a 4.06 GPA in high school.
Minnesota Wrestling Signs Three to Complete Recruiting Class

The University of Minnesota wrestling program has signed three additional athletes to round out its 2007-08 recruiting class, the Gopher coaching staff announced today. Thane Antczak (Chetek/Prairie Farm, Wis.) has signed a National Letter of Intent, while Zach Loppnow (Lake City, Minn.) and Wesley Richard (Dillingham, Alaska) have signed Acceptance of Admission forms.

The new recruits will wrestle for the Gophers beginning next fall.

Antczak is a two-time Wisconsin High School State Champion and will wrestle at 125 pounds for the Gophers. He won the Division 2 state title at 103 pounds as a sophomore, 112 as a junior and finished runner-up last season at 125 pounds. He plans to study in the University’s Institute of Technology program after graduating at the top of his class at Prairie Farm High School.

Loppnow is a senior at Lincoln High School and was the 2008 Minnesota High School State Champion at 285 pounds, ending his final prep season with a 37-1 record. He finished sixth at state as a junior in 2007 and recorded a 101-19 overall record in high school. He plans to pursue a degree in civil engineering at Minnesota.

Richard, a native of Dillingham, Alaska, placed eighth at the prestigious Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions last December. At Dillingham, Richard was a two-time Alaska state champion as a sophomore and junior, the state runner-up at 135 pounds as a senior, and a member of back-to-back Alaska 1A-2A-3A state championship squads.

“All three of these wrestlers will be great additions to our team and they will increase the level of competition in the wrestling room next fall,” said Gopher head coach J Robinson. “We feel our recruiting class this season was one of our strongest ever and should allow us to compete for a national title for years to come.”

These three join the six fall signees: Jake Deitchler (Anoka, Minn.), Atticus Disney (Topeka, Kan.), Ryland Geiger (Scappoose, Ore.), Mario Mason (Blairstown, N.J.), Matt Mincey (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.)

Minnesota's Safratowich First, Sanders Second at University Nationals in Ohio

Eight Golden Gopher wrestlers competed at the 2008 University Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals this weekend at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. Junior Tyler Safratowich took first place in the 70 kg/154.25 lbs. Freestyle weight class, while freshman Zach Sanders was runner-up at 55 kg/121 lbs.

Other Minnesota wrestlers competing in the Freestyle division included freshman David Zilverberg (60 kg/132.25 lbs.), redshirt sophomore Mike Thorn (fourth at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.), freshman Ryan Blake (63 kg/138.75 lbs.), freshman Joe Murphy (63 kg/138.75 lbs.), freshman Joe Grygelko (70 kg/154.25 lbs.), freshman Jared Rickert (70 kg/154.25 lbs.), freshman Kaleb Young (74 kg/174 lbs.), freshman Sonny Yohn (seventh at 84 kg/185 lbs.), sophomore Brent Eidenschink (84 kg/185 lbs.) and redshirt freshman Joe Nord (120 kg/264.5 lbs.).

Gophers competing in Greco-Roman included Blake, Murphy, Grygelko (fourth at 70 kg/154.25 lbs.), Rickert, Young, and Eidenschink. Minnesota’s wrestlers compete for the Minnesota Storm wrestling club during the Freestyle and Greco-Roman seasons.

Safratowich, who was the Gophers’ starter at 165 pounds and compiled a 28-10 record during the 2007-08 collegiate season (including 13-2 in dual meets), cruised through five opponents before meeting Joel Ahearn of the Naval Academy Wrestling Club in the finals. Safratowich defeated Ahearn 3-0 and 1-0 to take home the tournament crown.

Sanders defeated both Michael Martinez (Cowboy Wrestling Club) and unattached Matthew Steintrager before losing 3-1, 0-3, 3-1 to Penn State’s Brad Pataky in the championship match. He then won by forfeit over Obenson Blanc in the true second place match-up.

Thorn advanced as far as the tournament semifinals before losing to Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey.

Seven wrestlers, including recent 2008 NCAA Division I national champion Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) and 2007 NCAA champion Jake Herbert from Northwestern captured gold medals in their weight classes at the event and earned a spot in the U.S. Olympic Trials team in Las Vegas, Nev., June 13-15.

Minnesota Wrestling Announces 2007-08 Team Awards at Year-End Banquet

After a season that saw them go 14-7 in dual meets, place second at the Big Ten Championships and notch their 12^th straight top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships, the 2007-08 Golden Gopher wrestling team officially wrapped up its season Sunday night. Minnesota held its team banquet at the Radisson University Hotel on campus and announced team awards for the recently-completed season.

Earning the Most Valuable and Most Falls awards was sophomore Jayson Ness. Ness enjoyed an outstanding year for the Gophers, finishing with a 39-2 overall record (21-0 in dual meets) and placing second at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. At the national tournament, Ness notched two pins to tie Marty Morgan’s single-season pins record of 20 and now has 35 falls in his two years of competition for Minnesota.

Senior Manuel Rivera was named the team’s Most Exciting Wrestler after a season that saw him go 34-9 and place second at the Big Ten Championships. Rivera was also one of four Gophers to become All-Americans at the 2008 NCAA Championships, placing seventh at 141 pounds.

Earning Verne Gagne Leadership Awards were seniors Mack Reiter and C.P. Schlatter, while seniors Roger Kish (Fraser Dean Most Courageous), Justin Bronson (Most Dedicated) and Gabe Dretsch (Chris Berglin Most Improved) also were honored.

Heavyweight Ben Berhow was named the team’s Most Outstanding Freshman of 2007-08 after a year that saw him place sixth at his first-ever Big Ten Championships to qualify for nationals in St. Louis.

Four Gophers – Ness (second at 125 pounds), Reiter (fifth at 133), Rivera (seventh at 141) and Dustin Schlatter (seventh at 149) were honored for their All-American finishes at this year’s NCAA tournament.

2007-08 Minnesota Gopher Wrestling Team Awards

First Year ‘M’ Club Letterwinners

Ben Berhow

Scott Glasser

Jake Mellmer

Luke Mellmer

Joe Nord

Brandon Sitch

Underclassmen Letterwinners

Tyler Safratowich

Dustin Schlatter

Freshman Academic Award

Brian Peterson

Upperclassmen Academic Award

Jeremy Larson

Chris McPhail

Jayson Ness

C.P. Schlatter

Jason Waidzulis

Most Outstanding Freshman

Ben Berhow

Most Dedicated

Justin Bronson

Chris Berglin Most Improved

Gabe Dretsch

Most Exciting Wrestler

Manuel Rivera

Fraser Dean Most Courageous

Roger Kish

Verne Gagne Leadership Award

Mack Reiter

C.P. Schlatter

Most Falls

Jayson Ness

Most Valuable Wrestler

Jayson Ness

Senior Awards

Justin Bronson

Gabe Dretsch

Dan Jackson

Roger Kish

Mitch Kuhlman

Jeremy Larson

Mack Reiter

Manuel Rivera

C.P. Schlatter

Jason Waidzulis

All-American Awards

Jayson Ness (125 – 2^nd Place)

Mack Reiter (133 – 5^th Place)

Manuel Rivera (141 – 7^th Place)

Jayson Ness Defeated in National Championship Match, Minnesota Finish Tenth at NCAAs

It was a disappointing end to a tough season for the Golden Gopher wrestling team.

Jayson Ness, Minnesota’s lone representative in the finals round at the 2008 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, was beaten 10-3 in the 125-pound championship match by Indiana’s Angel Escobedo. Ness’ defeat means the Gophers finished the national tournament with 61.5 team points and in 10^th place, their lowest finish since 1996.

“It would have been a nice note to end on, a way to salvage a tough last three days,” said Gophers’ head coach J Robinson about Ness’ match. “At the same time, you’ve got to look at and see that he was a national finalist.”

After watching teammates Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera and Dustin Schlatter win their final matches of the season in the consolation medal rounds, Ness was the first wrestler to take the mat during Saturday night’s main event at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The 125-pound title bout was a rematch of this season’s Big Ten final, also won by Escobedo.

Ness, determined not to be taken down early by Escobedo (he fell behind in the first period of his 4-2 loss to the Hoosier at the Big Ten finals), locked arms with the top-ranked wrestler for most of the first period. But 2:17 into the match, Escobedo swung around and gained position on Ness near the edge of the mat, earning a takedown to go up 2-0. Ness escaped less than 30 seconds later to make the score 2-1, but entered the second frame trailing for the second straight time against the Indiana wrestler.

Ness held his own during the second period, but was unable to earn that crucial takedown in the two-minute timeframe. Unlike the Big Ten final, when Escobedo racked up more than four minutes of riding time (including the second period) Ness earned an escape 35 seconds in, but not before Escobedo had accumulated more than one minute of total riding time. Ness nearly connected on a single leg with 15 seconds to go in the period, but Escobedo somehow avoided the takedown as the  pair entered the final frame tied at two.

Escobedo began down in the third, and after Ness was called for stalling at the 1;35 mark, was allowed to escape 30 seconds in to go up 3-2. Ness, needing a score to win the match, instead suffered a crucial takedown by Escobedo at 1:08 into the period – he would not escape until just 27 seconds were left. Desperately trying for that critical score in the waning moments, Ness suffered a four-point swing in the final three seconds (a takedown and two-point nearfall). The bonus riding time point made the final tally 10-3 in favor of Escobedo.

“Escobedo is great at single-leg defense, and I just had to keep working,” said Ness. “I couldn’t get him in the end.”

Despite the loss, it was an outstanding year for the Gopher redshirt sophomore and Bloomington, Minn. native. Ness finishes the 2007-08 season with a 39-2 record and his second All-American award. He also tied a school record with 20 pins (two at the NCAA Championships), a feat also accomplished by Gopher head assistant coach and fellow Bloomington Kennedy High School graduate Marty Morgan.

