Gophers Run Away With Team Title, Crown Four Individuals at Scuffle
December 30, 2007
The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling
team lived up to its billing Sunday at the 2007 Southern Scuffle in
Greensboro, N.C. The Gophers ran away with the team title, topping
runner-up Edinboro by over 50 points and crowned four individual
champions – Jayson Ness, Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera and C.P. Schlatter
all finished first in their respective weight classes.
The Gophers’ main highlights from the event’s second day easily
belonged to third-ranked Ness (125 pounds) and Schlatter, currently
ranked 10th at 157 pounds. Ness recorded pins in all six of his matches
during the tournament, bumping his season total to 15. He appears on
pace to shatter the Gophers’ single season pin record of 20, set by
current head assistant coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90. Ness has pinned
all 12 opponents he has faced in tournament competition so far this
season.
C.P. Schlatter earned a form of family redemption in the 157-pound
championship match on Sunday, defeating second-ranked Gregor Gillespie
of Edinboro by a 5-2 decision. Gillespie was the national champion at
149 pounds last season and ended Dustin Schlatter’s 65-match winning
streak in the NCAA semifinals.
Reiter cruised to a victory in the 133-pound bracket with a perfect 5-0
tournament record, including a hard-fought 5-4 win over Cornell’s Mike
Grey in the final. The senior picked up bonus points in three of five
matches and won his first-ever Southern Scuffle title. Reiter missed
the 2006 tournament due to an injury and finished second in 2005.
Rivera, another Gopher senior enjoying a stellar season, entered the
final 30 seconds of his championship match with third-ranked Charles
Griffin of Hofstra down 3-2, but scored a reversal with just 10 seconds
remaining to emerge with a dramatic 5-3 win. Rivera recorded three pins
and a tech fall in six matches during the two-day tournament, improving
his season record to 19-1 while picking up his second straight Southern
Scuffle title.
Top-ranked 149-pounder Dustin Schlatter was upset in the championship
match by unranked Mike Roberts of Boston University, who went on to win
the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler award. Gophers Gabe Dretsch
(fifth place at 174 pounds), Tyler Safratowich (fifth place at 165
pounds) and Yura Malamura (sixth at 197 pounds) also placed for the
Gophers. Malamura won four straight matches after dropping down to the
consolation bracket before losing to nationally-ranked Joseph Rovelli
of Hofstra and Patrick Bradshaw of Edinboro to end his run.
The Southern Scuffle marks the end of Minnesota’s regular season
tournament schedule, as the team enters the bulk of its dual meet slate
with the 2008 NWCA National Duals Jan. 12-13. The Gophers won the event
last year with a perfect 4-0 record, including a victory over then-No.
1 Missouri for the championship. The University of Northern Iowa will
once again host the 2008 National Duals in Cedar Falls.
#1 Jayson Ness (125 pounds)
Ian Moser (Bloomsburg) – Fall (1:37), First Round
Paul Sanford (Unattached/The Citadel) – Fall (4:20), Second Round
Brian Wright (George Mason) – Fall, 2:10, Third Round
Jeremy Adams (VMI) – Fall, 0:41, Quarterfinals
James Nicholson (Old Dominion) – Fall, 1:41, Semifinals
#13 Mike Sees (Bloomsburg) – Fall, 5:58, Final
First Place (6-0 record, 6 pins)
#2 Mack Reiter (133 pounds)
Nick Bridge (Cornell) – Fall, 6:29, Second Round
William Ashnault (Lock Haven) – TF, 15-0, Third Round
Jeff Hedges (UNC-Greensboro) – MD, 14-5, Quarterfinals
Joe Baker (Navy) – D, 6-2, Semifinals
#14 Mike Grey (Cornell) – D, 5-4, Final
First Place (5-0 record)
#2 Manuel Rivera (141 pounds)
