Gophers Hit the Road for Duals at Wisconsin, Northwestern

MINNEAPOLIS -- No. 7 Minnesota (5-1, 1-1 B1G) hits the road for two Big Ten matchups this weekend. Friday night sees the Gophers travel to Wisconsin (4-7, 0-3) at 7 p.m., while the weekend wraps up Sunday at Northwestern (2-4, 0-3) at noon. Both matches will stream on B1G+ with live results on TrackWrestling.com.

Minnesota heads into the weekend with a 5-1 record in duals this season and an 1-1 mark in the Big Ten. After opening conference action with a 21-13 loss at No. 6 Nebraska on Jan. 11, the Golden Gophers bounced back last weekend at home with a 25-10 win over No. 21 Michigan. In winning of five six duals this season, Minnesota has prevailed in 48 of the 60 individual matchups and outscored opponents, 186-37.

The Gophers have won 11 of their last 12 duals dating back to last season. During the stretch, Minnesota has outscored opponents 367-85 and has given up more than 12 points in a dual just once. Prior to the loss at Nebraska, Minnesota had won 10 in a row, the team's longest win streak since claiming 17 straight duals over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

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 nine programs in the nation to have wrestlers ranked at all 10 weights, along with Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Going further, Minnesota's wrestlers are all ranked 25th or better. The only other schools that can say that are Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Penn State. In addition, the Gophers are joined by Penn State (10), Iowa (7), Oklahoma State (7), Nebraska (6) and Ohio State (6) as the only schools to have at least six wrestlers ranked in the top 10.

Steveson has been nothing but dominant this season. He's 5-0 with four wins by tech fall and one by pin. His Match Power rating of 5.200 team points per match ranks fifth in the country and second in the Big Ten, according to WrestleStat.com. More on Steveson can be found on Page 4 of the notes.

McEnelly is 12-0 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), Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink (10), and Rutgers' Dean Peterson (9). More on McEnelly can be found on Page 4 of the notes.

VomBaur is 15-2 on the year with six of the wins coming by major decision. That ties him for eighth in the country in MD wins. More on VomBaur can be found on Page 4 of the notes.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

WEIGHT	MINNESOTA	WISCONSIN	NORTHWESTERN
125	#8 Cooper Flynn (10-2 Overall, 5-1 Dual, 1-1 B1G)	#18 Nicolar Rivera (13-1, 10-1, 2-1)	Dedrick Navarro (12-8, 3-3, 2-1)
133	#17 Tyler Wells (9-2, 5-1, 1-1) or Blake Beissel (6-4, 0-0, 0-0)	#24 Zan Fugitt (10-5, 7-4, 0-3)	Massey Odiotti (7-10, 2-4, 1-2)
141	#8 Vance VomBaur (15-2, 5-1, 1-1)	Brock Bobzien (4-11, 2-9, 0-3) or Dylan Coy (0-0, 0-0, 0-0)	#27 Chris Cannon (1-4, 1-4, 0-3) or Giosue Hickman (3-4, 1-0, 0-0)
149	#23 Drew Roberts (8-2, 4-2, 0-2) or Theo Cha (5-7, 0-0, 0-0)	Eliot Biba (1-4, 0-2, 0-1) or Royce Nilo (2-9, 0-7, 0-2)	#24 Sam Cartella (10-6, 4-2, 2-1)
157	#8 Tommy Askey (15-2, 4-1, 1-1) or Charlie Millard (11-1, 1-0, 0-0)	Luke Mechler (7-10, 4-7, 0-3)	#9 Trevor Chumbley (4-2, 3-0, 1-0)
165	#11 Andrew Sparks (14-4, 4-2, 0-2) or Blaine Brenner (10-5, 0-0, 0-0)	Cale Anderson (5-5, 5-5, 1-1) or Gavin Model (0-3, 0-1, 0-1)	#20 Maxx Mayfield (14-6, 4-2, 1-2)
174	#25 Clayton Whiting (10-6, 3-3, 1-1) or Ethan Riddle (14-5, 0-0, 0-0)	#33 Luke Condon (11-6, 6-5, 2-1)	Aiden Vandenbush (4-10, 0-4, 0-3)
184	#4 Max McEnelly (12-0, 6-0, 2-0)	Dylan Russo (6-8, 3-5, 0-3) or Matthew Jens (0-4, 0-4, 0-1)	Jon Halvorsen (6-8, 1-3, 0-1)
197	#9 Isaiah Salazar (11-3, 5-1, 1-1)	Niccolo Colucci (1-9, 0-7, 0-2)	#12 Evan Bates (14-3, 3-3, 1-2)
285	#1 Gable Steveson (5-0, 5-0, 2-0)	Gannon Rosenfeld (6-5, 6-5, 0-3) or Brooks Empey (7-4, 0-0, 0-0)	Dirk Morley (2-11, 1-5, 0-3)

