University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Players Mentioned
McKee, Lee into CKLV Semifinals; Gophers Tied for Sixth
12/6/2019 9:47:00 PM | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - The Minnesota wrestling program opened the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with a strong performance that sees them tied for sixth place with 45.5 team points after the first day of competition.
A pair of Gophers, Mitchell Mckee and Brayton Lee, are set for Saturday morning's semifinals while five others are alive on the consolation side.
St. Michael native McKee had the best day for the Gophers with three bonus point victories. McKee started the day with a 16-0 technical fall finishing his day with a pin and 8-0 major decision. McKee will face Oklahoma's Dom Demas, ranked two spots ahead of him, in tomorrow's semifinal bout.
In his first major folkstyle tournament, Brayton Lee grinded out three consecutive victories to earn his spot in the semifinals against top-seed Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa. Lee won decisions in each round, including a nominal upset of No.8 Brock Zacherl of Clarion in the semifinals.
The Gophers went two-for-five in the quarterfinals with all losses coming to wrestlers ranked top-five nationally.
After losing his opening bout, Carson Brolsma won three straight by a score of 26-6!
— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) December 7, 2019
Hear his thoughts on the day as well as the #Gophers as a team ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nyRKTzpcs3
At 125-pounds, Pat McKee's run was ended by top-seed, and 2019 NCAA Finalist, Jack Mueller of Virginia. McKee had a quick fall and a forfeit until Mueller showed off his experience.
Goodhue native Bailee O'Reilly also fell to the top-seed in his bracket, Isaiah White, after a great run in one of his first tournaments as the Gophers starter. O'Reilly opened his tournament with a victory over Matthew Malcolm, a Division-II National Champion last season at Nebraska-Kearney, before defeating Jacob Thalin for the second time this season.
Shakopee native Owen Webster registered the Gophers biggest upset of the day when he knocked off No.4 Ben Darmstadt of Cornell in the second round. Webster wrapped up Darmstadt and pinned him in only a minute before falling to No.2 Trent Hidlay from NC State in the semifinals.
After dropping his first bout, Carson Brolsma won three straight bouts by a score of 26-6. Last season he won three consecutive after falling in the opening round.
Devin Skatzka may have dropped his second bout at 174-pounds, but the 2019 All-American has battled back on the backside of the bracket. Skatzka bounced back with a victory over No.21 Daniel Bullard and a first period tech. fall over Hofstra's Sage Heller.
The only Gophers to be knocked out on day one of competition were 133-pound Brent Jones, 197-pound Garrett Joles, and heavyweight Bobby Steveson. Both Jones and Joles recorded one victory.
The Gophers finish up the tournament tomorrow morning starting at 11am CT.
Full Results (Numbers listed are FloWrestling rankings)
125-pound Patrick McKee
Round of 32: Pat McKee Fall (3:15) Tomas Guitierrez (Kent State)
Round of 16: Pat McKee forfeit Cole Verner (Wyoming)
Quarterfinals: No.2 Jack Mueller (Virginia) major dec. (16-4)over Pat McKee
133-pound Brent Jones
Round of 32: Jarrett Trombley (NC State) dec. (5-0) over Brent Jones
Cons. Round of 16 #2: Brent Jones major dec. (15-6) over Garrett Lambert (Hofstra)
Cons. Round of 8 #1: No.13 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) dec. (6-0) over Brent Jones
141-pound Mitch McKee
Round of 32: No.4 Mitch McKee tech. fall (16-0) Navonte Demison (Arizona State)
Round of 16: No.4 Mitch McKee fall (3:58) Cory Simpson (Kent State)
Quarterfinals: No.4 Mitch McKee major dec. (8-0) No.13 Ian Parker (Iowa State)
149-pound Brayton Lee
Round of 32: No.12 Brayton Lee dec. (5-1) over Josh Cortez (Cal Poly)
Round of 16: No.12 Brayton Lee dec. (9-4) over Josh Maruca (Arizona State)
Quarterfinals: No.12 Brayton Lee dec. (8-3) over No.8 Brock Zacherl (Clarion)
157-pound Carson Brolsma
Round of 32: No.7 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec. (8-4) over Carson Brolsma
Cons. Round of 16 #1: Carson Brolsma major dec. (11-1) over TJ Calas (Sacred Heart)
Cons. Round of 16 #2: Carson Brolsma dec. (10-4) over Avery Shay (Clarion)
Cons. Round of 8 #1: Carson Brolsma dec. (5-1) over Jaden Mattox (Ohio State)
165-pound Bailee O'Reilly
Round of 32: Bailee O'Reilly dec. (3-2) over Matthew Malcolm (Nebraska-Kearney)
Round of 16: Bailee O'Reilly dec. (7-3) over Jacob Thalin (Cal State Bakersfield)
Quarterfinals: No.4 Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. (9-5) over Bailee O'Reilly
174-pound Devin Skatzka
Round of 32: No.9 Devin Skatzka dec. (5-2) over Tyler Morland (Northwestern)
Round of 16: Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec. (9-6) over No.9 Devin Skatzka
Cons. Round of 16 #2: Devin Skatzka dec. (8-2) over No.21 Daniel Bullard (NC State)
Cons. Round of 8 #1: Devin Skatzka tech. fall (18-0) over Sage Heller (Hofstra)
184-pound Owen Webster
Round of 32: Owen Webster tech. fall (17-0) Michael Doggett (Harvard)
Round of 16: Owen Webster fall (1:00) No.4 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
Quarterfinals: No.2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. (7-4) over Owen Webster
197-pound Garrett Joles
Round of 32: No.19 Christian Brunner (Purdue) major dec. (14-6) over Garrett Joles
Cons. Round of 16 #1: Garrett Joles major dec. (12-3) Martin Duane (Citadel)
Cons. Round of 16 #2: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) fall (1:45) Garrett Joles
285-pound Bobby Steveson
Round of 32: Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) major dec. (13-4) over Bobby Steveson
Cons. Round of 16 #1: Thomas Penola (Purdue) dec. (10-5) Bobby Steveson