University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, December 30
Coralville, Iowa
All Day
University of Minnesota
vs
Soldier Salute
Players Mentioned
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Jamie Bergeland
Three Gopher Champions Crowned at Soldier Salute, Team Takes Second
12/30/2023 8:11:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota wrestling team will return to Minneapolis with three champions from the second annual Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa.
Gopher senior Isaiah Salazar and freshman Max McEnelly shared the title at 184 pounds, while redshirt sophomore Bennett Tabor took home the heavyweight crown as action wrapped up Saturday at Xtream Arena.
As a team, the Golden Gophers finished in second place with 148.5 points. Iowa was the team champion with a score of 251.5, while Columbia took third with 102.5 points.
The finals matchup between Salazar and McEnelly at 184 pounds was declared a no-contest, resulting in the Minnesota duo being named co-champions. Each finished with a 3-0 record on the weekend.
Salazar reached the championship after a dominant performance Saturday morning in the semis, earning a 15-0 tech fall win over Navy's Zyan Hall. All three of Salazar's wins on the weekend came by bonus point, including tech falls in the quarters and semis.
McEnelly was tested in the semis, but he pulled out a win over unattached wrestler John Gunderson to remain undefeated on the season at 14-0. With McEnelly trailing 9-8 in the closing seconds, a scramble ensued and time expired. But after the referees conferred, a takedown was awarded to McEnelly to give him the 11-9 victory.
It's the first tournament title of the season for Salazar, while McEnelly claimed his fourth, previously winning at the Bison Open, Daktronics Open and Cougar Clash.
Tabor picked up a pair of victories Saturday to claim his second title of the season, also winning at the Bison Open.
In the semis, Tabor posted his biggest win of the tournament with an 11-3 major decision over South Dakota State's Bowen McConville. Coincidentally, it was McConville whom Tabor beat for the Bison Open title to open the season.Â
The finals saw Tabor face off with another Jackrabbit in Luke Rasmussen. The pair met when Minnesota hosted SDSU in a dual on Nov. 26, and Tabor prevailed 9-7. Saturday's result was the same then as it was back in Minneapolis, this time by a score of 7-2. Tabor got one point for stalling and then used a takedown to lead 4-0 after one. Starting down, he used a reversal to make it a 6-0 lead and fended off Rasmussen's attempted comeback to secure the win.
Minnesota got third-place finishes from sixth-year senior Patrick McKee at 125 pounds and redshirt sophomore Vance VomBaur at 141.
In the semifinals, McKee, ranked 20th in the latest InterMat rankings, led 5-2 with riding time over No. 14 Drake Ayala of Iowa, but Ayala recorded a takedown with less than 30 seconds to go and then rode McKee the rest of the way to eliminate the riding time point and take a 5-4 victory. McKee dropped down to the consolation but earned a 9-4 decision over South Dakota State's Brady Roark.
In the third-place match, McKee pinned Columbia's Nick Babin at 5:29. The pin was the fourth of the season for McKee and the 25th of his career, tying him for 20th in Gophers history with Evan Johnson (1974-77) and Larry Zilverberg (1974-77).
VomBaur, ranked 29th in the country, fell in the 141-pound semifinals to fifth-ranked Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina, 7-4. VomBaur bounced back though with a 5-2 decision over Wyoming's Stockton O'Brien. In the third-place match, VomBaur scored a 4-2 upset of No. 18 Josh Koderhandt of Navy. A first-period takedown proved to be the difference for VomBaur, who improved to 2-2 this season against ranked opponents.
Redshirt sophomore No. 30 Blaine Brenner and sixth-year senior No. 17 Garrett Joles lost their third-place matches at 165 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Brenner's day saw him lose to No. 7 Mikey Caliendo of Iowa in the semifinals by tech fall, come back with a 5-3 decision over Northern Iowa's RJ Weston and then fall to Connor Euton of Iowa State, 16-13 in the third-place match.
