Five Golden Gophers advance in championship bracket

March 16, 2006

The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team advanced five wrestlers into tonight’s second round at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Golden Gophers will also have three wrestlers in the consolation bracket following a pair of first-round upsets. Tonight’s second session begins at 6:30 p.m.

Oklahoma State is in the early lead with 17 points and six wrestlers still alive in the championship bracket. Hofstra is in second with 16 points, followed by Oklahoma in third with 13.5. Minnesota is tied for fourth with Arizona State, Iowa and Wisconsin with 13 points.

Top-seeds Dustin Schlatter and Cole Konrad advanced at 149 and heavyweight, respectively. Second-seeds C.P. Schlatter and Roger Kish will also compete in the second round at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively. Fourth-seeded Mack Reiter advanced in the 133-pound bracket with a pin in just 1:32 against Buffalo’s Mark Budd.

The Golden Gophers suffered a pair of upsets as All-American Matt Nagel was defeated by Edinboro’s Deonte Penn at 165 pounds. Nagel earned a 17-3 major decision earlier this year against Penn. Nagel will be joined in the consolation bracket by 10th-seeded Gabriel Dretsch and Manuel Rivera. Dretsch was upset by Eastern Illinois’ Kenneth Robertson.

Reiter advanced to tonight’s second round with an impressive pin in just 1:32 against Buffalo’s Mark Budd. Budd entered the match as the lone wrestler in the country to defeat top-ranked Shawn Bunch of Edinboro. Reiter scored the first takedown 43 seconds into the match and then slapped Budd into a cradle. He moved into fifth place all-time in school history with his 24th career pin.

Schlatter began his bid for a national championship with an 8-0 major decision against Anthony Baza of Cal State Bakersfield. Schlatter dominated early with a takedown 10 seconds into the match and a three-point near fall. Leading 6-0 in the third period, Schlatter scored a two-point reversal with 10 seconds to go in the match to secure the major along with bonus points for the Golden Gophers.

Older brother C.P. Schlatter needed a riding time bonus to hold off Seth Martin of Lock Haven by a 3-2 score. Schlatter took a 2-0 lead on a takedown just seven seconds into the match. Martin tied the match following a first-period escape and another escape to start the second period. Neither wrestler was able to score in the third period, but Schlatter was awarded the game-winning point with exactly one minute of riding time.

Also seeded second, Kish got Minnesota back on track following upsets at 165 and 174 pounds. He pinned North Carolina State’s Jeremy Colbert in two minutes. He took a 4-1 lead with his second takedown in the first period and quickly turned Colbert to his back.

Konrad finished the first session with an 8-4 decision over Dusty Hoffschneider of Wyoming. Konrad took a 5-1 lead with his second takedown of the day in the second period. He added a third period takedown to remain perfect on the season with a 37-0 record.

Nagel fell behind early in the first period after Penn scored a takedown 35 seconds into the match. Penn increased his lead to 5-0 with a three-point near fall late in the period. Nagel got back in the match in the second when he scored a takedown and three-point near fall to tie the match. Nagel needed a third period takedown to erase Penn’s 1:01 advantage in riding time. Nagel got in on a leg, but Penn fought it off and circled around for the takedown. He rode Nagel the remaining 43 seconds to earn the upset.

Dretsch fell victim at 174 pounds in a tight match against Robertson. Robertson led 1-0 in the third period, but Dretsch held the riding time advantage. Dretsch was unable to generate any offense as Robertson put the match away with a takedown with 45 seconds to go in the match. Dretsch earned an escape, but Robertson held on for the 3-2 win.

Minnesota’s lone unseeded wrestler nearly pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset in the first round. Competing in his first NCAA Tournament, Rivera trailed 3-0 against two-time NCAA Champion Teyon Ware of Oklahoma in the second period. He cut the lead to 3-2 with a last-second takedown. In the third period, Ware was penalized a point for his second stalling warning. With the match tied at three, Ware earned the 4-3 decision due to his first-period riding time totaling over two minutes.

2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
March 16, 2006 at Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Session I

Team Scores
1. Oklahoma State, 17
2. Hofstra, 16
3. Oklahoma, 13.5
4t. Minnesota, 13
4t. Iowa, 13
4t. Arizona State, 13
4t. Wisconsin, 13

Individual Results
133 - #4 Mack Reiter
1st -- Reiter pinned Mark Budd (Buffalo), 1:32
2nd -- vs. Joshua Pniewski (Gardner-Webb)

141 -- Manuel Rivera
1st - #2 Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) dec. Rivera, 4-3
Consolation -- vs. Kyle Larson (Oregon State)

149 - #1 Dustin Schlatter
1st -- Schlatter maj. dec. Anthony Baza (CS Bakersfield), 8-0
2nd -- vs. Ryan Osgood (Northern Iowa)

157 - #2 C.P. Schlatter
1st -- Schlatter dec. Seth Martin (Lock Haven), 3-2
2nd -- Andrew Flanagan (Harvard)

165 - #6 Matt Nagel
1st -- Deonte Penn (Edinboro) dec. Nagel, 8-5
Consolation -- vs. #11 Stephen Anceravage (Cornell)

174 - #10 Gabriel Dretsch
1st -- Kenneth Robertson (Eastern Illinois) dec. Dretsch, 3-2
Consolation -- vs. Blake Maurer (Ohio State)

184 - #2 Roger Kish
1st -- Kish pinned Jeremy Colbert (N.C. State), 2:00
2nd -- vs. Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly)

HWT - #1 Cole Konrad
1st -- Konrad dec. Dusty Hoffschneider (Wyoming), 8-4
2nd -- vs. Tyler Shovlin (UNC Greensboro)