No. 2 Minnesota upset No. 1 Penn State and won a share of the Big Ten title Sunday in front of packed crowd of about 5,600 fans at the Sports Pavilion.
A thrilling dual came down to the final match of the afternoon, and two-time NCAA heavyweight champion Tony Nelson did not disappoint.
Nelson, who had lost his previous three matches, beat Penn State’s Jon Gingrich to give his team an 18-17 victory.
Nelson said he relishes the opportunity to win the dual for his team.
“I’ve been in that situation before, and it’s always fun,” he said. “And to come out and beat the No. 1 team in the nation and become [Big Ten] dual meet champions — it’s great.”
While Nelson’s match ultimately decided the dual, Dylan Ness’ match at 157 pounds brought the afternoon to a climax.
In an ending that nearly blew the roof off the Sports Pavilion, Ness, the eighth-ranked 157-pounder in the nation, scrambled and managed to pin No. 4 Dylan Alton.
The sellout crowd erupted with cheers as Ness stood up from the pin and pointed to the stands in celebration.
“It felt great,” he said. “There’s nothing better than getting a fall and a big win for your team in a packed place.”
Ness said he loves wrestling in front of so many fans and said bigger crowds seem to calm his nerves.
Gophers head assistant coach Brandon Eggum said it’s not just the crowd that gets Ness fired up. He said the redshirt junior gets up easier for high-pressure matches like that.
“The bigger the match, the better he wrestles,” Eggum said of his 157-pounder. “He always wrestles his best in matches like those.”
Minnesota only won half of the day’s matches, but Ness’ pin provided enough team points to push the Gophers to victory.
Minnesota lost the first match of the afternoon, and the teams traded blows from there.
After Ness’ pin, redshirt senior Danny Zilverberg lost by major decision to top-ranked 165-pounder David Taylor.
That win swung the momentum back in Penn State’s favor, but No. 6 Logan Storley picked up a key victory over No. 3 Matt Brown to extend the Gophers’ lead to four points with just three matches remaining.
Storley said the energy from the crowd helped fuel his victory.
“It was wild,” he said. “It was packed, and when you hear the crowd roaring, it’s pretty sweet.”
But sweet turned to sour quickly when the Gophers dropped their next two matches.
Those two victories at 184 and 197 pounds gave Penn State a 17-15 lead before Nelson’s win tipped the scale back in favor of the Gophers for good.
The loss at 197 pounds was No. 1 Scott Schiller’s first of the year. He was a perfect 24-0 going into the dual.
Eggum said that for Schiller, it’s all about moving forward.
“He’s a top-ranked guy, and what’s done is done,” Eggum said. “He just has to leave it here and move on.”
The Gophers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, next week for the NWCA National Duals.