FACING WISCONSIN

Minnesota is 69-36-1 all-time against Wisconsin, including wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings. The 69 wins are by far the most for Minnesota against any one program with second place being 52 wins over Nebraska. Additionally, the 106 all-time meetings with the Badgers ranks second in Gopher history behind only 110 duals with Iowa.

In Madison, the Gophers own a 25-20-1 advantage in the series. The win total is the most for Minnesota against any one program on the road, while the 46 matches rank second only to 49 at Iowa. Winners of five straight in Madison, a win Friday would mark the first time in program history the Golden Gophers have won six in a row on the road in the series. In the current five-match road win streak, Minnesota has outscored Wisconsin, 124-56, an average final of 25-11.

Minnesota and Wisconsin have had two common opponents as both schools defeated Bucknell and Campbell. Minnesota routed Bucknell, 35-3, and shut out Campbell, 44-0. Wisconsin, meanwhile, topped the Bison, 23-15, and bested Campbell, 25-13.

The Gophers have 10 Wisconsin natives on the roster: Blaine Brenner (165, Stanley, Stanley-Boyd HS), Silas Dailey (174, Cascade, Plymouth HS), Wyatt Duchateau (149, Hartland, Arrowhead HS), Jager Eisch (133, Kaukauna, Kaukauna HS), Koy Hopke (285, Amery, Amery HS), Dawson Johnson (141, Cumberland, Cumberland HS), Rhett Koenig (141, Prairie Du Chien, Prairie Du Chein HS), Charlie Millard (157, Mequon, Homestead HS), Ethan Riddle (174, Germantown, Germantown HS) and Clayton Whiting (174, Oconto Falls, Oconto Falls HS).

Wisconsin has two Minnesotans on the team in 133-pounder Simon Kruse from St. Clair, Minn., (St. Clair/Mankato Loyola HS) and heavyweight Gannon Rosenfeld from North Mankato (Mankato West HS).

Hopke and Wisconsin freshman Wyatt Ingham (184) were high school teammates at Amery.

RANKED MATCHUPS VS. THE BADGERS

Based on probable lineups and the latest rankings from InterMat, three of the 10 weights Friday could feature ranked matchups. Minnesota would have the higher ranked wrestler in all three matchups.

At 125 pounds, No. 8 Cooper Flynn has not faced No. 18 Nicolar Rivera in his career. Flynn is 4-2 against ranked opponents this year, tying for second on the team in ranked wins. Three of those wins came against wrestlers ranked 14th or better at the time of the match. Flynn and Rivera have faced one common opponent this year in Campbell's Anthony Molton. Flynn won, 5-4, on Nov. 24, while Rivera had a 17-0 tech fall on Dec. 21.

At 133, No. 17 Tyler Wells has not faced No. 24 Zan Fugitt before. Wells is 4-2 against ranked opponents this year, tying for second on the team in ranked wins. He and Fugitt have two common opponents this year in NDSU's Kyle Burwick and Bucknell's Kurt Phipps. Wells won both by decision, while Fugitt posted a decision versus Burwick and majored Phipps.

At 174 pounds, No. 24 Clayton Whiting has not taken on No. 33 Luke Condon so far in his career. Whiting picked up his first win against a ranked opponent in seven tries this season last weekend with a 6-3 decision over Michigan's No. 28 Joseph Walker. Whiting and Condon have three common opponents this year in Campbell's Brant Cracraft, Illinois' Chris Moore and Bucknell's Myles Takats with each going 2-1. Both defeated Cracraft, while Whiting beat Moore, 3-0, and lost to Takats, 11-9. Condon topped Takats, 4-2, but fell to Moore, 8-5.

