University of Minnesota Athletics
Wrestling Closes Regular Season with Penn State
2/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Season Finale
The Gophers put a cap on the 2010 regular season at home this weekend, with a Friday night tilt with Penn State. The Gophers and Nittany Lions will battle in the Sports Pavilion on Feb. 19 at 7:00 p.m. a potential for second place in the final Big Ten dual meet standings on the line. The Gophers get to end the regular season at home the for the third straight season, having won each, as well as four straight season ending dual meets.
The Records
Minnesota had its six-match winning streak snapped last weekend and currently sits at 11-5 on the season, and 6-1 in the Big Ten after their first conference loss. Penn State has won four straight since their last loss and enters the match 13-5-1 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten.
The Series
Minnesota and Penn State first met in 1985, and have since squared off 18 times, with their last meeting coming last season. The Gophers currently hold a 12-6 lead in the all-time series and have won seven straight. The Nittany Lions last beat the Gophers, 21-13 in the 1997-98 season.
Last Match-Up
Last season the Gophers and Nittany Lions did not meet in Big Ten action, but did face off at the National Duals on Jan. 10. The Gophers won the first three bouts and sprinted out to a 15-0 lead before Penn State countered with five straight wins through the heart of the match. After falling behind, a Minnesota win at 197 tied the match at 18-18 and a 5-0 decision at heavyweight gave the Gophers the 21-18 win.
Follow Along
If you're not at the Sports Pavilion on Friday Night, be sure to tune it to BigTenNetwork.com and catch the live web stream if the match. The stream can also be accessed on the Gopher Wrestling schedule page. On GopherSports.com there will also be live point-by-point stats of the match.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Gophers suffered their first Big Ten loss of the season, falling 28-9 to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa earned bonus points in six of their seven matches en route to the lopsided win. Jayson Ness, Dustin Schlatter and Sonny Yohn all won for the Gophers, with Ness winning over the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the country. The loss stopped a winning streak of six straight.
Next Up
The Gophers get the weekend off next week, their first break in a month, since before the start of the Big Ten season. When March arrives, so does tournament time, and The Gophers will head to the Big Ten Championships Mar. 6-7.
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.
Scouting Penn State
- Currently 13-5-1 on the season and 5-2 in the Big Ten
- Fourth place in the Big Ten, behind Minneosta, with both losses to unbeaten Iowa and Ohio State
- Won four straight after beginning Big Ten season 1-2
- Led by Head Coach Cael Sanderson who is in his first season at Penn State
- Big Ten wins are over Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan State
- Have been ranked all season, cracking the top-10 just this past week
- Cyler Sanderson is a two-time Big Ten wrestler of the week
- Finished 9th in the 2009 Big Ten dual meet standings, and 7th at the Big Ten Tournament
- Placed 17th at the 2009 NCAA Championships
- Sanderson was 44-10 previously at Iowa State, advancing all 30 of his wrestlers to the NCAA Championships
- Wrestlers ranked in the latest InterMat rankings:
125: #13 Brad Pataky
141: #20 Adam Lynch
149: #4 Frank Molinaro
157: #6 Cyler Sanderson
165: #7 Dan Vallimont
184: #10 David Erwin
HWT: #12 Cameron Wade
