The Gophers picked up four bonus point wins, which included three pins from No. 12 Mitch McKee, Brandon Krone and Dylan Anderson. No. 6 Ethan Lizak also had his third straight tech fall victory at 125-pounds.
“I was impressed with the intensity from the guys today,†head coach Brandon Eggum said after the victory. “The guys did good things in all three areas today, and I think our guys continued what they have done in the past few weeks, and that is to strike first.â€
The Gophers struck first at 125-pounds, with Ethan Lizak taking on J.R. Wert. Lizak and Wert. Lizak and Wert ended the first period scoreless, and Wert chose neutral to begin the second. Lizak would finally strike in the second, and started to pressure Wert while on top. Lizak collected one turn in the second, and chose top in the third and would turn Wert two more times to pick up the 15-0 tech fall.
After the strong start from Lizak, McKee took the mat and kept the intensity high. McKee took just moments to earn a takedown in the opening period, and would proceed to get a tight grip around Anthony Cefelo, and would pick up his team-leading eighth pin of the season in the first period, giving the Gophers an 11-0 lead after two matches.
After a loss at 141-pounds, Miles Patton took the mat at 149-pounds for the third time this season. Patton would be taken down first, but hung with it, earning a quick escape and would take the lead at the end of the first with a takedown of his own.
Patton opened the second with an escape, and then took a big 6-3 lead after a second takedown. Patton would go on to earning another takedown, and winning his first career dual match, 10-6.
“It feels really good to get that first win out of the way,†Patton said after the dual. “I think the biggest thing is that it gives me confidence going forward and I hope to build off that and continue to score points for this team in the future.â€
In a huge match at 157-pounds, No. 16 Jake Short took on B.J. Clagon, an All-American back in 2015. Short ran corner in the first period to earn a 2-0 lead after Clagon's takedown attempt was denied. In the second, Short stood to his feet with Clagon clinging to his side, and eventually was called for stalling. After the stall call, Short capitalized and picked up a reversal, taking a 4-0 lead in the second.
With riding time on his side, Short continued to work Clagon. He cut him loose in the third, and earned a second takedown. Clagon was then called for stalling once again, and Short went on to pick up the decision, 8-2.
“I was excited to go out and wrestle against a guy who beat me last year,†Short said. “I was confident in my conditioning, and I knew that if I pushed the pace and wrestled like I know I can, I would beat him. That's what I did, and it was a great team win overall today.â€
After a pair of tough losses at 165 and 174-pounds, the Gophers led just 17-12 against the Broncs. It was then Brandon Krone and Dylan Anderson time.
With the match scoreless midway through the first period, it appeared as if Krone would attempt to do damage on top as he has for the past few duals for the Gophers. With a scramble at the end of the first though, Krone managed to put Michale Fagg-Daves on his back, and locked him down at 2:59 for his first career pin at 184-pounds.
With a 23-12 lead after eight bouts, Dylan Anderson looked to put the dual away for the Maroon and Gold. Anderson wrestled Wayne Stinson to a scoreless first portion of the first period, but Anderson saw an opening. With short time in the period, Anderson would pick up his sixth pin of the season, and his first at 197-pounds for the Gophers, sealing the victory at 29-12.
With the win in hand, the Gophers looked to Rylee Streifel to end the dual on a positive note. The redshirt sophomore not only started the first period with good pace, he ended the first with good pace. He would ride out Ryan Cloud, and put riding time at over one minute after the first period.
In the second, Streifel escaped, and would earn a second takedown with a minute to go in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Streifel was hit with an illegal move in the second, but in the third he kept his aggressiveness. He sealed the win with a third takedown, and gave the Gophers their third largest dual victory of the season.
The Gophers will take a weekend off and try to become as healthy as possible before the Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. on March 3-4. Be sure to stay tuned for links, updates and more about the Big Ten Tournament as it quickly approaches.
You can follow the Gopher Wrestling team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any postseason action.
Results:
125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak tech fall J.R. Wert, 15-0 | Minnesota leads, 5-0
133: No. 11 Mitch McKee fall (2:11) Anthony Cefolo | Minnesota leads, 11-0
141: Tyson Dippery dec Ben Brancale, 6-2 | Minnesota leads, 11-3
149: Miles Patton dec. Jesse Rodgers, 10-6 | Minnesota leads, 14-3
157: No. 16 Jake Short dec B.J. Clagon, 8-2 | Minnesota leads, 17-3
165: No. 6 Chad Walsh fall (6:10) No. 7 Nick Wanzek | Minnesota leads, 17-9
174: Dean Sherry dec Chris Pfarr, 3-2 | Minnesota leads, 17-12
184: Brandon Krone fall (2:59) Michale Fagg-Daves | Minnesota leads, 23-12
197: Dylan Anderson fall (2:39) Wayne Stinson | Minnesota leads, 29-12
285: Rylee Streifel dec Ryan Cloud, 8-2 | Minnesota wins, 32-12
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