LAST MEETING WITH WISCONSIN

Minnesota finished out the 2024 regular season with a 28-12 victory over Wisconsin in front of a season-best crowd of 3,155 at Maturi Pavilion. The Golden Gophers won 7 of 10 matches, including five by bonus points, to capture their 11th win in the past 12 meetings with the Badgers.

The fireworks started right away at 125 pounds as No. 11 Patrick McKee met No. 3 Eric Barnett for the 10th time in their careers. McKee entered with a 5-4 edge in the series, though Barnett had won three of four in the regular season. Barnett had a 3-1 lead after the first period but McKee shot in late in the second period, got the takedown and secured the pin at the 4:47 mark, sending Maturi Pavilion into a frenzy.

The matchup at 133 pounds was a wild one, as well, with No. 19 Tyler Wells defeating Nicolar Rivera, 4-1 in overtime. Tied at 1-1, Wells was given three points, while three points and a fall were then called for Rivera. Upon review, the takedown and victory were credited to Wells, though Minnesota lost one team point for "Control of Mat" to give the Gophers an 8-0 lead through two matches.

Minnesota won its third straight match with a major decision from No. 26 Vance VomBaur at 141 pounds in a 17-5 win over Zan Fugitt.

Following three straight Wisconsin wins, fifth-ranked Isaiah Salazar got Minnesota back on track at 184 with a 4-1 decision over No. 16 Shane Liegel.

The Gophers clinched the dual at 197 pounds with a dominant 18-3 tech fall from No. 20 Garrett Joles against Josh Otto. The night closed out at heavyweight with No. 30 Bennett Tabor earning an 11-1 major decision over Gannon Rosenfeld.

PREVIOUSLY IN MADISON

A back-and-forth contest in Madison in 2023 went the way of the No. 9 Gophers, as they knocked off No. 19 Wisconsin by a score of 19-15. With the teams splitting the 10 bouts on the day, it was Minnesota's ability to find bonus-points that proved to be the deciding factor.

Kicking off the dual at 149 pounds, Michael Blockhus secured a third-period fall over Aidan Medora to put six on the scoreboard for Minnesota. Wisconsin took the next two matches, including a 12-9 decision by Garrett Model over Drew Roberts at 157, to tie the dual before Bailee O'Reilly rolled to a methodical 14-4 major decision win over Josh Otto. The Gophers continued to roll at 184, where Sam Skillings defeated Wisconsin's Tyler Dow, 11-4.

Wisconsin came out of the halftime break by rattling off three one-point victories to jump out front 15-13 and take their first lead of the dual. After a Minnesota win at 133 pounds, Jake Bergeland defeated Joseph Zargo by a 1-0 decision to clinch the dual for Minnesota as a third-period escape proved to be the difference.

FACING NORTHWESTERN

Minnesota is 37-11-1 all-time against Northwestern, including wins in four of the last five meetings and 18 of the last 20 dating to the 1996-97 season. The .765 all-time win percentage versus the Wildcats is Minnesota's third best against any opponent it has faced at least 40 times. The only better percentages come against Indiana (.900, 49-5-1) and Purdue (.800, 43-10-2).

In Evanston, the Gophers own a 14-6-1 advantage and have won eight of the last nine meetings there.

Minnesota and Northwestern have had one common opponent this year in Michigan. The Gophers beat the Wolverines on Jan. 19, 25-10, while the Wildcats lost to Michigan, 26-10 on Jan. 17.

Northwestern has one Minnesotan on its roster in first-year Marcell Booth, a 184-pounder from Apple Valley and Apple Valley High School. That's the same hometown and high school as Gopher graduate student Gable Steveson.

RANKED MATCHUPS VS. THE WILDCATS

Based on probable lineups and the latest rankings from InterMat, five of the 10 weights Sunday could feature ranked matchups. Minnesota would have the higher ranked wrestler in all five matchups.

