Sam Brancale

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Eden Prairie, Minn.
High School:
Eden Prairie HS

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Four-time letterwinner ('14, '15, '16, '17)
Placed at 2016 Southern Scuffle (eighth)
Won team's 2015-16 "Most Falls" award
Won title at Journeymen Collegiate Classic ('16)
Bison Open champion ('14)

2016-17 • REDSHIRT SENIOR
Overall Record: 10-3
Dual Meet Record: - -
Big Ten Record: - -
Pins: 5
Major Decisions: 2
Technical Falls: - -

Letterwinner - Placed in all three tournaments in which he competed - Won his division at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic wrestling at 133 pounds (5-0) - Placed fourth at Daktronics Open - Placed fifth at UNI Open

2015-16 • REDSHIRT JUNIOR
Overall Record: 15-18
Dual Meet Record: 5-10
Big Ten Record: 0-7
Pins: 7
Major Decisions: 3
Technical Falls: - -

Letterwinner - Began season with third-place finish at Daktronics Open - recorded four falls at Daktronics Open, including pins in his first three matches of the season - led all non-redshirts on team with seven pins during the season - wrestled a team-high 14 regular season matches against ranked opponents, including wins over No. 9 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) and No. 6 Rossi Bruno (Michigan) - won four of first five dual matches - placed eighth at Southern Scuffle - earned bonus points in 11 of 15 wins - had three-match winning streak during duals season, including a major decision over A.C. Headlee (North Carolina) - won in first round of all three regular season tournaments in which he competed, including two pins and a technical fall

2014-15 • REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE
Overall Record: 8-5
Dual Meet Record: 2-3
Big Ten Record: 0-1
Pins: 3
Major Decisions: 1
Technical Falls: 1

Letterwinner - Began season with back-to-back first period pins against Aaron Dick (Concordia-Moorhead) and Tirso Lara (North Dakota State) at the Bison Open - Won 125 title at the Bison Open - Earned a 17-11 victory over No. 8 Tyler Cox (Wyoming) during a road dual on Nov. 15 - Earned a second period tech fall, 15-0, over Sean Badua (Army) during the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas on Dec. 5 - Suffered a shoulder injury during pre-match warmups prior to the Gophers' home dual against Northwestern on Dec. 18 and missed the next eight weeks of action - Returned from injury to wrestle at 133 against No. 10 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) in a road dual on Feb. 6

2013-14 • REDSHIRT FRESHMAN
Overall Record: 14-10
Dual Meet Record: 5-7
Big Ten Record: 3-2
Pins: 2
Major Decisions: 7
Technical Falls: 1

Letterwinner - Finished the season with a 14-10 record - Went 4-1 and took second place at Bison Open, including a victory by major decision and another by pin - Went 5-0 at Harold Nichols Cyclone Open with three victories by major decision - Pinned No. 3 Tom Gilman of Iowa to score a critical six points in Minnesota's 19-15 win at Iowa on Jan. 25

2012-13 • FRESHMAN (REDSHIRTED)
Overall Record: 3-1
Dual Meet Record: - -
Big Ten Record: - -
Pins: - -
Major Decisions: - -
Technical Falls: - -

Finished the season with a 3-1 record - Went 3-1 at the Bison Open, where he earned a 6-1 overtime sudden victory over teammate Corey Hodowanic - Fell to No. 12 Trent Sprenkle in the finals at the Bison Open in a 6-5 decision

HIGH SCHOOL
Named 2012 Eden Prairie High School Male Athlete of the Year - Won the individual state title in 2010 and 2012 - Took sixth place at state as a freshman and third and a junior - Earned All-Conference honors in 2010, 2011, and 2012 - Named to the All-State team all four years of high school - Received All-America accolades for his efforts during the senior season in 2012 - Posted an overall record of 144-9 over his four years with the high school program - Four-time letterwinner - Coached by Tom Gruhlke and Jeremy Anderson

PERSONAL
Son of David and Roxanne Brancale - Has two siblings, Alex and Ben - Father David wrestled for the Gophers from 1975-76 and younger brother Ben is currently a redshirt freshman for the Gophers - Names most memorable sports thrill as winning state as a senior - Lists fishing and hunting as interests outside of wrestling - Majoring in Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance

Season	Overall	Dual	Big Ten	Pins	Maj. Dec.	Tech. Fall	B1G Finish	NCAA Finish
2012-13 (RS)	3-1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
2013-14	14-10	5-7	3-2	2	7	1	DNP	- -
2014-15	8-5	0-1	0-1	3	1	1	- -	- -
2015-16	15-18	5-10	0-7	7	3	1	DNP	- -
2016-17	10-3	- -	- -	5	2	- -	- -	- -
Totals	47-36	10-18	3-10	17	13	3	- -	- -