University of Minnesota Athletics
Wrestlers Finish Second at Southern Scuffle
12/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
The Minnesota wrestling team had two individuals crowned champion as the team notched a second place finish at the Southern Scuffle today (Dec. 30).
The Golden Gophers claimed second place with 151.5 points, being champion Cornell who notched 164 points for the win. Big Ten rival Indiana came in third with 131.5, while Edinboro placed fourth with 97.5 points and Virginia rounded out the top-five with 96.5 points. Minnesota entered the day with a narrow one-point lead over Cornell, but the Big Red was able to crown three champions on the day, compared to two for Minnesota.
Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) won his second career Southern Scuffle title, but his first at 165 with a pair of decisions. In his first match of the day, Schlatter topped 11th ranked Chris Brown of Old Dominion 3-2 to advance to the championship match. In the final, he posted a 5-1 win over 19th ranked Rick Schmelyun Bloomsburg. Schelyun beat the top-ranked 165-pounder in the semifinals, before falling to Schlatter in the championship.
Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) also claimed his second Southern Scuffle crown, and like Schlatter it was his first at a new weight class, winning the 133-pound championship. After a pair of falls in day one, Ness picked right up where he left off, with a fall in his first match, pinning John Trumbetti of Lock Haven in 2:43. In the Championship match Ness beat 11th ranked Dan Mitchell of Kent State by a 7-3 decision for the title, in just his second full match of the season.
Earning runner-up honors for the Gophers was Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) at 141. Thorn notched 12-4 and 13-0 major decision wins to earn a berth in the championship match. There he met up with No. 5 ranked Kyle Drake of Cornell, and the No. 6 ranked Thorn fell for just the second time all season by the 5-4 decision.
At 125, Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) was knocked out in the semifinals by second-ranked and eventual champion Angel Escobedo. Sanders, however, battled back to earn third place honors, beating No. 7 Eric Morril of Edinboro first, before a 16-6 win over Frank Lomas of Cornell in the third place match.
Also taking third place was Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) at 174 who won five matches on the day to do so. After a 6-1 win in his first match, Glasser beat 19th ranked Justin Zeerip of Michigan 3-1 in his second match. To earn a berth in the third place match, Glasser scored a 6-5 decision over No. 10 Patrovich of Hofstra and in his final match, he notched a fall at 2:36 over Trevor Perry to claim third place honors.
Also placing at the meet were Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) who took sixth at 197, and David Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.) who placed eighth at 149.
The Gophers resume dual meet action at home on Jan. 3 when they welcome No. 2 Iowa State to the Sports Pavilion. It will be Youth Day as two of the nation's best squared off at 2:00 p.m. The following weekend, it's off the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Jan. 9 and 10.
Players Mentioned
