University of Minnesota Athletics

Gophers Color Up in Vegas

4/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

April 27, 2018

Las Vegas, Nev. - Twenty-one wrestlers took the mats in Las Vegas on Friday, with four wrestlers between Freestyle and Greco-Roman making the finals.

Of the 21 wrestlers, nine of them have already qualified for the 2018 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament that will be held in May.

Hayden Zillmer ran through his competition at 92-kilograms to earn a final appearance against Olympic medalist J'den Cox. Zillmer fell behind early in his semifinal match, but scored 13 unanswered points including a pair of four-point exposures to earn the finals birth.


Current Volunteer Assistant Coach Zach Sanders had a spectacular showing in Freestyle at 57-kilograms on Friday. Sanders cruised through his first three matches, outscoring his opponents 24-1, including a 4-1 win over 2017 NCAA Champion Darian Cruz of Lehigh. Sanders would run into Anthony Ramos, the No. 1 seed, and despite scoring first, fell 8-4.
In Greco-Roman, Minnesota Wrestling alumnus Pat Smith made yet another U.S. Open finals appearance by making quick work of his four opponents. Smith fell to RaVaughn Perkins in the final, and will now focus on the May 18th.

Two other Minnesota Greco-Roman wrestlers made the finals. Joe Rau along with Barrett Stanghill finished with 3-1 records along with their birth to the World Team Trials next month. Rau dominated through his three matches, outscoring his opponents 20-0 while Stanghill outscored his opponents 26-3.

In his first run at the senior level, 17 year-old Gable Steveson wasted no time proving that he belonged on the senior level. He earned two tech falls to reach the quarterfinals against Michigan's Adam Coon. Although Steveson lost in the highly anticipated match against Coon, he impressed many with his offense throughout the tournament. Steveson outscored his opponents 35-0 in his three wins, and will wrestle tomorrow to try and clinch his ticket to the Team Trials next month on the senior level.
Another incoming Minnesota wrestler Brayton Lee was performing well on the junior level. Lee, wrestling at 70-kilograms, finished the day 3-1 including a pair of tech falls. Lee still has an opportunity to make the Team Trials next month, but will likely have to win two matches tomorrow to cement his place.

Other big days for the Gophers came from some familiar names. Former NCAA Champion Jayson Ness would be ousted by Jaydin Eierman of Missouri, but Jayson would rattle off three more wins to reach the consolation round of four in the 65-kilogram Freestyle bracket.

Jayson's brother Dylan, a former NCAA Finalist himself, had a similar path in the tournament. Ness was defeated by Alec Pantaleo of Michigan in the quarterfinals, but bounced by later on in the day to pick up a big 14-4 tech fall to reach the consolation round of four.

Tony Nelson came out and represented Minnesota well once again in the 125-kilogram bracket. Nelson, a two-time NCAA Champion, reached the consolation round of four with a 3-1 record, which included a 25-3 score advantage in his three wins.

Some other notable results included Skyler Petry at 57-kilograms. Petry would take down No. 3 seed Frank Perrelli in his first match of the tournament, 9-8. Although Petry fell in his next match, he continued to press forward and will wrestle in the consolation round of four tomorrow for the right to face his coach Zach Sanders in the consolation semifinals.

Current Gopher Carson Broslma is also still in the running for a 2018 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament qualifier in the 74-kilogram bracket with his 2-1 record on day one in Freestyle.

Daniel DeShazer, Steve Bleise and Rylee Streifel all were eliminated during the day in their respective weight classes on the senior level of Freestyle.

On the junior level, Patrick McKee along with Dylan Anderson both were eliminated on the first day. McKee, an incoming freshman next season, wrestled at 57-kilograms during the tournament and had some crazy scoring matches including a 13-6 win, 19-16 loss and a 15-14 win. Dylan Anderson also wrestled in the junior division, finishing 1-2 on the day.

With more wrestling to come tomorrow, make sure to follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any action.

Match-by-Match Results:

Senior Freestyle:

57kg

Zach Sanders (3-1, Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Zach Sanders tech Blake Huffman (Warhawk WC), 10-0
Round of 16: Zach Sanders tech James Hicks (Army), 10-0
Quarters: Zach Sanders over Darian Cruz (Lehigh), 4-1
Semis: Anthony Ramos (Sunkist Kids WC) over Zach Sanders, 8-4
Cons Semis: Zach Sanders vs

Skyler Petry (2-1)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Skyler Petry over Frank Perrelli (TMWC), 9-8
Quarters: David Terao (DCAC) over Skyler Petry, 12-8
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Skyler Petry over Austin Assad (Michigan RTC), 10-8
Cons Rnd of 4: Skyler Petry vs Brent Fleetwood (Bison WC)

