University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 16
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Nebraska
Players Mentioned
157 lbs
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Host Huskers in Top-7 Matchup at The Pav
1/15/2026 2:30:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS -- Competing in its first home dual since Dec. 7, No. 7/12 Minnesota (7-2, 1-0 B1G) welcomes No. 6/7 Nebraska (8-3, 1-0 B1G) to Maturi Pavilion Friday for the Gophers' Big Ten home opener. The match is set to start at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Promotions: Help Gopher Wrestling support those who battle cancer at its annual Takedown Cancer dual.
Promotions: Help Gopher Wrestling support those who battle cancer at its annual Takedown Cancer dual.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
| WEIGHT | NO. 7/12 MINNESOTA | NO. 6/7 NEBRASKA |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | #9 Jore Volk (14-2 Overall, 7-2 Dual, 1-0 B1G) | Alan Koehler (10-9 Overall, 2-5 Dual, 1-0 B1G) |
| 133 | Brandon Morvari (1-6, 0-3, 0-1) or Chris Cannon (3-6, 2-4, 0-0) |
#9 Jacob Van Dee (11-1, 8-0, 1-0) |
| 141 | #10 Vance VomBaur (12-3, 5-3, 1-0) | #3 Brock Hardy (12-3, 8-3, 1-0) |
| 149 | #25 Drew Roberts (5-3, 3-1, 1-0) or Jager Eisch (9-8, 0-4, 0-0) |
#14 Chance Lamer (12-1, 2-1, 1-0) |
| 157 | #19 Charlie Millard (13-3, 6-3, 1-0) | #5 Antrell Taylor (12-2, 8-2, 1-0) |
| 165 | #11 Andrew Sparks (12-2, 6-1, 0-0) or Blaine Brenner (8-3, 0-2, 0-1) |
#8 LJ Araujo (9-4, 5-4, 0-1) |
| 174 | #22 Ethan Riddle (11-4, 5-3, 1-0) or Clayton Whiting (11-6, 0-1, 0-0) |
#6 Christopher Minto (12-2, 9-2, 1-0) |
| 184 | #3 Max McEnelly (10-1, 8-1, 1-0) | #9 Silas Allred (11-3, 7-3, 1-0) |
| 197 | #24 Gavin Nelson (6-7, 1-6, 0-1) or Gabe Nagel (4-4, 0-2, 0-0) |
#12 Camden McDanel (11-4, 8-3, 1-0) |
| 285 | #10 Koy Hopke (16-3, 5-2, 1-0) or Bennett Tabor (10-6, 1-1, 0-0) |
#4 AJ Ferrari (6-1, 6-1, 1-0) or Cade Ziola (11-3, 2-1, 0-0) |
IN THE RANKINGS
As noted above, the Golden Gophers enter the weekend ranked seventh in InterMat's dual team rankings and 12th in the InterMat tournament rankings. The team also moved up two spots to ninth in the NWCA Coaches Poll.
Nine Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least two of the major polls with five appearing in all four: InterMat, Flo, Win and OpenMat. All-American Max McEnelly is the No. 3-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds in all three polls, while Jore Volk (125) appears in the top-9 of each publication, including being ranked sixth by Flo.
Redshirt freshman Koy Hopke (285) is a consensus top-10 wrestler, while redshirt senior Vance VomBaur (141) is 11th or higher. Hopke's best mark comes from OpenMat at No. 8, while WIN gives VomBaur his highest ranking at No. 5.
Sixth-year senior Andrew Sparks (165) is ranked top-16 in all four polls, highlighted by a No. 11 ranking from InterMat.
Redshirt freshman Charlie Millard (157) appears in three of the four polls. Millard doesn't show up in OpenMat's polls, but he's top-20 in the other three, including 19th by InterMat and WIN.
Redshirt senior Drew Roberts (149) and redshirt sophomores Ethan Riddle (174) and Gavin Nelson (197) are all ranked by both InterMat and Flo, but don't appear in rankings from WIN or OpenMat. Riddle is ranked 22nd by InterMat and 23rd by Flo, while Nelson is 24th and 25th by the same publications, respectively. Roberts is 25th by InterMat and 27th by Flo.
