University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHER WRESTLERS PREPARE FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
3/16/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
TOP 15 TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The top 15 tournament teams ranking according to InterMat, has Minnesota on top. Following Minnesota is Oklahoma State, followed by Iowa in third. From there is as follows: Iowa State, Central Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma, Cal St.-Bakersfield, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Arizona State, Northwestern, Edinboro, Illinois and Michigan.
MINNESOTA1S RISE TO THE TOP AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Golden Gopher wrestling team has never won the NCAA title. In fact as a University, Minnesota has won 12 National Championships as a whole. Football has won six national championships (1934, 135, 136, 140, 141 and 160), baseball has won three (1956, 160 and 164) and hockey has won three (1974, 176 and 179). The last time a team won a NCAA title at Minnesota was hockey in 1979. Up to last year, the highest finish the wrestling team had at the National Championships was third, which occured three times (1937, 141 and 197). Last season, the Golden Gophers recorded the school1s highest ever finish in second place. They also recorded a school record six All-Americans last year. The nine qualifiers is not a record for Minnesota, two years ago the team qualified all ten weight classes for the championships.
THE PRESTIGIOUS ALL-AMERICA HONOR: The top eight places at the NCAA Championships are awarded All-America honors. Last year Minnesota had a school-record six All-Americans, this weekend the Golden Gophers will look to break that record. In 1997, Minnesota had a previous school-record five All-Americans. In 1993, the Golden Gophers had four All-Americans. Dating back to 1937, Minnesota has had six years with three All-Americans, nine with two All-Americans and 12 with a single All-American. There have also been 25 years mixed in that span when Minnesota has not produced any All-Americans.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Minnesota has had 10 individual national champions in its history dating back to 1937. Only one wrestler has won back-to-back national championships in Verne Gagne. Gagne won the title at 191 pounds in 1948 and also won it in 1949 at heavyweight.
HEAD COACH J ROBINSON: Minnesota Head Coach J Robinson has built quite the wrestling dynasty at Minnesota. In his 13th season, Robinson led the team to win its first Big Ten title since 1959 and is ready to make a run at a first-ever NCAA Championship. Robinson has won Big Ten Coach of the Year three times in his career: 1989, 1994, 1997 and most recently two weeks ago following the conference championship in Michigan. He currently has compiled an overall record of 185-78-3 and 60-40-2 in the Big Ten.
CHASING CAREER MARKS: Seniors Chad Kraft and Tim Hartung are chasing the all-time school career wins list. Hartung is currently 34-0 on the season and holds a 128-21-0 career mark which puts him fourth on the school1s all-time wins list. Kraft is 25-2 on the year and 111-21-0 in his career, which is good for a tie for ninth on the school1s all-time wins list. Ed Giese (1982-86) holds the top career mark with a record of 159-34-3.
PIN CITY: Senior Tim Hartung led the team in pins last season, recording 19 total pins, which is the second highest single season pin total in Golden Gopher history. Marty Morgan had 20 pins in the 1989-90 season. Hartung currently has 13 pins this season and 48 career pins moves him into second on the school1s all-time pins list just surpassing Marty Morgan1s (1988-91) record of 47 career pins. Billy Pierce (1992-96) holds the school record with 51 career pins. Hartung needs just three pins to break Pierce1s school record. Freshman Chad Erikson also had 13 total pins this season.
TRACKING THE ALL-AMERICAN: Senior Chad Kraft has the opportunity this season to become Minnesota1s first-ever four-time All-American. Kraft has earned three All-America honors his first three years with the Golden Gophers after finishing fifth at NCAAs in 1996, third in 1997 and second in 1998. Only four other Golden Gophers have three All-America honors. They are: Larry Zilverberg (1974-76), Marty Morgan (1989-91), Billy Pierce (1993-96) and Jason Davids (1996-98). As Kraft looks for his school record fourth All-America honor, he has his sights set on a NCAA title.
HARTUNG IS ON A ROLL: Senior Tim Hartung, ranked No. 1 nationally, has won 50 consecutive matches dating back to Jan. 17, 1998. Hartung1s last loss occurred last year at the National Duals Championships in Iowa City, Iowa. In the championship match of the National Duals Tournament, Hartung lost a close 6-7 decision to Iowa1s Lee Fullhart. It would be Hartung1s lone loss on the year and currently his last loss. Hartung has won 34 consecutive matches this season. The last time a Golden Gopher wrestler completed his season undefeated was when current head assistant coach Marty Morgan compiled a 39-0 record enroute to winning the 1991 National title.
