The top-ranked Golden
Gopher wrestling team hosts a pair of dual meets
this weekend at the Sports Pavilion. The No. 17 Michigan Wolverines
come to town on Friday, Jan. 26 to face the Gophers at 7 p.m., followed
by a match-up with Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m.
Gopher
Wrestling Notebook
Konrad Going For Numbers 60 and 61
Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad is currently riding the second-longest
winning streak in the nation at 59 matches. He trails only Missori’s
Ben Askren, who has won his last 72 contests. Konrad broke Tim
Hartung’s school record of 58 consecutive wins with his win against
Penn State last Sunday and will be going for numbers 60 and 61 this
weekend.
Schlatter Not Far Behind
Sophomore Dustin Schlatter is right on the heels of Konrad, currently
with 52 consecutive wins of his own, good enough for the third longest
streak in the country. Overall, Schlatter has won 64 of 65 matches for
a .985 win percentage in his collegiate career, which currently ranks
as the highest career winning percentage in school history.
Seeking Revenge
Minnesota will have revenge on its mind on Friday night against the
Wolverines. Michigan spoiled the Gophers chances for a perfect dual
meet season last year, handing them their only loss of the season on
Feb. 17, 2006.
Marquee Match-Ups
Friday night’s dual against Michigan will feature a pair of matches
between two wrestlers ranked among the top five in the nation.
Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter will meet No. 3 Josh Churella at 149
pounds, while second-ranked Roger Kish will face No. 4 Tyrel Todd at
184.
One-Two Punch
Five Golden Gopher wrestlers are currently ranked either first or
second in at least one of the national polls. Defending national
champions Dustin Schlatter (149) and Cole Konrad (Hwt) both hold the
top spot across the board, while Roger Kish is the consensus No. 2 at
184 pounds. C.P. Schlatter, who returned from a knee injury in grand
fashion at the National Duals, is ranked second by both Amateur
Wrestling News and W.I.N. Magazine, while Manuel Rivera is No. 2 in the
latest NWCA coaches’ poll.
Four other Minnesota wrestlers are also ranked in at least one poll.
Redshirt freshman Jayson Ness is currently ranked No. 4 in the coaches’
poll, while Gabriel Dretsch checks in at No. 12. Jeremy Larson
re-entered the rankings this week at No. 20. Mack Reiter, who is
expected to return from an injury in February, has maintained the No. 6
spot in the W.I.N. Magazine poll.
Taking the Nation by Storm
While a number of Minnesota wrestlers entered the season expecting to
compete for individual national titles, two Golden Gophers have
exceeded many people’s expectations. Redshirt frehsman Jayson Ness and
junior Manuel Rivera have taken the nation by storm with their
performances so far this year and have been climbing the polls since
the season began.
Ness, who entered the season ranked No. 19 in the NWCA coaches’ poll
and was unranked by a number of other services, has catapulted himself
into the top five in the nation with an impressive 25-3 overall record
on the season. He boasts a 7-3 mark against ranked opponents, including
a remarkable pin of No. 2 Mark McKnight of Penn State in his last match.
Rivera, who has been Minnesota’s most improved wrestler over the last
two years, has attracted the attention of fans across the nation with
27 consecutive victories since the start of the season.
Key Stat
The Golden Gophers have been scoring bonus points at an impressive clip
this season, understanding just how important every point can mean in
helping the team to victory. Minnesota wrestlers have scored bonus
points in 45 percent (128-284) of their victories this season,
including 44 percent (40-90) of their dual meet wins. In contrast, the
Gophers have given up bonus points in only 28 percent of losses.
Overall, Minnesota wrestlers have contributed 61 pins on the season
while only getting pinned 10 times. Perhaps even more impressive, the
Gophers have scored 23 tech falls on the season and have not allowed a
single one.
Five Gopher wrestlers competed at the
Worthington Open on January 20th and all were champions:
Ben Berhow and Joe Nord - Co-Champions
Yura Malamura (Tournament Outstanding Wrestler)
Nate Matousek
Chris McPhail
This weekend several Gopher wrestlers are scheduled to compete at the
Jamestown Open in North Dakota: