University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Begin Postseason with B1G Championships
3/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 6, 2015
Minnesota will look to capture its 13th conference title overall, and seventh in the past 17 years, when it competes in the 2015 Big Ten Championships this weekend at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Gophers arrive on the campus of Ohio State with 17 top-three finishes in the last 18 conference tournaments. During that stretch, Minnesota has claimed six Big Ten titles (`99, '01, '02, '03, '06, '07), giving the Gophers more conference crowns since 1999 (six) than any other team in the league, edging out both Iowa (five) and Penn State (four).
Judging the quality and depth of the Big Ten by the number of NCAA automatic qualification spots the conference has been awarded, the Big Ten Championships promises to be the premier conference tournament across collegiate wrestling. Of the 260 automatic berths the NCAA will give conference tournament competitors, more than one-third (89) will invite Big Ten wrestlers to nationals.
The deepest weight class for this weekend's tournament appears to be 133. Of the 14 Big Ten wrestlers who will compete this weekend, 12 will earn automatic entry into the NCAA Championships. That bracket will feature 11 of the top 19 wrestlers in the nation - including No. 1 Chris Dardanes - according to the InterMat rankings. At 174 and 184, the Big Ten will automatically qualify 10 wrestlers. The top of 174 should provide plenty of intrigue, with the last installment of the Logan Storley, Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), Matt Brown (Penn State) and Mike Evans (Iowa) round-robin. That foursome represents the top four finishers from last year's conference tournament, making 174 the only weight to return its top four from last season.
Eight of the 10 Gophers wrestling this weekend were seeded when the conference shared its preliminary seeding earlier this week. Chris Dardanes is the Gophers lone top seed, earning the top spot in the rugged 133 bracket with a 20-0 season that includes a team-high nine wins over ranked opponents. A pair of Gophers - Nick Dardanes at 141 and Dylan Ness at 157 - will be seeded second at their respective weights. Dardanes comes into the event with wins this season over the four wrestlers seeded directly below him and a one-point loss to the top seed, Logan Stieber, the closest match Stieber has wrestled this season. Ness recently suffered the first loss of his season and brings a 26-1 record, one which includes a team-high 12 pins, into this weekend's tournament. Other seeded Gophers are: Scott Schiller (third seed at 197), Logan Storley (fourth seed at 174), Brett Pfarr (fourth seed at 184), Michael Kroells (sixth seed at 285) and Nick Wanzek (eighth seed at 165).
Last season, Minnesota finished third at Big Tens. Nine Gophers reached the semifinals at their respective weights. Tony Nelson captured the lone title for the Maroon and Gold by winning his third consecutive conference championship at heavyweight. Four other Gophers - Chris Dardanes (141), Nick Dardanes (149), Danny Zilverberg (165) and Schiller (197) - placed third.
Minnesota has had at least one individual champion in four of the past five season, crowning multiple champions in 2010, 2011 and 2013. The team record for individual champions in a single Big Ten tournament is five, a mark set by the 2002 team that went on to win Minnesota's second consecutive national title. Over the past 28 seasons under Head Coach J Robinson, the Gophers have claimed 46 individual Big Ten titles.
One active Gopher has a Big Ten title on his resume. That accomplishment belongs to Ness, who won the 2013 title at 149 before moving up to 157 the following season. The four seniors joining Ness in their final Big Ten Championships appearance this weekend - both Dardanes, Schiller and Storley - have top-three finishes in their careers, with Storley and Schiller each having finished second in their tournament debuts. That first-time success shows the five underclassman Gophers competing in the event for the first time that younger wrestling have opportunities to place well in the event.
The tournament begins on Saturday at 9 a.m. Central and concludes with championship matches on Sunday evening. Fans will be able to watch live video for all of the tournament's sessions. Saturday's action, as well as Session 3 and 4 matches on Sunday afternoon, will be streamed live on BTN Plus. Championship matches on Sunday evening will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and can be streamed online at BTN2Go. A full listing of how to watch every mat of the championships can be found here. As always, fans can find live updates throughout the event by following Gopher Wrestling on Twitter, with a full recap of that day's action available on both Saturday and Sunday night right here on GopherSports.com.
Players Mentioned
