University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Announce 2010-11 Captains
9/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
"We have three great leaders on our team this season that represent the aggressive and dominating style and attitude our team wants to bring to the mat this year," Minnesota head coach J Robinson said. "It's going to be a fun year with these three leading our team."
Thorn returns to Minnesota as a senior after earning his first All-America honor in 2009-2010. The St. Michael, Minn. native earned a Big Ten championship as a junior at 141 lbs. before finishing seventh at the NCAA championships. Thorn finished off his junior campaign by scoring a comeback pin over Virginia Tech's Christopher Diaz to push his career record to 72-39 with 23 pins and 15 major decisions. Excelling off the mat as much as on it, the business marketing major also earned Academic All-Big Ten and NWCA All-Academic Team honors in 2009-2010.
Sanders, a junior, is a two-time All-American at 125 lbs, having placed fifth at nationals as a sophomore and sixth as a redshirt freshman. The Wabasha, Minn. native recovered from a first round loss at the NCAA tournament last year to record a career-best fifth-place finish, earning a 6-2 win over Purdue's Cashe Quiroga in his final match. Sanders holds a 68-17 overall record with 12 career pins.
Yohn enters his junior year fresh off his first appearance at the NCAA tournament, competing at 197 lbs. The Alamos, Colo. native wrestled to an eighth-place finish at nationals earning All-America honors after earning runner-up honors at the 2010 Big Ten Championships. Yohn holds a 38-28 career record, going 27-13 in his sophomore season. Yohn's younger brother, Cody, will be a redshirt sophomore for the Gophers this season and was a national qualifier in 2009-10.
Minnesota opens the 2010-11 season on Nov. 13 at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D.
