Minnesota’s wrestling team got off to a solid start this weekend at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D., winning eight of the 10 individual weight titles.
“I think it was a real good starting point for our guys,” assistant coach Joe Russell said. “They’ve been in the room practicing for so long. Just to get out and get some competition was real beneficial.”
Second-ranked All-American sophomore Cole Konrad won the heavyweight division with three pins and a 4-0 record.
Though the Gophers were mainly wrestling Division II and III opponents, Russell said they found the tournament to be a quality gauge of their current abilities, as a couple matchups pitted Minnesota teammates against one another.
“That’s good for us to see where our guys are at, even on our team,” Russell said. “Some of these matches we kind of use as ranking matches to find out who’s (our) starter.”
Minnesota entered the season boasting the nation’s top-ranked freshman class, which redshirted last season.
They’ve lived up to expectations so far.
Redshirt freshmen Mack Reiter (133 pounds), Gabriel Dretsch (174), and Roger Kish (184) all claimed individual titles in their respective weight classes.
The Gophers expect tougher competition at their second tournament of the season Nov. 20 at the UNO Open in Omaha, Neb.
Men’s tennis stays alive
After play finished Sunday, Minnesota’s men’s tennis team still had a chance to keep it in the family at the Big Ten Singles Championships in Madison, Wis.
Former Gophers player Chris Wettengel won the tournament last year.
Senior Avery Ticer won 6-4, 6-0 Sunday afternoon to advance to Monday’s semifinal round. Sophomore Nic Edlefsen followed suit, winning 6-3, 7-5 and also advancing to the semifinals.
The two are the only Gophers still alive in the tournament, but coach David Geatz said the team views that in a positive light for the last match of the fall season.
“Especially to have someone win it all – that would be ending the season on a great note,” Geatz said.
Sophomores Sion Wilkins and Mikey Kantar both successfully advanced from the qualifying draw Saturday but went on to lose in the next round.
The 38th-ranked Gophers faced stiff competition, including players from second-ranked Illinois and 12th-ranked Ohio State.
“It’s a good field,” Geatz said. “The competition’s very tough.”
Rowers disappoint
Minnesota’s rowing team finished seventh out of 11 teams Sunday at the Head of the Lake Regatta in Seattle, and it wasn’t enough for the Gophers to end their fall season feeling satisfied.
Wavy conditions and some breakdowns along the course of their race led to what coach Wendy Davis deemed a disappointing finish.
“We did not perform well,” Davis said. “The whole thing was just like, ‘Who’s that out there?’ “
At two particular points in the race, Davis said, the Gophers did not row up to their potential, which proved enough to give competitors a substantial lead.
Competing in their last race of the fall season, the Gophers had hoped a quality performance this weekend would vault them into the spring preseason rankings for the first time in program history.
Davis said she expected the team to race better than it did – especially after a week of solid practice.
“We have to be able to perform on race day, every day, rain or shine,” Davis said. “It happens, but I’m tired of it happening. We don’t want it to happen anymore.”
Alumni beat gymnasts
Minnesota’s men’s gymnastics team was defeated for the 38th-straight time in its annual Alumni Meet on Saturday.
Alumnus Clay Strother won the all-around with a score of 54.3, and current Gophers senior Guillermo Alvarez was close behind with a 52.1.
