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Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Wrestling Hands Out Awards at Team Banquet
6/24/2024 1:30:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota wrestling team honored its 2023-24 squad at its recent awards banquet.
Senior Isaiah Salazar took home four awards to lead the team, including being named the J Robinson Outstanding Wrestler. It's the first time in team history that the honor has been named after the former Gophers coach who led the program to three national titles and six Big Ten championships. Salazar was also named winner of the Verne Gagne Leadership Award.
Salazar is coming off a senior season that saw him win the Big Ten title at 184 pounds and become an All-American for the first time in his career with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Salazar is the first Gopher at 184 to be an All-American since 2014. He's just the fifth Gopher ever to win a conference title at the weight, and the first to do so since 2012.
A Greeley, Colo., native, Salazar ended the year with a 24-4 record, including a streak of 18 straight wins from early December to the semifinals at NCAAs. During the streak, Salazar outscored opponents, 155-23, and held opponents to three points or fewer in all but one match. In fact, he gave up two points or fewer in 14 of the 18 matches.
Sharing the All-American Award with Salazar was redshirt sophomore Vance VomBaur, who was also named Most Improved. After going 7-4 last year with a 2-1 record in duals, VomBaur broke through and earned All-America honors as a No. 26 seed at 141 pounds this year by finishing in eighth place at the NCAA Championships. VomBaur was the lowest seeded Gopher to become an All-American since 2013. He was 19-11 overall on the year with an 8-4 record in duals and 4-4 mark in league action.
Sixth-year senior Michael Blockhus was named co-winner of the Verne Gagne Leadership Award, along with Salazar. Blockhus, who decided to pursue an MMA career before ultimately returning to the Gophers, made his fourth career trip to the NCAA Championships after a season where he was 17-5 overall and 12-1 in duals. He was a perfect 7-0 in the Big Ten, including wins over the No. 2 and No. 3 wrestlers in the country. In addition, Blockhus was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Salazar also took home the Upperclassmen Academic Award along with redshirt junior Tim Stapleton and redshirt senior Sebas Swiggum. All three were Academic All-Big Ten honorees this season, while Salazar also took home NWCA Scholar All-American honors.
Freshman of the Year honors went to Tyler Wells, who made his NCAA Championships debut as the No. 20 seed at 133 pounds and lost in the Blood Round after a 3-2 performance. He was 16-8 on the year, including 6-3 in duals and 5-2 in the Big Ten. Among Wells' wins were upsets over the No. 17 and No. 8 wrestlers in the country at the time of the match.
Sixth-year seniors Garrett Joles and Patrick McKee each picked up a pair of accolades, including sharing the Most Falls award with five each.
Joles was named Most Dedicated as he competed at 197 pounds a year after spending time at that weight, as well as at heavyweight. He had a career-best fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships this year and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Joles was an NWCA Scholar All-American and Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He was 23-10 overall to finish second on the team in wins and was 10-3 in duals, including a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten.
McKee's second award was the Fraser Dean Most Courageous, which he won for the second straight year. Bouncing back from injuries last year, McKee qualified for the NCAA Championships a fourth time in his career and was a finalist at the Big Ten Championships. Perhaps most memorably, McKee pinned longtime rival and third-ranked Eric Barnett of Wisconsin in McKee's final match at Maturi Pavilion. McKee was 16-8 this season, including 8-4 in duals and 4-3 in the conference.
Teammate of the Year was shared by sixth-year senior Jake Gliva and redshirt juniors Theo Cha and Sam Skillings, all of whom earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition.
Gliva missed most of the first half of the season due to injury but was 1-0 in duals and 11-5 overall. Skillings also saw time in the starting lineup with a 3-3 record in duals. He won the Bison Open at 174 pounds and was runner-up at the Cougar Clash, Edinboro Open and Patriots Last Chance Open. Cha was champion at the Jim Koch Open and claimed third place at the Don Parker Open.
Ethan Riddle took home the Freshman Academic Award.
Four Gophers also received their first letters: Ben Lunn, Bennett Tabor, Devin Wasley and Wells.
A full list of all the honorees can be found below.
Senior Isaiah Salazar took home four awards to lead the team, including being named the J Robinson Outstanding Wrestler. It's the first time in team history that the honor has been named after the former Gophers coach who led the program to three national titles and six Big Ten championships. Salazar was also named winner of the Verne Gagne Leadership Award.
Salazar is coming off a senior season that saw him win the Big Ten title at 184 pounds and become an All-American for the first time in his career with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Salazar is the first Gopher at 184 to be an All-American since 2014. He's just the fifth Gopher ever to win a conference title at the weight, and the first to do so since 2012.
A Greeley, Colo., native, Salazar ended the year with a 24-4 record, including a streak of 18 straight wins from early December to the semifinals at NCAAs. During the streak, Salazar outscored opponents, 155-23, and held opponents to three points or fewer in all but one match. In fact, he gave up two points or fewer in 14 of the 18 matches.
