University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 5 Gophers Open Dual Season at Home
11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Cal State Bakersfield (0-0) at No. 5 Minnesota (0-0)
Home Opener
After beginning the 2009-10 campaign with a pair of open meets on the road, the Gophers get to open the dual season at home. Following the Thanksgiving Holiday, Minnesota will host Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 28 in Williams Arena at 7:00 p.m.
The Records
The Gophers will be making their first appearance in a dual meet this season, bringing their 0-0 record into the meet. Likewise Cal State Bakersfield is 0-0 in the year, and this will be the first competition of the season for the Roadrunners.
The Series
The Gophers and Roadrunners have met eight times previously, with the first coming in 1987. All eight meetings happened over the next decade, as the last match-up came in 1997. Minnesota and Cal State Bakersfield have not met since.
Last Match-Up
When the Gophers and Roadrunners last met in the 1997-98 season, they did so out in California. Minnesota came away with the 39-10 victory on the day.
Follow Along
For the fans that cannot make it to Williams Arena on Saturday night, you can still follow along with all the action from home. The dual with Cal State Bakersfield will be broadcast live in the Gold Zone. The Gold Zone can be found on GopherSports.com, just click on Multimedia.
Last Time Out
Last weekend the Gophers were in Omaha, Neb. at the Kaufman-Brand Open. The biggest single day tournament in the country every year, 500 wrestlers represented 35 schools from all divisions. Minnesota was led by Sonny Yohn who won the Elite Division 184-pound championship. Ben Berhow and Scott Glasser each placed third in the Elite Division at Heavyweight and 174 respectively.
Next Up
Next weekend, the Gophers hit the road as they continue dual meet action. On Friday, December 4, Minnesota travels to Stillwater, Okla. to take on No. 3 Oklahoma State. The Gophers and Cowboys are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Scouting Cal State Bakersfield
- First meet of the season
- Led by 26th year head coach T.J. Kerr who has a 232-135-4 record at CSUB
- Posted a 10-5 record in 2008-09 to place third in the Pac-10 conference
- Placed 36th in 2009 at the NCAA Tourney
- Return eight starters from 2008-09 and three NCAA Tournament qualifiers
- Elijah Nacita, Riley Orozco, Mitch Monteiro were 2009 NCAA Tournament qualifiers
- Nacita led the team with 33 wins in 2008-09, while Monteiro and Orozco won 29 and 27 matches respectively
- Return four wrestlers who won 20+ matches in 2008-09
- Monteiro is ranked No. 4 at heavyweight and Orozco is ranked No. 19 at 197
- Monteiro wrestled at the NWCA All-Star Classic, beating Iowa State's David Zabrinski
Donate to the Troops v. Bakersfield
Wrestling fans, you can help head coach J Robinson and Minnesota Wrestling help out the troops in Iraq. Certain daily-use items are in low supply for the soldiers, and they often go without. Such items include, shampoo, body wash, or lotion. At this weekend's dual meet against Cal State Bakersfield, all fans of Gopher Wrestling are asked to bring an item to donate, or a cash donation that will go towards purchasing and shipping items. The meet with Cal State Bakersfield will also be Dollar Night, meaning all admission is only $1.00.
Get Score Updates on Your Phone
Fans can get scoring updates from all of Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter page @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive the text updates. If you are not already on Twitter, you will need to create an account.
Twitter
Follow the Golden Gophers on Twitter. Just search @GopherWrestling on Twitter to follow all the news updates.