At 141 pounds, No. 8 Vance VomBaur has not faced No. 27 Chris Cannon in his career. VomBaur is 5-2 against ranked opponents this year, leading the team in ranked wins. This would be VomBaur's fourth straight match against a ranked opponent and the sixth in his last eight appearances. VomBaur and Cannon have one common opponent this year in Michigan's Sergio Lemley. VomBaur won by decision, 4-2, while Cannon was majored, 10-2.

At 149, No. 23 Drew Roberts has not faced No. 24 Sam Cartella before. Roberts is 1-1 this year in ranked matchups. Roberts and Cartella have two common opponents this season. They both defeated Bucknell's Braden Bower by decision, and both lost to Michigan's Dylan Gilcher.

At 157, No. 8 Tommy Askey could face No. 9 Trevor Chumbley for the second time in his career. The pair met at the 2022 Cliff Keen Invite with Chumbley taking the match, 9-2. Askey is looking for his first ranked win of the season.

At 165, No. 11 Andrew Sparks has taken on No. 20 Maxx Mayfield once before in his career, falling in the 2023 dual, 6-4. Sparks is 2-3 against ranked opponents this year. The two have one common opponent this season in Michigan's Beau Mantanona with both losing by decision.

A top-15 matchup could come at 197 pounds between No. 9 Isaiah Salazar and No. 12 Evan Bates. The pair have met once before with Salazar winning in the 2023 dual by major decision, 15-1. Salazar is 2-1 this year against ranked opponents. He and Bates have four common opponents this year with Salazar going 2-2 in those matchups and Bates going 1-4. Both defeated SDSU's Zach Glazier, while Salazar also has a win over Bucknell's Dillon Bechtold. Bates lost to Bechtold, and both he and Salazar have fallen to Oklahoma State's Cody Merrill and Michigan's Jacob Cardenas (two losses for Bates).

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWESTERN

When the teams met last season in Minneapolis, the Gophers posted their first ever shutout of Northwestern, 39-0. Three of Minnesota's 10 wins came by tech fall, and it added another via forfeit.

After No. 14 Patrick McKee opened the dual with an 18-12 decision over Massey Odiotti, Tyler Wells picked up the first of three straight Gopher tech falls with a 21-5 (6:11) win over Patrick Adams at 133. No. 21 Vance VomBaur continued the offensive onslaught at 141 pounds in an 18-2 tech fall (4:16) against Kolby McClain, while Drew Roberts concluded the tech fall streak with a 17-2 (5:26) victory over Aiden Vandenbush.

After a Northwestern forfeit at 165 pounds gave a win to No. 28 Blaine Brenner, Andrew Sparks extended Minnesota's lead to 30-0 after a 7-1 decision at 174 pounds over Joseph Martin. The second and final ranked matchup came at 184 pounds as No. 6 Isaiah Salazar took care of No. 33 Troy Fisher, 8-3. No. 29 Bennett Tabor completed the shutout with an 8-3 win against Jack Jessen at heavyweight.

PREVIOUSLY IN EVANSTON

When the teams met two years ago in Evanston, Northwestern handed the Gophers an 18-11 setback. The story of the dual was the swing matches, as Northwestern won five of the six ranked matchups, with all five wins coming in the final five bouts to help the Wildcats overcome a halftime deficit.

Northwestern struck first as Andrew Sparks fell 5-3 at 165 pounds, while the Gophers responded with a major decision at 174. Isaiah Salazar followed with a major decision of his own at 184, as he defeated Evan Bates, 15-1, collecting nearly five minutes of riding time. A win at 197 pounds would be the last time the Gophers would find the scoreboard however, as Northwestern rallied to take each of the remaining bouts by decision to help secure the dual victory.

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Players Mentioned

Tommy Askey

Blake Beissel

Michael Blockhus

Blaine Brenner

Theo Cha

Silas Dailey

Wyatt Duchateau

Jager Eisch

Cooper Flynn

Koy Hopke

Dawson Johnson

Garrett Joles

Rhett Koenig

Max McEnelly

Patrick McKee

Charlie Millard

Ethan Riddle

Drew Roberts

Isaiah Salazar

Sam Skillings

Andrew Sparks

Gable Steveson

Bennett Tabor

Vance VomBaur

Tyler Wells

Clayton Whiting