The Panthers got off to a strong start as 11th-ranked Nick Baima upset No. 4 Matt Nagel, 6-3, at 165 pounds. Baima ended a three-match losing streak to Nagel. Leading 4-3 in the third period, Baima put the match away with a late takedown.
From there, Minnesota responded with six straight wins. 14th-ranked Gabriel Dretsch tied the match with an 8-4 decision against 12th-ranked Alex Dolly, 8-4, at 174 pounds. Dolly took a 2-0 lead in the second period on a near fall, but Dretsch responded with a reversal and back points to take a 5-2 lead entering the third period. Sixth-ranked Roger Kish then followed with an 8-4 decision against Dan Dunning at 184 pounds.
Sophomore Mitch Kuhlman (right) extended the lead to 9-3 with a 4-2 decision against Andrew Anderson at 197 pounds. Kuhlman entered the year at 174 pounds, but in the past week has gone 3-0 at 197 pounds.
Second-ranked Cole Konrad gave Minnesota some breathing room at heavyweight. He won for the 40th time in his last 41 matches with a pin in just 2:56 against Tyler Rhodes. Konrad's victory gave the Golden Gophers a 15-3 lead.
Junior Andrew Domingues continued the streak with a 10-6 decision against Seth Wright at 125 pounds. Wright led 6-2 after the first period, but Domingues rallied with a pair of near falls in the second to take a 7-6 lead. He added another takedown and was awarded a bonus point for riding time to take the victory.
Sophomore All-American Mack Reiter gave Minnesota a 23-3 lead at 133 pounds with a 16-1 technical fall against 19th-ranked Chris Helgeson. Reiter ended the match with 36 seconds to go with a takedown and a near fall.
Northern Iowa got its only other win in a wild match at 141 pounds. The Panthers' C.J. Ettelson held a 12-0 advantage over Manuel Rivera after two periods before Rivera staged a dramatic comeback. Rivera had seven takedowns and a near fall in the third period, but ran out of time in a narrow 19-16 loss.
Minnesota closed out the match with back-to-back wins by brothers Dustin and C.P. Schlatter. A true freshman, Dustin improved to 14-1 on the year with an 18-1 technical fall in 5:36 against Colby Geotsch at 149 pounds. Schlatter was the Asics National High School Wrestler of the Year last season.
Sophomore C.P. Schlatter followed with a 3-2 decision against 18th-ranked Chris Bitetto at 157 pounds. With the match tied at two, Schlatter scored a third-period escape to claim the victory and improve to 5-0 in the dual meet season.
The Golden Gophers open the home portion of their schedule next weekend. Minnesota hosts No. 7 Iowa State at Williams Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers also host No. 19 Nebraska on Sunday at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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