Ness rounds out his second NCAA tournament with a 4-1 record. He is 9-3 lifetime at NCAAs (79-7 total in two seasons with the Gophers) and has lost just three times in his last 43 official collegiate matches. All three of those losses have come against Escobedo.

“I’ve just got to keep training like I did this whole last year,” said the sophomore his prospects for next season. “I’ve got to get back to work, and hopefully things will go my way next year at the tournament.

“Five matches is a lot to win in a row, especially against this kind of competition,” said Ness. “I had a great year, but the goal was to be at the first place stand on the podium, and I didn’t get that this year.”

Robinson expressed the same sentiment as his top wrestler about the program’s outlook for the future. The Gophers finished with four All-Americans in 2008 after winning the national championship with four a year ago.

“We’ve just got to get back at it,” he said.

Final Team Standings - 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships

1.     Iowa (117.5)

2.     Ohio State (79)

3.     Penn State (75)

4.     Nebraska (74)

5.     Iowa State (72)

Oklahoma State (72)

7.     Michigan (69)

8.     Central Michigan

9.     Cornell (63)

10.  Minnesota (61.5)

Complete 2008 NCAA Championship Results (St. Louis, Mo.)

125 – No. 2 Jayson Ness, Second Seed

First Round: Ness pinned Marcos Orozco (UC Davis), 1:17

Second Round: Ness maj. dec. Luke Smith (Central Michigan), 9-0

Quarterfinals: Ness pinned #10 James Nicholson (Old Dominion), 4:04

Semifinal: Ness dec. Paul Donahue (Nebraska), 4-3

Final: #1 Angel Escobedo (Indina) dec. Ness, 10-3

ALL-AMERICAN: Ness places second at 125 pounds with 4-1 record

133 – No. 8 Mack Reiter, Eighth Seed

First Round: Reiter pinned Jeffery Schell (Brown), 2:13

Second Round: Reiter maj. dec. Conor Beebe, 15-6

Quarterfinals: #1 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) dec. Reiter, 5-3

Consolation: Reiter dec. #10 Patrick Castillo (Northern Illinois), 6-5

Consolation: Reiter dec. #5 Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State), 4-2

Consolation Semifinals: #2 James Kennedy (Illinois) dec. Reiter, 4-0

Fifth Place: Reiter dec. #7 Mike Grey (Cornell), 10-7

ALL-AMERICAN: Reiter places fifth at 133 pounds (5-2 record)

141 – No. 5 Manuel Rivera, Fifth Seed

First Round: Rivera tech fall Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro), 16-0 (4:44)

Second Round: Rivera dec. #12 Garrett Scott (Penn State), 8-5

Quarterfinals: #4 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) dec. Rivera, 8-1

Consolation: Rivera maj. dec. Chris Drouin (Arizona State), 12-1

Consolation: #9 Nick Gallick (Iowa State) dec. Rivera, 8-2

Seventh Place: Rivera pinned #10 Cody Cleveland (UT-Chattanooga), 3:46

ALL-AMERICAN: Rivera places seventh at 141 pounds (4-2 record)

149 – No. 2 Dustin Schlatter, Second Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Adam Hall (Boise State), 5-3

Second Round: Schlatter dec. Mitch Mueller (Iowa State), 6-2

Quarterfinals: #7 Darrion Caldwell (N.C. State) dec. Schlatter, 4-1

Consolation: Schlatter dec. #8 Jake Patacsil (Purdue), 4-1

Consolation: #3 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) dec. Schlatter, 3-2 TB2

Seventh Place: Schlatter dec. #9 Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 3-2 TB2

ALL-AMERICAN: Schlatter places seventh at 149 pounds (4-2 record)

157 – No. 5 C.P. Schlatter, Fifth Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), 4-2

Second Round: #12 Josh Zupancic (Stanford) dec. Schlatter, 5-4

Consolation: Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Schlatter, 4-0

Schlatter eliminated (1-2 record)

174 – No. 8 Gabriel Dretsch, Eighth Seed

First Round: Nathan Lee (Boise State) dec. Dretsch, 3-1 SV1

Consolation: Dretsch dec. Scott Giffin (Penn), 5-3

Consolation: Dretsch maj. dec. Mike Letts (Maryland), 10-2

Consolation: Alex Dolly (Northern Iowa) dec. Dretsch, 10-6

Dretsch eliminated (2-2 record)

184 – No. 8 Roger Kish, Eighth Seed

First Round: Kish dec. Josh Edmundson (UT-Chattanooga), 6-3

Second Round: Kish dec. A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 4-0

Quarterfinals: #1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. Kish, 2-0

Consolation: #10 Kirk Smith (Boise State) dec. Kish, 8-2

Kish eliminated (2-3 record)

197 – Justin Bronson, Unseeded

Pigtails: Richard Stark (Army) dec. Bronson, 5-2 SV2

Consolation: Jared Villers (West Virginia) maj. dec. Bronson, 12-4

Bronson eliminated (0-2 record)

Minnesota's Reiter Takes Fifth, Rivera and Schlatter Seventh as Focus Turns to Ness at NCAA Championships

A day after dropping from fourth to 10th place, the Golden Gopher wrestling team had three wrestlers go 3-1 in consolation competition and picked up five more team points at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Mack Reiter (fifth at 133 pounds), Manuel Rivera (seventh at 141) and Dustin Schlatter (seventh at 149) all cemented All-American honors during Saturday's fifth session at the Scottrade Center.

The three victories gave the Gophers 61.5 team points on the tournament, leaving them in 10th place and 1.5 points behind ninth-place Cornell. The Gophers have not finished out of the top ten at the national championships since 1996; their lowest finish since that year was eighth in 2004. Iowa mathematically clinched its first title since 2000 Saturday morning.

Only Jayson Ness, who is set to wrestle for the 125-pound individual title tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN, remains in alive in the tournament for Minnesota.

Reiter, a senior and now three-time All-American, ended his storied Gopher career with a victory in his final collegiate match. After falling to second-seeded Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois 4-0 in the consolation semifinals, Reiter bounced back to defeat Cornell's Mike Grey in the fifth-place match by a 10-7 margin. Reiter jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the bout before Grey tied the score at seven midway through the second period, but the senior scored a takedown with just 25 seconds remaining to clinch the win.

Reiter walked off the mat to a standing ovation from the Gopher fans in attendance and was embraced by his coaches after being declared the winner. The fifth-place national finish is his highest since 2006 and makes the Gilberville, Iowa native the only three-time All-American finisher in school history. The honor makes Reiter one of just 16 Gophers to ever earn three All-American awards, and his 112 career victories places him 21st on Minnesota's all-time leaderboard.

The senior finished the national tournament with a 5-2 record.

Another senior, Rivera won his final collegiate match and garnered his first-ever All-American award with an impressive pin of Tennessee-Chattanooga's Cody Cleveland in the seventh place match at 141 pounds. Rivera suffered a nearfall at the beginning of the second period, but pulled off the reversal to gain position and pinned Cleveland less than halfway through the frame. The win was Rivera's fourth of the tournament and 113th of his career. He rounds out his five years as a Gopher 20th on the team's all-time victory list.

After losing twice yesterday, junior Dustin Schlatter ended his season with a win and his third career All-American honor. His seventh-place match at 149 pounds was a re-match of one of Schlatter's two regular season losses. Ninth-ranked Lance Palmer of Ohio State pinned Schlatter in a dual meet on Feb. 24, but Schlatter go the best of the Buckeye Saturday.

Schlatter lost to Harvard's J.P. O'Connor Friday night in three overtime periods, and Saturday's Schlatter-Palmer tilt went into extra frames as well. The evenly-matched pair ended seven minutes of regulation tied at one, and wrestled through a scoreless one-minute sudden victory period. In the first tiebreaker round, Schlatter was awarded a point when Palmer was called for a technical violation (locked hands) 14 seconds into the period to take a 2-1 lead, and earned an escape with just two seconds left to go up 3-1. In the second tiebreaker, Schlatter was able to stay on top until only nine seconds were left and walked away with the 3-2 win.

Schlatter finishes the tournament with a 4-2 record (21-5 on the season).

All eyes will now turn to 125-pounder Ness, who wrestles tonight in his first career national championship match against Indiana's Angel Escobedo. The pair met up in the Big Ten Championship finals, where Escobedo was a 4-2 winner, and also in the semifinals at last year's NCAA Championships (a 7-3 win for the Hoosier). Saturday night's finals are set to get underway at 7 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Ness' 125-pound match is scheduled to be the first of the evening.

Saturday's Session Five Results:

133 - No. 8 Mack Reiter

Consolation Semifinals: #2 James Kennedy (Illinois) dec. Reiter, 4-0

Fifth Place: Reiter dec. #7 Mike Grey (Cornell), 10-7

ALL-AMERICAN - Reiter places fifth at 133 pounds (5-2 record)

141 - No. 5 Manuel Rivera

Seventh Place: Rivera pinned #10 Cody Cleveland (UT-Chattanooga), 3:46

ALL-AMERICAN: Rivera places seventh at 141 pounds (4-2 record)

149 - No. 2 Dustin Schlatter

Seventh Place: Schlatter dec. #9 Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 3-2 TB2

ALL-AMERICAN: Schlatter places seventh at 149 pounds (4-2 record)

Team Scores After Five Sessions:

1. Iowa (109.5 points)

2. Nebraska (74)

3. Iowa State (72)

4. Ohio State/Penn State (71)

6. Central Michigan/Michigan (69)

8. Oklahoma State (66)

9. Cornell (63)

Minnesota Endure Rough Session Three at NCAA Championships

It was a disappointing Friday morning for the defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team at the 2008 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Minnesota sent five wrestlers to the championship quarterfinals, but saw just one (125-pound Jayson Ness) advance to Friday night’s semifinals. Ness tied the Gophers’ single-season pin mark with his 20^th of the season and second of the tournament.

