University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, January 19
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Michigan
Players Mentioned
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Host Michigan in B1G Home Opener Sunday
1/18/2025 11:00:00 AM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS -- Competing in its first home dual since Nov. 24, No. 7 Minnesota (4-1, 0-1 B1G) welcomes No. 21 Michigan (3-1, 0-1) for its Big Ten home opener Sunday at Maturi Pavilion. The match is set to start at 1 p.m. on B1G+ with live stats on TrackWrestling.com.
Sunday is "Fan Appreciation Day" with prize packs being dropped off throughout the dual.
Minnesota heads into the weekend with a 4-1 record in duals this season and an 0-1 mark in the Big Ten after a 21-13 loss at No. 6 Nebraska last weekend. The Gophers had won their first four duals of the season, winning 38 of the 40 individual matchups and outscoring opponents, 148-6. In fact, the team had not lost a matchup outside of 174 pounds to that point.
Also prior to the Nebraska loss, Minnesota had won 10 straight duals dating back to last season. It was the Gophers' longest win streak since winning 17 straight over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. During the streak, Minnesota outscored opponents 329-54 and didn't allowed more than 12 points in any dual.
Ten Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least two of the major polls with eight appearing in all four: Intermat, Win Magazine, FloWrestling and OpenMat. Gable Steveson (285) is ranked No. 1 in all four polls, while Max McEnelly (184) is fourth in each. Cooper Flynn (125), Vance VomBaur (141) and Isaiah Salazar (197) are all in the top-10 in each ranking.
Within the InterMat rankings, Minnesota is one of eight programs in the nation to have wrestlers ranked at all 10 weights, along with Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Going further, Minnesota's wrestlers are all ranked 24th or better. Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Penn State are the only schools that can say the same.
In addition, the Gophers are joined by Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State as the only schools to have at least seven wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
McEnelly is 11-0 on the season with 10 bonus-points wins, including eight by tech fall. Those eight tech fall wins rank tied for fourth in the nation behind Purdue's Matt Ramos (11), Rutgers' Dean Peterson (9) and Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink (9), according to WrestleStat.com. More on McEnelly can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
VomBaur is 14-2 on the year with six of the wins coming by major decision. That ties him for fifth in the country in MD wins. More on VomBaur can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
Sunday is "Fan Appreciation Day" with prize packs being dropped off throughout the dual.
Minnesota heads into the weekend with a 4-1 record in duals this season and an 0-1 mark in the Big Ten after a 21-13 loss at No. 6 Nebraska last weekend. The Gophers had won their first four duals of the season, winning 38 of the 40 individual matchups and outscoring opponents, 148-6. In fact, the team had not lost a matchup outside of 174 pounds to that point.
Also prior to the Nebraska loss, Minnesota had won 10 straight duals dating back to last season. It was the Gophers' longest win streak since winning 17 straight over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. During the streak, Minnesota outscored opponents 329-54 and didn't allowed more than 12 points in any dual.
Ten Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least two of the major polls with eight appearing in all four: Intermat, Win Magazine, FloWrestling and OpenMat. Gable Steveson (285) is ranked No. 1 in all four polls, while Max McEnelly (184) is fourth in each. Cooper Flynn (125), Vance VomBaur (141) and Isaiah Salazar (197) are all in the top-10 in each ranking.
Within the InterMat rankings, Minnesota is one of eight programs in the nation to have wrestlers ranked at all 10 weights, along with Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Going further, Minnesota's wrestlers are all ranked 24th or better. Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Penn State are the only schools that can say the same.
