The 2007 NCAA Champion Golden
Gopher wrestling team announced its team awards at its annual
banquet on Sunday evening.
All 30 members of the team were presented with plaques commemorating
the 2007 championship season, but on a night dedicated to celebrating
the third national title in program history, it was difficult for one
individual not to steal the show. The crowd paid tribute to senior Cole
Konrad, honoring him with multiple standing ovations as he accepted the
Most Outstanding and Most Valuable Wrestler Awards, in addition to the
Verne Gagne Leadership Award. The reigning two-time national champion
at heavyweight finished his career with a school-record 76 consecutive
victories. Described by Head Coach J Robinson as the greatest wrestler
in Minnesota history, Konrad finished his career with a 155-13 overall
record while capturing two national titles, three Big Ten titles and
becoming just the fifth athlete in school history to earn four
All-America certificates. In recognition of all of his contributions to
the Golden Gopher wrestling program over the last five years, Konrad
was also honored with the Dick Mueller Award of Excellence.
Fellow seniors Danny Williams and Juan Martinez were also recognized
for their dedication and commitment to the Gopher wrestling program. In
their five seasons at Minnesota, the three seniors were a part of a
team that won a national title, three Big Ten Championships, two
National Duals championships and posted a dual meet record of 78-22.
Jayson Ness also collected multiple awards as he earned Most
Outstanding Freshman honors and received the Most Falls Award. In his
first season in the starting lineup, Ness captured the Big Ten title at
125 pounds and finished fifth at the NCAA Championships to collect his
first All-America accolade. He finished the year with 15 pins, tied for
the seventh-most in school history.
Junior Mack Reiter and sophomore Dustin Schlatter were both honored
with the Fraser Dean Most Courageous Wrestler Award. Reiter, who
suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in late September, was
forced to sit out the first three months of the season but returned
late in the season to help the Gophers capture their second straight
Big Ten title and third national championship in the last seven years.
The defending national champion at 149 pounds, Schlatter had a target
on his back all year and battled through a nagging knee injury for much
of the last half of the season but still managed to capture his second
Big Ten title and second All-America certificate. Schlatter posted a
37-1 overall record on the year to push his career mark to 79-2 (.975),
the highest winning percentage in school history.
Other award winners on Sunday night included Roger Kish, who was
recognized as the Most Exciting Wrestler, Manuel Rivera, who earned the
title of Most Improved, and C.P. Schlatter, who was named the Most
Dedicated. Kish earned his second All-America certificate at the NCAA
Championships in March while surpassing the 100-win plateau for his
career. In his first season as a full-time starter, Rivera established
himself as one of the top 141-pounders in the nation as he won his
first 35 matches to start the year before a knee injury prevented him
from finishing the season at full strength. Schlatter, the defending
two-time Big Ten Champion at 157 pounds, capped off his 2006-07
campaign by finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships to collect his
first All-America honor.
Two wrestlers were also recognized for their outstanding academic
performance during the 2006-07 year. Jeremy Larson earned the
Upperclassman Academic Award after posting a 3.507 GPA, while Joe Nord
was the Freshman Academic Award winner with a 3.917 GPA.
Nearly 300 people were in attendance at the banquet, which was held at
the Four Points Sheraton in Minneapolis.
2006-07 Minnesota Wrestling Team
Awards:
Most Valuable Wrestler:
Cole Konrad
Most Outstanding Wrestler:
Cole Konrad
Verne Gagne Leadership Award:
Cole Konrad
Most Outstanding Freshman:
Jayson Ness
Fraser Dean Most Courageous
Wrestler: Mack Reiter and Dustin Schlatter
Most Dedicated Wrestler:
C.P. Schlatter
Most Exciting Wrestler:
Roger Kish
Chris Berglin Most Improved
Wrestler: Manuel Rivera
Most Falls Award: Jayson
Ness
Upperclassman Academic Award:
Jeremy Larson
Freshman Academic Award:
Joe Nord
Dick Mueller Award of Excellence:
Cole Konrad
The Golden Gopher wrestling team
would like to thank their families, friends and fans for all of the
support throughout the 2006-07 season.