University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, March 8
University Park, PA
11:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
Big Ten Championships - Session III
Players Mentioned
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Chris Eutsler
Six Gophers Finalize Their Finishes in Session III of B1G Championships
3/8/2026 2:16:00 PM | Wrestling
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Session III of the Big Ten Championships wrapped up Sunday afternoon with six Gophers finalizing their places and two moving on to Sunday's final session.
Vance VomBaur earned a trip to the third-place bout at 141 pounds set for Sunday afternoon, while Andrew Sparks will battle for fifth at 165. That's in addition to the championship matches featuring Jore Volk at 125 pounds and Max McEnelly at 184.
As a team, the Gophers enter the finals in seventh place with 75.5 points. Penn State leads the field with 147.5 points, followed by Ohio State at 136.5 and Nebraska with 117.5. The next pack of teams has Iowa in fourth place at 84.0 points with Michigan (76.5) and Illinois (76.0) narrowly ahead of Minnesota.
The finals of the 2026 Big Ten Championships, which feature the 1st, 3rd and 5th-place matches, starts at 3:30 p.m. CT Sunday on Big Ten Network.
VomBaur punched his ticket to the third-place match at 141 with a dominant 20-3 tech fall over Maryland's No. 11 Dario Lemus, his second such win of the season over the Terrapin. Like in the regular season contest, VomBaur was relentless in his attacks. He posted two takedowns in each period, finishing the match at 5:49 for his fifth tech fall win of the year.
After reaching the finals a year ago, VomBaur has a chance to become the first Gopher with consecutive top-3 finishes at the weight since Michael Thorn won the title in 2010 and was a finalist in 2011. VomBaur will wrestle Iowa's No. 4 Nasir Bailey, whom VomBaur majored during the regular season, 10-1.
Sparks will wrestle for fifth for the second time in his career, also doing so in 2024 when he came in sixth. The No. 5 seed, Sparks took No. 2 Joey Blaze to overtime in the consolation semifinals Sunday but fell in a 3-1 loss. Both wrestlers had escapes in regulation and neither scored in sudden victory. Blaze started on bottom in the first tiebreaker and scored a reversal for the winning margin. Sparks will take on No. 7 Andrew Barbosa in the fifth-place match Sunday afternoon. During the regular season, Sparks shut out Barbosa, 2-0.
Redshirt freshman Koy Hopke closed out his first Big Ten Championships with a seventh-place finish. Hopke matched his seeding after a 4-2 win over Illinois' No. 6 Luke Luffman. The match was tied at 1-1 with 30 seconds to go when Hopke scored off a re-attack for the winning takedown.
Due to a medical forfeit, Minnesota redshirt freshman Charlie Millard finished in eighth place at 157 pounds as he made his Big Ten Championships debut.
The No. 10 seed at 149 pounds, redshirt senior Drew Roberts lost his match in the ninth-place bracket semifinals in an 11-3 major decision at the hands of No. 6 Chance Lamer from Nebraska.
Redshirt sophomore Ethan Riddle claimed 11th place at 174 pounds. After a 4-2 loss to No. 12 Luke Condon of Wisconsin in the 9th-place semifinals, the seventh-seeded Riddle bounced back with a strong, 13-4 major decision over Northwestern's No. 10 Eddie Enright to boost his at-large chances for NCAAs.
Fellow redshirt sophomore Gavin Nelson also ended in 11th place at 197 pounds. The No. 11 seed, Nelson began Sunday with a 7-3 loss to Michigan State's No. 7 Kael Wisler in the 9th-place semifinals before taking down No. 10 Hayden Walters of Michigan in overtime for a 4-1 decision.
Finishing outside the conference's automatic bids, Roberts, Riddle and Nelson will all wait to see if they earn one of four at-large bids for the NCAA Championships at their respective weights. That announcement comes Tuesday.
At 133 pounds, redshirt senior Jager Eisch did not compete in the ninth-place bracket due to medical forfeit. The No. 14 seed finished with a 2-3 record in his debut at the Big Ten Championships.