In addition, the Gophers are joined by Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State as the only schools to have at least seven wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
McEnelly is 11-0 on the season with 10 bonus-points wins, including eight by tech fall. Those eight tech fall wins rank tied for fourth in the nation behind Purdue's Matt Ramos (11), Rutgers' Dean Peterson (9) and Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink (9), according to WrestleStat.com. More on McEnelly can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
VomBaur is 14-2 on the year with six of the wins coming by major decision. That ties him for fifth in the country in MD wins. More on VomBaur can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
| MINNESOTA | WEIGHT | MICHIGAN |
|---|---|---|
| #7 Cooper Flynn (9-2 Overall, 4-1 Dual, 0-1 B1G) or Brandon Morvari (4-4, 0-0, 0-0) |
125 | Wilfried Tanefeu (0-2 Overall, 0-0 Dual, 0-0 B1G) |
| #18 Tyler Wells (8-2, 4-1, 1-1) | 133 | Nolan Wertanen (5-7, 1-4, 0-1) or Teddy Flores (5-4, 0-0, 0-0) |
| #8 Vance VomBaur (14-2, 4-1, 0-1) | 141 | #11 Sergio Lemley (12-3, 4-0, 1-0) |
| #21 Drew Roberts (8-1, 4-1, 0-1) or Theo Cha (5-7, 0-0, 0-0) |
149 | Dylan Gilcher (6-4, 0-1, 0-1) or Cameron Catrabone (10-2, 0-0, 0-0) |
| #10 Tommy Askey (14-2, 3-1, 0-1) | 157 | #15 Chase Saldate (7-4, 2-1, 0-1) |
| #9 Andrew Sparks (14-3, 4-1, 0-1) | 165 | #21 Beau Mantanona (5-1, 1-0, 1-0) |
| #24 Clayton Whiting (9-6, 2-3, 0-1) | 174 | #28 Joseph Walker (9-3, 3-1, 0-1) |
| #4 Max McEnelly (11-0, 5-0, 1-0) | 184 | #20 Jaden Bullock (8-6, 1-2, 0-1) |
| #9 Isaiah Salazar (11-2, 5-0, 1-0) | 197 | #3 Jacob Cardenas (9-0, 4-0, 1-0) |
| #1 Gable Steveson (4-0, 4-0, 1-0) | 285 | #10 Josh Heindselman (13-0, 1-0, 1-0) |
FACING MICHIGAN
Minnesota faces Michigan for the 68th time in program history on Sunday. That's the fourth-most competed series for the Golden Gophers. The only schools that the Gophers have faced more are Iowa (108), Wisconsin (102) and Nebraska (80).
Minnesota trails in the all-time series, 34-31-2. The Wolverines have won three straight dating back to the 2018 season. The last two meetings have been decided by a combined 11 points.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota owns a 16-13-1 lead in the all-time series, including two of the past three. This will be the first meeting between the schools at The Pav since the 2018 season.
The Wolverines enter Sunday with a 3-1 record in duals this season. They won their first three of the season, but dropped their Big Ten opener last weekend at home against Maryland, 19-18.
RANKED MATCHUPS
Minnesota trails in the all-time series, 34-31-2. The Wolverines have won three straight dating back to the 2018 season. The last two meetings have been decided by a combined 11 points.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota owns a 16-13-1 lead in the all-time series, including two of the past three. This will be the first meeting between the schools at The Pav since the 2018 season.
The Wolverines enter Sunday with a 3-1 record in duals this season. They won their first three of the season, but dropped their Big Ten opener last weekend at home against Maryland, 19-18.
RANKED MATCHUPS
Based on probable lineups and the latest rankings from InterMat, seven of the 10 weights Sunday could feature ranked matchups. Of those seven, Minnesota would have the higher ranked wrestler in all but one matchup.
No. 8 Vance VomBaur has not faced No. 11 Sergio Lemley in his career. VomBaur is 4-2 against ranked opponents this year, tying for the team lead in ranked wins. Both of VomBaur's losses have come to wrestlers ranked sixth or seventh at the time of the match, including a 4-2 decision against Navy's Josh Koderhandt, who has also beaten Lemley this year, 2-1 TB1.
At 157 pounds, No. 9 Tommy Askey has not faced No. 15 Chase Saldate before. Askey is 0-2 in ranked matchups this year, accounting for both of his losses. Askey fell to then-No. 19 Jared Hill of Wyoming by tiebreaker at the Soldier Salute and to then-No. 5 Antrell Taylor in the Nebraska dual in overtime. Saldate also lost to Taylor this year, 15-11, at the Cliff Keen Invite.
No. 9 Andrew Sparks has not met No. 21 Beau Mantanona yet. Sparks is 2-2 this year against ranked opponents at 165, notching a pair of top-30 victories, while both losses came against those ranked 14th or better at the time of the match.
At 174 pounds, No. 24 Clayton Whiting has not taken on No. 28 Joseph Walker so far in his career. All six of Whiting's losses this year have come to wrestlers ranked 27th or higher at the time of the match.
Sunday would mark the first ever meeting at 184 between No. 4 Max McEnelly and 20th-ranked Jaden Bullock. McEnelly has faced two ranked opponents this year, sporting a 9-6 decision over then-No. 4 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State on Dec. 1 and majoring then-No. 6 Silas Allred at Nebraska on Jan 11. Bullock lost to Berge, 4-1, at the Cliff Keen Invite.
A top-10 matchup should come at 197 pounds between No. 9 Isaiah Salazar and undefeated third-ranked Jacob Cardenas. Salazar is 2-0 against ranked opponents this year, topping then-No. 8 Zach Glazier of South Dakota State, 8-1, in a dual last month and posting an 8-0 shutout of then-No. 22 Camden McDanel at Nebraska on Jan. 11.
At heavyweight, No. 1 Gable Steveson is slated to meet No. 10 Josh Heindselman for the first time ever. Steveson is 3-0 against ranked opponents this year, posting tech falls over then-No. 7 Taye Ghadiali of Campbell, then-No. 28 Luke Rasmussen of SDSU and then-No. 24 Harley Andrews.
