Minnesota Wrestling Ranked 12th in Preseason Poll
October 23, 2008
The University of Minnesota wrestling program
is ranked 12th nationally in the InterMat/NWCA preseason poll released
Thursday. Iowa received all 11 first-place votes and is ranked first
overall in the poll. Returning Minnesota All-Americans Jayson Ness and
Dustin Schlatter are ranked among the top wrestlers in their respective
weight classes.
Ness, the 2007 NCAA runner-up at 125 lbs., will wrestle at 133 lbs.
this season for Minnesota. He is tabbed second behind Iowa’s Joey
Slaton in the preseason poll. Schlatter, who took home All-American
honors at 149 lbs. a year ago, is ranked sixth in the 157 lb. class.
The Gophers, who finished second at the Big Ten Championships a year
ago, are among nine Big Ten programs listed among the top 25 in the
poll. Ohio State (4th), Penn State (t-7th), Illinois (9th), Michigan
(10th), Northwestern (11th), Wisconsin (13th) and Indiana (16th) are
also ranked.
Minnesota sophomore Ben Berhow (Hwt. - 18th) and redshirt freshman Zach
Sanders (125 lbs. - 19th) are also named in the preseason listing.
Minnesota opens its season at the Bison Open on Nov. 15 in Fargo, N.D.
The team’s first home meet is a New Year’s Day dual with Oklahoma State
at the Sports Pavilion. For ticket information, call 1-800-U-GOPHER or
contact the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.
The USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Team & InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Individual Rankings
