Gophers Draw Eighth Seed for National Duals
January 6, 2009
The University of Minnesota
wrestling team (6-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will face Buffalo (9-2, 1-0 MAC) in
the first round of the Cliff Keen National Duals this weekend. The
tournament is hosted by Northern Iowa and will unfold at the UNI Dome
in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The winner of the dual between the eighth-seeded Gophers and Bulls will
meet the winner of a first round matchup between No. 1 Iowa and Wyoming
in the quarterfinal round. The Gophers’ first dual, which begins at
9:00 a.m. on Saturday, marks the first ever wrestling dual between the
two schools.
Minnesota posted a 2-2 record to finish fourth at last year’s event.
The Gophers have won the National Duals crown two of the past three
seasons. This year’s event marks the 13th consecutive season that the
Gophers have made the trip to the National Duals, posting a staggering
42-10 mark and capturing five National Duals titles during that
timeframe.
Following this weekend’s competition, the Gophers will be off until
Jan. 23 when they travel to Tempe, Ariz. for a dual with Arizona State.
Minnesota’s next home meet is the following Sunday, Jan. 25 against
Michigan State. Tickets for the 2:00 p.m. dual against the Spartans at
the Sports Pavilion can be purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by
contacting the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.
2009 NWCA National Duals Brackets (pdf)