Sharing the All-American Award with Salazar was redshirt sophomore Vance VomBaur, who was also named Most Improved. After going 7-4 last year with a 2-1 record in duals, VomBaur broke through and earned All-America honors as a No. 26 seed at 141 pounds this year by finishing in eighth place at the NCAA Championships. VomBaur was the lowest seeded Gopher to become an All-American since 2013. He was 19-11 overall on the year with an 8-4 record in duals and 4-4 mark in league action.
Sixth-year senior Michael Blockhus was named co-winner of the Verne Gagne Leadership Award, along with Salazar. Blockhus, who decided to pursue an MMA career before ultimately returning to the Gophers, made his fourth career trip to the NCAA Championships after a season where he was 17-5 overall and 12-1 in duals. He was a perfect 7-0 in the Big Ten, including wins over the No. 2 and No. 3 wrestlers in the country. In addition, Blockhus was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Salazar also took home the Upperclassmen Academic Award along with redshirt junior Tim Stapleton and redshirt senior Sebas Swiggum. All three were Academic All-Big Ten honorees this season, while Salazar also took home NWCA Scholar All-American honors.
Freshman of the Year honors went to Tyler Wells, who made his NCAA Championships debut as the No. 20 seed at 133 pounds and lost in the Blood Round after a 3-2 performance. He was 16-8 on the year, including 6-3 in duals and 5-2 in the Big Ten. Among Wells' wins were upsets over the No. 17 and No. 8 wrestlers in the country at the time of the match.
Sixth-year seniors Garrett Joles and Patrick McKee each picked up a pair of accolades, including sharing the Most Falls award with five each.
Joles was named Most Dedicated as he competed at 197 pounds a year after spending time at that weight, as well as at heavyweight. He had a career-best fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships this year and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Joles was an NWCA Scholar All-American and Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He was 23-10 overall to finish second on the team in wins and was 10-3 in duals, including a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten.
McKee's second award was the Fraser Dean Most Courageous, which he won for the second straight year. Bouncing back from injuries last year, McKee qualified for the NCAA Championships a fourth time in his career and was a finalist at the Big Ten Championships. Perhaps most memorably, McKee pinned longtime rival and third-ranked Eric Barnett of Wisconsin in McKee's final match at Maturi Pavilion. McKee was 16-8 this season, including 8-4 in duals and 4-3 in the conference.
Teammate of the Year was shared by sixth-year senior Jake Gliva and redshirt juniors Theo Cha and Sam Skillings, all of whom earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition.
Gliva missed most of the first half of the season due to injury but was 1-0 in duals and 11-5 overall. Skillings also saw time in the starting lineup with a 3-3 record in duals. He won the Bison Open at 174 pounds and was runner-up at the Cougar Clash, Edinboro Open and Patriots Last Chance Open. Cha was champion at the Jim Koch Open and claimed third place at the Don Parker Open.
Ethan Riddle took home the Freshman Academic Award.
Four Gophers also received their first letters: Ben Lunn, Bennett Tabor, Devin Wasley and Wells.
A full list of all the honorees can be found below.
J Robinson Outstanding Wrestler
Isaiah Salazar
Freshman of the Year
Tyler Wells
Verne Gagne Leadership Award
Michael Blockhus and Isaiah Salazar
Most Improved
Vance VomBaur
Most Dedicated
Garrett Joles
Fraser Dean Most Courageous
Patrick McKee
Most Falls
Garrett Joles and Patrick McKee
Teammate of the Year
Theo Cha, Jake Gliva and Sam Skillings
All-American Award
Isaiah Salazar and Vance VomBaur
Freshman Academic Award
Ethan Riddle
Upperclassmen Academic Award
Isaiah Salazar, Tim Stapleton and Sebas Swiggum
First-Year Letterwinners
Ben Lunn, Bennett Tabor, Devin Wasley and Tyler Wells
Isaiah Salazar
Freshman of the Year
Tyler Wells
Verne Gagne Leadership Award
Michael Blockhus and Isaiah Salazar
Most Improved
Vance VomBaur
Most Dedicated
Garrett Joles
Fraser Dean Most Courageous
Patrick McKee
Most Falls
Garrett Joles and Patrick McKee
Teammate of the Year
Theo Cha, Jake Gliva and Sam Skillings
All-American Award
Isaiah Salazar and Vance VomBaur
Freshman Academic Award
Ethan Riddle
Upperclassmen Academic Award
Isaiah Salazar, Tim Stapleton and Sebas Swiggum
First-Year Letterwinners
Ben Lunn, Bennett Tabor, Devin Wasley and Tyler Wells
Coach's Corner with Brandon Eggum
Thursday, January 15
Highlights: Gophers 27, Illinois 9
Saturday, January 10
Coach's Corner with Brandon Eggum
Wednesday, January 07
Highlights: Hopke Wins Soldier Salute
Tuesday, January 06