Following a pair of decisions over top 10 opponents, junior Manuel
Rivera has been named the Co-Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the
conference office announced today. Rivera, currently ranked No. 2 in
the country, defeated fourth-ranked Andy Simmons and seventh-ranked
Dominick Moyer to keep his perfect 33-0 record intact and help the Golden
Gophers to blowout wins over Michigan State and Nebraska last
weekend.
In what appeared to be an evenly contested match early on against
Simmons on Friday, Rivera turned it up a notch to score two takedowns
in the third period on his way to a 7-2 decision. On Sunday, Rivera
scored a takedown midway through the third period to secure a 5-2
decision over Moyer.
After qualifying for his first NCAA Tournament at 141 pounds last
season, Rivera has taken it to another level this year and become
arguably Minnesota’s most consistent performer. His 33 consecutive wins
ranks as the sixth-longest winning streak in school history and is the
fifth-longest active streak in the nation. He boasts a 12-0 record
against ranked opponents on the season.
Rivera shares the first weekly award of his career with Illinois
197-pounder Patrick Bond, who posted back-to-back upsets over ranked
wrestlers last week. He is the fourth Gopher wrestler to earn weekly
honors this season, following Jayson Ness (Dec. 12), Roger Kish (Nov.
29) and Gabriel Dretsch (Nov. 22).