Pfarr, who finished 9-21 last season, gave up the first takedown to Christensen, but did not allow his opponent another. Pfarr scored three of his own, each one driving the volume inside the Pav to a higher level. His final points, scored on a takedown in the closing seconds, sealed a 7-4 win in his match and an 18-15 victory for the Gophers.
"I actually didn't know the score of the dual. I knew it was close. Our coaches always say it doesn't matter what the score is, you have to go out there and do you job," said Pfarr. The crowd gave him a sense that his match was critical. "The emotion (in the arena), it was just huge. The crowd was into every second of the match. It was phenomenal."
"I thought Chris did a great job at the end for us," said head coach Brandon Eggum. "Giving up the first takedown, that's going to happen in Big Ten matches. He stayed focus. Chris is a guy who is very well-conditioned and physical. The deeper he is into his match, the better it is for us. To stay focused and to keep pushing forward, that's how you win. That's how you contribute to the team."
Pfarr was given the opportunity to contribute to the team in such a significant way thanks to four earlier victories for Minnesota, the most notable coming at 133 pounds, where No. 16 Mitch McKee pinned Eli Stickley, scoring the three bonus points that would be the difference in the final score.
McKee set up his early pin with a strong shot in the opening seconds of his bout, getting both the leg and the head to cradle up Stickley as the two went to the mat. With more than two minutes remaining in the period, McKee continued to work his weight over Stickley's shoulders and, after nearly a minute of improving his position, pressed Stickley's shoulders to the mat for the pin and six big points for the Gophers.
Not only was the pin McKee's first ever in dual competition, it was the first time in his rookie season McKee has scored bonus points in a dual for his hometown team. Personal milestones aside, the fall came at an important moment in the dual. The score was tied at six and 133 would be the last contest before the halftime intermission. The win gave the Gophers a 12-6 advantage and the match's momentum at that moment.
"Getting the pin is one of those things you look to do to get the momentum on your side and keep it into the break," said McKee. "A win like that really gets the crowd behind you and keeps the team excited and ready to go."
"McKee's dangerous. He's very explosive. He can score a lot of points and put them up there quickly. His win, and to get that fall, was huge for momentum," said Eggum.
Minnesota also got victories from No. 2 Brett Pfarr at 197 pounds, No. 6 Ethan Lizak at 125, and No. 13 Tommy Thorn at 141 on Sunday afternoon.
For Pfarr, the win was yet another ranked victory, his team-high seventh already this season. Dating back to last season when he bumped up from 184 to 197 pounds, Pfarr is now 22-5 against ranked competitors at his current weight class. He has not lost to a wrestler ranked outside of the top-four in the country during that stretch.
Lizak and Thorn's wins were the first either has earned in a dual meet this season.
"There were a lot of great matches today. We knew coming in that there would be some closes matches, some ups and downs for both teams. You always want to win the close ones. Today, we got a really nice win and that's always exciting, but we have to keep getting better, and we will," said Eggum.
Now 4-2 (3-1). the Gophers continue their Big Ten season on Friday, when they will wrap up a three-dual homestand against Nebraska. Friday night is Alumni Night for the program and will include a recognition of the 2007 National Championship team, recognizing the 10-year anniversary of that title. Tickets for the dual are still available at MyGopherSports.com.
GopherSports.com is your home for all Gopher Wrestling news. Whether you're looking for a dual recap, match previews, features on the wrestlers you're seeing on the mat each week or team stats, we will have it all for you right here. Be sure to follow Gopher Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.
Results:
184: Hunter Ritter (Wisc) dec Jordon Rothers (Minn), 7-2 | Minn 0 - Wisc 3
197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minn) dec No. 13 Ricky Robertson (Wisc), 11-5 | Minn 3 - Wisc 3
285: No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisc) dec No. 8 Michael Kroells (Minn), 3-2 | Minn 3 - Wisc 6
125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minn) dec No. 20 Johnny Jimenez (Wisc), 2-0 | Minn 6 - Wisc 6
133: No. 16 Mitch McKee (Minn) fall (1:20) Eli Stickley (Wisc) | Minn 12 - Wisc 6
141: No. 13 Tommy Thorn (Minn) dec No. 15 Cole Martin (Wisc), 8-3 | Minn 15 - Wisc 6
149: Andrew Crone (Wisc) maj dec Carson Brolsma (Minn), 13-3 | Minn 15 - Wisc 10
157: TJ Ruschell (Wisc) dec No. 9 Jake Short (Minn), 5-4 | Minn 15 - Wisc 12**
165: No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisc) dec No. 14 Nick Wanzek (Minn), 7-4 | Minn 15 - Wisc 15
174: Chris Pfarr (Minn) dec No. 20 Ryan Christensen (Wisc), 7-4 | Minn 18 - Wisc 15
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