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Minnesota Travels to PSU, OSU

January 28, 2009

After opening their Big Ten dual season with a 30-6 win over Michigan State last Sunday, the Gophers hit the road for rematches against a pair of teams they faced at the National Duals.

Minnesota will take on No. 16 Penn State on Friday evening before traveling to Columbus where they will meet the fifth-ranked Buckeyes in a 10:00 a.m. (CT) dual.

Minnesota will be looking for their second win of the season against Penn State after defeating the Nittany Lions by a 21-18score less than three weeks ago. On Sunday, the Gophers will look to avenge a 25-12 loss to the Buckeyes in the fifth place match at the National Duals.

Watch the Gophers in the Gold Zone
Minnesota wrestling fans can watch the Gophers’ dual against Ohio State on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. live in the Gold Zone at gophersports.com.

Marquee Rematches Highlight Weekend
Minnesota’s pair of duals this weekend are set to produce some of the more intriguing matchups of the season to date.

Against Penn State on Friday, bouts at the two lightest weight classes project to feature ranked combatants from each squad. The Nits will run out #19 Brad Pataky (125 pounds) and #11 Jake Strayer (133 pounds) to face the Gophers’ Zach Sanders and Jayson Ness, who are each ranked fifth nationally in the most recent NWCA/InterMat poll.

Minnesota’s Scott Glasser is scheduled to face Penn State’s Dan Vallimont at 165 pounds. Vallimont has made a successful jump in weight to account for some nagging Penn State injuries. Vallimont had been ranked as high as eighth in the 157-pound rankings before sliding up to 165 pounds last week.
Sunday’s meet against the No. 4 Buckeyes is certain to feature a number of marquee matchups. Among the most anticipated bouts will be showdowns at 133 and 141 pounds.

The Bucks’ 133-pounder, #1 Reece Humphrey, vaulted up the national rankings after earning Wrestler of the Meet laurels at the National Duals. Humphrey’s performance in Cedar Falls included a 5-4 decision victory over the Gophers’ Ness in the fifth place dual. Fresh off his 6-5 win over No. 1 Franklin Gomez at the Sports Pavilion last weekend, Ness appears poised for his second matchup against a top-ranked 133-pounder in as many weekends.

The 141-pound bout will mark the third meeting of the season between Minnesota’s Mike Thorn and OSU’s defending national champion J Jaggers. Thorn registered an upset win over then top-ranked Jaggers at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 5. The Ohio State senior responded with a 7-2 decision win over Thorn in the Buckeyes’ 25-12 win over the Gophers at the National Duals.

OSU’s No. 18 Jason Johnstone will be looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Gophers No. 19 Tyler Safratowich at the National Duals in the 157-pound match.

King Pin
Two-time All-American Jayson Ness has lived up to his reputation for piling up pins again this season. A year after tying former head assistant coach Marty Morgan’s school record with 20 pins, the Bloomington, Minn. native has picked up right where he left off, recording 14 pins in 27 matches this season.

Heading into the pair of duals this weekend, Ness needs only two more pins to tie former Gopher Billy Pierce (1992-96) for most pins in the history of the program with 51.

Last Time Out
The Gophers collected wins last weekend at Arizona State (26-12) and in their Big Ten opener against Michigan State (30-6) at the Sports Pavilion.

Minnesota got major decision wins from Ben Berhow (Hwt.) and Zach Sanders (125) to break a 12-12 tie against the Sun Devils. A forfeit win for Jayson Ness at 133 stretched the final margin to 26-12.

On Sunday, Ness’ upset victory over Michigan State’s No. 1 Franklin Gomez at 133 highlighted the 30-6 win. The Gophers got wins at eight of the ten weight classes  to win their Big Ten opener for the fourth consecutive season.

Junior Matt Everson collected wins in boths duals after making the jump from 165 to 174 pounds last week. After filling in at 165 pounds for an injured Scott Glasser in five Minnesota dual meets earlier this year, the Mitchell, S.D. native was able to grind out  wins by scores of 4-2 and 4-3 to improve his record to 6-4 on the season.