Daniel DeShazer (1-2)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Daniel DeShazer over Edward Klimara (TMWC), 8-2
Quarters: Dalton Fix (TMWC) over Daniel DeShazer, 4-0
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Brent Fleetwood (Bison WC) over Daniel DeShazer, 1-1

65kg:

Jayson Ness (4-1)
Round of 32: Jayson Ness tech Noah Blakley-Beanes (Roadrunner WC), 10-0
Round of 16: Jaydin Eierman (Missouri Wrestion RTC) over Jayson Ness, 7-4
Cons Rnd of 16 (2): Jayson Ness tech James Eggemeyer (Alaska), 10-0
Cons Rnd of 8 (1): Jayson Ness tech Logan Smith (Mat Savvy WC), 10-0
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Jayson Ness over Anthony Abidin (NYAC), 9-8
Cons Rnd of 4: Jayson Ness vs Robbie Mathers (Sunkist Kids WC)

70kg

Dylan Ness (3-1)
Round of 32: Dylan Ness tech Matt Collum (xTreme Training), 14-4
Round of 16: Dylan Ness tech Tim Edmonson (Western Colorado Wrestling), 10-0
Quarters: Alec Pantaleo (MRTC) tech Dylan Ness, 11-1
Cons Rnd of 8 (1): Dylan Ness tech Matthew Kolodzik (NJRTC), 14-4
Cons Rnd of 4: Dylan Ness vs Griffin Parriott (Boilermaker RTC)

Steve Bleise (3-2)
Round of 32: Hunter Stieber (TMWC) over Steve Bleise, 6-6
Cons Rnd of 16: Steve Bleise tech Jon Errico (Pennsylvania RTC), 12-2
Cons Rnd of 16 (2): Steve Bleise tech Tim Edmonson (Western Colorado WC), 13-2
Cons Rnd of 8 (1): Steve Bleise over Mike Depalma (TMWC) by pin (2:19)
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) tech Steve Bleise, 10-0

74kg:

Carson Brolsma (2-1)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Carson Brolsma tech Maximilian Welsh (Eastside WC), 12-1
Quarters: Jake Sueflohn (Boilermaker RTC) over Carson Brolsma, 12-2
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Carson Brolsma over Colton Schmitz (Wayland Baptist University), 10-6
Cons Rnd of 4: Carson Brolsma vs Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh WC)

92kg:

Hayden Zillmer (3-1, Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Hayden Zillmer tech Kadeem Samuels (NYAC), 10-0
Quarters: Hayden Zillmer tech Nikko Reyes (Valley RTC), 10-0
Semis: Hayden Zillmer tech Enock Francoic (NYAC), 13-2
Finals: Hayden Zillmer vs J'den Cox (TMWC)

125kg:

Rylee Streifel (1-2)
Round of 32: Tanner Hall (Arizona State University) over Rylee Streifel, 10-1
Cons Rnd of 16 (1): Rylee Streifel over Daniel Reyes (Z fighters), 4-2
Cons Rnd of 16 (2): Jonathan Gingrich (NYAC) tech Rylee Streifel, 11-1

Tony Nelson (3-1)
Round of 32: Tony Nelson tech Jordan Karst (Las Vegas WC), 10-0
Round of 16: Tony Nelson tech Jarrod Snyder (Roadrunner WC), 10-0
Quarters: Jacob Varner (Nittany Lion WC) over Tony Nelson, 5-1
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Tony Nelson over Jonathan Gingrich (NYAC), 5-3
Cons Rnd of 4: Tony Nelson vs Shawn Streck (Boilermaker RTC)

Gable Steveson (3-1)
Round of 32: Gable Steveson tech Dominic Balmer (Roadrunner WC), 10-0
Round of 16: Gable Steveson tech Shawn Streck (Boilermaker RTC), 14-0
Quartrs: Adam Coon (NYAC) tech Gable Steveson, 11-0
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Gable Steveson tech Zachery Roseberry (Navy-Marine Corsp RTC), 11-0
Cons Rnd of 4: Gable Steveson vs Michael Kosoy (TMWC)

Juniors:

57kg:

Patrick McKee (2-2)
Round of 64: Bye
Round of 32: Patrick McKee over Opponent One, 13-6
Round of 16: Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) over Patrick McKee, 19-16
Cons Rnd of 16 (2): Patrick McKee over Justin Portillo (Viking WC), 15-14
Cons Rnd of 8 (1): Opponent Two tech Patrick McKee, 19-8

70kg:

