University of Minnesota Athletics
2015-16 Gopher Wrestling: By The Numbers
3/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Gopher Wrestling completed its 107th season of competition at last weekend's NCAA Championships. With the season now finished and all the statistics from the winter now final, GopherSports.com looked back at the previous campaign by the numbers.
2.2 Across the five tournaments in which he wrestled this season, Brett Pfarr's average finishing position was 2.2, the best for any Gopher wrestler. Pfarr placed in the top three in each of those five tournaments.
3 For the first time since 2006-07, Minnesota had three wrestlers win 35 or more matches in the same season: Brett Pfarr, Tommy Thorn and Michael Kroells.
3 Ethan Lizak and Fredy Stroker tied for the team lead in tournament championships among Minnesota's redshirts with three each. Lizak won 125-pound titles at the Cyclone, UNI and Duhawk Opens, while Stroker won 157-pound titles at Worthington, Duhawk and Don Park Opens.
4.2 In his 10 dual match victories, Brandon Kingsley scored an average of 4.2 team points per win, the highest total on this year's roster.
5 The Gophers went 8-1 in home duals this season, the fifth straight season in which the team has lost just one home dual or fewer.
7 Michael Kroells wrestled a team-high seven matches that went to either sudden victory overtime or tiebreakers. That number is the same as his total from last year, which tied for the team-high in 2014-15 (with Logan Storley).
7 Sam Brancale led the Gophers with seven pins this season (a number matched by redshirting wrestlers Ethan Lizak and Rylee Streifel).
9 Across seven different weights, nine Gophers made their career dual debuts this season.
11 With its 10-8 finish this year, Minnesota posted a winning record for the 11th consecutive season, and the 23rd time in the past 24 years.
15 Brett Pfarr led the Gophers with 15 wins over ranked opponents this season, posting an impressive .789 marked against ranked competition (15-4).
18 Brett Pfarr posted a team-high 18 major decisions this year. Looking back through the Minnesota record books, Pfarr's 18 majors are the most for a Gopher grappler in more than 20 years.
18 The Gophers had 18 different wrestlers compete in at least one dual match this season.
18 Minnesota wrestled 18 duals this season, the most for the team since 2012-13.
24 With both Brett Pfarr and Michael Kroells finishing the season as All-Americans, the Gophers have now had multiple All-Americans in each of the past 24 years.
25 Fredy Stroker's 25 wins were the most by any Gopher redshirt this season.
31 Including this season, Minnesota has produced at least one All-American at the NCAA Championships for 31 consecutive seasons.
40 Brett Pfarr led the Gophers with 40 wins this season, becoming just the tenth Gopher all-time to win 40 or more matches in a season and the first since Jayson Ness ('06-07) to reach the 40-win mark.
47 Tommy Thorn wrestled a team-high 47 matches this season. Including the 37 he wrestled last season during his redshirt year, Thorn has now competed in 84 bouts in the past two years.
51 By becoming a two-time All-American this season, Michael Kroells is the 51st Gopher to earn multiple All-America honors during his Minnesota career.
61 True and redshirt freshman wrestled in 61 dual matches for the Gophers this season, nearly twice the total from last year (34).
68 Brett Pfarr's plus-68 team point scoring differential in dual meets led the team.
93 Brett Pfarr became the 93rd individual wrestler to earn All-America honors in a Minnesota singlet with his third-place performance at the NCAA Championships.
440 After 30 years at the helm of the Minnesota program, head coach J Robinson has 440 dual wins, the most of any active, Division I head coach.
Throughout the offseason, GopherSports.com is your home for Gopher Wrestling news, 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.
Players Mentioned
