University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, February 2
12:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Rutgers
Players Mentioned
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Brad Rempel
No. 7 Gophers Welcome in No. 12 Rutgers Sunday
1/31/2025 4:30:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS -- No. 7 Minnesota (7-1, 3-1 B1G) returns home this weekend for a ranked matchup with No. 12 Rutgers (11-4, 3-2) Sunday at noon. The dual will be televised on Big Ten Network with live results on TrackWrestling.com.
Sunday will be Senior Day as the Gophers' six-person senior class will be honored in a post-dual ceremony.
Rutgers will be the fourth ranked opponent the Gophers have faced this season. So far, Minnesota is 2-1 in ranked matchups, defeating then-No. 17 South Dakota State, 30-3, on Dec. 1 and then-No. 21 Michigan, 25-10, on Jan. 19. The lone loss came at then-No. 6 Nebraska, 21-13, on Jan. 11.
Minnesota heads into the weekend with a 7-1 record in duals this season and an 3-1 mark in the Big Ten. After opening league action with that loss to Nebraska, the Golden Gophers have responded with three straight wins, including the win over Michigan, plus dominant wins last weekend at Wisconsin (39-3) and Northwestern (29-12). Minnesota has prevailed in 64 of the 80 individual matchups in duals this year and outscored opponents, 254-52.
The Gophers have won 13 of their last 14 duals dating back to last season. During the stretch, Minnesota has outscored opponents 435-100 and has given up more than 12 points in a dual just once. Prior to the loss at Nebraska, Minnesota had won 10 in a row, the team's longest win streak since claiming 17 straight duals over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
Ten Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least two of the major polls with eight appearing in all five: Intermat, Win Magazine, FloWrestling, OpenMat and the Coaches Poll. Gable Steveson (285) is ranked No. 1 in four of the five polls (does not minimum matches needed by Coaches), while Max McEnelly (184) is fourth in each. Cooper Flynn (125), Vance VomBaur (141) and Isaiah Salazar (197) are all in the top-10 in each ranking.
Within the InterMat rankings, Minnesota and Rutgers are two of eight programs in the nation to have wrestlers ranked at all 10 weights, along with Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State and Virginia Tech. Going further, Minnesota's wrestlers are all ranked 25th or better. The only other schools that can say that are Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Penn State. In addition, the Gophers are joined by Penn State (10), Iowa (7), Oklahoma State (7), Nebraska (6) and Ohio State (6) as the only schools to have at least six wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
Steveson has been nothing but dominant this season. He's 7-0 with six wins by tech fall and one by pin. His Match Power rating of 5.143 team points per match ranks fifth in the country and third in the Big Ten, according to WrestleStat.com. More on Steveson can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
McEnelly is 14-0 on the season with 12 bonus-points wins, including 10 by tech fall. Those 10 tech fall wins rank third in the nation behind only Purdue's Matt Ramos and Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink, who each have 11. More on McEnelly can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
VomBaur is 17-2 on the year with six of the wins coming by major decision. That ties him for eighth in the country in major decision wins. More on VomBaur can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
Sunday will be Senior Day as the Gophers' six-person senior class will be honored in a post-dual ceremony.
Rutgers will be the fourth ranked opponent the Gophers have faced this season. So far, Minnesota is 2-1 in ranked matchups, defeating then-No. 17 South Dakota State, 30-3, on Dec. 1 and then-No. 21 Michigan, 25-10, on Jan. 19. The lone loss came at then-No. 6 Nebraska, 21-13, on Jan. 11.
Minnesota heads into the weekend with a 7-1 record in duals this season and an 3-1 mark in the Big Ten. After opening league action with that loss to Nebraska, the Golden Gophers have responded with three straight wins, including the win over Michigan, plus dominant wins last weekend at Wisconsin (39-3) and Northwestern (29-12). Minnesota has prevailed in 64 of the 80 individual matchups in duals this year and outscored opponents, 254-52.