John Delgado (George Mason) – Fall, 5:50, First Round
Ben Thompson (Davidson) – Fall, 2:29, Second Round
Marcus Cox (Appalation State) – D, 7-6, Third Round
Christopher Bencivenga (UNC-Greensboro) – Fall, 6:32, Quarterfinals
#7 Joe Caramanica (N.C. State) – TF, 17-1, Semifinals
#3 Charles Griffin (Hofstra) – D, 5-3, Finals
First Place (6-0 record, 3 pins)
Luke Mellmer (149 pounds)
Matt Reedy (Unattached/Ohio U) – Fall (lost), 4:17, First Round
Vincent Ramirez (UNC-Greensboro) – D, 0-5, Consolation
#1 Dustin Schlatter (149 pounds)
Dennis Bermudez (Bloomsburg) – MD, 10-2, Second Round
Jeremy Doyle (Cal-Bakersfield) – D, 6-2, Third Round
Bryce Saddoris (Navy) – D, 9-2, Quarterfinals
#18 Adam Hall (Boise State) – D, 7-3, Semifinals
Mike Roberts (Boston University) – D, 2-3, Final
Second Place (4-1 record)
#4 C.P. Schlatter (157 pounds)
Tel Todd (Unattached/Old Dominion) – TF, 17-1, First Round
Alex Conover (Unattached/Bloomsburg) – MD, 13-5, Second Round
Joe Butcher (Navy) – Fall, 2:48, Third Round
Nate Patterson (Binghamton) – D, 8-3, Quarterfinals
Kody Hamrah (N.C. State) – MD, 11-3, Semifinals
#2 Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) – D, 5-2, Final
First Place (6-0 record)
Tyler Safratowich (165 pounds)
Michael Metzger (Lock Haven) – Fall, 1:03, First Round
Mike Sewell (Virginia) – MD, 13-5, Second Round
Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra) – Fall, 7:20, Third Round
#14 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) – D, 5-10, Quarterfinals
Rickey Schmelyun (Bloomsburg) – D, 8-5, Consolation
#17 Chris Brown (Old Dominion) – Med. Forfeit, Consolation
Kurt Schwartz (Boise State) – MD, 3-12, Consolation
Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra) – D, 5-3, Fifth Place
Fifth Place (6-2 record)
#2 Scott Glasser (165 pounds)
Randall Herring (Garnder-Webb) – Med. Forfeit (won), First Round
Joseph Son (Liberty) – Fall, 1:26, Second Round
Tommy Weinkam (Unattached/Ohio U) – MD, 12-2, Third Round
Michael Chaires (Virginia) – D, 2-4, Quarterfinals
Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra) – Med. Forfeit (lost), Conslation
#4 Gabriel Dretsch (174 pounds)
Derek Sickel (The Citadel) – TF, 20-5, First Round
Chris Estep (Kent State) – MD, 9-1, Second Round
#14 Alton Lucas (Hofstra) – D, 3-4 TB, Quarterfinals
Justin Kerber (Cornell) – D, 5-4, Consolation
#18 Eric Decker (Virginia Tech) – D, 5-2, Consolation
#11 Steve Anceravage (Cornell) – D, 4-7, Consolation
#12 Phil Moricone (Edinboro) – D, 5-3, Fifth Place
Fifth Place (5-2 record)
Yura Malamura (197 pounds)
George Kocher (Unattached/N. Carolina) – D, 8-4, First Round
Brent Jones (Virgina) – D, 5-11, Second Round
Dustin Porter (Gardner-Webb) – D, 4-2, Consolation
Garth Wara (Cal-Bakersfield) – D, 4-3, Consolation
David Mendoza (Old Dominion) – D, 8-5, Consolation
Cayle Byers (George Mason) – D, 7-5, Consolation
#8 Joseph Rovelli (Hofstra) – D, 6-8, Consolation
#15 Patrick Bradshaw (Edinboro) – D, 3-5 OT, Fifth Place
Sixth Place (5-3 record)
Justin Bronson (197 pounds)
Kyle Byers (George Mason) – D, 3-2, First Round
David Mendoza (Old Dominion) – Fall, Second Round
Robert Johnson (Navy) – Med. Forfeit (won), Consolation
Johnny Buck (The Citadel) – D, 5-4, Consolation
#15 Patrick Bradshaw (Edinboro) – D, 0-1, Consolation
Joe Nord (heavyweight)
Calvin Cardillo (Virginia) – D, 9-4, First Round
Tim Miller (Virginia Tech) – Fall, 2:35, Second Round
Justin Dobies (North Carolina) – D, 2-7, Third Round
Terry Tate (Edinboro) – Fall, 2:35, Consolation
Jason Marshall (Ohio University) – Fall, 6:56, Consolation
Ryan Hsu (UNC-Greensboro) – D, 3-9, Consolation
Ben Berhow (heavyweight)
#9 Zach Hammond (Cornell) – D, 1-3, First Round
Jared Campbell (Appalation State) – D, 3-2, Consolation
Ryan Bergman (Cal-Bakersfield) – D, 2-3, Consolation