A complete list of rankings can be found on Page 9 of the notes.
NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
Nine Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least two of the major polls with five appearing in all four: InterMat, Flo, Win and OpenMat. All-American Max McEnelly is the No. 3-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds in all three polls, while Jore Volk (125) appears in the top-9 of each publication, including being ranked sixth by Flo.
Redshirt freshman Koy Hopke (285) is a consensus top-10 wrestler, while redshirt senior Vance VomBaur (141) is 11th or higher. Hopke's best mark comes from OpenMat at No. 8, while WIN gives VomBaur his highest ranking at No. 5.
Sixth-year senior Andrew Sparks (165) is ranked top-16 in all four polls, highlighted by a No. 11 ranking from InterMat.
Redshirt freshman Charlie Millard (157) appears in three of the four polls. Millard doesn't show up in OpenMat's polls, but he's top-20 in the other three, including 19th by InterMat and WIN.
Redshirt senior Drew Roberts (149) and redshirt sophomores Ethan Riddle (174) and Gavin Nelson (197) are all ranked by both InterMat and Flo, but don't appear in rankings from WIN or OpenMat. Riddle is ranked 22nd by InterMat and 23rd by Flo, while Nelson is 24th and 25th by the same publications, respectively. Roberts is 25th by InterMat and 27th by Flo.
A complete list of rankings can be found on Page 9 of the notes.
NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
Through last weekend's competition, Vance VomBaur (141), Clayton Whiting (174) and Koy Hopke (285) all had six major decision victories to tie for the second most in the country. Only Virginia's Gable Porter has more with seven.
Max McEnelly (184) is tied for second in the nation with seven tech fall wins this season. Only Ohio State's Ben Davino and Franklin & Marshall's James Conway have more with 10.
Heavyweight Bennett Tabor is tied for 11th in the country with six wins by fall this year.
Max McEnelly (184) is tied for second in the nation with seven tech fall wins this season. Only Ohio State's Ben Davino and Franklin & Marshall's James Conway have more with 10.
Heavyweight Bennett Tabor is tied for 11th in the country with six wins by fall this year.
FACING NEBRASKA
Minnesota holds the all-time series lead over Nebraska with a record of 52-28 in a series that dates back to the 1921-22 season. The 80 all-time dual matches are the third-most in Minnesota history. The only other schools that the Golden Gophers have faced more are Iowa (111) and Wisconsin (107).
This will mark the eighth straight season that Minnesota and Nebraska have faced each other, every year since 2019.
The Huskers have won three straight in the series and eight of the past nine dating to 2016. The Gophers are looking for their first win in the series since a 19-13 home win in 2022.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota owns a 30-9 lead in the all-time series. The 30 wins are the second-most against one school in home duals behind 40 wins in Minnesota over Wisconsin. The 39 home meetings are third most behind 53 against Wisconsin and 51 versus Iowa.
The Cornhuskers enter Friday with an 8-3 record in duals this season, including a 1-0 mark in the Big Ten after last weekend's 36-3 home win over Purdue. Nebraska's three losses have come at the hands of Ohio State and Oklahoma State, twice. Those teams are ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the latest InterMat Team Dual Rankings.
Minnesota and Nebraska have three common opponent this year in Missouri, Northern Iowa and Ohio State. Both the Gophers and Huskers defeated Mizzou and UNI and lost to the Buckeyes.
Minnesota has no Nebraska natives on its roster, while the Cornhuskers have two Minnesotans in sophomore Alan Koehler (125, Prior Lake, Prior Lake HS) and redshirt freshman Marco Christiansen (184, Shorewood, Minnetonka HS).
This will mark the eighth straight season that Minnesota and Nebraska have faced each other, every year since 2019.