The Gophers have won 13 of their last 14 duals dating back to last season. During the stretch, Minnesota has outscored opponents 435-100 and has given up more than 12 points in a dual just once. Prior to the loss at Nebraska, Minnesota had won 10 in a row, the team's longest win streak since claiming 17 straight duals over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
Ten Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least two of the major polls with eight appearing in all five: Intermat, Win Magazine, FloWrestling, OpenMat and the Coaches Poll. Gable Steveson (285) is ranked No. 1 in four of the five polls (does not minimum matches needed by Coaches), while Max McEnelly (184) is fourth in each. Cooper Flynn (125), Vance VomBaur (141) and Isaiah Salazar (197) are all in the top-10 in each ranking.
Within the InterMat rankings, Minnesota and Rutgers are two of eight programs in the nation to have wrestlers ranked at all 10 weights, along with Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State and Virginia Tech. Going further, Minnesota's wrestlers are all ranked 25th or better. The only other schools that can say that are Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Penn State. In addition, the Gophers are joined by Penn State (10), Iowa (7), Oklahoma State (7), Nebraska (6) and Ohio State (6) as the only schools to have at least six wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
Steveson has been nothing but dominant this season. He's 7-0 with six wins by tech fall and one by pin. His Match Power rating of 5.143 team points per match ranks fifth in the country and third in the Big Ten, according to WrestleStat.com. More on Steveson can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
McEnelly is 14-0 on the season with 12 bonus-points wins, including 10 by tech fall. Those 10 tech fall wins rank third in the nation behind only Purdue's Matt Ramos and Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink, who each have 11. More on McEnelly can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
VomBaur is 17-2 on the year with six of the wins coming by major decision. That ties him for eighth in the country in major decision wins. More on VomBaur can be found on Page 3 of the notes.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
| MINNESOTA | WEIGHT | RUTGERS |
|---|---|---|
| #9 Cooper Flynn (11-2 Overall, 6-1 Dual, 2-1 B1G) or Brandon Morvari (4-4, 0-0, 0-0) |
125 | #10 Dean Peterson (16-3, 10-3, 4-1) or Ayden Smith (4-4, 0-1, 0-0) |
| #18 Tyler Wells (9-2, 5-1, 2-1) or Blake Beissel (6-6, 0-2, 0-2) |
133 | #9 Dylan Shawver (14-5, 10-4, 3-2) |
| #8 Vance VomBaur (17-2, 7-1, 3-1) | 141 | #13 Joseph Olivieri (13-4, 9-3, 2-1) or Joe Fongaro (4-4, 1-0, 0-0) |
| #25 Drew Roberts (9-3, 5-3, 1-3) or Theo Cha (5-7, 0-0, 0-0) |
149 | #20 Andrew Clark (17-8, 6-4, 2-2) |
| #8 Tommy Askey (17-2, 6-1, 3-1) or Charlie Millard (11-1, 1-0, 0-0) |
157 | #30 Conner Harer (13-6, 10-4, 3-2) |
| #11 Andrew Sparks (16-4, 6-2, 2-2) or Tim Stapleton (3-7, 0-0, 0-0) |
165 | #25 Anthony White (12-7, 6-3, 1-3) or Andrew Barbosa (5-3, 3-1, 1-0) |
| #25 Clayton Whiting (12-6, 5-3, 3-1) | 174 | #21 Jackson Turley (13-6, 8-4, 2-2) |
| #4 Max McEnelly (14-0, 8-0, 4-0) | 184 | #18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (17-7, 8-3, 3-2) |
| #9 Isaiah Salazar (13-3, 7-1, 3-1) | 197 | #17 John Poznanski (11-6, 9-3, 3-2) or PJ Casale (7-8, 1-0, 0-0) |
| #1 Gable Steveson (7-0, 7-0, 4-0) | 285 | #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (13-4, 8-3, 3-2) or John O'Donnell (7-3, 4-0, 0-0) |
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FACING RUTGERS
Minnesota has never lost to Rutgers in its history, winning all six dual matches between the schools. Rutgers is one of four active programs that Minnesota has faced at least six times and is undefeated against: Central Michigan (12-0), Air Force (11-0) and Cal State Bakersfield (11-0).
The Golden Gophers have outscored the Scarlet Knights, 123-85, in their six all-time matches, resulting in an average score of 20.5-14.2.
