Winning any tournament three times in a row is hard enough.
But taking the title at four in a row?
The Gophers will attempt just that at the upcoming NWCA National Duals.
“We have been talking about winning the NWCA National Duals since the end of the season last year,” head assistant coach Brandon Eggum said. “It’s been one of our team goals.”
No. 3 Minnesota will begin against No. 24 North Dakota State.
NDSU is one of eight hosting regions for the first round, so the meet will be in Fargo, N.D.
Redshirt senior Scott Schiller, a Fargo native, said he is excited to be able to go back home.
“It’s cool to wrestle in front of my family and friends,” Schiller said. “It’s always fun to get back to Fargo and go against those guys. I think it will be fun to compete one last time in front of my home crowd.”
Last year, the Gophers also competed against NDSU in the first round, defeating the team 35-3.
Schiller had an 8-5 decision victory last year, and he said he expects to have a competitive match again.
“I expect myself to keep building on what I have been doing all year,” Schiller said. “Obviously, I am looking for an individual win, and the team is looking for a win out of Fargo this year, so we can move on to compete in the finals [later] in Iowa City.”
Senior Logan Storley has the same mentality going into the meet against NDSU in the NWCA first round.
“The recent two losses against Ohio State and Iowa give us more motivation than ever to get back out there and win those two duals that we lost,” Storley said. “We have a lot of things to prove, but [in the end] we just want to win our fourth title.”
To win their fourth title, the Gophers might have to face Iowa and Ohio State again, as both teams are participating in the NWCA National Duals.
The Gophers could face Iowa in the semifinals and Ohio State in the finals if the bracket shakes out that way.
If the Gophers do face their Big Ten counterparts, Eggum said there’s no doubt his team will be excited for a rematch.
“We got to avenge [some] losses last year at the [NWCA] duals,” Eggum said. “You try not to look past anyone, such as NDSU or Cornell. But if we get a shot at [Ohio State and Iowa], it would be nice to get a chance to win those duals.”