Four Gophers – Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter and Roger Kish – were defeated in their quarterfinal matches and will be forced to climb back up the bracket through wrestleback competition. Senior and fifth-seeded C.P. Schlatter saw his collegiate career come to an end early Friday afternoon, as he was unable to follow up on his All-American finish last season. Senior Gabe Dretsch (174 pounds) won his first consolation match but saw his career come to an end in Friday’s second consolation round. Redshirt freshman Ben Berhow (heavyweight) was also eliminated in wrestlebacks.

After finishing Thursday night’s action tied for fourth and within shouting distance of first-place Iowa, the Gophers dropped down to eighth place after Friday’s early session. Minnesota and Central Michigan head to the semifinal round with 34.5 team points, with the Hawkeyes (67 points) comfortably in front of the rest of the field. They finished the third NCAA session a whopping 19.5 points ahead of second-place Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

The session’s high point came early for the Gopher faithful in attendance at the Scottrade Center. Ness, who entered the Friday’s action 37-1 on the season, squared off with Old Dominion’s James Nicholson in the quarterfinals. Ness was aggressive from the opening whistle and opened up a commanding 9-1 lead before pinning Nicholson at the 4:04 mark. He advances to the national semifinals for the second consecutive year, where he will take on defending national champion and third-seeded Paul Donahue of Nebraska.

Ness and Donahue have met four times during their collegiate career (including an exhibition match at the 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic). The Bloomington, Minn. native has won three of those matches, including a dramatic 6-4 overtime win at this year’s National Duals.
Two Bloomington Kennedy High School (Minn.) graduates now share the Gophers’ all-time single-season fall record. His Friday morning pin finally pulled Ness even with current Gopher head assistant coach Marty Morgan, who pinned 20 in 1989-90 en route to an All-American finish at 167 pounds.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, other highlights were hard to come by during Friday’s quarterfinal action. Reiter tangled with top-seeded Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) for the second time this year, but like their dual meet match-up earlier in the season, Reiter simply could not muster any offense against the 2008 Big Ten Champion. The senior and two-time All-American recorded three escapes but could not take Gomez down in a 5-3 loss.

The most discouraging loss of the session came at 149 pounds, where two-time All-American and former NCAA Champion Dustin Schlatter was defeated by seventh-seeded Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State 4-1. Caldwell, the only wrestler this season to defeat Iowa’s Brent Metcalf, jumped in front with a first-period takedown and never looked back. Down 3-1, Schlatter desperately attempted to shoot during the third period but could not get in on Caldwell. Schlatter misses the championship semifinals for the first time in his career and must advance through the wrestlebacks to gain his third All-American award.

Fifth-seeded Rivera never really got going in his quarterfinal match with fourth-ranked Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State at 141 pounds. Rivera’s second straight NCAA quarterfinal loss was a tough one, as Morgan (who defeated Rivera earlier this season in a dual meet) scored single takedowns in all three periods for the 8-1 win. Rivera needs to win one more match for his first career All-American honor.

Injury-plagued senior Roger Kish battled in his quarterfinal with top-ranked and undefeated Jake Varner of Iowa State, but did not pose much of an offensive threat to the Cyclone grappler. Kish allowed just an escape and bonus riding time point to Varner but spent the entire third period underneath as he lost to Varner for the fourth straight time. Since defeating Varner twice during the 2006-07 regular season, Kish has been topped by Varner at last year’s NCAA Championships, the 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic and a dual meet last December.

Consolation wrestling went little better for the Gophers during Friday’s early session. Dretsch remained on track with a dominating 10-2 major decision win over Maryland’s Mike Letts, but fifth-seeded 157-pound C.P. Schlatter and heavyweight Ben Berhow were each eliminated during wrestlebacks. Schlatter appeared slowed by his hamstring injury in a 4-0 loss to Iowa’s Ryan Morningstar, and redshirt freshman Berhow put up a strong effort but came up short in a 7-4 loss to Dustin Rogers of West Virginia.

Friday’s final session is set to get underway at approximately 6 p.m. It will be televised live on ESPNU, with special web-only coverage also available on ESPN360.com.

Team Scores After Three Sessions (Friday afternoon):

1.     Iowa (67 points)

2.     Nebraska

Oklahoma State (47.5)

4.     Ohio State (45.5)

5.     Central Michigan (43)

6.     Penn State (42)

7.     Missouri (38.5)

8.     Minnesota (34.5)

Cornell (34.5)

Day Two Results – 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships:

125 – No. 2 Jayson Ness, Second Seed

Quarterfinals: Ness pinned #10 James Nicholson (Old Dominion), 4:04

133 – No. 8 Mack Reiter, Eighth Seed

Quarterfinals: #1 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) dec. Reiter, 5-3

141 – No. 5 Manuel Rivera, Fifth Seed

Quarterfinals: #4 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) dec. Rivera, 8-1

149 – No. 2 Dustin Schlatter, Second Seed

Quarterfinals: #7 Darrion Caldwell (N.C. State) dec. Schlatter, 4-1

157 – No. 5 C.P. Schlatter, Fifth Seed

Consolation: Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Schlatter, 4-0

Schlatter eliminated (1-2 record)

174 – No. 8 Gabriel Dretsch, Eighth Seed

Consolation: Dretsch maj. dec. Mike Letts (Maryland), 10-2

Consolation: Alex Dolly (Northern Iowa) dec. Dretsch, 10-6

184 – No. 8 Roger Kish, Eighth Seed

Quarterfinal: Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. Kish, 2-0

Hwt – Ben Berhow, Unseeded

Consolation: Dustin Rogers (West Virginia) dec. Berhow, 7-4

Berhow eliminated (1-2 record)

Complete NCAA Championship Results:

125 – No. 2 Jayson Ness, Second Seed

First Round: Ness pinned Marcos Orozco (UC Davis), 1:17

Second Round: Ness maj. dec. Luke Smith (Central Michigan), 9-0

Quarterfinals: Ness pinned #10 James Nicholson (Old Dominion), 4:04

133 – No. 8 Mack Reiter, Eighth Seed

First Round: Reiter pinned Jeffery Schell (Brown), 2:13

Second Round: Reiter maj. dec. Conor Beebe, 15-6

Quarterfinals: #1 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) dec. Reiter, 5-3

141 – No. 5 Manuel Rivera, Fifth Seed

First Round: Rivera tech fall Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro), 16-0 (4:44)

Second Round: Rivera dec. #12 Garrett Scott (Penn State), 8-5

Quarterfinals: #4 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) dec. Rivera, 8-1

149 – No. 2 Dustin Schlatter, Second Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Adam Hall (Boise State), 5-3

Second Round: Schlatter dec. Mitch Mueller (Iowa State), 6-2

Quarterfinals: #7 Darrion Caldwell (N.C. State) dec. Schlatter, 4-1

157 – No. 5 C.P. Schlatter, Fifth Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), 4-2

Second Round: #12 Josh Zupancic (Stanford) dec. Schlatter, 5-4

Consolation: Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Schlatter, 4-0

Schlatter eliminated (1-2 record)

174 – No. 8 Gabriel Dretsch, Eighth Seed

First Round: Nathan Lee (Boise State) dec. Dretsch, 3-1 SV1

Consolation: Dretsch dec. Scott Giffin (Penn), 5-3

Consolation: Dretsch maj. dec. Mike Letts (Maryland), 10-2

Consolation: Alex Dolly (Northern Iowa) dec. Dretsch, 10-6

Dretsch eliminated (2-2 record)

184 – No. 8 Roger Kish, Eighth Seed

First Round: Kish dec. Josh Edmundson (UT-Chattanooga), 6-3

Second Round: Kish dec. A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 4-0

Quarterfinals: #1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. Kish, 2-0

197 – Justin Bronson, Unseeded

Pigtails: Richard Stark (Army) dec. Bronson, 5-2 SV2

Consolation: Jared Villers (West Virginia) maj. dec. Bronson, 12-4

Bronson eliminated (0-2 record)

Hwt – Ben Berhow, Unseeded

First Round: #9 Jermail Porter (Kent State) dec, Berhow, 8-6

Consolation: Berhow dec. Nathan Thobaben (Army), 10-7

Consolation: Dustin Rogers (West Virginia) dec. Berhow, 7-4

Minnesota Hangs Tough During Second Session at NCAA Championships

The defending national champion Gopher wrestling team wasn’t perfect, but remained in the title hunt during the second session at the 2008 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Thursday evening. Five Minnesota athletes remained in the winner’s bracket after the second round, with eight of nine Gophers still alive after day one.

Minnesota is tied with Central Michigan (24 team points) for fourth place after a day’s worth of action, trailing first-place Iowa by 5.5 points. The Hawkeyes (29.5 points) extended their session one lead over second-place Nebraska (26.5) and third-place Iowa State (25). Seven of Iowa’s nine wrestlers remained in championship contention after day one.

After an outstanding showing in the morning session, Minnesota’s lightweight corps of Jayson Ness, Mack Reiter, Manny Rivera and Dustin Schlatter all advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals with wins Thursday night, as did two-time All-American Roger Kish.

Unfortunately for the Gophers, senior C.P. Schlatter was upset by No. 12 seed Josh Zupancic of Stanford. He will be forced to regain his All-American status through the wrestlebacks.

Senior Gabe Dretsch, the eighth seed at 174 pounds, bounced back from his first round loss to post a 5-3 win over Penn’s Scott Giffin in the wrestlebacks, and heavyweight Ben Berhow also won his consolation match to stay alive in the tournament. Senior Justin Bronson’s first career NCAA appearance came to an end Thursday when he lost his consolation match with Jared Villers of West Virginia 12-4.

