Minnesota Madness: Gophers Finish Third at National Duals
John Romo/Minnesota Sports Information
January 23, 2005 – The eighth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team (6-4) rallied for a 24-13 victory over fifth-ranked Lehigh to claim third place at the National Duals in Cleveland, Ohio. A tight battle throughout, a late disqualification for Lehigh proved to be the difference in the match.
Lehigh led 14-13 entering the 197-pound match, but Lehigh All-American Jon Trenge was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing a punch at Minnesota freshman Matt Koz in the first period. Both teams were penalized one team point, but the six-point disqualification gave Minnesota an 18-14 lead. Lehigh forfeited the heavyweight bout and Minnesota claimed the match by the score of 24-13.
Minnesota jumped ahead in the match with victories from Bobbe Lowe and Mack Reiter. Lowe jumped out to an 8-2 second-period lead against Andrew Rizzi at 125 pounds, but Rizzi tied the match after a takedown and a near fall. Lowe recovered and put the match away with a pair of takedowns in a 16-11 decision.
Reiter capped off a strong tournament with a 1-0 decision against sixth-ranked Matt Ciasulli. Scoreless after the first period, Reiter rode Ciasulli the entire second period to gain a two minute advantage in riding time. That advantage resulted in a bonus point for Reiter, the lone score in the match.
Lehigh cut the lead to 6-3 behind fourth-ranked Cory Cooperman’s 4-0 decision against Tommy Owen at 141 pounds. Cooperman scored a takedown late in the second period to take a 3-0 lead and was awarded a bonus point for riding time.
The Golden Gophers rebounded at 149 pounds behind 11th-ranked C.P. Schlatter. Schlatter posted two second-period takedowns against Dave Nakasone en route to an 8-3 decision.
Lehigh rallied with three straight wins, including a pair by major decision. 12th-ranked Derek Zinck had an 11-3 major decision at 157 pounds against Jeremy Anderson, while top-ranked Troy Letters defeated eighth-ranked Matt Nagel, 8-2, at 165 pounds. Lehigh took a 14-9 lead after 10th-ranked Travis Frick’s 16-5 major decision against Jeremy Larson.
Once again, freshman Roger Kish got the Golden Gophers back on track. Thanks to four third-period takedowns, he earned Minnesota a bonus point with his 12-4 major decision against Matt Cassidy at 184 pounds. That cut Lehigh’s lead to 14-13 as Minnesota went on to claim the 24-14 victory.
“I would say we are pleased at the amount of progress we have made since the start of the season,” head coach J Robinson said. “One of our goals was to raise our intensity level and I think we were able to accomplish that. We beat a couple of teams ranked higher than us and had a good match against Illinois in the semifinals. We are not where we want to be at this point, but we took some positive steps this weekend.”
Minnesota returns home to open Big Ten competition with a pair of dual meets at the Sports Pavilion. The Golden Gophers will host Michigan State on Friday and then will battle second-ranked Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota posted a 21-16 victory over the Wolverines in the quarterfinals of the National Duals.
#8 Minnesota 24, #5 Lehigh 13
Jan. 23, 2005
National Dual Third-Place Match
125 – #4 Bobbe Lowe (MN) dec. Andrew Rizzi (LU), 16-11
133 – #5 Mack Reiter (MN) dec. #6 Matt Ciasulli (LU), 1 -0
141 – #4 Cory Cooperman (LU) dec. Tommy Owen, 4-0
149 – #11 C.P. Schlatter (MN) dec. Dave Nakasone (LU), 8 -3
157 – #12 Derek Zinck (LU) maj. dec. Jeremy Anderson (MN), 12-3
165 – #1 Troy Letters (LU) dec. #8 Matt Nagel (MN), 8-2
174 – #10 Travis Frick (LU) maj. dec. Jeremy Larson (MN), 16-5
184 – #7 Roger Kish (MN) maj. dec. Matt Cassidy (LU), 12 -4
197 – Matt Koz (MN) over #3 Jon Trenge (LU), DQ
Both team deducted one point
HWT – #2 Cole Konrad (MN) wins by forfeit
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