The top-ranked Golden
Gopher wrestling team used its seventh different starting lineup of
the season on Friday night in Indiana, but the results were similar as
Minnesota dominated the Hoosiers, 29-7. With the win, the Gophers
improved to 15-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
Two-time All-American Mack Reiter made his first start of the year
after suffering a knee injury prior to the start of the season, and
Tyler Safratowich and Jeremy Larson moved up a weight class to make
their first starts at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Yura Malamura
also made his first start since the quarterfinals of the National Duals.
Minnesota split the first four matches with the Hoosiers, with Indiana
taking a 7-6 lead in the dual after a major decision at 197 pounds. It
was the last victory the Hoosiers would get, however, as the Gophers
proceeded to win the final six bouts of the night to run away with the
dual meet victory.
The dual started at 165 pounds, where Safratowich upset 16th-ranked Max
Dean. Safratowich, who knocked off then-No. 2 Brian Stith of Arizona
State in his last appearance on Jan. 2, provided similar results in
this one with a 10-4 decision over Dean. Safratowich handled Dean
throughout, scoring five takedowns in the match while preventing the IU
wrestler from generating any offense.
The Hoosiers won two of the next three bouts to take a 7-6 lead, with
Trevor Perry winning a 12-7 decision over Jeremy Larson and Nathan
Everhart shutting out Yura Malamura, 8-0. Sandwiched in between was
Roger Kish’s 23rd victory of the season, an 11-4 decision over No. 11
Marc Bennett. Kish took Bennett down and put him directly on his back
late in the first period but time expired to prevent him from getting
the fall. Kish expanded his lead from there, but Bennett avoided the
major decision.
Two matches later, senior heavyweight Cole Konrad put Minnesota ahead
for good by making quick work of Maurice Gunn. Konrad took Gunn down
just five seconds into the match and then went to work to earn his
quickest fall of the season in 1:12. With the win, Konrad moved within
six pins of the school record for his career and extended his
school-record winning streak to 62 consecutive matches.
The top of Minnesota’s lineup followed with five straight wins to seal
the victory for the Gophers. Fourth-ranked Jayson Ness won his sixth
straight match over a ranked opponent with a 3-1 decision over No. 9
Angel Escobedo. A takedown with just under a minute remaining was all
Ness would need to win his 11th straight match overall.
In his first start of the season, Reiter faced a tough test from
Indiana’s Andrae Hernandez but battled his way to a 4-1 victory. After
two scoreless periods, Reiter got an escape and a takedown in the third
to secure the victory.
Second-ranked Manuel Rivera followed with a dominating 25-10 victory
over Scott Kelly at 141 pounds. Leading 9-2 after two periods, Rivera
went looking for bonus points in the third. Clearly the superior
wrestler, Rivera had his way with Kelly in the final stanza, scoring a
total of eight takedowns in the period. His 25 points scored tied a
career-high for a single match as he remained unbeaten at 30-0 on the
season.
The Schlatter brothers finished the night off with a pair of decisions
at 149 and 157. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter extended his winning streak
to 55 consecutive matches with a 6-2 decision over No. 18 Matt
Coughlin, and C.P. posted an identical score in his win over No. 7
Brandon Becker.
The Gophers will now travel to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on
Sunday at 1 p.m. The dual against the Illini could have major Big Ten
regular season title implications, as both teams enter the meet
undefeated in the conference.
#1 Minnesota 29, #18 Indiana 7
165: Tyler Safratowich (MN) dec. #16 Max Dean (IU), 10-4
174: Trevor Perry (IU) dec. #20 Jeremy Larson (MN), 12-7
184: #2 Roger Kish (MN) dec. #11 Marc Bennett (IU), 11-4
197: Nathan Everhart (IU) maj. dec. Yura Malamura (MN), 8-0
Hwt: #1 Cole Konrad (MN) pinned Maurice Gunn (IU), 1:12
125: #4 Jayson Ness (MN) dec. #9 Angel Escobedo (IU), 3-1
133: Mack Reiter (MN) dec. Andrae Hernandez (IU), 4-1
141: #2 Manuel Rivera (MN) tech fall Scott Kelly (IU), 25-10
149: #1 Dustin Schlatter (MN) dec. #18 Matt Coughlin (IU), 6-2
157: #3 C.P. Schlatter (MN) dec. #7 Brandon Becker (IU), 6-2