After picking up his 19^th pin of the season Thursday morning, returning All-American Ness was outstanding in his second round match-up with Central Michigan’s Luke Smith. Ness, who beat Smith 8-2 at the National Duals earlier this season, used a big second period to win a 9-0 major decision Thursday night. The lanky Ness and diminutive Smith locked up for much of the first three minutes, but Ness turned the tide with a second-period reversal and racked up an impressive 3:05 worth of riding time to improve his overall record to 37-1 on the season.

Two-time All-American Reiter seems to have regained the form he flashed in his first two national tournaments as he thoroughly handled Central Michigan’s Conor Beebe in a 15-6 major decision win. Reiter led just 3-2 after a period but out-scored Beebe a whopping 12-4 the rest of the way to advance to the quarterfinals.

This will be the fourth NCAA quarterfinal appearance of Reiter’s career, but it might also be his toughest – the senior captain will match up with No. 1 seed and defending Big Ten champion Franklin Gomez of Michigan State Friday night. Gomez defeated Reiter 7-4 in a dual meet earlier this year.

Rivera looked good in his quest for an All-American award, as he won a close 8-5 decision with No. 12 Garrett Scott of Penn State to advance. Rivera trailed 3-0 early in the second period but scored both a takedown and three-point nearfall late in the frame to jump ahead and bring the Gopher faithful in attendance to their feet. Rivera’s victory propels him to a Friday night quarterfinal match with Oklahoma State’s Nathan Morgan. Morgan narrowly defeated Rivera 6-4 earlier this year.

Despite being the No. 2 seed, Dustin Schlatter had another tough match at 149 pounds. After beating Boise State’s Adam Hall 5-3 early Thursday, Schlatter had to contend with Iowa State’s Mitch Mueller in the second round. Schlatter’s elusive style prevented Mueller from scoring a single takedown, and the former NCAA champion put the match away with a third-period takedown of his own. Schlatter will take on N.C. State’s Darrion Caldwell in the quarterfinals. Caldwell is the only wrestler to defeat top-seeded Brent Metcalf of Iowa this season.

Unfortunately, Dustin’s older brother C.P. did not fare as well in his efforts to end his career with back-to-back All-American laurels. Schlatter took on little-known No. 12 seed Josh Zupancic of Stanford and appeared to have the match under control by jumping out to a 4-1 lead. But Zupancic took Schlatter down in the second and rode him out for much of the period, closing the deficit and gaining a significant riding time advantage. Zupancic started down in the third and escaped to tie the score at four and prevented Schlatter from scoring the go-ahead points the rest of the way to with 5-4 with 1:05 worth of riding time.

Schlatter, who was forced to take an injury timeout during the match because of a hamstring injury suffered during the Big Ten semifinals, drops down to the wrestleback bracket and must now fight his way back through for third place.

It wasn’t always pretty, but returning Gopher All-American Kish showed an impressive amount of veteran guile in his 4-0 win over Purdue’s A.J. Kissel at 184 pounds. Kish, who defeated UT-Chattanooga’s Josh Edmundson early Thursday afternoon to advance to the second round, retained excellent position throughout his match with Kissel to notch the shutout win.

Kish’s quarterfinal draw is also a tough one – he must take on top-ranked sophomore Jake Varner of Iowa State. After beating Varner in two dual meets last season, Kish has dropped his last three matches with the undefeated sophomore sensation – during last year’s NCAA semifinals, the All-Star Classic event last November and the teams’ Dec. 2 dual meet match-up at Williams Arena.

Minnesota’s consolation wrestlers were a mixed bag Thursday night as they began their long road through the loser’s bracket. Dretsch while Bronson’s season came to an end with an 0-2 NCAA performance. Berhow won a back-and-forth match with Army’s Nathan Thobaben – he trailed 3-2 and 4-3 at different points in the second period, but the redshirt freshman scored two crucial takedowns to regain the lead and ended up the 10-7 winner.

Thursday’s second session announced attendance was 15,170.

The Gophers will look to make up ground Friday morning during the quarterfinals and wrestleback rounds. The action begins at 10 a.m. at the Scottrade Center, with Friday night’s semifinal round set to start at 6 p.m.

Television coverage also gets underway Friday on ESPNU and ESPN360.com. All of Friday’s wrestling will be feature live ESPNU broadcasts, and ESPN360.com will offer viewers the option to view any quarterfinal and semifinal matches they wish to see on-demand.

Team Scores After Day OneBerhow eliminated (1-2 record)

1. Iowa (29.5 points)
2. Nebraska (26.5)
3. Iowa State (25)
4. Minnesota/Central Michigan (24)

Day One Results:

125 – No. 2 Jayson Ness, Second Seed

First Round: Ness pinned Marcos Orozco (UC Davis), 2:09

Second Round: Ness maj. dec. Luke Smith (Central Michigan), 9-0

133 – No. 8 Mack Reiter, Eighth Seed

First Round: Reiter pinned Jeffery Schell (Brown), 2:13

Second Round: Reiter maj. dec. Conor Beebe, 15-6

141 – No. 5 Manuel Rivera, Fifth Seed

First Round: Rivera tech fall Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro), 16-0 (4:44)

Second Round: Rivera dec. #12 Garrett Scott (Penn State), 8-5

149 – No. 2 Dustin Schlatter, Second Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Adam Hall (Boise State), 5-3

Second Round: Schlatter dec. Mitch Mueller (Iowa State), 6-2

157 – No. 5 C.P. Schlatter, Fifth Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), 4-2

Second Round: #12 Josh Zupancic (Stanford) dec. Schlatter, 5-4

174 – No. 8 Gabriel Dretsch, Eighth Seed

First Round: Nathan Lee (Boise State) dec. Dretsch, 3-1 SV1

Consolation: Dretsch dec. Scott Giffin (Penn), 5-3

184 – No. 8 Roger Kish, Eighth Seed

First Round: Kish dec. Josh Edmundson (UT-Chattanooga), 6-3

Second Round: Kish dec. A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 4-0

197 – Justin Bronson, Unseeded

Pigtails: Richard Stark (Army) dec. Bronson, 5-2 SV2

Consolation: Jared Villers (West Virginia) maj. dec. Bronson, 12-4

Hwt – Ben Berhow, Unseeded

First Round: #9 Jermail Porter (Kent State) dec, Berhow, 8-6

Early Pins Highlight Minnesota’s First Session at NCAA Championships

The defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team enjoyed a solid first session at the 2008 NCAA Championships as they began their quest for a second straight title. Minnesota won six of nine matches during Thursday morning’s opening session at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis; the six winners will wrestle in Thursday evening’s championship second round. The other three wrestlers will be forced to make their way back up the bracket through wrestleback competition. Consolation: Berhow dec. Nathan Thobaben (Army), 10-7

Minnesota was tied for fourth place with 15.5 points after the first session, 3.5 behind Big Ten champion Iowa (18).

The Gophers’ vaunted lightweight lineup breezed through Thursday’s opening matches, with Jayson Ness (125 pounds), Mack Reiter (133) and Manny Rivera (141) all scoring bonus points in their first competitions of the tournament. Ness picked up his 19^th pin of the year in his opening-round match against UC Davis’ Marcus Orozco, while Reiter pinned Jeffery Schell (Brown) and Rivera won by technical fall over Edinboro’s Torsten Gillespie.

Brothers Dustin (149) and C.P. Schlatter (157) advanced with surprisingly close first round matches, as did returning two-time All-American Roger Kish (184). But Big Ten runner-up Gabe Dretsch was upset in overtime by Boise State’s Nathan Lee at 174 pounds, and unseeded wrestlers Justin Bronson (197) and Ben Berhow (Hwt.) dropped to the wrestlebacks with losses during Thursday’s action.

In his first match since losing his Big Ten title two weeks ago in Minneapolis, Ness came out of the gate aggressively against Orozco. The 2007 All-American built up a commanding lead in the opening minutes of the first period before turning Orozco on his back for the pin at 2:09. With 19 pins, Ness is now just one shy of tying the Golden Gophers’ single season mark of 20, set by current Minnesota head assistant coach Marty Morgan 18 years ago.

Reiter also looked impressive in his first-round match-up. He wasted little time corralling Brown’s Schell and pinned him in just 2:13, advancing to a second-round rematch with Wisconsin’s Zach Tanelli. Tanelli and Reiter have met twice already this season, with each wrestler picking up a victory.

The Schlatter brothers took care of business themselves as they look to repeat as national champions. Dustin and Boise State’s Adam Hall were locked in a tight match for the first two periods before Schlatter pulled away with a third-period takedown in his 5-3 win. Older brother C.P. battled it out with Northern Iowa’s Tyson Reiner in a close 4-2 victory.

After a stellar performance at the Big Ten Championships, Dretsch’s opening-round loss was a definite blow to the Gophers’ title hopes. The Frazee, Minn. native and Boise State’s Lee managed just an escape apiece during seven minutes of regulation, sending the match into sudden victory overtime. But Dretsch got caught underneath just 36 into the frame, giving Lee the upset win and sending the Gopher senior to the wrestlebacks.

Wearing a large brace on his shoulder (dislocated during the Big Ten semifinals), Kish took to the mat against Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Josh Edmundson in the first round at 184 pounds. Kish notched two takedowns and two escapes and held his own in a 6-3 win to advance to a second round match against Arizona State’s Brent Chiswell.

Bronson was the first Gopher to hit the mat Thursday morning, but his pigtail round loss could mean a quick end for the senior’s first (and only) career NCAA appearance. Bronson took Army’s Richard Stark into overtime but lost in the second sudden victory period 5-2, dropping him to Thursday night’s wrestlebacks.

The redshirt freshman Berhow wrestled tough his first-ever NCAA Championships match, this one against ninth-seeded Jermail Porter of Kent State. The Hayward, Minn. native kept things close through two periods despite being significantly out-weighed by Porter, and tied the score briefly at six in the third period with a quick takedown. But Porter proved too physical in his 8-6 win and sent the Gopher heavyweight to Thursday evening’s wrestlebacks.

