University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Look to Rebound Thursday Against Nebraska
12/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team will look to rebound from their Sunday defeat at the hands of Iowa State when they take on the No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers Thursday night at the Sports Pavilion. Meet time is 7 p.m. Golden Gopher fans can watch all the action live in the Gold Zone. Brett Lawrence and Delaney Berger will call the action. Thursday also marks Jayson Ness Community Day at the Sports Pavilion. All family, friends and members of the Bloomington community (Jayson's hometown) can receive a $4 admission to Thursday's meet.
CYCLONES TOP GOPHERS
The top-ranked and defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team dropped a hard-fought 18-13 decision to No. 2 Iowa State Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena. The Gophers led until the 197-pound and heavyweight matches and lost for the first time in their last 24 meets despite suffering only six takedowns all afternoon. It was Minnesota’s first loss to Iowa State in their last four meetings and their first home loss since Feb. 5, 2005.
The meet, which featured the top two finishers at last year’s national championships, was expected to be close, but Minnesota (3-1) lost three pivotal matches as they dropped their first dual meet of the season to the Cyclones (6-0). Third-ranked Mack Reiter was edged out at 133 pounds by No. 8 Nick Fanthorpe 3-1 and No. 4 C.P. Schlatter was upset 3-2 by No. 10 Cyler Sanderson by a thin 3-2 margin. In the premier match of the afternoon, top-ranked 184-pound Jake Varner of the Cyclones successfully contained the Gophers’ No. 2 Roger Kish, earning a 3-0 decision.
Jayson Ness (125 pounds), Manny Rivera (141 pounds), Dustin Schlatter (149 pounds) and Gabe Dretsch (174 pounds) all won their matches, with Ness, Rivera and Schlatter remaining undefeated on the season. The Gophers needed a win by heavyweight Ben Berhow in the final match to escape with the victory, but he was defeated by No. 5 David Zabriske 7-2 in a hard-fought match.
STREAKS END
Sunday’s gut-wrenching loss to Iowa State ended a number of impressive streaks for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota’s 23-meet win streak, which was tied for the second-longest streak in Gopher history, came to an end. It also halted Minnesota’s home winning streak of 14 meets, which dated all the way back to Feb. 20, 2005. The Gophers also lost to the Cyclones for the first time in the past five dual meetings between the two schools.
Longest Winning Streaks in School History
1. 33 (Jan. 11, 2001 - Nov. 15, 2002)
2. 23 (Jan. 22, 1999 - Jan. 23, 2000) and (Nov. 25, 2006 - Dec. 2, 2007)
4. 19 (Dec. 2, 2005 - Feb. 17, 2006)
5. 18 (Feb. 2, 1997 - Jan. 18, 1998) and (Dec. 12, 1993 - Feb. 19, 1994)
The Gophers are currently ranked second in W.I.N. Magazine’s recently-released national poll. Minnesota had been ranked first nationally every week since Jan. 21 of last season.
STAYING PERFECT
Despite the tough team loss, a number of Gophers turned in excellent individual efforts. Jayson Ness has followed up his outstanding freshman campaign (one in which he was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year) with an outstanding start this season. The Bloomington, Minn. native is a perfect 10-0 (including 4-0 in duals), including eight pins and a major decision. Manuel Rivera’s victory over Nick Gallick moved him to 11-0 on the season, and Dustin Schlatter’s 8-1 near-major decision Mitch Meuller improved his record to 8-0.
PRETTY GOOD AT THE PAV
Although Minnesota’s home winning streak was snapped Saturday, the team still has an impressive streak intact the Gophers have won their last 12 meets at the Sports Pavilion, dating back to 2005. Since 1998, Minnesota holds a 54-14-0 (.794) overall record at home. The Golden Gophers have called the Sports Pavilion, Williams Arena, Target Center, the Xcel Energy Center, Rochester, Minn. and Jackson, Minn., home during that span.
HUSKING NEBRASKA
Minnesota leads the all-time series over the Cornhuskers, 45-17. The Golden Gophers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings against Nebraska, including a 32-6 victory last year in Lincoln. Minnesota’s last loss to Nebraska also came in Lincoln, a 21-12 defeat on Jan. 4, 2005. Minnesota has outscored the Cornhuskers by an average margin of 15 points during those 11 meetings.
NESS VS. DONAHUE: ROUND 4
One of the most high-profile matches of Thursday’s meet will also most likely be one of the first, when No. 3 Jayson Ness takes on top-ranked and defending national champion Paul Donahue of Nebraska. Ness leads the series between the two 2-1, earning an 11-5 decision at the Kaufman-Brand Open 11/11/06 and an 8-6 dual meet win Feb. 11 of last season. However, it was Donahue that prevailed in the duo’s All-Star Classic match-up in November, using two third-period takedowns to emerge a 5-2 victor. Donahue upset Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma to win the 2007 national championship at 125 pounds.