The Huskers have won three straight in the series and eight of the past nine dating to 2016. The Gophers are looking for their first win in the series since a 19-13 home win in 2022.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota owns a 30-9 lead in the all-time series. The 30 wins are the second-most against one school in home duals behind 40 wins in Minnesota over Wisconsin. The 39 home meetings are third most behind 53 against Wisconsin and 51 versus Iowa.
The Cornhuskers enter Friday with an 8-3 record in duals this season, including a 1-0 mark in the Big Ten after last weekend's 36-3 home win over Purdue. Nebraska's three losses have come at the hands of Ohio State and Oklahoma State, twice. Those teams are ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the latest InterMat Team Dual Rankings.
Minnesota and Nebraska have three common opponent this year in Missouri, Northern Iowa and Ohio State. Both the Gophers and Huskers defeated Mizzou and UNI and lost to the Buckeyes.
Minnesota has no Nebraska natives on its roster, while the Cornhuskers have two Minnesotans in sophomore Alan Koehler (125, Prior Lake, Prior Lake HS) and redshirt freshman Marco Christiansen (184, Shorewood, Minnetonka HS).
RANKED MATCHUPS
Based on the probable starters and the latest rankings from InterMat, there are three ranked matchups scheduled for Friday with the possibility of eight total taking place.
At 141 pounds, No. 11 Vance VomBaur is set to face third-ranked Brock Hardy for the fifth time in his career. Hardy has won all four previous matchups, including twice last year, first by decision in the regular season, and then by fall in the finals of the Big Ten Championships. They have four common opponents this year in Ohio State's Jesse Mendez, Missouri's Zeke Seltzer, Northern Iowa's Cory Land and North Carolina's Luke Simcox. VomBaur is 2-2 against those opponents with losses to Mendez and Land, while Hardy is 3-1 with his loss also coming to Mendez.
The matchup at 149 could feature No. 25 Drew Roberts and No. 14 Chance Lamer. The pair have one prior meeting with Lamer, who was then at Cal Poly, beating Roberts by decision in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Championships. They have one common opponent this year in Illinois' Michael Gioffre, and both beat Gioffre by decision. Roberts is 2-1 against ranked wrestlers this season.
At 157, No. 21 Charlie Millard, 2-3 against ranked foes this year, is set to meet No. 5 Antrell Taylor for the first time. They have two common opponents this year in Northern Iowa's RJ Weston and Ohio State's Brandon Cannon. Both wrestlers beat Weston by tech fall and were majored by Cannon.
No. 11 Andrew Sparks, 1-1 against ranked opponents this year, could face No. 8 LJ Araujo at 165 for the first time in their careers. They have one common opponents this year in Ohio State's Paddy Gallagher. Sparks won his matchup in overtime at the National Duals, while Araujo was majored.
At 174, No. 22 Ethan Riddle, who has wrestled a team-high 10 ranked opponents this year and gone 6-4 in such matches, could meet No. 6 Christopher Minto for the first time. They have one common foe this year in Ohio State's Carson Kharchla. Riddle lost his match by tech fall, while Minto lost by decision.
At 184, No. 3 Max McEnelly and No. 9 Silas Allred are scheduled to meet for the second time in their careers. Last year, McEnelly won by major decision in the regular season dual. They have two common opponents this year in Missouri's Aeoden Sinclair and Ohio State's Dylan Fishback. McEnelly beat Fishback but lost to Sinclair, while Allred is 0-2 against the pair.
The matchup at 197 could put No. 24 Gavin Nelson against No. 12 Camden McDanel for the first time. They have two common foes this year in Missouri's Evan Bates and Ohio State's Seth Shumate. Nelson, who is 1-4 against ranked opponents this year, lost to both, while McDanel beat Shumate and lost to Bates.
The final ranked matchup could come at heavyweight between No. 10 Koy Hopke and fourth-ranked AJ Ferrari. The two have never met and have one common opponent this year in Ohio State's Nick Feldman, who beat the pair by decisions. Hopke is 6-2 against ranked opponents this year.