Thursday’s evening schedule is set to get underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Scottrade Center. Live updates for Minnesota’s matches will be available via gophersports.com and InterMat. Television coverage begins Friday at 10 a.m. (CT), with ESPNU broadcasting three hours of early round action and Friday night’s semifinals (beginning at 6 p.m.)

Session I Results:

125 – No. 2 Jayson Ness, Second Seed

First Round: Ness pinned Marcos Orozco (UC Davis), 2:09

133 – No. 8 Mack Reiter, Eighth Seed

First Round: Reiter pinned Jeffery Schell (Brown), 2:13

141 – No. 5 Manuel Rivera, Fifth Seed

First Round: Rivera tech fall Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro), 16-0 (4:44)

149 – No. 2 Dustin Schlatter, Second Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Adam Hall (Boise State), 5-3

157 – No. 5 C.P. Schlatter, Fifth Seed

First Round: Schlatter dec. Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), 4-2

174 – No. 8 Gabriel Dretsch, Eighth Seed

First Round: Nathan Lee (Boise State) dec. Dretsch, 3-1 SV1

184 – No. 8 Roger Kish, Eighth Seed

First Round: Kish dec. Josh Edmundson (UT-Chattanooga), 6-3

197 – Justin Bronson, Unseeded

Pigtails: Richard Stark (Army) dec. Bronson, 5-2 SV2

Hwt – Ben Berhow, Unseeded

First Round: #9 Jermail Porter (Kent State) dec, Berhow, 8-6

Team Scores After Session One:

1. Iowa (19 points)
2. Central Michigan (18)
3. Iowa State (16)

Minnesota's Ness Earns Top Spot, All Ten Gopher Starters Pre-Seeded For Big Ten Wrestling Championships

All 10 starters for the defending Big Ten and national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team were pre-seeded in the top eight for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena. Minnesota/Nebraska (15.5)

Undefeated (33-0) and top-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness earned the number one at 125 pounds, the only Golden Gopher to do so. Ness won his first career Big Ten championship last season as the number one seed. Minnesota had four top seeds last year en route to their second consecutive conference championship.
Four other Minnesota wrestlers were pre-seeded in the top three for this year's event - junior Dustin Schlatter (No. 3 at 149 pounds), junior Tyler Safratowich (No. 3 at 165 pounds) and senior Gabriel Dretsch (No. 3 at 174 pounds).

Also pre-seeded for Minnesota were seniors Mack Reiter (fifth at 133 pounds), Manuel Rivera (sixth at 141 pounds), C.P. Schlatter (No. 4 at 157), Roger Kish (fourth at 184), Justin Bronson (No. 6 at 197) and redshirt freshman Ben Berhow (No. 8 at heavyweight).

The two-time defending conference champion Gophers boast one of the most experienced starting lineups in the Big Ten. Minnesota's starters have participated in a combined 17 Big Ten Wrestling Championships and won seven individual conference titles.

The Big Ten pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the conference's head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular season results. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 7.

Minnesota's Big Ten Championships Preliminary Seeds
1. Jayson Ness (125)
3. Dustin Schlatter (149)
3. Tyler Safratowich (165)
3. Gabriel Dretsch (174)
4. C.P. Schlatter (157)
4. Roger Kish (184)
5. Mack Reiter (133)
6. Manuel Rivera (141)
6. Justin Bronson (197)
8. Ben Berhow (Hwt.)
Minnesota Wrestlers Trounce Ohio State at Pavilion on Senior Day, Turn Focus to Big Ten Championships

It was senior day at the Sports Pavilion Sunday afternoon, and despite enduring a trying regular season up to this point, the Golden Gopher wrestling team did not disappoint in their final dual meet of the season. Four of the six Gopher seniors that started Sunday’s meet picked up individual wins, as the Gophers (14-7, 5-3 Big Ten) rounded out the regular season with a 23-18 victory over Ohio State (19-4, 6-2).

The Gophers’ ten seniors – Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera, C.P. Schlatter, Gabe Dretsch, Jeremy Larson, Roger Kish, Justin Bronson, Mitch Kuhlman, Dan Jackson and Jason Waidzulis – entered Minnesota as the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation and have presided over a national championship and two Big Ten team titles. Sunday, they were recognized at the Sports Pavilion with family and friends in front of an announced crowd of 2,006.

On the mat, the win snapped a two-meet losing streak for the Gophers, who will now turn their attention to the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. This year’s Big Ten meet will be hosted by Minnesota for the first time since 1997 and take place in Williams Arena March 8-9.

Sunday’s meet began at 157 pounds, and despite missing last weekend’s dual meets due to an injury, senior C.P. Schlatter was hardly rusty in his match with John Johnstone of the Buckeyes. Both wrestlers are natives of Massillon, Ohio, but it was the Golden Gopher who had the upper hand Sunday. Schlatter pulled out an 8-5 win after out-scoring Johnstone 5-2 after the first period. The sixth-ranked senior rounds out the regular season with a stellar 26-2 overall record.

Tyler Safratowich took on highly-touted freshman Colt Sponseller at 165 pounds. Both wrestlers entered the match ranked (Safratowich 20^th, Sponseller 8^th), and the battle was a tight one in the early going. The Minnesota junior scored first with a stall warning point partway through the second and jumped to a 4-0 lead after two periods with a highly-acrobatic takedown, bringing the Gopher faithful to their feet. Safratowich held off Sponseller’s advances through the final frame to emerge the 4-2 victor.

Sponseller becomes the third ranked opponent Safratowich has beaten this season, and the second top-ten foe he has toppled. Safratowich also beat No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach of Okalahoma State on Feb. 3. He has beaten a whopping nine ranked wrestlers during the last two seasons and improved to 25-7 this season.

Another Gopher senior, 11^th-ranked Dretsch, took to the mat at 174 pounds to face Alex Picazo. Dretsch had the match in hand, leading 6-2 heading into the final 30 seconds, before he was able to maneuver Picazo onto his back and gain the fall with 12 seconds remaining, to the cheers of the hometown crowd. It was the fifth pin of the season for Dretsch and allowed him to finish the regular season with a 26-9 record, including a career-best 13-6 in dual meets.

With the Gophers leading 12-0 in the dual, Minnesota’s coaching staff elected not to send out announced starter Roger Kish to face second-ranked Mike Pucillo at 184 pounds. Instead, senior Jeremy Larson got the call for the second time this season at 184. Larson lasted the entire seven minutes but was defeated by technical fall 25-6 to make the score 12-5 in favor of Minnesota.

Justin Bronson was the fourth Gopher senior in action Sunday as he took on true freshman John Weakley of OSU. Bronson wrestled his typical close-to-the-vest match, leading 1-0 after two periods (scoring on a second period escape) before winning 2-1 on the strength of 1:27 worth of riding time. The win was a crucial one in the dual (putting the Gophers up 15-5 at the time) and allowed the Gopher senior to round out his final regular season with a career-high 17 wins, including seven in dual meets.

Redshirt freshman Ben Berhow took to the mat at heavyweight following the senior day intermission ceremony, but had a tough draw in second-ranked J.D. Bergman (24-1 on the season entering Sunday). Berhow dropped a hard-fought 13-3 major decision.

Minnesota led 15-9 heading into the lightweight session of the meet. Top-ranked Jayson Ness met true freshman Nikko Triggas at 125 pounds, with Ness finishing up a perfect 33-0 regular season after the 6-0 victory. Ness cruised through the first two periods with a 4-0 lead, then tacked on a reversal in the final stanza, nearly picking up his 19^th pin of the season in the process.

Ness will enter the Big Ten Championships at the prohibitive favorite and most likely the number one seed at 125 pounds.

The Gophers held a comfortable 18-9 lead in the dual when ninth-ranked senior Reiter took to the mat at 133 pounds. The Gilbertville, Iowa native successfully shrugged off his two disappointing losses last weekend with a dominating 18-2 tech fall victory over No. 13 Reece Humphrey. Reiter came out aggressively at the whistle, earning a takedown and two-point nearfall just 42 seconds into the match and then another three-point nearfall at the end of the period. He had racked up an impressive 2:24 of riding time after just three minutes of wrestling.

Reiter continued his aggressive approach over the next five minutes of action, scoring 11 more points in the final two periods of his dismantling of Humphrey. Reiter walked off the mat to a standing ovation from the Gopher crowd after picking up the tech fall and finishes his final regular season 19-6 overall. Reiter will be one of the top seeds at the upcoming Big Ten Championships.

Rivera, the fifth-ranked wrestler in the country at 141 pounds, was the final Gopher senior to take the mat Sunday afternoon. Rivera lost a hard-fought match with No. 8 J Jaggers 6-4 to finish out his regular season with a 28-6 overall record. Down 5-2 heading into the final 40 seconds of the match, Rivera scored a takedown to close the gap to 5-4 but could not pick up the match-tying points in the waning seconds.

Unfortunately Gopher fans were sent home with a sour taste in their mouths as No. 7 Lance Palmer pinned third-ranked Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds in 3:19. It marked the first time Schlatter had been pinned in his collegiate career and was just the fourth loss as a Golden Gopher.

The team victory was the Gophers’ 13^th straight over the Buckeyes, a streak that dates back to 1993. After going 0-4 in Williams Arena during the dual meet season, Minnesota finishes with a 3-0 record in the Sports Pavilion.

Minnesota’s focus now turns to the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which will get underway in less than two weeks. The Gophers are the two-time defending conference champions and crowned four individuals (Jayson Ness, Dustin Schlatter, C.P. Schlatter and departed heavyweight Cole Konrad) at last year’s event, which was held in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The first session of the championships will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. Approximately 4,400 all-session tickets have been sold already, with single-session tickets set to go on sale Monday, March 3.