Minnesota has won both series meetings in Minneapolis, taking a 2016 matchup, 17-16, and most recently prevailing 22-15 in 2019. Similar to the overall series, Rutgers is one of 15 programs that the Golden Gophers have taken on at least twice at home and are unbeaten against. They're one of two Big Ten teams to fit the criteria, along with Maryland (3-0).
Minnesota and Rutgers have one common opponent this year as both schools have defeated Wisconsin. The Golden Gophers won in Madison last Friday night, 39-3, while the Scarlet Knights took the matchup in Piscataway, 31-7, on Jan. 19.
Minnesota fifth-year senior Andrew Sparks (165) and Rutgers junior Luke Gayer (165) both attended Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana, Calif.
RANKED MATCHUPS
The Golden Gophers have outscored the Scarlet Knights, 123-85, in their six all-time matches, resulting in an average score of 20.5-14.2.
Minnesota has won both series meetings in Minneapolis, taking a 2016 matchup, 17-16, and most recently prevailing 22-15 in 2019. Similar to the overall series, Rutgers is one of 15 programs that the Golden Gophers have taken on at least twice at home and are unbeaten against. They're one of two Big Ten teams to fit the criteria, along with Maryland (3-0).
Minnesota and Rutgers have one common opponent this year as both schools have defeated Wisconsin. The Golden Gophers won in Madison last Friday night, 39-3, while the Scarlet Knights took the matchup in Piscataway, 31-7, on Jan. 19.
Minnesota fifth-year senior Andrew Sparks (165) and Rutgers junior Luke Gayer (165) both attended Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana, Calif.
RANKED MATCHUPS
Based on probable lineups and the latest rankings from InterMat, all 10 weights Sunday could feature ranked matchups. Minnesota would have the higher ranked wrestler in seven of the 10 matchups.
At 125 pounds, No. 9 Cooper Flynn has not faced No. 10 Dean Peterson in his career. Flynn is 5-2 against ranked opponents this year, good for second on the team in ranked wins, while Peterson is 5-1. Four of Flynn's wins have come against wrestlers ranked 18th or better at the time of the match. Flynn and Peterson have two common opponents this year in Wisconsin's Nicolar Rivera and Illinois' Joey Ruzic. Both defeated Ruzic, Flynn by fall and Peterson by tech fall, while Flynn beat Rivera, 7-3, and Peterson lost, 4-1.
At 133, No. 18 Tyler Wells faced No. 9 Dylan Shawver last year in Piscataway with Wells prevailing in sudden-victory, 5-2. Wells is 4-2 against ranked opponents this year, tying for third on the team in ranked wins, while Shawver is 3-4. Wells and Shawver have one common opponent this year as both defeated Bucknell's Kurt Phipps by decision.
At 141 pounds, No.8 Vance VomBaur has not faced No. 13 Joseph Olivieri before. VomBaur leads the Gophers with six ranked wins this season (6-2), while Olivieri is 3-4. He and Olivieri have two common opponents this year with both going 2-0 against Bucknell's Dylan Chappell and Wisconsin's Brock Bobzien.
The matchup at 149 between No. 25 Drew Roberts and No. 20 Andrew Clark would be the first between the two. Roberts is 1-2 versus ranked opponents this year, while Clark is 2-5. They have one common opponent in Northwestern's Sam Cartella. Roberts lost 6-3, while Clark won 3-1.
At 157, No. 8 Tommy Askey has not faced No. 30 Conner Harer in his career. Askey is coming off his first ranked win of the year in three tries, a 3-2 win over No. 9 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern. Harer is 2-5 against ranked opponents this year. Both have defeated Wisconsin's Luke Mechler this season.
At 165, No. 11 Andrew Sparks has not taken on No. 25 Anthony White before. Sparks is 3-3 in ranked matchups this year, while White is 1-4. Both have topped Wisconsin's Cale Anderson this year, with Sparks' win coming via tech fall and White by decision.
