University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, November 9
Fargo, ND
10:00 AM
University of Minnesota
at
Bison Open
Players Mentioned
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Minnesota Dominates Competition at Bison Open
11/9/2025 8:10:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – No. 10/10 Minnesota wrestling dominated the competition at the Bison Open, taking home 13 titles Sunday at the Scheels Center in Fargo, N.D.
The 13 titles across 10 weight classes were due in part to three weights that saw "no-contests" between Gophers teammates, resulting in co-champions, plus two separate pools at 149 pounds.
The unanimous top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, redshirt sophomore Max McEnelly made his 2025-26 debut and picked up right where he left off with two tech falls in two matches. He opened with a 20-5 tech fall at 2:44 of North Dakota State's Ben Schultz before a 19-4 (3:23) romp over NDSU's Andrew McMonagle in the finals.
Seniors Jore Volk and Vance VomBaur, both ranked eighth in the latest InterMat poll, built off titles at last week's Southeast Open with wins Sunday. Volk won his second straight tournament with a 3-0 record at 125, outscoring opponents 34-8, en route to the title. VomBaur, meanwhile, used a pair of major decisions to win at 141 and improve to 7-0 on the season.
Ranked 11th in the country, Andrew Sparks outscored his opponents, 31-9, and went 2-0 to claim the 165-pound title.
Redshirt senior Bennett Tabor took the heavyweight crown. After pinning both opponents in the quarters and semis, Tabor found himself doing 2-1 going to the third period of the finals against Nebraska's Cade Ziola. Tabor quickly evened the match and then scored a takedown in the closing seconds and added a point for riding time for the 6-2 win.
There were no-contests and co-champions for Minnesota at 157, 174 and 197 pounds.
At 157, 15th-ranked Charlie Millard shared the title with fellow redshirt freshman Jack Nelson. Millard reached the finals after a 10-3 decision of South Dakota State's Zach Ballante, while Nelson defeated the Jackrabbits' Bas Diaz, 4-2.
The bracket at 174 saw redshirt junior Clayton Whiting, ranked 21st by InterMAt, and redshirt sophomore Ethan Riddle, ranked 23rd by FloWrestling, share the title. Whiting was 2-0 at the tournament, including a win over teammate Jed Wester, while Riddle survived a wild 11-10 decision over No. 32 Max Magayna of NDSU, 11-10, in the semis.
Redshirt senior Gabe Nagel and redshirt sophomore Gavin Nelson were co-champs at 197. Nelson had a tech fall in the semis, while Nagel posted a pair of major decisions to reach the finals.
The 149-pound class was split into Gold and Green divisions, and both featured all-Minnesota matchups in the finals.
In Gold, redshirt sophomore Rhett Koenig went 2-0, including a 4-2 win over redshirt freshman Wyatt Duchateau in the finals. Both of Koenig's wins were by two-point margins. Duchateau was making his collegiate debut and began the day with a win by fall.
A similar scenario played out in Green where redshirt senior Jager Eisch topped true freshman Charles Vanier in overtime, 4-1. Eisch was 2-0 in the pool, including a major decision victory, while Vanier made his debut with an opening-match victory by decision.
Minnesota returns to action next weekend for the highly-anticipated National Duals Invitational in Tulsa, Okla. The Gophers will square off with Virginia Tech at 11 a.m. and then face either Wyoming or Ohio State in their next match, which will be at 3 p.m. or 5 p.m.
The 13 titles across 10 weight classes were due in part to three weights that saw "no-contests" between Gophers teammates, resulting in co-champions, plus two separate pools at 149 pounds.
The unanimous top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, redshirt sophomore Max McEnelly made his 2025-26 debut and picked up right where he left off with two tech falls in two matches. He opened with a 20-5 tech fall at 2:44 of North Dakota State's Ben Schultz before a 19-4 (3:23) romp over NDSU's Andrew McMonagle in the finals.
Seniors Jore Volk and Vance VomBaur, both ranked eighth in the latest InterMat poll, built off titles at last week's Southeast Open with wins Sunday. Volk won his second straight tournament with a 3-0 record at 125, outscoring opponents 34-8, en route to the title. VomBaur, meanwhile, used a pair of major decisions to win at 141 and improve to 7-0 on the season.
Ranked 11th in the country, Andrew Sparks outscored his opponents, 31-9, and went 2-0 to claim the 165-pound title.
Redshirt senior Bennett Tabor took the heavyweight crown. After pinning both opponents in the quarters and semis, Tabor found himself doing 2-1 going to the third period of the finals against Nebraska's Cade Ziola. Tabor quickly evened the match and then scored a takedown in the closing seconds and added a point for riding time for the 6-2 win.
There were no-contests and co-champions for Minnesota at 157, 174 and 197 pounds.
At 157, 15th-ranked Charlie Millard shared the title with fellow redshirt freshman Jack Nelson. Millard reached the finals after a 10-3 decision of South Dakota State's Zach Ballante, while Nelson defeated the Jackrabbits' Bas Diaz, 4-2.
The bracket at 174 saw redshirt junior Clayton Whiting, ranked 21st by InterMAt, and redshirt sophomore Ethan Riddle, ranked 23rd by FloWrestling, share the title. Whiting was 2-0 at the tournament, including a win over teammate Jed Wester, while Riddle survived a wild 11-10 decision over No. 32 Max Magayna of NDSU, 11-10, in the semis.
Redshirt senior Gabe Nagel and redshirt sophomore Gavin Nelson were co-champs at 197. Nelson had a tech fall in the semis, while Nagel posted a pair of major decisions to reach the finals.
The 149-pound class was split into Gold and Green divisions, and both featured all-Minnesota matchups in the finals.
In Gold, redshirt sophomore Rhett Koenig went 2-0, including a 4-2 win over redshirt freshman Wyatt Duchateau in the finals. Both of Koenig's wins were by two-point margins. Duchateau was making his collegiate debut and began the day with a win by fall.
A similar scenario played out in Green where redshirt senior Jager Eisch topped true freshman Charles Vanier in overtime, 4-1. Eisch was 2-0 in the pool, including a major decision victory, while Vanier made his debut with an opening-match victory by decision.
Minnesota returns to action next weekend for the highly-anticipated National Duals Invitational in Tulsa, Okla. The Gophers will square off with Virginia Tech at 11 a.m. and then face either Wyoming or Ohio State in their next match, which will be at 3 p.m. or 5 p.m.
Coach's Corner with Brandon Eggum
Sunday, November 23
Highlights: Gophers 25, Virginia Tech 10
Sunday, November 16
Highlights: Gophers 15, Missouri 14
Sunday, November 16
Highlights: Gophers 19, Virginia Tech 17
Saturday, November 15