2008-09 College Results
Ness Win Caps Comeback in Columbus
February 1, 2009
Jayson Ness recorded his second win over the nation’s top-ranked 133 pounder in as many weekends, capping off a furious Minnesota
comeback as the 10th-ranked Gophers (13-4, 3-0) upset No. 5 Ohio State
(10-2, 1-1) on Sunday. The Gophers rallied from a 16-6 deficit by
winning the last four matches of the dual to beat the Buckeyes at St.
John’s Arena in Columbus.
Just one week after defeating then-No. 1 Franklin Gomez of Michigan
State in Minneapolis, Ness knocked off current No. 1 Reece Humphrey on
Sunday. After a scoreless opening period, Ness used a reversal in the
second period and a takedown following a neutral start in the final
stanza to secure his victory and the 18-16 dual meet win for Minnesota.
After wins by Gordon Bierschenk (197 pounds), Ben Berhow (Heavyweight)
and Zach Sanders (125 pounds) cut the Ohio State lead to 16-15 entering
the final match, the win by Ness over Humphrey put the finishing
touches on the comeback and kept Minnesota perfect in Big Ten duals
this season.
After the Buckeyes sprang to a 16-6 advantage with three consecutive
bonus point wins in the middle weights, Bierschenk stopped the bleeding
with a 5-2 decision victory over Cody Gardner at 197 pounds. Berhow
then scored another big win for the Gophers when he took a 6-2 decision
from the Buckeyes’ 17th-ranked Corey Morrison at heavyweight. Sanders’
13-7 decision win over Nikko Triggas at 125 pounds set the stage for
Ness’ heroics in the final match of the day.
In one of the other most highly-anticipated matches of the day, the
Gophers’ Mike Thorn defeated Ohio State’s J Jaggers with a 6-4 overtime
victory in the opening bout of the dual at 141 pounds. The match
between the Minnesota sophomore and defending NCAA champion Jaggers was
the third between the two this season. Thorn stunned then top-ranked
Jaggers at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 5 before
Jaggers took a 7-2 decision from Thorn in the Buckeyes’ 25-12 victory
over the Gophers at the National Duals.
With Jaggers holding a narrow 1-0 lead heading into the third period,
two Thorn reversals and another by Jaggers netted Thorn a 4-3 advantage
with :36 remaining. Jaggers was able to wriggle free for an escape 15
seconds later to tie the score and send the match to overtime.
Following a neutral start, Thorn recorded a takedown with 26 seconds
remaining in the extra period to secure his win.
Minnesota senior Tyler Safratowich moved within two wins of 100 career
victories with his 8-5 decision win over OSU’s Sean Nemec at 157
pounds. Safratowich’s win gave Minnesota a 6-3 lead in the dual through
three bouts.
The Gophers will return to the Twin Cities where they will host two
more Big Ten duals next weekend. Minnesota will host No. 18 Michigan on
Friday night and No. 19 Northwestern on Sunday afternoon at the Sports
Pavilion. Tickets for both duals are still available and can be
purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket
Office at 612-624-8080.
#10 Minnesota 18, #5 Ohio State 16
141: #8 Mike Thorn (MN) dec. #12 J Jaggers (OSU), 6-4 3-0
149: #4 Lance Palmer (OSU) dec. Joe Grygelko (MN), 7-0 3-3
157: #18 Tyler Safratowich (MN) dec. Sean Nemec (OSU), 8-5 6-3
165: #2 Colt Sponseller (OSU) maj. dec. Scott Glasser (MN), 12-4 6-7
174: Dave Rella (OSU) maj. dec. Matt Everson (MN), 13-5 6-11
184: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU)) tech. fall Sonny Yohn (MN), 21-4 6-16
197: Gordon Bierschenk (MN) dec. Cody Gardner (OSU), 5-2 9-16
Hwt: #20 Ben Berhow (MN) dec. #17 Corey Morrison (OSU), 6-2 12-16
125: #5 Zach Sanders (MN) dec. Nikko Triggas (OSU), 13-7 15-16
133: #5 Jayson Ness (MN) dec. #1 Reece Humphrey (OSU), 5-0 18-16
