University of Minnesota Athletics
Frazee's Favorite Son: Gabe Dretsch
2/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
“Home of the World’s Largest Turkey” reads a billboard just outside the town of Frazee, Minnesota. But if you think this 20-foot tall replica your Thanksgiving dinner (which pays homage to the area’s longstanding ties with the turkey industry) is this city’s greatest claim to fame, you’d better think again.
Frazee might be a little cold (it’s an hour east of Fargo and just south of Detroit Lakes) and a little small (only about 1,300 current residents), but it is also one of the greatest wrestling hotbeds in the state of Minnesota. The Hornets have won three state titles, crowned 18 individual state champions and have reached the state tournament 15 times since 1987.
Frazee is to wrestling what Warroad (Minn.) is to hockey a tiny town that consistently produces championship-caliber athletes.
No one is a bigger part of that tradition than Minnesota senior Gabe Dretsch. The 2003 Frazee-Vergas graduate led his team to two state titles and was a Minnesota state champ as a senior, forever cementing his place as one of the town’s favorite sons. Making the four-hour trek south to wrestle for legendary head coach J Robinson and his Golden Gophers might have seemed like a natural transition for the three-time All-State selection, but some things required an adjustment period.
“It took a while to get used to driving down here in the Cities,” says a smiling Dretsch about his initial experiences at the University of Minnesota. “We hardly have a stop light in Frazee.”
On the wrestling mat, however, Dretsch has looked more than comfortable during his five-year career at Minnesota. The former two-time high school All-American has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments as a four-year starter for the Gophers. He has qualified three times for the NCAA championships, won over 100 collegiate matches (his 100th came earlier this month at Michigan State) and was a key contributor on last season’s national championship squad.
But despite annually ranking amongst the nation’s elite (he enters this weekend 11th in the nation at 174 pounds and has rarely been unranked the last three seasons), Dretsch is sometimes the forgotten man on a program that has crowned 16 All-Americans and four individual national champions since he arrived on campus.
“When Gabe came in with that great recruiting class (of 2003), he was kind of lost in the shuffle, but he’s really proved his worth to the team since then,” said assistant coach Joe Russell. “Being a four-year starter and qualifying for nationals three times he’s really held down that 174-pound weight class well during that time. In this type of program, to be a four-year starter is really something.”
“Gabe is somebody that brings a lot to the program,” Russell added. “He’s an important part of this team.”
“Important” is probably even an understatement in 2007-08. If the Golden Gophers who have battled injuries and inconsistency so far this season hope to repeat as national champions, it is going to take monumental efforts on the parts of wrestlers like Dretsch and Manuel Rivera, two seniors that are multiple NCAA qualifiers but have yet to achieve All-American status.
This season, Dretsch has proven that he has the ability to break into that upper echelon. He has beaten two top-ten wrestlers so far (third-ranked Brandon Sinnot of Central Michigan and No. 7 Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State) and the level of competition he’s gone against is likely second to none in the entire nation. Dretsch has been matched up with ranked wrestlers in a whopping 12 times since late December, including eight of his last nine opponents. Six of them have been ranked in the top-ten nationally.
“It’s been good for me, because I’ve been wrestling a lot of the guys I’ll be seeing in the Big Ten and national tournament,” said Dretsch about his grueling schedule of late. “I don’t need breaks right now. I want as much competition as I can get going into the national tournament, to see where I’m at see where I need to improve.”
A battle-hardened Dretsch can only mean good things for the Golden Gophers come March, where they will seek to win their second pair of back-to-back national championships this millennium. But even as he concentrates on the task of winning another national title for Minnesota, as a senior, Dretsch can’t help but contemplate the possibilities that exist after college.
A student in the Fisheries and Wildlife department at the U’ concentrating in wildlife studies, Dretsch hopes to someday work as a wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Deer hunting is one of his main passions, and he envisions himself eventually back “up North” to pursue both a career and big bucks (the antlered version).
“Now that I’m used to (Minneapolis), I don’t mind it as much,” said Dretsch. “I don’t think I want to live here forever though.”
When Minnesota takes on Wisconsin this Sunday it will also be “Gabe Dretsch/Frazee Community Day” at Williams Arena. Several bus loads of Frazee residents (including many of Dretsch’s family and friends) are expected to make the journey to watch their native son compete in one of his final collegiate dual meets.