LAST MEETING WITH MICHIGAN
No. 8 Vance VomBaur has not faced No. 11 Sergio Lemley in his career. VomBaur is 4-2 against ranked opponents this year, tying for the team lead in ranked wins. Both of VomBaur's losses have come to wrestlers ranked sixth or seventh at the time of the match, including a 4-2 decision against Navy's Josh Koderhandt, who has also beaten Lemley this year, 2-1 TB1.
At 157 pounds, No. 9 Tommy Askey has not faced No. 15 Chase Saldate before. Askey is 0-2 in ranked matchups this year, accounting for both of his losses. Askey fell to then-No. 19 Jared Hill of Wyoming by tiebreaker at the Soldier Salute and to then-No. 5 Antrell Taylor in the Nebraska dual in overtime. Saldate also lost to Taylor this year, 15-11, at the Cliff Keen Invite.
No. 9 Andrew Sparks has not met No. 21 Beau Mantanona yet. Sparks is 2-2 this year against ranked opponents at 165, notching a pair of top-30 victories, while both losses came against those ranked 14th or better at the time of the match.
At 174 pounds, No. 24 Clayton Whiting has not taken on No. 28 Joseph Walker so far in his career. All six of Whiting's losses this year have come to wrestlers ranked 27th or higher at the time of the match.
Sunday would mark the first ever meeting at 184 between No. 4 Max McEnelly and 20th-ranked Jaden Bullock. McEnelly has faced two ranked opponents this year, sporting a 9-6 decision over then-No. 4 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State on Dec. 1 and majoring then-No. 6 Silas Allred at Nebraska on Jan 11. Bullock lost to Berge, 4-1, at the Cliff Keen Invite.
A top-10 matchup should come at 197 pounds between No. 9 Isaiah Salazar and undefeated third-ranked Jacob Cardenas. Salazar is 2-0 against ranked opponents this year, topping then-No. 8 Zach Glazier of South Dakota State, 8-1, in a dual last month and posting an 8-0 shutout of then-No. 22 Camden McDanel at Nebraska on Jan. 11.
At heavyweight, No. 1 Gable Steveson is slated to meet No. 10 Josh Heindselman for the first time ever. Steveson is 3-0 against ranked opponents this year, posting tech falls over then-No. 7 Taye Ghadiali of Campbell, then-No. 28 Luke Rasmussen of SDSU and then-No. 24 Harley Andrews.
LAST MEETING WITH MICHIGAN
Minnesota dropped a tough 20-14 contest to No. 4 Michigan when the teams last met in January of 2018. The Wolverines took six of the 10 bouts in the dual, including four of the final five to secure the dual victory.
After Michigan collected the first two wins at 125 and 133, Jake Bergeland kicked off the scoring for the Maroon & Gold with a huge win over two-time NCAA finalist and fourth-ranked Stevan Micic in a 5-2 victory.
Michael Blockhus and Brayton Lee kept the Gophers rolling with wins of their own at 149 and 157 pounds. Blockhus showcased an offensive attack in his match, including a six-point move in the third period, en route to a major decision over Pat Nolan. Lee required a bit of a comeback in his match after conceding the opening takedown, but he secured two takedowns of his own in the second to lead him to the 5-4 win.
Coming out of the break, Michigan won the next four matches to put the dual out of reach.
The dual closed out with the marquee matchup of the evening between the previous year's NCAA finalists in Gable Steveson and Mason Parris. Steveson rolled to an 18-8 major decision, dominating on the feet with eight total takedowns in the match, including five in the third period.
LAST TIME IN MINNEAPOLIS
After Michigan collected the first two wins at 125 and 133, Jake Bergeland kicked off the scoring for the Maroon & Gold with a huge win over two-time NCAA finalist and fourth-ranked Stevan Micic in a 5-2 victory.
Michael Blockhus and Brayton Lee kept the Gophers rolling with wins of their own at 149 and 157 pounds. Blockhus showcased an offensive attack in his match, including a six-point move in the third period, en route to a major decision over Pat Nolan. Lee required a bit of a comeback in his match after conceding the opening takedown, but he secured two takedowns of his own in the second to lead him to the 5-4 win.
Coming out of the break, Michigan won the next four matches to put the dual out of reach.
The dual closed out with the marquee matchup of the evening between the previous year's NCAA finalists in Gable Steveson and Mason Parris. Steveson rolled to an 18-8 major decision, dominating on the feet with eight total takedowns in the match, including five in the third period.
LAST TIME IN MINNEAPOLIS
When the teams last met in Minneapolis in 2018, Minnesota fell to then-No. 8 Michigan, 30-7. The Gophers picked up two victories during the dual. No. 10 Nick Wanzek defeated No. 5 Logan Massa by decision at 165 and then No. 10 Tommy Thorn picked up a victory at 141.
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