Previous Ness-Donahue Matches:
11/6/06 Ness dec. Donahue 11-6 (@ Kaufman-Brand Open)
2/11/07 Ness dec. Donahue 8-6 (@ Lincoln, Neb.)
11/19/07 Donahue dec. Ness 5-2 (@ All-Star Classic in Eugene, Ore.)
HIS TIME TO SHINE
Thursday also marks Jayson Ness Community Day at the Sports Pavilion. All family, friends and members of the Bloomington community (Jayson's hometown) can receive a $4 admission to Thursday's meet.
AGAIN ON THE BTN
Sunday’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 match-up with Iowa State was televised live by the Big Ten Network and was a smashing success. The network recently released the rest of their wrestling television schedule for the 2007-08 season, with the Gophers’ Feb. 8 meet at Northwestern also scheduled to appear live on the BTN.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
Thursday night’s meet with Nebraska is the Gophers’ last home competition for over a month, as the Gophers don’t return to Minneapolis for a meet until Jan. 20 against South Dakota State. However, the team does get to take a “working vacation” this weekend when they travel to San Luis Obispo, Cal. for dual meets with Cal-Poly and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. The Gophers are 4-0 all-time against the Titans but have not met them since 1991, and Minnesota’s lone decision against Cal Poly came way back in 1977 (a 23-17 loss in Minneapolis).
THE LAST TIME: MINN. VS. NEB.
The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 32-6 win over No. 21 Nebraska on Feb. 21, 2007 in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers sent a statement early on that they were not going to go down without a fight and wrestled aggressively the entire day, but the Gophers responded and turned in a dominating performance, winning eight of 10 matches on the day.
Jayson Ness and Manuel Rivera both earned decisions over ranked opponents, while Mack Reiter got his first pin in dual meet action this season to lead the Gophers to victory. Gabriel Dretsch and Roger Kish contributed major decisions to help in the cause. The win extended Minnesota’s dual meet winning streak to 18 and improved its record to 18-1 overall heading into the final week of 2007 dual meet action.
SCHLATTER SENSATION
Top-ranked junior Dustin Schlatter has established himself as one of the most dominant wrestlers in the country in just a short time in a Golden Gopher uniform. He posted a 65-match winning streak, the second-longest streak in school history, before falling in the semifinals at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Schlatter has won 88 of 90 career matches for a .978 winning percentage, which currently ranks as the highest career winning percentage in school history.
One of the few freshman under Head Coach J Robinson not to redshirt, Schlatter put together one of the most remarkable rookie campaigns in school history in 2005-06 with a 42-1 overall record, with his only loss of the season coming against Mark DiSalvo of Central Michigan (11/26/05). He became the first freshman in school history to win an individual national title. This season, Schlatter is 8-0 (4-0 in duals) with two tech falls and two major decisions.
CYCLONES TOP GOPHERS
The top-ranked and defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team dropped a hard-fought 18-13 decision to No. 2 Iowa State Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena. The Gophers led until the 197-pound and heavyweight matches and lost for the first time in their last 24 meets despite suffering only six takedowns all afternoon. It was Minnesota’s first loss to Iowa State in their last four meetings and their first home loss since Feb. 5, 2005.
The meet, which featured the top two finishers at last year’s national championships, was expected to be close, but Minnesota (3-1) lost three pivotal matches as they dropped their first dual meet of the season to the Cyclones (6-0). Third-ranked Mack Reiter was edged out at 133 pounds by No. 8 Nick Fanthorpe 3-1 and No. 4 C.P. Schlatter was upset 3-2 by No. 10 Cyler Sanderson by a thin 3-2 margin. In the premier match of the afternoon, top-ranked 184-pound Jake Varner of the Cyclones successfully contained the Gophers’ No. 2 Roger Kish, earning a 3-0 decision.
Jayson Ness (125 pounds), Manny Rivera (141 pounds), Dustin Schlatter (149 pounds) and Gabe Dretsch (174 pounds) all won their matches, with Ness, Rivera and Schlatter remaining undefeated on the season. The Gophers needed a win by heavyweight Ben Berhow in the final match to escape with the victory, but he was defeated by No. 5 David Zabriske 7-2 in a hard-fought match.
STREAKS END
Sunday’s gut-wrenching loss to Iowa State ended a number of impressive streaks for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota’s 23-meet win streak, which was tied for the second-longest streak in Gopher history, came to an end. It also halted Minnesota’s home winning streak of 14 meets, which dated all the way back to Feb. 20, 2005. The Gophers also lost to the Cyclones for the first time in the past five dual meetings between the two schools.
Longest Winning Streaks in School History
1. 33 (Jan. 11, 2001 - Nov. 15, 2002)
2. 23 (Jan. 22, 1999 - Jan. 23, 2000) and (Nov. 25, 2006 - Dec. 2, 2007)
4. 19 (Dec. 2, 2005 - Feb. 17, 2006)
5. 18 (Feb. 2, 1997 - Jan. 18, 1998) and (Dec. 12, 1993 - Feb. 19, 1994)
The Gophers are currently ranked second in W.I.N. Magazine’s recently-released national poll. Minnesota had been ranked first nationally every week since Jan. 21 of last season.