#9 Minnesota 23, #5 Ohio State 18

157 pounds: #6 C.P. Schlatter (MINN) dec. John Johnstone (OSU), 8-5

165 pounds: #20 Tyler Safratowich (MINN) dec. #8 Colt Sponseller (OSU), 4-2

174 pounds: #11 Gabe Dretsch (MINN) pinned Alex Picazo (OSU), 6:48

184 pounds: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU) tech. fall Jeremy Larson (MINN), 25-6 (7:00)

197 pounds: Justin Bronson (MINN) dec. John Weakley (OSU), 2-1

285 pounds: #2 J.D. Bergman (OSU) maj. dec. Ben Berhow (MINN); 13-3
125 pounds: #1 Jayson Ness (MINN) dec. Nikko Triggas (OSU); 6-0

133 pounds: #9 Mack Reiter (MINN) tech. fall #13 Reece Humphrey (OSU); 18-2 (7:00)

141 pounds: #8 J Jaggers (OSU) dec. #3 Manuel Rivera (MINN); 6-4

Minnesota Drop Dual Meet to Illinois 19-17 at Williams Arena

The fourth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team took on No. 8 Illinois Friday night at Williams Arena, with Illinois emerging the 19-17 victor. The Gophers (13-6, 4-2 Big Ten) were without normal starters C.P. Schlatter, Roger Kish and Justin Bronson, losing five of ten matches and surrendering bonus points four times.

Minnesota held a slim 17-13 lead going into the final two matches of the night (184 and 197 pounds) but Jeremy Larson and Yura Malamura both lost close decisions to give Illinois (12-3, 3-1) the win.

The Gophers did welcome back former NCAA champion and two-time All-American Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds, as he defeated Illinois’ Grant Paswall 7-2. It was the first action for Schlatter since his Dec. 30 finals match at the Southern Scuffle. Schlatter controlled the pace of the match from the opening whistle and showed no ill signs from the hamstring injury that kept him out of action for more than six weeks.

Schlatter appears on track to defend his individual title at the Big Ten Championships, which will take place at Williams Arena March 8-9.

Unfortunately for the Gophers, the absences of No. 6 C.P. Schlatter (157 pounds) and No. 10 Kish (184) Friday night, who were held out of the competition due to nagging injuries, was too much to overcome.

The meet started at heavyweight, with redshirt freshman Ben Berhow taking on No. 15 John Wise of the Illini. Berhow held his own through two periods against the ranked wrestler (trailing 4-1 after five minutes). But Wise scored six points in the third to win a 10-2 major decision and put the Gophers in a 4-0 hole.

Top-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness helped Minnesota bounce back at 125 pounds in his match against No. 9 Gabe Flores. Ness, who pinned Flores twice last year, could not muster the fall Friday night but handily claimed a 9-0 major decision. Ness was perfect on the defensive side and scored takedowns in all three periods to even the dual meet score at four apiece. It was the 31^st victory of the season for Ness and his 32^nd straight dating back to last season.

Looking to keep the momentum, the Gophers sent out senior and fifth-ranked Mack Reiter at 133 pounds to take on No. 9 Jimmy Kennedy. The pair met during last season’s dual meet at Champaign (a 28-12 Gopher win), with Kennedy earning the 6-3 upset win. Friday night, neither wrestler could mount much offense through two periods. Kennedy spent the entire first period on top after scoring an early takedown, and it was Reiter that held the upper position for much of the second (only a late escape gave Kennedy a 3-0 lead). In the deciding period, Kennedy successfully eluded Reiter’s scoring attempts and cemented the win with a late takedown. The 6-0 loss dropped Reiter’s overall record to 18-5.

Senior Manny Rivera got the Gophers back on track at 141 with his 16-5 major decision win over No. 11 Ryan Prater. Rivera controlled the first frame after taking a 2-0 lead and nearly got a back on two separate occasions in the second. The third-ranked Rivera scored a whopping 11 points in the second period to take a 13-2 lead on the strength of two reversals and three nearfalls. Rivera cruised through the third to improve his overall record to 28-4.

The night’s most anticipated match was the one between Dustin Schlatter and Grant Paswall at 149 pounds. Schlatter was his lightning-quick self despite the long layoff, scoring a takedown in the first and two more in the second. Schlatter could not muster another score in the third period and walked away with the 8-2 decision. The Gophers entered the locker room at intermission leading 11-7.

The Gophers gave up big bonus points at 157 when Luke Mellmer was pinned by No. 2 Mike Poeta, but Tyler Safratowich helped Minnesota regain the lead in the dual (14-12) with a 11-4 decision over Clint Arlis. Safratowich, who made his debut in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat rankings this week at No. 20, improved his dual meet record to 11-2 wit the win.

Minnesota needed a big win by senior Gabe Dretsch at 174 pounds and got it done. The 11^th-ranked Dretsch won a close match against No. 15 John Dergo 7-2, jumping out to a 5-1 lead after two periods and hanging on for the victory. The win put Minnesota up 17-13 in the meet.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, the four-point lead was not enough to avoid the loss. Larson, a senior wrestling two weight classes higher than normal, simply could not mount any offense against the heavier Ben Friedl of Illinois (losing 4-1), and Malamura was held without a takedown in his 8-2 loss to No. 11 Patrick Bond.

The loss marks the first time since 2004-05 that the Gophers have dropped more than one Big Ten dual meet in the same season. Minnesota is now 0-3 in Williams Arena this season (they are 2-0 in the Sports Pavilion).

Minnesota has another home meet on Sunday as they welcome the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers to Williams Arena. The Gophers beat the Badgers 28-12 last season in Madison, snapping a two-meet losing streak. That competition will get underway at 2 p.m.

#8 Illinois 19, #4 Minnesota 17

Hwt. - #15 John Wise (ILL) maj. dec. Ben Berhow (MINN), 10-2

125 - #9 Jayson Ness (MINN) maj. dec. #9 Gabe Flores, 9-0

133 - #9 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) dec. #5 Mack Reiter (MINN), 6-0

141 - #3 Manny Rivera (MINN) maj. dec. #11 Ryan Prater (ILL), 16-5

149 - #3 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) dec. Grant Paswall (ILL), 8-2

157 - #2 Mike Poeta (ILL) pinned Luke Mellmer (MINN), 4:00

165 - #20 Tyler Safratowich (MINN) dec. Clint Arlis (ILL), 11-4

174 - #11 Gabe Dretsch (MINN) dec. #15 John Dergo (ILL), 7-2

184 – Ben Friedl (ILL) dec. Jeremy Larson (MINN), 4-1

197 – #11 Patrick Bond (ILL) dec. Yura Malamura (MINN) 8-2

Minnesota Wrestlers Roll Over Purdue 32-8 in Lafayette

The fourth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestlers made quick work of the unranked Purdue Boilermakers Sunday afternoon in Lafayette, Ind. The first three Minnesota wrestlers earned bonus points as the Gophers won eight of 10 matches during the dual meet. The win was Minnesota's 10th over Purdue in their last 11 meetings.

The win improved Minnesota’s record to 13-5 on the season and 4-1 in Big Ten competition. The Gophers also defeated Northwestern 33-12 on Friday night.

Once again, it was Jayson Ness that got things going for the defending national champions at 125 pounds. The top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds, Ness earned his Division I-leading 18^th pin of the season Sunday over Akif Eren of the Boilermakers in 2:44. Ness improved to 30-0 on the season and has won 31 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Ness is now just two pins away from tying the Gophers single-season record of 20, held by current head assistant coach Marty Morgan. He could tie the record next weekend when the Gophers take on Illinois and Wisconsin at Williams Arena.

Minnesota’s other two lightweight stars also lived up to their billing on Sunday afternoon. Fifth-ranked Mack Reiter scored early and often in his match against Georg Petrove at 133 pounds, picking up a 15-0 tech fall win in just 3:20. Twelve of Reiter’s 15 points were back points, as he notched five nearfalls to win his second match of the weekend.

Manny Rivera followed suite at 141 pounds by pinning Matt Redmond of Purdue in 2:32, giving the Gophers a commanding 17-0 lead in the dual meet. It was the second pin of the weekend 10^th of the season for Rivera, a new career high.

After Luke Mellmer lost at 149 pounds to No. 15 Jake Patacsil, Minnesota continued its dominance over the Boilers at 157 pounds. Seventh-ranked C.P. Schlatter was given a good match by Sam Patacsil, but the senior All-American pulled out a 10-4 decision to remain an undefeated 5-0 during the Big Ten season.

Tyler Safratowich also got into the action at 165 pounds. He scored a takedown just before the end of the second period to go up 5-1 on Justin Fraga and held on for his fourth victory of the Big Ten dual meet season.

Senior Gabe Dretsch, fresh off a big victory over No. 12 Nick Hayes of Northwestern Friday night, suffered a slight setback Sunday against Nick Corpe of Purdue. Corpe scored takedowns in the first and second periods and then fended off Dretsch’s offensive attacks in the final period to emerge the 5-4 winner.

With the outcome of the meet long since decided, all three of Minnesota’s heavier wrestlers picked up encouraging victories. Senior Roger Kish won his second straight match of the weekend by defeating A.J. Kissel 4-3 at 184 pounds, and fellow senior Justin Bronson put on a defensive display in his 3-0 win over Logan Brown at 197. At heavyweight, Ben Berhow was equally impressive as he scored a 3-1 overtime victory over Chris Kasten.

The weekend’s two dual meet victories should give the defending national champions some confidence as they return home for dual meets with Illinois (Friday at 7 p.m.) and Wisconsin (Sunday at 2 p.m.). Both meets will be held in Williams Arena, and live webcasts will be available in the Gold Zone on Gophersports.com.

Minnesota Wrestlers Take Care of Business at Northwestern

The fourth-ranked and defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher defeated the No. 11 Northwestern Wildcats 33-12 at Welsh-Ryan Arena Friday night. The win was the ninth straight for Minnesota over Northwestern, as the Gophers have not lost to the Wildcats since 1996.

