The University of Minnesota wrestling team crowed four
individual champions and took first place at the 29th annual Mat
Town USA Invitational in Lock Haven, Pa. Each of the 13 teams
participating submitted up to two wrestlers per weight class with
its top finisher counting towards the team score. Bobbe Lowe, Mack
Reiter, Matt Nagel and Cole Konrad earned individual titles for
Minnesota.
The Golden Gophers finished with a team total of 154 points,
edging Penn State which finished second with 146.5 points. Indiana
placed third with 128 points, while Pittsburgh and American
rounded out the top five.
Lowe improved to 13-0 on the season with four wins at 125
pounds. Ranked 10th in the nation, Lowe defeated seventh-ranked
Mark McKnight of Buffalo in the semifinals, 7-4. He then defeated
sixth-ranked Joe Dubuque of Indiana, 4-2, in the finals.
Reiter won his second tournament title of the season as he
upset 10th-ranked Evan Sola of North Carolina, 7-5 in overtime, in
the championship match at 133 pounds. Nagel cruised to the title
at 165 pounds with four straight wins, including a 9-5 decision in
the finals against Pittsburgh's Justin Nestor. Ranked second in
the nation at heavyweight, Konrad remained perfect on the season
with four more wins. He defeated Indiana's Pat DeGain in the
finals, 5-3.
Minnesota had at least one placewinner in all 10 weight
classes. Redshirt freshman Roger Kish took home second place at
184 pounds after dropping a tight 5-4 decision against
sixth-ranked Eric Bradley of Penn State in the finals. Sophomore
Quincy Osborn earned fourth place at 141 pounds with a 4-2 record,
while redshirt freshman Gabriel Dretsch took fifth at 174 pounds
with a 5-2 mark. Senior Jon Duncombe also placed at 174 pounds
with a seventh-place finish.
Rounding out the Golden Gopher placewinners were Andrew
Domingues in sixth place at 125 pounds, Matt Koz in sixth place at
197 pounds, Nik Lentz in seventh place at 157 pounds and Danny
Williams in eighth place at 149
pounds.
Minnesota opens its dual meet season against top-ranked
Oklahoma State at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 5. The match
will begin at 2 p.m. The Golden Gophers upset the eventual
national champion Cowboys by a score of 17-16 last season in
Stillwater, Okla.