At 174 pounds, No. 25 Clayton Whiting has not battled No. 21 Jackson Turley so far in his career. After starting 0-6 in ranked matchups this year, Whiting has won his last two. Turley is 4-6, and Sunday would mark his seventh straight ranked matchup. Whiting and Turley have three common opponents this year in Northern Illinois' Tommy Bennett, Northwestern Aiden Vandenbush and Virginia Tech's Lennox Wolak. Both are 2-1 against the trio with the loss coming to Wolak.
At 184, No. 4 Max McEnelly has not faced No. 18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh in his career. McEnelly is 3-0 versus ranked opponents this year, including two over top-six foes, while Cartagena-Walsh is 5-4. Both have defeated Wisconsin's Dylan Russo with McEnelly's coming by tech fall and Cartagena-Walsh's by major decision.
At 197, No. 9 Isaiah Salazar could meet No. 17 John Poznanski for a third time in his career. They split matchups at 184 pounds in 2022 with Salazar winning at Big Tens, 8-3, and Poznanski taking the rematch at NCAAs, 10-7. Salazar is 3-1 against ranked opponents this year, while Poznanski is 1-6. Both have recorded tech falls over Wisconsin's Niccolo Colucci this season.
The heavyweight matchup could feature No. 1 Gable Steveson taking on No. 8 Yaraslau Slavikouski for the first time. Steveson is 4-0 against ranked opponents this year, including at tech fall of then-No. 7 Taye Ghadiali of Campbell and a pin of Michigan's then-No. 10 Josh Heindselman. Slavikouski is 3-4 versus ranked foes this year. They have no common opponents this year.
LAST MEETING WITH RUTGERS
At 125 pounds, No. 9 Cooper Flynn has not faced No. 10 Dean Peterson in his career. Flynn is 5-2 against ranked opponents this year, good for second on the team in ranked wins, while Peterson is 5-1. Four of Flynn's wins have come against wrestlers ranked 18th or better at the time of the match. Flynn and Peterson have two common opponents this year in Wisconsin's Nicolar Rivera and Illinois' Joey Ruzic. Both defeated Ruzic, Flynn by fall and Peterson by tech fall, while Flynn beat Rivera, 7-3, and Peterson lost, 4-1.
At 133, No. 18 Tyler Wells faced No. 9 Dylan Shawver last year in Piscataway with Wells prevailing in sudden-victory, 5-2. Wells is 4-2 against ranked opponents this year, tying for third on the team in ranked wins, while Shawver is 3-4. Wells and Shawver have one common opponent this year as both defeated Bucknell's Kurt Phipps by decision.
At 141 pounds, No.8 Vance VomBaur has not faced No. 13 Joseph Olivieri before. VomBaur leads the Gophers with six ranked wins this season (6-2), while Olivieri is 3-4. He and Olivieri have two common opponents this year with both going 2-0 against Bucknell's Dylan Chappell and Wisconsin's Brock Bobzien.
The matchup at 149 between No. 25 Drew Roberts and No. 20 Andrew Clark would be the first between the two. Roberts is 1-2 versus ranked opponents this year, while Clark is 2-5. They have one common opponent in Northwestern's Sam Cartella. Roberts lost 6-3, while Clark won 3-1.
At 157, No. 8 Tommy Askey has not faced No. 30 Conner Harer in his career. Askey is coming off his first ranked win of the year in three tries, a 3-2 win over No. 9 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern. Harer is 2-5 against ranked opponents this year. Both have defeated Wisconsin's Luke Mechler this season.
At 165, No. 11 Andrew Sparks has not taken on No. 25 Anthony White before. Sparks is 3-3 in ranked matchups this year, while White is 1-4. Both have topped Wisconsin's Cale Anderson this year, with Sparks' win coming via tech fall and White by decision.
At 174 pounds, No. 25 Clayton Whiting has not battled No. 21 Jackson Turley so far in his career. After starting 0-6 in ranked matchups this year, Whiting has won his last two. Turley is 4-6, and Sunday would mark his seventh straight ranked matchup. Whiting and Turley have three common opponents this year in Northern Illinois' Tommy Bennett, Northwestern Aiden Vandenbush and Virginia Tech's Lennox Wolak. Both are 2-1 against the trio with the loss coming to Wolak.