LAST TIME VS. NEBRASKA
At 141 pounds, No. 11 Vance VomBaur is set to face third-ranked Brock Hardy for the fifth time in his career. Hardy has won all four previous matchups, including twice last year, first by decision in the regular season, and then by fall in the finals of the Big Ten Championships. They have four common opponents this year in Ohio State's Jesse Mendez, Missouri's Zeke Seltzer, Northern Iowa's Cory Land and North Carolina's Luke Simcox. VomBaur is 2-2 against those opponents with losses to Mendez and Land, while Hardy is 3-1 with his loss also coming to Mendez.
The matchup at 149 could feature No. 25 Drew Roberts and No. 14 Chance Lamer. The pair have one prior meeting with Lamer, who was then at Cal Poly, beating Roberts by decision in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Championships. They have one common opponent this year in Illinois' Michael Gioffre, and both beat Gioffre by decision. Roberts is 2-1 against ranked wrestlers this season.
At 157, No. 21 Charlie Millard, 2-3 against ranked foes this year, is set to meet No. 5 Antrell Taylor for the first time. They have two common opponents this year in Northern Iowa's RJ Weston and Ohio State's Brandon Cannon. Both wrestlers beat Weston by tech fall and were majored by Cannon.
No. 11 Andrew Sparks, 1-1 against ranked opponents this year, could face No. 8 LJ Araujo at 165 for the first time in their careers. They have one common opponents this year in Ohio State's Paddy Gallagher. Sparks won his matchup in overtime at the National Duals, while Araujo was majored.
At 174, No. 22 Ethan Riddle, who has wrestled a team-high 10 ranked opponents this year and gone 6-4 in such matches, could meet No. 6 Christopher Minto for the first time. They have one common foe this year in Ohio State's Carson Kharchla. Riddle lost his match by tech fall, while Minto lost by decision.
At 184, No. 3 Max McEnelly and No. 9 Silas Allred are scheduled to meet for the second time in their careers. Last year, McEnelly won by major decision in the regular season dual. They have two common opponents this year in Missouri's Aeoden Sinclair and Ohio State's Dylan Fishback. McEnelly beat Fishback but lost to Sinclair, while Allred is 0-2 against the pair.
The matchup at 197 could put No. 24 Gavin Nelson against No. 12 Camden McDanel for the first time. They have two common foes this year in Missouri's Evan Bates and Ohio State's Seth Shumate. Nelson, who is 1-4 against ranked opponents this year, lost to both, while McDanel beat Shumate and lost to Bates.
The final ranked matchup could come at heavyweight between No. 10 Koy Hopke and fourth-ranked AJ Ferrari. The two have never met and have one common opponent this year in Ohio State's Nick Feldman, who beat the pair by decisions. Hopke is 6-2 against ranked opponents this year.
LAST TIME VS. NEBRASKA
Minnesota suffered a 21-13 setback to Nebraska when the teams met last season in Lincoln. u In a dual that featured nine ranked matchups, the Golden Gophers swept the upperweight bouts from 184 pounds through heavyweight. Five of the Huskers' wins were by three points or less.
The dual started at 157 pounds as No. 10 Tommy Askey faced No. 5 Antrell Taylor. Both recorded escapes, sending the match to overtime. There, Taylor got the sudden-victory takedown for a 4-1 victory.
The only non-ranked matchup came at 165 pounds as No. 9 Andrew Sparks met Christopher Minto. Sparks led 3-2 in the third but Minto got in on the ankle in the final seconds and secured the takedown off neutral danger to go ahead 5-3. The match appeared to be over but, after review, a locked hands call was made on Minto. Sparks had five seconds to escape and tie the match, but Minto prevailed 5-4.
Nebraska made it 9-0 after a 9-3 victory for No. 16 Lenny Pinto over Minnesota's 24th-ranked Clayton Whiting. All three of Whiting's points came via escape.
No. 4 Max McEnelly majored No. 6 Silas Allred at 184, 16-6. McEnelly scored a pair of takedowns in the opening frame and led 6-3 through two periods. He poured it on with three more in the final stanza.
Isaiah Salazar made it two in a row with a major decision of his own at 197 pounds. Ranked ninth, Salazar topped No. 22 Camden McDanel, 8-0. Salazar had takedowns in each of the first two periods.
