2008-09 College Results
Ness Matches Pin Record; Gophers Win Finale
February 22, 2009
Jayson Ness tied a 13-year-old school record with his 51st career
victory by fall, pinning Matt Ortega at 133 pounds as the Gophers
captured their final dual meet of the season by a 22-13 score over
Indiana (15-7-1, 2-5-1). The Gophers (15-8, 5-3) were also buoyed by
wins from Tyler Safratowich (157 pounds) and Gordon Bierschenk (197
pounds) who were both wrestling in their final home dual on Senior Day.
After Minnesota
dropped the first bout of the meet, Ness brought the crowd of 2,854 to
its feet when he pinned Ortega in the waning seconds of the first
period. The pin was Ness’ 16th of the season and tied the school mark
set by Billy Pierce (1992-96).
Honored in a pre-meet ceremony for their contributions to Minnesota
wrestling, both Safratowich and Bierschenk notched hard-fought wins by
decision that helped the Gophers close out the dual season on a high
note. Safratowich’s victory came over the Hoosiers’ 13th-ranked Kurt
Kinser by a 5-1 score and Bierschenk’s 10-5 win over Matt Powless at
197 pounds virtually put the meet out of reach for Indiana.
Mike Thorn, who had lost his previous three matches to top-five ranked
opponents, bounced back with a decisive 7-3 win over Andrae Hernandez
at 141 pounds. Hernandez, who had defeated Iowa’s top-ranked Alex
Tsirtsis in overtime on Friday, was forced to wrestle from behind
throughout the match as Thorn recorded a takedown just four seconds
into the bout.
Following Safratowich’s win at 157 pounds, the Hoosiers responded with
wins in each of the next three bouts to claim a 13-12 lead. Minnesota
redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn then regained the lead when his 11-0 major
decision win over Eric Cameron gave his team a 16-13 lead it would not
relinquish.
Bierschenk’s win pushed the lead to 19-13 and heavyweight Ben Berhow
put a stamp on the dual win with a 5-3 win over Nate Everhart. Berhow’s
win gave the sophomore a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten duals this
season.
Minnesota will be off for nearly two weeks as it prepares for the Big
Ten Championships, which will be held March 7-8 at the Bryce Jordan
Center in State College, Pa. For ticket information, visit gopsusports.cstv.com.
