The Sky’s the Limit for the Minnesota Wrestlers in 2005-06
As head coach J Robinson enters his 20th season at the helm, the sky is the limit for the 2005-06 Golden Gopher wrestling team. Minnesota returns three All-Americans and six NCAA qualifiers from a team that narrowly missed out on winning the Big Ten Championship and claimed fifth at the NCAA Championship.
Minnesota returns a talented and experienced nucleus, led by NCAA runner-up Cole Konrad, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Mack Reiter and All-American Matt Nagel. Konrad has 79 wins in his first two seasons, the most in back-to-back years by a Golden Gopher since 1980. Reiter became the third Golden Gopher to win the league’s highest rookie honor, while Nagel overcame a challenging schedule to earn All-American honors for the first time in his career. Konrad and Nagel will serve as team captains this season.
They will be joined in the lineup by trio of sophomores looking for breakout seasons. C.P. Schlatter, Roger Kish and Gabriel Dretsch will look to build on their first trip to the NCAA Championships a year ago. Schlatter and Kish, two of the top three recruits in the nation in 2003, both overcame injuries to qualify for their first national tournament. While not as heralded as many of his fellow sophomores, Dretsch earned the starting nod last year at 174 and looks to make a bigger impact this year.
The Golden Gophers will have four new faces in the starting lineup, highlighted by true freshman Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds. The Asics High School Wrestler of the Year will join his older brother, C.P., to give Minnesota a formidable one-two punch in the middle of its lineup. This if the fourth time in the last eight years the Golden Gophers have signed the nation’s top recruit. Schlatter joins Kish, Damion Hahn and Garrett Lowney. Minnesota will also have new starters at 125, 141 and 197 pounds. Junior Andrew
Domingues is expected to take the reigns at 125, while sophomore Justin Bronson is the likely starter at 197 pounds after spending the past two years at heavyweight. A trio of wrestlers is competing for the 141 spot. Sophomore Manuel Rivera, redshirt freshman Tyler Safratowich and junior college transfer Charles Lloyd will vie for the starting nod.
“This is the type of team that we can win a championship with,” Robinson said. “On paper it may not look like it at the beginning of the season, but neither did our team in 2001 that won our first national title. We believe that we have the potential to have as many as eight to 10 All-Americans this year. It’s just a matter of the guys learning how as the season goes on to come together as a team. We’ve been able to get the best out of our wrestlers in March and that’s what we plan on doing this year.”
125
Replacing two-time All-American Bobbe Lowe will likely fall on the capable shoulders of Domingues. Domingues has made nine dual meet starts in his first two seasons and claimed his first Big Ten win last year with a 13-4 major decision against Ohio State’s Nathan Costello. He has an overall career record of 35-20.
Others competing for playing time will be redshirt freshman Travis Lang, true freshman Jayson Ness and sophomore Daniel Jackson. Lang had a strong redshirt season in 2005 and compiled a record of 11-3. He signed with Minnesota after a stellar high school career in which he won four North Dakota state championships.
A true freshman out of Bloomington Kennedy High School, Ness was a two-time state champion and was named an Asics All-American. He finished his high school career with a 161-14 career record. Jackson was a standout grappler at Janesville Parker (Wis.) High School. He competed in several tournaments, including the Bison and Kaufman-Brand Opens.
“All three guys will get their shot in the open tournaments and from there, we will determine who the starter is,” assistant head coach Marty Morgan said. “Domingues is a junior and has beaten some ranked wrestlers in the past. He beat Lang in a close match last year. We are anxious to see how Ness performs in the early tournaments.”
133
Reiter put together one of the best freshman campaigns in school history, as he became the school’s third Big Ten Freshman of the Year. His 40 wins were the fifth-highest total in school history, while his 15 pins were the sixth-highest single-season total. Reiter became the first league freshman to win a Big Ten title since 2001 and went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships.
