Five Gopher wrestlers won both of their matches on the day.
The Gophers only dropped three matches in each of the duals respectively with only one coming by bonus point.
Lehigh Dual
The Gophers began their South Beach experience with a 25-9 victory over No. 16 Lehigh.
Making a big return from injury was 141-pound Mitch McKee. McKee got the pin at 2:16 showing off his freestyle wrestling experience and strength with his effort to get the pin.
In his first dual down at 197-pounds Rylee Streifel made an immediate impact with an upset of No. 10 Jake Jacobson. Streifel dominated the third period and racked up riding time to clinch a 1-0 victory.
Showing off his motor 165-pound Carson Brolsma rallied from a deficit to begin the third period. Brolsma clawed back and a takedown with seven seconds remaining gave him the scintillating victory.
125-pound Sean Russell kicked off the event with three first period takedowns which resulted in a 6-2 lead after the first period. Russell continued to takedown Lehigh's Jaret Lane with ease as he added to his point total. After amassing over 3:30 in riding time Russell left with a 20-9 major decision.
133-pound Ethan Lizak got the first takedown in his match and never let his opponent escape. After the first period Lizak already held a 4-0 lead with 2:17 of riding time. Lizak finished off the bout with a 7-0 victory and over four minutes of riding time.
149-pound Tommy Thorn grinded out a 7-3 victory by decision over Cortlandt Schuyler. Thorn battled in the back-and-forth affair to secure the victory.
Heavyweight Gable Steveson continued his undefeated start with a 9-4 victory over No. 6 Jordan Wood, an NCAA qualifier and nearly All-American last season.
174-pound Devin Skatzka fell to No. 6 Jordan Kutler while 184-pound Brandon Krone dropped his dual by a narrow two-point margin to No. 8 Ryan Dreisch.
Making his first start since the Oklahoma State dual Steve Bleise fell 5-3 to No. 20 Josh Humphreys.
North Carolina Dual
The Gophers continued their dominance and string of bonus points in their second dual of the day with a 29-11 victory over North Carolina that included four bonus point victories. The Gophers got revenge after losing to North Carolina at last years South Beach Duals.
At heavyweight Steveson continued his dominant freshman campaign with a pin of No. 15 Cory Daniel after only 1:43. Steveson now sits at 16-0 to begin his college career.
After debuting at the weight earlier in the day Streifel continued to impress with a 6-1 decision over Chasen Blair. Streifel finished the day without allowing a takedown.
Russell continued his attacking ways at the top of the lineup and nearly notched the technical fall but finished with another high scoring major decision.
Once again living up to his nickname, "Backpack Lizak", Lizak got the first takedown of the match and never let his opponent escape. Lizak repeatedly turned his opponent for nearfall points and finished up with an impressive 18-0 technical fall.
After dropping his earlier bout, Bleise fought back for his first victory since Nov. 18 after surgery for a broken hand.
Brolsma continued to show his expertise in tight matches with a narrow, 4-2 victory over North Carolina's Sawyer Davidson. Brolsma didn't allow a takedown and finished with his second victory of the day.
Skatzka bounced back from his earlier loss with a dominant victory that saw him getting three separate four-point nearfalls. His final nearfall, which ended the match at 17-0, was a beautiful cradle.
While he won a tight match earlier in the day by the same score, Thorn dropped a hard-fought battle. In the same boat was Brandon Krone who lost due to the one point awarded for his opponent's riding time.
McKee dropped his match after a couple early mistakes made it difficult to recover. McKee fought to secure overtime, but fell in the sudden victory session.
North Carolina was deducted a team point during the 141-pound bout for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Lehigh Dual:
125: No.6 Sean Russell major dec. Jaret Lane (20-9)
133: No. 8 Ethan Lizak dec. Brandon Paetzel (7-0)
141: No. 5 Mitch Mckee fall (2:16) over Luke Karam
149: No. 20 Tommy Thorn dec. Cortlandt Schuyler (7-3)
157: No. 20 Josh Humphreys dec. No.11 Steve Bleise (5-3)
165: Carson Brolsma dec. Gordon Wolf (10-8)
174: No. 6 Jordan Kutler dec. No.15 Devin Skatzka (7-3)
184: No. 8 Ryan Dreisch dec. Brandon Krone (5-3)
197: Rylee Streifel dec. No. 10 Jake Jacobson (1-0)
HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson dec. No. 6 Jordan Wood (9-4)
North Carolina Dual (29-11):
125: No. 6 Sean Russell major dec. Joe Heilmann (14-3)
133: No. 8 Ethan Lizak tech. fall Gary Wayne Harding (18-0)
141: AC Headlee fall (7:35) No. 5 Mitch McKee
149: No. 5 Austin O'Connor dec. No. 20 Tommy Thorn (7-3)
157: No. 11 Steve Bleise dec. Josh McClure (8-6)
165: Carson Brolsma dec. Sawyer Davidson (4-2)
174: Devin Skatzka tech. fall Will MacDonald (17-0)
184: No. 11 Chip Ness dec. Brandon Krone (8-7)
197: Rylee Streifel dec. Chasen Blair (6-1)
HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson fall (1:43) No. 15 Cory Daniel
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