University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Championships
Gophers Wrap Up Season at NCAAs
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Minnesota wrapped up the 2015-16 season on Saturday afternoon following the penultimate session of the NCAA Championships. The team's two All-Americans, Brett Pfarr and Michael Kroells, were the last two Gophers on the mat, each competing in the tournament's medal rounds. Pfarr, a first-time All-American at 197 pounds, finished third, while Kroells, a two-time All-American heavyweight, finished seventh. Minnesota took 17th place in the team race with 26 points.
"We brought five guys to the tournament and we had two All-Americans. You have to be grateful you got those two All-Americans," said head coach J Robinson. "But then you have to reflect on where we are and what we need to do. Obviously, we have a long way to go. We have to go back and we're going to have to change some things. It'll be an interesting spring."
Pfarr wrestled twice in Saturday's midday session, beginning with a consolation semifinal bout against Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), a match in which Pfarr built an early lead on a pair of first-period takedowns and never looked back, earning a 13-4 major decision, his third major of the tournament and team-best 18th on the season.
In the third-place match, Pfarr took on Nathan Burak (Iowa) for the third time this year, having split the first two matches with his fellow top-five wrestler. Much like their match at the Big Ten tournament, Saturday's contest was a grind, with neither taking down the other. The difference was Pfarr's ability to ride Burak in the second period, building up enough of an advantage to score the decisive point on riding time and take the match, 2-1. The win was Pfarr's 40th of the year, the most for any Gopher since Jayson Ness posted 40 in the 2006-07 season.
In his lone match of the day, Kroells had the opportunity to avenge a second-round loss to Max Wessell (Lehigh) and level their season series at two wins a piece. Wessell picked up the match's first takedown early in the opening frame, but would not score on Kroells again. The Gopher heavyweight hopped in front of Wessell, 3-2, with a takedown of his own late in the period and rode out Wessell in the second on his way to a 5-2 victory. Kroells seventh-place showing is a one-spot improvement from his first All-American finish last season. The win gave Kroells 35 for the season. Three Gophers -- Pfarr, Kroells and Tommy Thorn -- all won 35 or more matches this winter, the most for Minnesota since four wrestlers reached the mark in 2006-07.
Full match-by-match results are listed below.
The final whistle of Kroells' match not only signified the end of that contest, it marked the end of the 107th season of Golden Gopher Wrestling. Minnesota will bring back virtually its entire roster next season, along with another infusion of young talent, as it navigates the road to next year's NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
Though the team will not compete again until November, GopherSports.com will continue to be your home for Gopher Wrestling news throughout the offseason, including updates about Gopher alums competing internationally, profiles of returning wrestlers and more. In addition to keeping up with the program on the website throughout the spring and summer, be sure follow Gopher Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Match-by-Match Results
**Note: Numbers next to opponents' names represent Mar. 8 InterMat rankings, not tournament seeds
197 - Brett Pfarr
Cons Semis: Brett Pfarr maj dec No. 6 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 13-4
3rd Place: Brett Pfarr dec No. 3 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 2-1
285 - Michael Kroells
7th Place: Michael Kroells dec No. 10 Max Wessell, 5-2
