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1/16/2001
The DRAW: Minnesota earned the top seed for the 2002 National Duals and faces Northern Iowa in the first round, but it' s the potential later match-ups that provide considerable intrigue. In the quarterfinals, either No. 8 Penn with second-ranked Yoshi Nakamura (157 pounds) or Fresno State with No. 1 Stephen Abas (125) will advance to possibly face Minnesota. Then, barring a rash of upsets, the Golden Gophers look to face-off against either No. 4 Michigan with its 10 ranked grapplers or archrival Iowa in a preview of February 1st's Border Brawl I at the Target Center.
If the seedings hold, Minnesota will take on Oklahoma State in the title match in a rematch of the U' s 21-12 win in Stillwater in December.
The top-ranked Golden Gophers (7-0) head to the 2002 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Dual Meet Championships on Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 19-20, in Columbus, Ohio in defense of the school' s 2001 title. Minnesota takes on No. 14 Northern Iowa (5-2) in the first round.
About the Panthers: Northern Iowa comes into the National Duals with a 5-2 overall record and a No. 14 ranking. The Panthers' lone losses on the season have come to No. 5 Iowa (27-10) and No. 6 Iowa State (20-18). UNI' s probable starting lineup features five wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight class - Mark Manchio (16th, 133 pounds), Dylan Long (8th, 141), Nate Lawrenz (20th, 165), Kyle Hansen (8th, 184), and Jason Payne (14th, 197). The Panthers finished in 18th place at the 2001 NCAA Championships with 29.5 points. UNI had two All-Americans - Hansen, eighth place at 184 pounds, and Paul Hynek, sixth place at heavyweight.
The Series: Minnesota holds a 13-11 record over UNI, dating back to 1969. The Golden Gophers and Panthers met once last season with Minnesota winning 36-3 at the Sports Pavilion. Gold Country has not lost to the Panthers since Jan. 17, 1992, a streak of six matches. The two teams have met each other at in each of the past three seasons.
Last Year at National Duals: Second-ranked Minnesota captured its second National Duals title in school history, downing perennial favorites Iowa and Oklahoma State in stunning fashion to grab the title in State College, Pa.
The Golden Gophers dropped No. 17 Hofstra 22-9 in the first round before crushing No. 8 Nebraska 30-9 in the quarterfinals. Then, in the semifinals, Minnesota knocked off No. 3 Iowa 20-17 to advance to the title meet. Minnesota trailed the entire meet versus the Hawkeyes until the final match where heavyweight Garrett Lowney notched his second victory in a Maroon and Gold uniform to push Minnesota to the hard-fought win. Minnesota and Iowa each won five matches, but the Golden Gophers prevailed in the bonus point category, tallying two major decisions and a pin to Iowa's two major decisions. Iowa won four of the first five matches, but the Golden Gophers rebounded to win four of the last five to surge to victory.
In the finals, Minnesota met No. 1 Oklahoma State in a showdown of the nation' s top wrestling programs. The Golden Gophers prevailed 20-12, winning six of 10 matches to down the Cowboys in a rematch of OSU' s 25-12 defeat of Minnesota earlier in the season. The title meet was highlighted by Brad Pike' s pin of Billy Gabel in 6:34 to give Gold Country six huge team points.
Minnesota' s National Duals History: Minnesota has competed in the National Dual Meet Championships for the past five years, placing first in 1998 and2001, second in 1999 and 2000, and third in 1997. The Maroon and Gold hold a19-7 record at the National Duals. In 1998, the second-ranked Golden Gophers defeated Missouri Valley 49-0 in the first round, West Virginia 33-3 in the second round and Michigan State31-7 in the semifinals to advance to the championship against No. 3 Iowa. Trailing 17-12 going into the final match, Minnesota heavyweight Shelton Benjamin pinned Wes Hand to give the Golden Gophers six points and the team title.
About National Duals: The 2002 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Dual Meet Championships are set for January 19-20, on the campus of Ohio State University. The 2002 National Duals will feature a new format, as NCAA Division I, II and III will all conduct their own 16-team individual dual meet championships concurrently at Ohio State. The championships will consist of 90 dual meets on 12 mats over two days at St. John's Arena and French Field House.
The national dual meet championships were first held in 1989 after being founded by John Graham. Graham, the originator of the Virginia Duals, founded the duals after seeing there was a need to crown a national dual meet champion in wrestling. In 1992, the NWCA assumed the management of the national duals and it has since become one of the signature events of the organization. It was at this time, the NWCA board of directors voted to recognize one of the great pioneers of the sport, Cliff Keen, by naming the event in his honor. The national duals became known as the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals.
National Duals Web cast: The NWCA and LiveSportsVideo.com have teamed up to web cast live the National Duals. The entire Division I tournament on Saturday and Sunday and the Division II and III placing matches on Sunday will be web cast live. These matches will also be available on archives for future reference. This is a great opportunity for all wrestling fans that cannot attend the duals to be able to still view this marquee event. For more information on the live web cast make sure to visit www.nwcaonline.com