“It’s always exciting,” Dretsch said about the possibility of wrestling in front of his hometown fans. “I’ve been wrestling in front of those people ever since I was four years old. Frazee has a great wrestling tradition and is a great community for wrestling altogether. It’s always great to have them come and support me."
Story by Ryan Maus, Athletic Communications Intern
Frazee might be a little cold (it’s an hour east of Fargo and just south of Detroit Lakes) and a little small (only about 1,300 current residents), but it is also one of the greatest wrestling hotbeds in the state of Minnesota. The Hornets have won three state titles, crowned 18 individual state champions and have reached the state tournament 15 times since 1987.
Frazee is to wrestling what Warroad (Minn.) is to hockey a tiny town that consistently produces championship-caliber athletes.
No one is a bigger part of that tradition than Minnesota senior Gabe Dretsch. The 2003 Frazee-Vergas graduate led his team to two state titles and was a Minnesota state champ as a senior, forever cementing his place as one of the town’s favorite sons. Making the four-hour trek south to wrestle for legendary head coach J Robinson and his Golden Gophers might have seemed like a natural transition for the three-time All-State selection, but some things required an adjustment period.
“It took a while to get used to driving down here in the Cities,” says a smiling Dretsch about his initial experiences at the University of Minnesota. “We hardly have a stop light in Frazee.”
On the wrestling mat, however, Dretsch has looked more than comfortable during his five-year career at Minnesota. The former two-time high school All-American has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments as a four-year starter for the Gophers. He has qualified three times for the NCAA championships, won over 100 collegiate matches (his 100th came earlier this month at Michigan State) and was a key contributor on last season’s national championship squad.
But despite annually ranking amongst the nation’s elite (he enters this weekend 11th in the nation at 174 pounds and has rarely been unranked the last three seasons), Dretsch is sometimes the forgotten man on a program that has crowned 16 All-Americans and four individual national champions since he arrived on campus.
“When Gabe came in with that great recruiting class (of 2003), he was kind of lost in the shuffle, but he’s really proved his worth to the team since then,” said assistant coach Joe Russell. “Being a four-year starter and qualifying for nationals three times he’s really held down that 174-pound weight class well during that time. In this type of program, to be a four-year starter is really something.”
“Gabe is somebody that brings a lot to the program,” Russell added. “He’s an important part of this team.”
“Important” is probably even an understatement in 2007-08. If the Golden Gophers who have battled injuries and inconsistency so far this season hope to repeat as national champions, it is going to take monumental efforts on the parts of wrestlers like Dretsch and Manuel Rivera, two seniors that are multiple NCAA qualifiers but have yet to achieve All-American status.
This season, Dretsch has proven that he has the ability to break into that upper echelon. He has beaten two top-ten wrestlers so far (third-ranked Brandon Sinnot of Central Michigan and No. 7 Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State) and the level of competition he’s gone against is likely second to none in the entire nation. Dretsch has been matched up with ranked wrestlers in a whopping 12 times since late December, including eight of his last nine opponents. Six of them have been ranked in the top-ten nationally.
“It’s been good for me, because I’ve been wrestling a lot of the guys I’ll be seeing in the Big Ten and national tournament,” said Dretsch about his grueling schedule of late. “I don’t need breaks right now. I want as much competition as I can get going into the national tournament, to see where I’m at see where I need to improve.”
A battle-hardened Dretsch can only mean good things for the Golden Gophers come March, where they will seek to win their second pair of back-to-back national championships this millennium. But even as he concentrates on the task of winning another national title for Minnesota, as a senior, Dretsch can’t help but contemplate the possibilities that exist after college.
A student in the Fisheries and Wildlife department at the U’ concentrating in wildlife studies, Dretsch hopes to someday work as a wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Deer hunting is one of his main passions, and he envisions himself eventually back “up North” to pursue both a career and big bucks (the antlered version).
“Now that I’m used to (Minneapolis), I don’t mind it as much,” said Dretsch. “I don’t think I want to live here forever though.”
When Minnesota takes on Wisconsin this Sunday it will also be “Gabe Dretsch/Frazee Community Day” at Williams Arena. Several bus loads of Frazee residents (including many of Dretsch’s family and friends) are expected to make the journey to watch their native son compete in one of his final collegiate dual meets.
“It’s always exciting,” Dretsch said about the possibility of wrestling in front of his hometown fans. “I’ve been wrestling in front of those people ever since I was four years old. Frazee has a great wrestling tradition and is a great community for wrestling altogether. It’s always great to have them come and support me."
Story by Ryan Maus, Athletic Communications Intern
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