Joles faced three ranked opponents on the day, losing to No 19 Zach Glazier, the eventual 197-pound champion, in the semifinals 5-4, defeating No. 28 Jack Wehmeyer of Columbia 4-3 in the consolation finals and then falling in sudden death to No. 22 Joey Novak of Wyoming, 4-1, in the third-place bout.
Fellow sixth-year senior Jake Gliva capped off his first weekend of competition by winning fifth place at 133 pounds. Advancing first on medical forfeit, Gliva lost to Iowa's Cullan Schriever, 8-1, but came back for a 5-2 decision over Navy's Garrett Totten to cap a 5-2 weekend.
Freshman Gavin Nelson finished in sixth place at 197 pounds after being forced to injury default in the fifth-place match, while freshman Brandon Morvari medically forfeited the fifth-place match at 125 pounds and redshirt freshman Devin Wasley did the same in the seventh-place bout at 174 pounds.
With tournament action now concluded for the season, No. 12 Minnesota turns its attention to the Big Ten slate. First up, a trip back to Iowa to face the No. 3 Hawkeyes on Jan. 15. Match time is set for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Soldier Salute Results
1st Place
184: Max McEnelly (3-0) and Isaiah Salazar (3-0), co-champs
285: Bennett Tabor (4-0)
3rd Place
125: Patrick McKee (4-1)
141: Vance VomBaur (4-1)
4th Place
165: Blaine Brenner (3-2)
197: Garrett Joles (3-2)
5th Place
133: Jake Gliva (5-2)
6th Place
125: Brandon Morvari (4-1)
197: Gavin Nelson (5-3)
8th Place
174: Devin Wasley (2-2)
DNP
125: Quincy Hulverson (0-4)
141: Ben Lunn (3-2), Rhett Koenig (1-3)
149: Theo Cha (1-4)
157: Sebas Swiggum (2-3), Kyler Wong (2-3)
165: Tim Stapleton (1-2)
197: Gabe Nagel (1-0)
Gopher senior Isaiah Salazar and freshman Max McEnelly shared the title at 184 pounds, while redshirt sophomore Bennett Tabor took home the heavyweight crown as action wrapped up Saturday at Xtream Arena.
As a team, the Golden Gophers finished in second place with 148.5 points. Iowa was the team champion with a score of 251.5, while Columbia took third with 102.5 points.
The finals matchup between Salazar and McEnelly at 184 pounds was declared a no-contest, resulting in the Minnesota duo being named co-champions. Each finished with a 3-0 record on the weekend.
Salazar reached the championship after a dominant performance Saturday morning in the semis, earning a 15-0 tech fall win over Navy's Zyan Hall. All three of Salazar's wins on the weekend came by bonus point, including tech falls in the quarters and semis.
McEnelly was tested in the semis, but he pulled out a win over unattached wrestler John Gunderson to remain undefeated on the season at 14-0. With McEnelly trailing 9-8 in the closing seconds, a scramble ensued and time expired. But after the referees conferred, a takedown was awarded to McEnelly to give him the 11-9 victory.
It's the first tournament title of the season for Salazar, while McEnelly claimed his fourth, previously winning at the Bison Open, Daktronics Open and Cougar Clash.
Tabor picked up a pair of victories Saturday to claim his second title of the season, also winning at the Bison Open.
In the semis, Tabor posted his biggest win of the tournament with an 11-3 major decision over South Dakota State's Bowen McConville. Coincidentally, it was McConville whom Tabor beat for the Bison Open title to open the season.Â
The finals saw Tabor face off with another Jackrabbit in Luke Rasmussen. The pair met when Minnesota hosted SDSU in a dual on Nov. 26, and Tabor prevailed 9-7. Saturday's result was the same then as it was back in Minneapolis, this time by a score of 7-2. Tabor got one point for stalling and then used a takedown to lead 4-0 after one. Starting down, he used a reversal to make it a 6-0 lead and fended off Rasmussen's attempted comeback to secure the win.