Minnesota Results through Session III
125 Pounds
First Round: #6 Jore Volk TF #11 Kael Lauridsen (Nebraska), 16-0 5:31
Quarterfinals: #6 Jore Volk dec. #3 Spencer Moore (Illinois), 4-1 SV1
Semifinals: #6 Jore Volk dec. #2 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State), 8-1
133 Pounds
First Round: #3 Ben Davino (Ohio State) TF #14 Jager Eisch, 18-2 3:43
Consolations - R1: #14 Jager Eisch TF #11 Caleb Weiand (Michigan State), 15-0 6:55
Consolations - R2: #4 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) dec. #14 Jager Eisch, 5-2 SV1
9th Place Quarterfinals: #14 Jager Eisch dec. #11 Caleb Weiand (Michigan State), 4-0
9th Place Semifinals: #8 Braxton Brown (Maryland) MFFL #14 Jager Eisch
Did not place: 2-3 record
141 Pounds
First Round: #3 Vance VomBaur fall #14 Jaden Crumpler (Michigan State), 4:10
Quarterfinals: #3 Vance VomBaur TF #6 Braeden Davis (Penn State), 20-5 7:00
Semifinals: #2 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. #3 Vance Vombaur, 9-2
Consolation Semifinals: #3 Vance VomBaur TF #11 Dario Lemus (Maryland), 20-3 5:49
149 Pounds
First Round: #10 Drew Roberts dec. #7 Andrew Clark (Rutgers), 4-3
Quarterfinals: #2 Ethan Stiles (Ohio State) dec. #10 Drew Roberts, 4-1
Consolations - R2: #9 Michael Gioffre (Illinois) MD #10 Drew Roberts, 12-3
9th Place Quarterfinals: #10 Drew Roberts dec. #14 August Hibler (Northwestern), 5-0
9th Place Semifinals: #6 Chance Lamer (Nebraska) MD #10 Drew Roberts, 11-3
Did not place: 2-3 record
157 Pounds
First Round: #6 Charlie Millard MD #11 Bryce Lowery (Indiana), 12-4
Quarterfinals: #3 Kannon Webster (Illinois) MD #6 Charlie Millard, 14-2
Consolation Quarters: #6 Charlie Millard dec. #5 Tony White (Rutgers), 4-2
Consolation Semifinals: #7 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) dec. #6 Charlie Millard, 9-4
7th Place Match: #8 Luke Mechler (Wisconsin) MFFL #6 Charlie Millard
8th Place: 2-3 record
165 Pounds
First Round: #5 Andrew Sparks MD #12 Justin Gates (Michigan), 16-3
Quarterfinals: #5 Andrew Sparks dec. #4 LJ Araujo (Nebraska), 3-1
Semifinals: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) TF #5 Andrew Sparks, 19-4 (6:29)
Consolation Semifinals: #2 Joey Blaze (Purdue) dec. #5 Andrew Sparks, 3-1 TB1
174 Pounds
First Round: #7 Ethan Riddle Dec. #10 Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 4-1
Quarterfinals: #2 Christopher Minto (Nebraska) MD #7 Ethan Riddle, 11-1
Consolations - R2: #8 Brody Baumann (Purdue) dec. #7 Ethan Riddle, 8-6
9th Place Semifinals: #12 Luke Condon (Wisconsin) dec. #7 Ethan Riddle, 4-2
11th Place Match: #7 Ethan Riddle MD #10 Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 13-4
11th Place: 2-3 Record
184 Pounds
Quarterfinals: #2 Max McEnelly TF #7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers), 21-6 5:04
Semifinals: #2 Max McEnelly MFFL #3 Silas Allred (Nebraska)
197 Pounds
First Round: #6 Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin) dec. #11 Gavin Nelson, 5-1
Consolations - R1: #11 Gavin Nelson dec. #14 Alex Smith (Northwestern), 4-3
Consolations - R2: #4 Branson John (Maryland) dec. #11 Gavin Nelson, 8-5 SV1
9th Place Quarterfinals: #11 Gavin Nelson dec. #14 Alex Smith (Northwestern), 5-2
9th Place Semifinals: #7 Kael Wisler (Michigan State) dec. #11 Gavin Nelson, 7-3
11th Place Match: #11 Gavin Nelson dec. #10 Hayden Walters (Michigan), 4-1 SV1
11th Place: 3-3 record
Heavyweight
First Round: #10 Ben Kueter (Iowa) dec. #7 Koy Hopke, 5-2
Consolations - R2: #7 Koy Hopke dec. #8 Hunter Catka (Rutgers), 2-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) dec. #7 Koy Hopke, 8-3
7th Place Match: #7 Koy Hopke dec. #6 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 4-1
7th Place: 2-2 record
Vance VomBaur earned a trip to the third-place bout at 141 pounds set for Sunday afternoon, while Andrew Sparks will battle for fifth at 165. That's in addition to the championship matches featuring Jore Volk at 125 pounds and Max McEnelly at 184.
