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Minnesota participates in its ninth straight National Duals
January 19, 2005
THIS WEEK
The eighth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team (2-3) will look to rebound from back-to-back road losses at the 2005 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cleveland, Ohio. The National Duals features 16 of the top teams in the country. The tournament runs from Saturday through Sunday, Jan. 22-23.
Seeded sixth in the tournament, Minnesota will meet Central Michigan (5-1) on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Oklahoma State, winner of the past two National Duals, is the top-seed and will face The Citadel. Other seeded teams included No. 2 Illinois, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Lehigh, No. 5 Hofstra, No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 8 Cornell. The championship match will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m.
LIVE UPDATES FROM CLEVELAND
Gophersports.com will provide live updates from the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals this weekend. Results from Minnesota's duals will be updated following each individual match.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
THE SERIES WITH CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Saturday's matchup will only be the third meeting between Minnesota and the Chippewas. The Golden Gophers won the previous two meetings, including a 25-9 victory at the 1999 National Duals. Minnesota posted a 41-9 victory on Feb. 13, 1993 in the teams' first meeting.
THE ROAD AHEAD
If the seeds hold true, the Golden Gophers would face a quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 Michigan. The Wolverines handed Minnesota a pair of lopsided defeats last season, including a 30-6 rout in the quarterfinals of last year's National Duals. The Wolverines face Arizona State in their first-round matchup. The Golden Gophers handed the Sun Devils a 22-16 loss earlier this season in Tempe, Ariz.
FAMILIAR FOES
In addition to Arizona State, the Golden Gophers have already faced Oklahoma State and Northern Iowa earlier this season. In the season opener on Dec. 5, the top-ranked Cowboys defeated Minnesota, 28-10, in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers jumped out to a 7-0 lead with wins by Bobbe Lowe and Mack Reiter, but OSU won seven of the final eight matches to avenge a loss to Minnesota from the previous season. The Golden Gophers hosted Northern Iowa in Rochester, Minn. on Dec. 12, and defeated the Panthers, 20-15. Redshirt freshman Roger Kish clinched the match with a pin at 184 pounds against Alex Dolly. Minnesota had a comfortable 16-4 lead, but Quincy Osborn was forced to default because of injury at 141 pounds.
TOP BILLING
The National Duals will feature seven top-ranked wrestlers, along with the second-ranked wrestler in the remaining three weight classes. Top-ranked wrestlers include: Oklahoma's Sam Hazewinkel (125); Oklahoma State's Zack Esposito (149), Chris Pendleton (174), Jake Rosholt (197) and Steve Mocco (HWT); West Virginia's Greg Jones (184); Lehigh's Troy Letters (165).
AN NCAA REMATCH
Minnesota's match vs. Central Michigan will mean a rematch between Cole Konrad and Bill Stouffer at heavyweight. Konrad earned a 4-2 overtime decision in the consolation round of last year's NCAA Championship. Konrad went on to claim fourth place.
MATCHES WE'D LIKE TO SEE
With 16 talented teams in the tournament, the potential for intriguing matchups is high. Senior Bobbe Lowe is ranked fourth in the nation at 125 pounds with a spotless 22-0 record. Duals against Oklahoma or Illinois would mean matches against top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel and No. 2 Kyle Ott, respectively.
If the Golden Gophers face top-ranked Oklahoma State, fans would get the opportunity to see freshman phenom C.P. Schlatter battle top-ranked Zack Esposito at 149 pounds. Sophomore heavyweight Cole Konrad would also get a third meeting with top-ranked Steve Mocco. Mocco has two overtime wins vs. Konrad this year.
If Minnesota and West Virginia collide, the nation's likely heir apparent at 184 pounds would meet the defending NCAA Champion. Roger Kish is 19-3 on the season and was the nation's top recruit in 2003. The Mountaineers' Greg Jones is ranked number one in the nation and has won two NCAA Championships during his remarkable career.