Brayton Lee (3-1)
Round of 64: Brayton Lee over Nick Palumbo (Bulls WC)
Round of 32: Brayton Lee over Jack Taddeo (Navy-Marine Corps RTC)
Round of 16: Brayton Lee tech Opponent 3, 10-0
Quarters: Brady Berge (Nittnay Lion WC) tech Brayton Lee, 11-0
Cons Rnd of 8 (1): Brayton Lee vs Jake Keating (Cavalier Wrestling Club)

86kg:

Dylan Anderson (1-2)
Round of 64: Opponent 1 over Dylan Anderson, 10-0
Cons Rnd of 32 (1): Bye
Cons Rnd of 32 (2): Dylan Anderson over Tyler Self (Western Colorado Wrestling Club), 12-2
Cons Rnd of 16 (1): Stanley Smeltzer (SERTC) tech Dylan Anderson, 14-4

Greco-Roman:

72kg:

Pat Smith (4-1, 2nd Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Pat Smith over Michael Donato (NYAC), 9-0 (1:24)
Round of 16: Pat Smith over Hunter Muskrat (Unattached), 9-1 (2:27)
Quarters: Pat Smith over Nick Tarpley (NYAC), 5-2
Semis: Pat Smith over Alejandro Sancho (NYAC), Disqualification
Finals: RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) over Pat Smith, 9-0

77kg:

Alec Ortiz (5-2, 4th Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Cody Pack (NYAC) over Alec Ortiz, 8-0
Cons Rnd of 16 (2): Alec Ortiz over Xavier Johnson (CYC), 8-5
Cons Rnd of 8 (1): Alec Ortiz over Sergio Guerrero (NMU-OTS), 8-0 (1:51)
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Alec Ortiz over Michael Hooker (Army WCAP), 15-7 (5:44)
Cons Rnd of 4: Alec Ortiz over Brandon Mueller (U.S. Air Force/505 Wrestling Club), 7-6
Cons Semis: Alec Ortiz over Jesse Porter (NYAC), 10-10
3rd Place: Cody Pack (NYAC) over Alec Ortiz, 8-0

82kg:

Richard Carlson (5-1, 3rd Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Richard Carlson over John Fairbanks (Unattached), 13-4 (1:33)
Quarters: Courtney Myers (Army WCAP) over Richard Carlson, 9-0 (4:53)
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Richard Carlson over Mason Koshiyama, 10-2 (1:04)
Cons Rnd of 4: Richard Carlson over Terrence Zaleski (Marines) by pin (0:37)
Cons Semis: Richard Carlson over John Stefanowicz (Marines)
3rd Place: Richard Carlson over Courtney Myers (Army WCAP), 7-6

Barrett Stanghill (3-1, 2nd Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Barrett Stanghill over Austin Craig (All Navy Wrestling), 9-0 (1:32)
Quarters: Barrett Stanghill over Vladyslav Dombrovskly (Army WCAP), 10-0 (1:39)
Semis: Barrett Stanghill over John Stefanowicz (Marines), 7-3
Finals: Geordan Speiller (Florida Jets) over Barrett Stanghill, 8-0

87kg:

Joe Rau (3-1, 2nd Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 16: Joe Rau over Ruben Lozano (Z fighters), 8-0 (0:25)
Quarters: Joe Rau over Jacob Fisher (Curby 3 style WC), 8-0 (4:02)
Semis: Joe Rau over Cheney Haight (NYAC), 4-0
Finals: Ben Provisor (NYAC/NLWC) over Joe Rau, 14-10

130kg

Malcolm Allen (4-2, 7th Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Malcolm Allen over Daniel Stewart (Aseko), 12-4 (2:51)
Round of 16: Malcolm Allen over Jarrod Hinrichs (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), 14-5 (5:00)
Quarters: Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm) over Malcolm Allen, 10-0 (1:40)
Cons Rnd of 8 (2): Malcolm Allen over Derrick Waldroup II (3 Style Wrestling) by pin (3:36)
Cons Rnd of 4: David Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley RTC) over Malcolm Allen, 10-2
7th Place: Malcolm Allen over Conor Karwath (Williams Baptist College), 8-0

Donny Longendyke (3-2, 4th Place & Challenge Tournament Qualifier)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Donny Longendyke over Christopher Pierce (Patriot Elite WC), 9-0 (3:11)
Quarters: Donny Longendyke over Malcolm Allen (Minnesota Storm), 10-0 (1:40)
Semis: Adam Coon (NYAC) over Donny Longendyke by pin (0:59)
Cons Semis: Donny Longendyke over Jarrod Hinrichs (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), 9-1
3rd Place: David Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley RTC) over Donny Longendyke, 8-5
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