As a team, the Gophers enter the finals in seventh place with 75.5 points. Penn State leads the field with 147.5 points, followed by Ohio State at 136.5 and Nebraska with 117.5. The next pack of teams has Iowa in fourth place at 84.0 points with Michigan (76.5) and Illinois (76.0) narrowly ahead of Minnesota.
The finals of the 2026 Big Ten Championships, which feature the 1st, 3rd and 5th-place matches, starts at 3:30 p.m. CT Sunday on Big Ten Network.
VomBaur punched his ticket to the third-place match at 141 with a dominant 20-3 tech fall over Maryland's No. 11 Dario Lemus, his second such win of the season over the Terrapin. Like in the regular season contest, VomBaur was relentless in his attacks. He posted two takedowns in each period, finishing the match at 5:49 for his fifth tech fall win of the year.
After reaching the finals a year ago, VomBaur has a chance to become the first Gopher with consecutive top-3 finishes at the weight since Michael Thorn won the title in 2010 and was a finalist in 2011. VomBaur will wrestle Iowa's No. 4 Nasir Bailey, whom VomBaur majored during the regular season, 10-1.
Sparks will wrestle for fifth for the second time in his career, also doing so in 2024 when he came in sixth. The No. 5 seed, Sparks took No. 2 Joey Blaze to overtime in the consolation semifinals Sunday but fell in a 3-1 loss. Both wrestlers had escapes in regulation and neither scored in sudden victory. Blaze started on bottom in the first tiebreaker and scored a reversal for the winning margin. Sparks will take on No. 7 Andrew Barbosa in the fifth-place match Sunday afternoon. During the regular season, Sparks shut out Barbosa, 2-0.
Redshirt freshman Koy Hopke closed out his first Big Ten Championships with a seventh-place finish. Hopke matched his seeding after a 4-2 win over Illinois' No. 6 Luke Luffman. The match was tied at 1-1 with 30 seconds to go when Hopke scored off a re-attack for the winning takedown.
Due to a medical forfeit, Minnesota redshirt freshman Charlie Millard finished in eighth place at 157 pounds as he made his Big Ten Championships debut.
The No. 10 seed at 149 pounds, redshirt senior Drew Roberts lost his match in the ninth-place bracket semifinals in an 11-3 major decision at the hands of No. 6 Chance Lamer from Nebraska.
Redshirt sophomore Ethan Riddle claimed 11th place at 174 pounds. After a 4-2 loss to No. 12 Luke Condon of Wisconsin in the 9th-place semifinals, the seventh-seeded Riddle bounced back with a strong, 13-4 major decision over Northwestern's No. 10 Eddie Enright to boost his at-large chances for NCAAs.
Fellow redshirt sophomore Gavin Nelson also ended in 11th place at 197 pounds. The No. 11 seed, Nelson began Sunday with a 7-3 loss to Michigan State's No. 7 Kael Wisler in the 9th-place semifinals before taking down No. 10 Hayden Walters of Michigan in overtime for a 4-1 decision.
Finishing outside the conference's automatic bids, Roberts, Riddle and Nelson will all wait to see if they earn one of four at-large bids for the NCAA Championships at their respective weights. That announcement comes Tuesday.
At 133 pounds, redshirt senior Jager Eisch did not compete in the ninth-place bracket due to medical forfeit. The No. 14 seed finished with a 2-3 record in his debut at the Big Ten Championships.