Minnesota took the lead at 13-9 behind another dominant victory from top-ranked Gable Steveson at heavyweight. Facing No. 24 Harley Andrews, Steveson claimed a tech fall win with a 19-4 win (3:32). Seven of Steveson's 19 points came in the opening 20 seconds behind a takedown and four nearfall points. He added three more takedowns.
Nebraska took the lead back at 125 pounds, 15-13, with No. 7 Caleb Smith topping No. 5 Cooper Flynn, 2-0. Smith rode out Flynn for the second period and added an escape in the third period to get the win.
The 133-tilt between No. 11 Tyler Wells and No. 19 Jacob Van Dee came down to the wire. It looked as though they were headed to overtime tied at 1-1, but Van Dee scored a takedown in the closing seconds. Minnesota challenged but the call was confirmed and Van Dee prevailed, 4-1.
The final top-10 showdown came at 141 between eighth-ranked Vance VomBaur and sixth-ranked Brock Hardy. It was a back-and-forth contest that saw VomBaur leading 4-3 after one period, but Hardy was on top 6-5 through two. Trailing 10-5, VomBaur got an escape in the third period and followed with a takedown to get within 10-9, but Hardy got a reversal and held on for a 12-10 decision to extend the Husker lead.
The dual ended at 149 pounds with No. 5 Ridge Lovett shutting out No. 21 Drew Roberts, 5-0.
The dual started at 157 pounds as No. 10 Tommy Askey faced No. 5 Antrell Taylor. Both recorded escapes, sending the match to overtime. There, Taylor got the sudden-victory takedown for a 4-1 victory.
The only non-ranked matchup came at 165 pounds as No. 9 Andrew Sparks met Christopher Minto. Sparks led 3-2 in the third but Minto got in on the ankle in the final seconds and secured the takedown off neutral danger to go ahead 5-3. The match appeared to be over but, after review, a locked hands call was made on Minto. Sparks had five seconds to escape and tie the match, but Minto prevailed 5-4.
Nebraska made it 9-0 after a 9-3 victory for No. 16 Lenny Pinto over Minnesota's 24th-ranked Clayton Whiting. All three of Whiting's points came via escape.
No. 4 Max McEnelly majored No. 6 Silas Allred at 184, 16-6. McEnelly scored a pair of takedowns in the opening frame and led 6-3 through two periods. He poured it on with three more in the final stanza.
Isaiah Salazar made it two in a row with a major decision of his own at 197 pounds. Ranked ninth, Salazar topped No. 22 Camden McDanel, 8-0. Salazar had takedowns in each of the first two periods.
Minnesota took the lead at 13-9 behind another dominant victory from top-ranked Gable Steveson at heavyweight. Facing No. 24 Harley Andrews, Steveson claimed a tech fall win with a 19-4 win (3:32). Seven of Steveson's 19 points came in the opening 20 seconds behind a takedown and four nearfall points. He added three more takedowns.
Nebraska took the lead back at 125 pounds, 15-13, with No. 7 Caleb Smith topping No. 5 Cooper Flynn, 2-0. Smith rode out Flynn for the second period and added an escape in the third period to get the win.
The 133-tilt between No. 11 Tyler Wells and No. 19 Jacob Van Dee came down to the wire. It looked as though they were headed to overtime tied at 1-1, but Van Dee scored a takedown in the closing seconds. Minnesota challenged but the call was confirmed and Van Dee prevailed, 4-1.
The final top-10 showdown came at 141 between eighth-ranked Vance VomBaur and sixth-ranked Brock Hardy. It was a back-and-forth contest that saw VomBaur leading 4-3 after one period, but Hardy was on top 6-5 through two. Trailing 10-5, VomBaur got an escape in the third period and followed with a takedown to get within 10-9, but Hardy got a reversal and held on for a 12-10 decision to extend the Husker lead.
The dual ended at 149 pounds with No. 5 Ridge Lovett shutting out No. 21 Drew Roberts, 5-0.
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