At 184, No. 4 Max McEnelly has not faced No. 18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh in his career. McEnelly is 3-0 versus ranked opponents this year, including two over top-six foes, while Cartagena-Walsh is 5-4. Both have defeated Wisconsin's Dylan Russo with McEnelly's coming by tech fall and Cartagena-Walsh's by major decision.
At 197, No. 9 Isaiah Salazar could meet No. 17 John Poznanski for a third time in his career. They split matchups at 184 pounds in 2022 with Salazar winning at Big Tens, 8-3, and Poznanski taking the rematch at NCAAs, 10-7. Salazar is 3-1 against ranked opponents this year, while Poznanski is 1-6. Both have recorded tech falls over Wisconsin's Niccolo Colucci this season.
The heavyweight matchup could feature No. 1 Gable Steveson taking on No. 8 Yaraslau Slavikouski for the first time. Steveson is 4-0 against ranked opponents this year, including at tech fall of then-No. 7 Taye Ghadiali of Campbell and a pin of Michigan's then-No. 10 Josh Heindselman. Slavikouski is 3-4 versus ranked foes this year. They have no common opponents this year.
LAST MEETING WITH RUTGERS
Behind three upset wins, including two in overtime, No. 9 Minnesota secured a 20-12 victory at No. 13 Rutgers last season in Piscataway.
After Rutgers opened with a win at 141 pounds, the Gophers evened the match up at 149 as No. 13 Drew Roberts used a first-period takedown to shut out Michael Cetta, 3-0. It was all Michael Blockhus at 157 pounds as he recorded an 18-3 tech fall over Al DeSantis. The Golden Gophers got their third straight win and second shutout of the match at 165 pounds as No. 29 Blaine Brenner beat Luke Gayer, 2-0.
After a loss at 174, Max McEnelly made his collegiate dual debut in a matchup with No. 22 Brian Soldano. Soldano led 2-0 in the closing seconds, but McEnelly came through with a takedown right as the buzzer sounded and the call was upheld after review.
Another thrilling match came next at 197 pounds. This time, No. 24 Garrett Joles knocked off No. 9 John Poznanski 4-1 in sudden-victory overtime. Joles escaped in the second period for his point, while Poznanski got his escape in the third, sending the match to overtime. There, Joles scored a takedown in the extra session.
The next two ranked matchups at heavyweight and 125 pounds went Rutgers' way, but Minnesota clinched the dual win at 133 pounds. The lead was 2-0 for No. 8 Dylan Shawver late in the third period but a reversal from No. 26 Tyler Wells forced overtime. In the closing seconds of overtime, Wells rolled over Shawver and got the takedown.
Full results for the dual can be found on Page 2 of the notes.
After Rutgers opened with a win at 141 pounds, the Gophers evened the match up at 149 as No. 13 Drew Roberts used a first-period takedown to shut out Michael Cetta, 3-0. It was all Michael Blockhus at 157 pounds as he recorded an 18-3 tech fall over Al DeSantis. The Golden Gophers got their third straight win and second shutout of the match at 165 pounds as No. 29 Blaine Brenner beat Luke Gayer, 2-0.
After a loss at 174, Max McEnelly made his collegiate dual debut in a matchup with No. 22 Brian Soldano. Soldano led 2-0 in the closing seconds, but McEnelly came through with a takedown right as the buzzer sounded and the call was upheld after review.
Another thrilling match came next at 197 pounds. This time, No. 24 Garrett Joles knocked off No. 9 John Poznanski 4-1 in sudden-victory overtime. Joles escaped in the second period for his point, while Poznanski got his escape in the third, sending the match to overtime. There, Joles scored a takedown in the extra session.
The next two ranked matchups at heavyweight and 125 pounds went Rutgers' way, but Minnesota clinched the dual win at 133 pounds. The lead was 2-0 for No. 8 Dylan Shawver late in the third period but a reversal from No. 26 Tyler Wells forced overtime. In the closing seconds of overtime, Wells rolled over Shawver and got the takedown.
Full results for the dual can be found on Page 2 of the notes.
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