Minnesota got third-place finishes from sixth-year senior Patrick McKee at 125 pounds and redshirt sophomore Vance VomBaur at 141.
In the semifinals, McKee, ranked 20th in the latest InterMat rankings, led 5-2 with riding time over No. 14 Drake Ayala of Iowa, but Ayala recorded a takedown with less than 30 seconds to go and then rode McKee the rest of the way to eliminate the riding time point and take a 5-4 victory. McKee dropped down to the consolation but earned a 9-4 decision over South Dakota State's Brady Roark.
In the third-place match, McKee pinned Columbia's Nick Babin at 5:29. The pin was the fourth of the season for McKee and the 25th of his career, tying him for 20th in Gophers history with Evan Johnson (1974-77) and Larry Zilverberg (1974-77).
VomBaur, ranked 29th in the country, fell in the 141-pound semifinals to fifth-ranked Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina, 7-4. VomBaur bounced back though with a 5-2 decision over Wyoming's Stockton O'Brien. In the third-place match, VomBaur scored a 4-2 upset of No. 18 Josh Koderhandt of Navy. A first-period takedown proved to be the difference for VomBaur, who improved to 2-2 this season against ranked opponents.
Redshirt sophomore No. 30 Blaine Brenner and sixth-year senior No. 17 Garrett Joles lost their third-place matches at 165 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Brenner's day saw him lose to No. 7 Mikey Caliendo of Iowa in the semifinals by tech fall, come back with a 5-3 decision over Northern Iowa's RJ Weston and then fall to Connor Euton of Iowa State, 16-13 in the third-place match.
Joles faced three ranked opponents on the day, losing to No 19 Zach Glazier, the eventual 197-pound champion, in the semifinals 5-4, defeating No. 28 Jack Wehmeyer of Columbia 4-3 in the consolation finals and then falling in sudden death to No. 22 Joey Novak of Wyoming, 4-1, in the third-place bout.
Fellow sixth-year senior Jake Gliva capped off his first weekend of competition by winning fifth place at 133 pounds. Advancing first on medical forfeit, Gliva lost to Iowa's Cullan Schriever, 8-1, but came back for a 5-2 decision over Navy's Garrett Totten to cap a 5-2 weekend.
Freshman Gavin Nelson finished in sixth place at 197 pounds after being forced to injury default in the fifth-place match, while freshman Brandon Morvari medically forfeited the fifth-place match at 125 pounds and redshirt freshman Devin Wasley did the same in the seventh-place bout at 174 pounds.
With tournament action now concluded for the season, No. 12 Minnesota turns its attention to the Big Ten slate. First up, a trip back to Iowa to face the No. 3 Hawkeyes on Jan. 15. Match time is set for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Soldier Salute Results
1st Place
184: Max McEnelly (3-0) and Isaiah Salazar (3-0), co-champs
285: Bennett Tabor (4-0)
3rd Place
125: Patrick McKee (4-1)
141: Vance VomBaur (4-1)
4th Place
165: Blaine Brenner (3-2)
197: Garrett Joles (3-2)
5th Place
133: Jake Gliva (5-2)
6th Place
125: Brandon Morvari (4-1)
197: Gavin Nelson (5-3)
8th Place
174: Devin Wasley (2-2)
DNP
125: Quincy Hulverson (0-4)
141: Ben Lunn (3-2), Rhett Koenig (1-3)
149: Theo Cha (1-4)
157: Sebas Swiggum (2-3), Kyler Wong (2-3)
165: Tim Stapleton (1-2)
197: Gabe Nagel (1-0)
Coach's Corner with Brandon Eggum
Friday, November 07
Coach's Corner with Brandon Eggum
Thursday, October 30
Behind the Scenes: Media Day
Thursday, October 16
Gopher Wrestling Tries Gymnastics
Thursday, May 29