The Gophers won seven of 10 matches during the dual meet, which was televised live by the Big Ten Network. Seniors Gabe Dretsch, Roger Kish, Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera and C.P. Schlatter all earned individual wins, including three pins and sophomore sensation Jayson Ness also earned his 30th straight victory at 125 pounds to snap the Gophers’ two-meet losing streak.

Friday’s meet began at 174 pounds, and the 11th-ranked Dretsch got the Gophers off to a solid start against No. 12 Nick Hayes. Down 3-2 entering the final period, Dretsch pulled off a five-point move halfway through the third (a takedown and three-point nearfall) to grab a 7-3 lead. He held on for the 7-4 win to improve to 23-8 this year. Hayes marked the eighth ranked opponent in a row that Dretsch has faced.

At 184 pounds, Minnesota enjoyed a nice bounce-back performance from the two-time All-American Kish. Kish thoroughly controlled former Division III wrestler Adil Kolovic to the tune of a 17-6 major decision. The win was the first for Kish in his last five matches, as he has struggled with injuries since early December, and improved his record to 9-6 on the season.

Down 7-0, the Wildcats picked up victories at 197 pounds and heavyweight to tie the score in the dual meet. Justin Bronson had a tall order in his match against second-ranked Mike Tamillow at 197. The Gopher senior hung with Tamillow in the early going (the pair were tied at two after one period), but ended up losing an 11-2 major decision.

At heavyweight, the Gopher coaching staff went with a somewhat surprising choice in redshirt freshman Joe Nord. Nord entered the meet with an 0-3 dual meet record, but performed admirably against top-ranked heavyweight Dustin Fox. Down 8-4 heading into the final minute of the match, Nord avoided late takedown and surrendered just three points (avoiding bonus points) in a 9-4 loss.

Ness, the top-ranked 125-pounder in the nation, put on another show in his match against No. 5 Brandon Precin. Ness dominated from the opening whistle once again, opening up an early lead and cruising to the 12-4 major decision. It was the third-straight major decision for Ness over a ranked opponent (he majored No. 3 Charlie Falck of Iowa and No. 16 Tyler Shinn of Oklahoma State in his last two matches). Ness improved his consecutive win streak to 30 (second-longest in Division I) and has gained bonus points in 23 of his 29 matches (17 pins, six major decisions).

Up 11-7 in the dual following the intermission, Reiter took to the mat at 133 pounds looking to snap a rare two-match losing streak. Reiter’s opponent, Eric Metzler, surprised the senior with an early shot to take a quick 2-0 lead. But Reiter’s relentless attack could not be contained, as he stormed back to gain a 6-2 advantage before pinning Metzler at the 4:28 mark. It was the second pin of the season for Reiter.

Minnesota enjoyed a comfortable 17-7 lead heading into the 141-pound match between No. 3 Manuel Rivera and the Wildcats’ Robert Joyce. Joyce was a surprise choice at 141 (he weighed in at 133 pounds before the meet) and didn’t last long against the veteran Rivera. Rivera became the second Gopher senior in a row to pin his opponent as he took down Joyce just 2:26 into the match, his ninth fall of the season.

Luke Mellmer battled in his 149-pound match, but was no match for fifth-ranked and two-time All-American Ryan Lang, losing a 17-1 technical fall. But the Gophers bounced back with wins by No. 7 C.P. Schlatter (a 15-6 major decision win over Andrew Nahdir at 157) and Tyler Safratowich (pinning Dominic Marella in 3:15 at 165) to make the final score 33-12. The pin was the third of the year for the junior.

Friday’s victory was the first for the Gophers on the Big Ten Network. Minnesota’s two previous live telecasts (Dec. 2 vs. then-No. 2 Iowa State and Feb. 1 vs. No. 1 Iowa) resulted in close home losses for the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota’s three pins was the team’s highest dual meet total since their 45-0 win over North Dakota State Nov. 24.

The win was the most lopsided for Minnesota over Northwestern since their 41-3 win in Minneapolis on Feb. 9, 2003. Minnesota improved to 12-5 on the season (3-1 in the Big Ten) while the Wildcats dropped to 5-7 (1-3 Big Ten). The Gophers have now won 13 of the past 15 meetings between the schools.

The Gophers will round out their weekend of Big Ten action Sunday, as they travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to face the unranked Purdue Boilermakers Sunday. Minnesota has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two programs.

#4 Minnesota 33, #11 Northwestern 12

174: #11 Gabriel Dretsch (MN) dec. #12 Nick Hayes (NW) 7-4

184: #10 Roger Kish (MN) maj. dec. Adil Kolovic (NW) 17-6

197: #2 Mike Tamillow (NW) dec. Justin Bronson (MN)

Hwt: #1 Dustin Fox (NW) dec. Joe Nord (MN) 9-4

125: #1 Jayson Ness (MN) maj. dec. #5 Brandon Precin (NW) 12-4

133: #5 Mack Reiter (MN) pinned Eric Metzler (NW) 4:28

141: #3 Manuel Rivera (MN) pinned Robert Joyce (NW) 2:26

149: #5 Ryan Lang (NW) tech. fall Luke Mellmer (MN) 17-1

157: #7 C.P. Schlatter (MN) maj. dec. Andrew Nadhir (NW) 15-6

Oklahoma State Overcomes Upsets to Top Gopher Wrestlers 18-14 in Stillwater

Despite picking up key upsets from Tyler Safratowich (165 pounds) and No. 11 Gabriel Dretsch (174 pounds), the defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team could not pull off the dual meet victory Sunday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla., falling to the third-ranked Cowboys 18-14. The Gophers won four of six matches, but close losses at 133, 141 and 184 pounds doomed the reigning Big Ten champions to their second loss of the weekend.

In a heated battle between the two programs that have combined to win the past seven NCAA team titles, the Cowboys got the better of J Robinson’s Gophers for the first time in the last four meetings between the schools. The oss drops the fourth-ranked Gophers to 11-5 overall, while OSU improves to 13-2-1.

Minnesota also lost a 20-13 decision to No. 1 Iowa Friday night at Williams Arena, giving the Gophers their second pair of back-to-back losses of the season (the team also lost their final two meets at this year’s NWCA National Duals).

Things started well enough for Minnesota, as top-ranked Jayson Ness continued his domination of the country’s best competition with an 18-5 major decision over No. 16 Tyler Shinn. The win pushed Ness’ record to 28-0, and he has scored bonus points in 22 of his dual meet matches this season (79 percent), including 17 pins.

But as happened on Friday night against the Hawkeyes, Minnesota seniors Mack Reiter (ranked fifth at 133 pounds) and Manuel Rivera (third at 141 pounds) could not extend the Gophers’ early lead. Reiter mustered little offensively in his face-off with the Cowboys’ No. 1 Coleman Scott (losing 8-2), and a third-period takedown did in Rivera in his 6-4 loss to No. 2 Nathan Morgan.

Down 9-4 after OSU’s Ryan Freeman beat Luke Mellmer 8-3 at 149 pounds, the Gophers mounted a comeback beginning with C.P. Schlatter’s 157-pound match. The senior All-American led the entire way in his 12-2 major decision win against Neil Erisman, paving the way for Safratowich’s upset at 165 pounds.

Safratowich, well-known for knocking off several highly-ranked wrestlers last season en route to his first-ever NCAA qualification, battled No. 5 Jake Diffenbach to a 1-1 tie after three periods of regulation. Fifty seconds into the sudden victory period, Safratowich scored a takedown and added a two-point nearfall to emerge the 5-1 victor and give Minnesota an 11-9 lead in the dual.

Minnesota’s Dretsch, ranked 11^th in the nation, was coming off two straight losses entering his match with No. 7 Brandon Mason at 174 pounds, but the Frazee, Minn. native came through in a big way Sunday afternoon. Dretsch built up a 4-2 lead after two periods and hung on for the 5-3 win at 174 pounds. Dretsch improved his overall record to 22-8 this season and has now faced ranked wrestlers in ten of his last 13 matches, including five ranked in the top five and six in the top 10.

Up 14-9 with two-time All-American Roger Kish set to wrestle unranked Jack Jensen, the Gophers appeared on their way to yet another victory over the Cowboys. But despite an early 3-0 first period lead, Jensen successfully eluded Kish’s scoring attempts the final two frames to send the match to overtime tied at 3-3. Forty-four seconds into the sudden victory period it was Jensen that scored a takedown to win the match 5-3. The loss drops Kish’s record to 8-5 this season, and the senior has now lost four matches in a row.

Still leading 14-12, the Gophers needed a victory from either Justin Bronson at 197 pounds or Ben Berhow at heavyweight to escape Stillwater with the dual meet win. But Bronson lost 4-1 to Clayton Foster and Berhow was trumped 4-2 by No. 7 Jared Rosholt.

The victory was the Cowboys’ first home win over Minnesota since a 1997, and the home school has won just two dual meets between these two programs since 1998 (the other instance being Minnesota’s 21-15 win over OSU last season in Williams Arena). The Gophers have still won eight of their last 12 dual meets with the Cowboys.

Unable to pick up a victory in their weekend home-and-away battles with the No. 1 Hawkeyes and No. 3 Cowboys, the Gophers must travel to No. 10 Northwestern Friday evening for a dual meet with the Wildcats. That meet will be televised live by the Big Ten Network beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, the Gophers will take on Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. at 1:00 p.m.