STAYING PERFECT
Despite the tough team loss, a number of Gophers turned in excellent individual efforts. Jayson Ness has followed up his outstanding freshman campaign (one in which he was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year) with an outstanding start this season. The Bloomington, Minn. native is a perfect 10-0 (including 4-0 in duals), including eight pins and a major decision. Manuel Rivera’s victory over Nick Gallick moved him to 11-0 on the season, and Dustin Schlatter’s 8-1 near-major decision Mitch Meuller improved his record to 8-0.
PRETTY GOOD AT THE PAV
Although Minnesota’s home winning streak was snapped Saturday, the team still has an impressive streak intact the Gophers have won their last 12 meets at the Sports Pavilion, dating back to 2005. Since 1998, Minnesota holds a 54-14-0 (.794) overall record at home. The Golden Gophers have called the Sports Pavilion, Williams Arena, Target Center, the Xcel Energy Center, Rochester, Minn. and Jackson, Minn., home during that span.
HUSKING NEBRASKA
Minnesota leads the all-time series over the Cornhuskers, 45-17. The Golden Gophers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings against Nebraska, including a 32-6 victory last year in Lincoln. Minnesota’s last loss to Nebraska also came in Lincoln, a 21-12 defeat on Jan. 4, 2005. Minnesota has outscored the Cornhuskers by an average margin of 15 points during those 11 meetings.
NESS VS. DONAHUE: ROUND 4
One of the most high-profile matches of Thursday’s meet will also most likely be one of the first, when No. 3 Jayson Ness takes on top-ranked and defending national champion Paul Donahue of Nebraska. Ness leads the series between the two 2-1, earning an 11-5 decision at the Kaufman-Brand Open 11/11/06 and an 8-6 dual meet win Feb. 11 of last season. However, it was Donahue that prevailed in the duo’s All-Star Classic match-up in November, using two third-period takedowns to emerge a 5-2 victor. Donahue upset Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma to win the 2007 national championship at 125 pounds.
Previous Ness-Donahue Matches:
11/6/06 Ness dec. Donahue 11-6 (@ Kaufman-Brand Open)
2/11/07 Ness dec. Donahue 8-6 (@ Lincoln, Neb.)
11/19/07 Donahue dec. Ness 5-2 (@ All-Star Classic in Eugene, Ore.)
HIS TIME TO SHINE
Thursday also marks Jayson Ness Community Day at the Sports Pavilion. All family, friends and members of the Bloomington community (Jayson's hometown) can receive a $4 admission to Thursday's meet.
AGAIN ON THE BTN
Sunday’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 match-up with Iowa State was televised live by the Big Ten Network and was a smashing success. The network recently released the rest of their wrestling television schedule for the 2007-08 season, with the Gophers’ Feb. 8 meet at Northwestern also scheduled to appear live on the BTN.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
Thursday night’s meet with Nebraska is the Gophers’ last home competition for over a month, as the Gophers don’t return to Minneapolis for a meet until Jan. 20 against South Dakota State. However, the team does get to take a “working vacation” this weekend when they travel to San Luis Obispo, Cal. for dual meets with Cal-Poly and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. The Gophers are 4-0 all-time against the Titans but have not met them since 1991, and Minnesota’s lone decision against Cal Poly came way back in 1977 (a 23-17 loss in Minneapolis).
THE LAST TIME: MINN. VS. NEB.
The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 32-6 win over No. 21 Nebraska on Feb. 21, 2007 in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers sent a statement early on that they were not going to go down without a fight and wrestled aggressively the entire day, but the Gophers responded and turned in a dominating performance, winning eight of 10 matches on the day.
Jayson Ness and Manuel Rivera both earned decisions over ranked opponents, while Mack Reiter got his first pin in dual meet action this season to lead the Gophers to victory. Gabriel Dretsch and Roger Kish contributed major decisions to help in the cause. The win extended Minnesota’s dual meet winning streak to 18 and improved its record to 18-1 overall heading into the final week of 2007 dual meet action.
SCHLATTER SENSATION
Top-ranked junior Dustin Schlatter has established himself as one of the most dominant wrestlers in the country in just a short time in a Golden Gopher uniform. He posted a 65-match winning streak, the second-longest streak in school history, before falling in the semifinals at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Schlatter has won 88 of 90 career matches for a .978 winning percentage, which currently ranks as the highest career winning percentage in school history.
One of the few freshman under Head Coach J Robinson not to redshirt, Schlatter put together one of the most remarkable rookie campaigns in school history in 2005-06 with a 42-1 overall record, with his only loss of the season coming against Mark DiSalvo of Central Michigan (11/26/05). He became the first freshman in school history to win an individual national title. This season, Schlatter is 8-0 (4-0 in duals) with two tech falls and two major decisions.
Players Mentioned
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