University of Minnesota Athletics
35 Head To Daktronics For First Action of Season
11/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
| Minnesota at Daktronics Open (Brookings, S.D.) | |
| Date/Time | Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. start |
| Location | Frost Arena |
| Live Video | FloWrestling |
| Live Brackets | FloWrestling |
| Social Media | @GopherWrestling | Facebook | Instagram |
Gophers Preseason Prospectus 
The Daktronics are again the location of the opening of the University of Minnesota wrestling season in Brookings, S.D. on Sunday. Minnesota will send a total of 35 wrestlers to the event, last year the Gophers sent 28.
The Gophers placed 18 last season, and had one champion along with three runner-up finishers. Ethan Lizak (125) was the lone Gopher to win his bracket while Mitch McKee (133) and Jake Short (157) are the other returners who finished second at the event.
Along with those top finishes, Minnesota had two others who finished in the top-three. Skyler Petry (125) competed well in the same weight as Lizak, and was able to gather six victories on high way to the third place finish.
Senior Nick Wanzek was also able to finish in third place with a 4-1 record at last year's Daktronics, highlighted by his fall of Steven Abbott of Northern State at 3:30.
Seven newcomers will be representing the Gophers for the first time in their collegiate careers. Jakob Bergeland, Steve Bleise, Alex Crowe, Brent Jones, Bailee O'Reilly, Tyler Waterson and Owen Webster all will participate for the first time as a part of the Gopher wrestling program.
Matches are set to begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. Fans can follow live statistics for all tournament matches at FloWrestling.com. For updates throughout the day about how Gopher wrestlers are faring, follow the Gophers on Twitter (@GopherWrestling). A recap of the action will be found on GopherSports.com following the tournament's finish.
As we begin another season of Gopher Wrestling, be sure to follow the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates on the team both on and off the mat.
