University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, January 4
Coralville, IA
University of Minnesota
vs
Soldier Salute
Players Mentioned
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
133 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
/ Wrestling
285 lbs.
/ Wrestling
149 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
Photo by: Jerod Ringwald
Soldier Salute Heavyweight Title Goes to Hopke
1/4/2026 5:45:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota redshirt freshman Koy Hopke won the heavyweight title as action concluded Sunday at the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa.
Hopke, ranked 11th by InterMat, defeated Nebraska's Cade Ziola, 5-3, to cap a 4-0 weekend. Hopke outscored his opponents 18-5 and did not give up a take down. He has not given up more than three points during his current six-match winning streak.
The final inside the Xtream Arena was a rematch from the Bison Open in November when Ziola prevailed, 8-7. Sunday's matchup started with a scoreless first period. In the second, Hopke started down but Ziola quickly scored a reversal. Hopke later escaped to trail 2-1 going to the third. Hopke chose to start down for the final period, but Ziola conceded the escape to even the match at 2-2.
With 1:20 remaining, Ziola tried for an ankle pick, but Hopke countered and grabbed low on Ziola's left leg, driving through for the go-ahead takedown. Ziola escaped with over a minute to go, but Hopke fended off all further attacks for the victory.
The tournament title is the second of the season for Hopke along with the season-opening Southeast Open. The Amery, Wis., native is now 15-3 on the season with six ranked wins, three by pin and five by major decision.
Hopke reached the championship match after a hard-fought, 6-1 win over No. 10 Christian Carroll of Wyoming in the semifinals. Scoreless after the opening period, Hopke started down in period two and escaped after 22 seconds. With less than 50 seconds left in the frame, Carroll tried a hip toss to take Hopke down, but Hopke defended the attack and earned the three points for himself. Hopke then rode out Carroll for the entire third period, earning a stall point and riding time point, for the victory.
At 174 pounds, redshirt junior Clayton Whiting garnered a seventh-place finish with a 3-1, overtime win over Iowa State's Melton Powe. Both wrestlers registered escapes in regulation but neither scored in sudden-victory. In the first tiebreaker, Whiting started on bottom but scored a reversal in what was the deciding margin. Whiting finished the weekend 4-2 with three wins coming by major decision.
In the seventh-place match at heavyweight, redshirt senior Bennett Tabor also went to overtime, but he was defeated by No. 26 Jarrett Stoner of Missouri, 4-1, to finish in eighth place. Like the seventh-place match at 174, both scored in regulation with escapes. Stoner then got the winning takedown midway through the extra session. Tabor finished 2-3 on the weekend, while his record is 10-6 for the season.
With tournament action now concluded for the regular season, No. 7 Minnesota turns its attention to the Big Ten slate. First up, a trip to Illinois to face the No. 11 Fighting Illini on Jan. 10. Match time is set for 1 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
Soldier Salute Results
1st Place
285: Koy Hopke (4-0)
7th Place
174: Clayton Whiting (4-2)
8th Place
285: Bennett Tabor (2-3)
Did Not Place
125: Blake Beissel (1-2)
141: Dawson Johnson (1-2)
149: Wyatt Duchateau (1-4), Jager Eisch (0-2), Rhett Koenig (4-2), Charles Vanier (3-2)
197: Silas Dailey (0-2)
Hopke, ranked 11th by InterMat, defeated Nebraska's Cade Ziola, 5-3, to cap a 4-0 weekend. Hopke outscored his opponents 18-5 and did not give up a take down. He has not given up more than three points during his current six-match winning streak.
The final inside the Xtream Arena was a rematch from the Bison Open in November when Ziola prevailed, 8-7. Sunday's matchup started with a scoreless first period. In the second, Hopke started down but Ziola quickly scored a reversal. Hopke later escaped to trail 2-1 going to the third. Hopke chose to start down for the final period, but Ziola conceded the escape to even the match at 2-2.
With 1:20 remaining, Ziola tried for an ankle pick, but Hopke countered and grabbed low on Ziola's left leg, driving through for the go-ahead takedown. Ziola escaped with over a minute to go, but Hopke fended off all further attacks for the victory.
The tournament title is the second of the season for Hopke along with the season-opening Southeast Open. The Amery, Wis., native is now 15-3 on the season with six ranked wins, three by pin and five by major decision.
Hopke reached the championship match after a hard-fought, 6-1 win over No. 10 Christian Carroll of Wyoming in the semifinals. Scoreless after the opening period, Hopke started down in period two and escaped after 22 seconds. With less than 50 seconds left in the frame, Carroll tried a hip toss to take Hopke down, but Hopke defended the attack and earned the three points for himself. Hopke then rode out Carroll for the entire third period, earning a stall point and riding time point, for the victory.
At 174 pounds, redshirt junior Clayton Whiting garnered a seventh-place finish with a 3-1, overtime win over Iowa State's Melton Powe. Both wrestlers registered escapes in regulation but neither scored in sudden-victory. In the first tiebreaker, Whiting started on bottom but scored a reversal in what was the deciding margin. Whiting finished the weekend 4-2 with three wins coming by major decision.
In the seventh-place match at heavyweight, redshirt senior Bennett Tabor also went to overtime, but he was defeated by No. 26 Jarrett Stoner of Missouri, 4-1, to finish in eighth place. Like the seventh-place match at 174, both scored in regulation with escapes. Stoner then got the winning takedown midway through the extra session. Tabor finished 2-3 on the weekend, while his record is 10-6 for the season.
With tournament action now concluded for the regular season, No. 7 Minnesota turns its attention to the Big Ten slate. First up, a trip to Illinois to face the No. 11 Fighting Illini on Jan. 10. Match time is set for 1 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
Soldier Salute Results
1st Place
285: Koy Hopke (4-0)
7th Place
174: Clayton Whiting (4-2)
8th Place
285: Bennett Tabor (2-3)
Did Not Place
125: Blake Beissel (1-2)
141: Dawson Johnson (1-2)
149: Wyatt Duchateau (1-4), Jager Eisch (0-2), Rhett Koenig (4-2), Charles Vanier (3-2)
197: Silas Dailey (0-2)
Highlights: Hopke Wins Soldier Salute
Tuesday, January 06
Coach's Corner with Brandon Eggum
Tuesday, December 23
Cinematic Recap: Gophers-Little Rock in Mequon
Thursday, December 18
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Beat NDSU
Friday, December 12