Matt Nagel (Minnesota) vs. B.J. Wright (Nebraska)
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January 1, 2004
Rochester, Minn. - The 10th-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team (2-1) stunned No. 4 Nebraska (8-1) with a come-from-behind 17-16 win on Thursday afternoon in Rochester, Minn. Earlier in the day, Minnesota defeated No. 11 Arizona State (0-2), 20-15, before a packed house at the Rochester Civic Center. Junior Jon Duncombe, a transfer from St. Cloud State, clinched both matches for Minnesota. "We've had three dual meets [this year] and every one of them has come down to him," said Minnesota Head Coach J Robinson, "that's about as much pressure as you can get for a newcomer."
Trailing 16-6 against the unbeaten Cornhuskers with three matches remaining, Nebraska's B.J. Wright was two minutes away from clinching the win for Nebraska at 157 pounds. He led 5-1 entering the third period, but Minnesota's Matt Nagel registered a pair of takedowns including one with just 10 seconds to go to force overtime. Nagel ended the match just 14 seconds into the extra session to pull the Golden Gophers to within seven points at 16-9.
Matt Nagel (Minnesota) vs. B.J. Wright (Nebraska)
Following Nagel's heroics, Minnesota needed two victories, including a major decision to earn a tie. All-American Jacob Volkmann got the major decision at 165 by a 10-1 margin over 15th ranked Jacob Klein. "We knew we had to get bonus points in those last two matches because if it ended in a tie, we would have lost on the tie-breaker," said Robinson. With Minnesota down 16-13, junior Jon Duncombe closed out the match with a 17-6 major decision over James Pummel. The four team points gave Minnesota the upset. "He's getting more and more confidence all the time," said Robinson.
"When I was up 5-2, I was getting tired," Duncombe said. "I thought I would just hold the lead, but I got another takedown and heard the crowd explode. I just dug deeper and went for it. The crowd made a huge difference tonight."
Jon Duncombe (Minnesota) vs. James Pummel (Nebraska)
Nebraska got off to a strong start as third-ranked Travis Pascoe defeated Josh McLay, 10-3, at 184 pounds. Defending NCAA Champion Damion Hahn tied the match at three with a 6-3 decision against No. 7 B.J. Padden.
The Cornhuskers then rattled off four wins in the next five matches, including Matt Keller's last second 7-6 win against Quincy Osborn at 133 pounds.
Earlier in the day, Minnesota went down to the wire to defeat Arizona State, 20-15. The Golden Gophers fell behind by the score of 15-9. Nagel got Minnesota rolling again with an 8-2 decision against No. 10 Brian Stith at 157. The Golden Gophers then closed out the match with a technical fall from Volkmann and Duncombe's clinching 10-4 decision against Ron Renzi.
Among the many heroes on the day for Minnesota, sophomore Andrew Domingues made an immediate impact. Making just his second career start, he replaced All-American Bobbe Lowe at 125 pounds due to injury. Domingues trailed ASU's Christian Staylor 5-1 entering the third period. He responded with fivetakedowns and claimed a 12-9 win. He then defeated Nebraska's Jeremy Emerson, 6-3.
Andrew Domingues (Minnesota) vs. Christian Staylor (Arizona
State)
Hahn pushed his record to 13-1 on the season with his wins against No. 8 Nick Frost of Arizona State and No. 7 Padden.
"Our guys hung in there and came back and fought hard," said Robinson, "I think its good when you see other guys on other teams that take breaks and then in the end it costs 'em."
The Golden Gophers will resume dual meet action on Sunday afternoon at the Sports Pavilion against Portland State. The match will begin at 2 p.m.