No. 3 Oklahoma State 18,  No. 4 Minnesota 14

125 pounds: #1 Jayson Ness (MINN) maj. dec. #16 Tyler Shinn (OSU); 18-5

133 pounds: #1 Coleman Scott (OSU) dec. #5 Mack Reiter (MINN); 8-2

141 pounds: #2 Nathan Morgan (OSU) dec. #3 Manuel Rivera (MINN); 6-4

149 pounds: Ryan Freeman (OSU) dec. Luke Mellmer (MINN); 8-3

157 pounds: #6 C.P. Schlatter (MINN) maj. dec. Neil Erisman (OSU); 12-2

165 pounds: Tyler Safratowich (MINN) dec. #5 Jake Dieffenbach (OSU); 5-1 (OT)

174 pounds: #11 Gabe Dretsch (MINN) dec. #7 Brandon Mason (OSU); 5-3

184 pounds: Jack Jensen (OSU) dec. #5 Roger Kish (MINN); 5-3 (OT)

197 pounds: Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. Justin Bronson (MINN); 4-1

Iowa Pull Off 20-13 Win Over Minnesota Wrestlers at Williams Arena

The No. 4 Golden Gopher wrestling team dropped a tough 20-13 dual meet decision to the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes Friday night at Williams Arena. Two key upsets spurred the Hawkeyes to victory in front of 7,472 spectators, giving them their first win over Minnesota in three years.

Things began going awry for the Gophers after Iowa’s Joe Slaton defeated Mack Reiter at 133 pounds, followed by an upset victory by Dan LeClere over Minnesota’s Manuel Rivera at 141. The Gophers closed the gap to one point after the 165-pound match, but Iowa cemented the victory when No. 8 Phil Keddy upset No. 5 Roger Kish at 184 pounds.

Top-ranked Jayson Ness got things started in a big way for the Gophers at 125 pounds against third-ranked Charlie Falck of Iowa. After a few close calls in the first period (Ness led just 3-2 after three minutes), the undefeated sophomore opened things up in the second period. Ness brought the hometown crowd to a frenzy by scoring a whopping seven points in the next frame, including a takedown and two nearfalls (one for three points). Ness wrapped up the 14-2 major decision in the final period to improve to 27-0 this year and 4-0 lifetime against Falck.

Ness improved to 27-0 on the year and currently owns the second-longest active win streak at the Division I level.

At 133 pounds, the Gophers’ Mack Reiter got off to a rocky start, falling behind 4-0 after the opening period to second-ranked Joe Slaton. Slaton rode for the entire second period, accumulating an impressive 2:58 worth of riding time heading into the final frame. Reiter was unable to muster anything offensively until final minute of the match, when he scored a takedown and an escape to make the score 4-3. But Slaton proved too much for the Gopher senior, scoring another three points in the final 20 seconds to emerge the 8-3 victor.

Third-ranked Manny Rivera of Minnesota and ninth-ranked Dan LeClere of the Hawkeyes squared off at 141 pounds in a crucial match-up. LeClere led 2-1 after a period and 6-3 after two, appearing well on his way to the upset. Rivera, however, would close the deficit to 6-5 with a takedown with one minute remaining and another with 30 seconds left to tie the score at seven and send the match into overtime. In the sudden victory period, LeClere grabbed hold of Rivera’s leg and pulled off the upset with a takedown 34 seconds in, as Iowa took a 6-4 lead in the dual.

Luke Mellmer hung tough with top-ranked Brent Metcalf at 149 pounds, but was eventually worn down by the former four-time Iowa high school state champ. Metcalf led 8-3 after one period and 15-4 after two, eventually notching the technical fall 6:17 into the match to give Iowa an 11-4 edge.

Mellmer was wrestling in place of the injured Dustin Schlatter, who head coach J Robinson believes may return to action in 2-3 weeks. Schlatter has not wrestled since last December due to a hamstring injury.

Minnesota needed C.P. Schlatter to get them back into the meet against No. 15 Ryan Morningstar at 157 pounds, and the senior delivered. Schlatter scored two first period takedowns and posted a third in the final period. With the bonus point for riding time, Schlatter picked up the 7-3 win and pulled the Gophers to within 11-7 heading into the intermission.

The Gophers’ Tyler Safratowich and Jake Kerr squared off at 165 pounds. The pair wrestled for position through the first five minutes of competition, with several close calls only amounting to a 2-2 score entering the third period. In the final frame, a quick Kerr escape put him ahead until Safratowich earned a dramatic takedown with 25 seconds left to take a 4-3 lead. The Gopher junior did not relinquish his position the rest of the way to hang on for the win and bring Minnesota to within a point at 11-10.

Another crucial match took place at 174 pounds, with the Gophers’ No. 11 Gabe Dretsch dueling No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa. In a quick-moving match, the two traded quick takedowns before Dretsch narrowly avoided an accidental pin two minutes into the match. Tying the score at four early in the second, the two sparred through a scoreless remainder of the period. In the third it was Borschel that drew first blood, notching an escape and a takedown to go up 7-4. Borschel tacked on the bonus point for riding time to emerge the 8-4 victor.

The Gopher faithful welcomed back No. 5 Roger Kish at 184 pounds in his match against No. 8 Phil Keddy. After falling quickly falling behind 2-0, Kish appeared to regain position late in the period but suffered another takedown and trailed 4-1 after the first three minutes of action. Trailing 5-1 after two periods, Kish was unable to mount anything offensively and lost 6-2. It was the third consecutive loss for the two-time All-American senior.

Down 17-10 in the dual, the Gophers needed big things from senior Justin Bronson at 197 pounds. Bronson and Chad Beatty engaged in a deliberate battle, one that saw the Iowa wrestler grab a 4-1 lead heading into the final period. But Bronson scored a takedown with 30 seconds left and held on for the remainder of the period to earn the bonus riding time point and a 5-4 win. The victory pulled the Gophers to within four points at 17-13 heading into the heavyweight match.

Minnesota redshirt freshman Ben Berhow was a heavy underdog against No. 6 Matt Fields of the Hawkeyes, but the Hayward, Minn. native successfully avoided Fields’ scoring attempts in a scoreless first period. Needing a major decision to tie the team score, Berhow fought valiantly but dropped a 7-3 decision to make the final tally 20-13 in favor of the Hawkeyes.

Friday night’s win was the first in the series for Iowa against Minnesota since 2005 and their first win at Williams Arena since the 2000 season. The loss drops Minnesota to 11-4 (2-1 in the Big Ten) in dual meet action, and allowed the Hawkeyes to run their record to 15-1 (3-0 in Big Ten competition).

Friday's meet was televised live by the Big Ten Network and marked the second time this season Minnesota has lost at home on live TV. Then-No. 2 Iowa State upset the Gophers 19-13 Dec. 2 at Williams Arena in the Gophers' other televised meet.

Coming off the tough loss, head coach J Robinson’s Gophers have an equally difficult task ahead of them. Minnesota will travel to Stillwater, Okla. Sunday afternoon for a dual meet with the third-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. The two programs have combined to win the last seven NCAA championships (Minnesota in 2001, ’02 and ’07; OSU from ’03-’06).

Meet time will be 1 p.m. and a live webcast will be available via the Gold Zone on gophersports.com.

#1 Iowa 20, #4 Minnesota 13

125: #1 Jayson Ness (MN) maj dec #3 Charlie Falck (IA)14-2

133: #3 Joe Slaton (IA) dec #5 Mack Reiter (MN) 8-3

141: #9 Dan LeClere (IA) dec #3 Manuel Rivera (MN) 9-7 OT

149: #1 Brent Metcalf (IA) tech fall Luke Mellmer (MN) 20-5 (6:17)

157: #6 C.P. Schlatter (MN) dec #15 Ryan Morningstar (IA) 7-3

165: Tyler Safratowich (MN) dec Jake Kerr (IA) 4-3

174: #2 Jay Borschel (IA) dec #11 Gabe Dretsch (MN) 8-3

184: #8 Phillip Keddy (IA) dec #5 Roger Kish (MN) 6-2

197: Justin Bronson (MN) dec Chad Beatty (IA) 5-4

Gopher Wrestling’s Probable Lineup for Minnesota-Iowa Dual Includes Kish; Dustin Schlatter a ‘Possibility’

Roger Kish, a two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds, will wrestle for the University of Minnesota Friday night in their dual meet against the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, Minnesota head coach J Robinson announced Monday afternoon.

Kish, currently ranked fifth in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll, has wrestled just two times since Dec. 6 due to various injuries (going 0-2 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 13-14). He will most likely compete against Iowa’s Phil Keddy (ranked eighth) in a much-anticipated match at 184 pounds.

The Gopher coaching staff also announced that 2006 national champion and two-time All-American Dustin Schlatter is a “possibility” to wrestle at 149 pounds Friday night. Schlatter has not wrestled since the Dec. 29-30 Southern Scuffle tournament due to a hamstring injury. If he wrestles, Schlatter would most likely square off with third-ranked Eric Metcalf of Iowa in what is arguably the most highly anticipated individual match-up of the collegiate wrestling season. The pair has never met in official collegiate competition and both are both former four-time high school state champions (Schlatter in Ohio and Metcalf in Michigan).

“It’s exciting,” said Robinson about the return of Kish for the defending national champions. “When you go against the number one team in the country, you want to make sure that you have your whole lineup out there. It’s exciting for us that we’re getting our guys back one by one.”

Below is the complete projected lineup for Friday night’s dual meet, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.

#4 Minnesota vs. #1 Iowa
Minnesota Probable Lineup
125 Pounds: #1 Jayson Ness (25-0, Division I-leading 17 pins)
133 Pounds: #2 Mack Reiter (16-3, 10-2 in dual meets)
141 Pounds: #4 Manuel Rivera (25-2, beat #3 Kellen Russell of MSU last Friday)
149 Pounds: Luke Mellmer (8-14) OR #2 Dustin Schlatter (13-1)
157 Pounds: #7 C.P. Schlatter (21-2, 11-2 in dual meets)
165 Pounds: Tyler Safratowich (19-7, 2007 NCAA qualifier)
174 Pounds: #11 Gabe Dretsch (21-7, will face #2 Ja