Minnesota Results through Session III
125 Pounds
First Round: #6 Jore Volk TF #11 Kael Lauridsen (Nebraska), 16-0 5:31
Quarterfinals: #6 Jore Volk dec. #3 Spencer Moore (Illinois), 4-1 SV1
Semifinals: #6 Jore Volk dec. #2 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State), 8-1
133 Pounds
First Round: #3 Ben Davino (Ohio State) TF #14 Jager Eisch, 18-2 3:43
Consolations - R1: #14 Jager Eisch TF #11 Caleb Weiand (Michigan State), 15-0 6:55
Consolations - R2: #4 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) dec. #14 Jager Eisch, 5-2 SV1
9th Place Quarterfinals: #14 Jager Eisch dec. #11 Caleb Weiand (Michigan State), 4-0
9th Place Semifinals: #8 Braxton Brown (Maryland) MFFL #14 Jager Eisch
Did not place: 2-3 record
141 Pounds
First Round: #3 Vance VomBaur fall #14 Jaden Crumpler (Michigan State), 4:10
Quarterfinals: #3 Vance VomBaur TF #6 Braeden Davis (Penn State), 20-5 7:00
Semifinals: #2 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. #3 Vance Vombaur, 9-2
Consolation Semifinals: #3 Vance VomBaur TF #11 Dario Lemus (Maryland), 20-3 5:49
149 Pounds
First Round: #10 Drew Roberts dec. #7 Andrew Clark (Rutgers), 4-3
Quarterfinals: #2 Ethan Stiles (Ohio State) dec. #10 Drew Roberts, 4-1
Consolations - R2: #9 Michael Gioffre (Illinois) MD #10 Drew Roberts, 12-3
9th Place Quarterfinals: #10 Drew Roberts dec. #14 August Hibler (Northwestern), 5-0
9th Place Semifinals: #6 Chance Lamer (Nebraska) MD #10 Drew Roberts, 11-3
Did not place: 2-3 record
157 Pounds
First Round: #6 Charlie Millard MD #11 Bryce Lowery (Indiana), 12-4
Quarterfinals: #3 Kannon Webster (Illinois) MD #6 Charlie Millard, 14-2
Consolation Quarters: #6 Charlie Millard dec. #5 Tony White (Rutgers), 4-2
Consolation Semifinals: #7 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) dec. #6 Charlie Millard, 9-4
7th Place Match: #8 Luke Mechler (Wisconsin) MFFL #6 Charlie Millard
8th Place: 2-3 record
165 Pounds
First Round: #5 Andrew Sparks MD #12 Justin Gates (Michigan), 16-3
Quarterfinals: #5 Andrew Sparks dec. #4 LJ Araujo (Nebraska), 3-1
Semifinals: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) TF #5 Andrew Sparks, 19-4 (6:29)
Consolation Semifinals: #2 Joey Blaze (Purdue) dec. #5 Andrew Sparks, 3-1 TB1
174 Pounds
First Round: #7 Ethan Riddle Dec. #10 Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 4-1
Quarterfinals: #2 Christopher Minto (Nebraska) MD #7 Ethan Riddle, 11-1
Consolations - R2: #8 Brody Baumann (Purdue) dec. #7 Ethan Riddle, 8-6
9th Place Semifinals: #12 Luke Condon (Wisconsin) dec. #7 Ethan Riddle, 4-2
11th Place Match: #7 Ethan Riddle MD #10 Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 13-4
11th Place: 2-3 Record
184 Pounds
Quarterfinals: #2 Max McEnelly TF #7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers), 21-6 5:04
Semifinals: #2 Max McEnelly MFFL #3 Silas Allred (Nebraska)
197 Pounds
First Round: #6 Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin) dec. #11 Gavin Nelson, 5-1
Consolations - R1: #11 Gavin Nelson dec. #14 Alex Smith (Northwestern), 4-3
Consolations - R2: #4 Branson John (Maryland) dec. #11 Gavin Nelson, 8-5 SV1
9th Place Quarterfinals: #11 Gavin Nelson dec. #14 Alex Smith (Northwestern), 5-2
9th Place Semifinals: #7 Kael Wisler (Michigan State) dec. #11 Gavin Nelson, 7-3
11th Place Match: #11 Gavin Nelson dec. #10 Hayden Walters (Michigan), 4-1 SV1
11th Place: 3-3 record
Heavyweight
First Round: #10 Ben Kueter (Iowa) dec. #7 Koy Hopke, 5-2
Consolations - R2: #7 Koy Hopke dec. #8 Hunter Catka (Rutgers), 2-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) dec. #7 Koy Hopke, 8-3
7th Place Match: #7 Koy Hopke dec. #6 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 4-1
7th Place: 2-2 record
Highlights: Big Ten Wrestling Session II
Saturday, March 07
Highlights: Big Ten Wrestling Session I
Saturday, March 07
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Smash the Spartans on Senior Day
Thursday, February 19
Highlights: Gophers 37, Michigan State 6
Sunday, February 15