‘U’ wrestlers third at National Duals
From News Services
The eighth-ranked Gophers wrestling team rallied for a 24-13 victory over No. 5 Lehigh to claim third place at the National Duals on Sunday in Cleveland.
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-America Jon Trenge was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing a punch at Gophers 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 match.
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 a strong tournament with a 1-0 decision against sixth-ranked Matt Ciasulli. After a scoreless first period, Reiter rode Ciasulli the entire second period and gained a two-minute advantage in riding time. That advantage resulted in a bonus point for Reiter, the lone point 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 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 consecutive victories, including a pair by major decision. Twelfth-ranked Derek Zinck had an 11-3 major decision at 157 pounds against Jeremy Anderson, and 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 Gophers back on track. Thanks to four third-period takedowns, he earned Minnesota a bonus point with his 12-4 major decision over Matt Cassidy at 184 pounds. That cut Lehigh’s lead to 14-13.
The Gophers reached the third-place match with a 18-15 victory over No. 13 Central Michigan. Central Michigan rallied from a 12-3 deficit to tie the match 15-15 heading into the final match. Heavyweight Cole Konrad won 3-1 to give the Gophers the victory.
Wrestling Gear
