University of Minnesota Athletics
Cody Yohn: Having Fun and Winning
2/27/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 27, 2012
Cody Yohn recently was awarded the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor for his performance at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Yohn and the Gophers are gearing up for this weekend's Big Ten Championships and Cody sat down with GopherSports.com along with his brother Sonny to discuss their season and careers.
By Michael Levy, video by Phil Ford
GopherSports.com
Redshirt junior Cody Yohn has kicked it up a notch for the Minnesota wrestling team. The Alamosa, Colo., native has won four straight matches for the top-ranked Gophers, who recently won the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals title.
For his efforts, Yohn was awarded the final Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award Feb. 20. It was his first career honor and he hopes for many more down the road. Yohn scored key wins in both Minnesota's 16-15 win over Iowa in the semifinals and their 18-13 victory over then-top-ranked Oklahoma State for the championship. He picked up a 4-2 win overtime win against the Hawkeyes' Mike Evans, who actually pinned Yohn on Jan. 29. The 165-pounder went on to beat the Cowboys' Dallas Bailey 4-2 in the National Dual title meet, en route to the Gophers' championship.
Yohn says he is very proud and honored to earn Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, but says his whole team deserved the award.
"Being named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week is for sure a big accomplishment," said Yohn, who said he hopes to become an All-American this season. "The Big Ten alone is the toughest conference in the country, but it wasn't just me who won it, we all won it together. Dylan's (Ness) bonus point was a huge key factor in the win over Iowa."
When asked what he has done differently this season versus years past, he gave just one simple reason: Having fun.
"I've just had a lot of fun this season," Yohn said. "I come to the room and enjoy working out with my teammates. We changed a few things this season with our workouts and our coaches have done a great job. Overall I am having fun and I work on getting better every day."
His quest to become an All-American starts this Saturday when the Gophers square off with the conference's best at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Yohn is ranked 14th in the country at 165 and has a record of 17-7 this season. He has been seeded as the No. 7 seed in the 165-pound division this weekend.
Players Mentioned