“Mack is focused on improving his finish at NCAAs,” assistant coach Joe Russell said. “He finished with 15 pins last year, but could have had as many as 20. Mack goes out there and tries to dominate whomever he is facing. Getting so close last year at nationals will only motivate him this year.”
Redshirt freshman Marc Mellmer will serve as back-up to Reiter. He had two pins and three major decisions in 19 matches last season. Mellmer was a three-time state champion out of Dickinson High School in North Dakota.
141
A trio of Golden Gophers will use the tournaments in the early portion of the schedule to determine the starter at 141 pounds. Rivera brings back the most experience after compiling a 13-12 record last year as a sophomore. He also started dual meets at Nebraska and Iowa State.
Safratowich had a stellar redshirt season in 2005 and added even more accolades in the offseason. He finished 17-6 last year with four pins and two major decisions. This past summer, he was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the FILA Junior Greco-Roman National Championships. Safratowich was subsequently named to the U.S. World Team, which competed in Lithuania.
Also throwing his hat into the ring will be sophomore Lloyd, a transfer from Lassen College. Lloyd was a 2004 Junior College National Champion. A native of Chicago, Lloyd was a two-time Illinois state champion.
“It will be an interesting battle at 141,” Morgan said. “Manuel got some experience last season and has looked strong early on this year. Tyler had a tremendous offseason and we’re anxious to see how that translates into this season. Charles was a junior college national champion and wants to prove that he can compete at this level.”
149
For the first time in a long time, a true freshman is expected to be in the Minnesota starting lineup when the season begins. Dustin Schlatter immediately fills a hole in the Golden Gopher lineup that has been left void since four-time All-American Jared Lawrence departed following the 2003 season. Schlatter was a four-time Ohio state champion and considered by many to be the top recruit in the nation.
“I think it will benefit Dustin to get in the lineup right away,” assistant coach Brandon Eggum said. “It is a spot where we’ve needed someone to step up. Having his brother in the lineup can only help him make the transition. With a true freshman, he’s going to have his ups-and-downs, but we’re confident he’ll be wrestling his best when the postseason arrives.”
Schlatter will be pushed by juniors Juan Martinez and Danny Williams, sophomore Scott Jacobson and freshman Mitch Millner. Martinez was 9-4 last year with two major decisions and three pins to his credit. He has a 14-9 record in two seasons with Minnesota.
Williams is one of just six upperclassmen on the Golden Gopher roster. He earned his first letter a year ago when he made nine dual meet starts, including seven in Big Ten matches. Williams made one start at 157 pounds against Iowa’s Joe Johnston.
Jacobson is in his third season with the Golden Gophers and competed at the Bison and Dragon Opens a year ago. He is a former five-year letterwinner on the Yellow Medicine East (Minn.) High School wrestling team.
Millner joins Minnesota after an outstanding prep career at wrestling powerhouse Simley High School. He was a two-time state champion and finished with a 174-42 career record, including a 39-2 record as a senior. Millner was also a standout wide receiver on the Simley football team.
157
A quiet offseason was exactly what C.P. Schlatter needed. After joining Minnesota as one of the top recruits in the nation, he dominated the competition during his redshirt season. Unfortunately, his fortunes changed after suffering a serious knee injury, moving from 149 to 157 pounds and suffering a skin infection late in the regular season. To his credit, he rebounded to post an impressive fourth-place showing at Big Tens and finish with a 3-2 record at nationals. He expects even bigger things in 2006.
“I think he’ll be a different wrestler and live up to the expectations that followed him from high school,” Russell said. “Having to sit out half the year and then changing weights, he was now able to spend his offseason preparing to be a 157-pounder. C.P. has looked as strong as ever.”
Schlatter will be joined at 157 by sophomore Matthew Everson. Everson was on his way to a redshirt season, but due to injuries and his performance in the practice room, he made his first career start against Ohio State late in the season. Everson finished with a 12-9 record, competing at 149 and 157 pounds.
165
Nagel had a breakout season in 2005 and will look to close out his career on an even higher note. In his second full season as a starter, he became a first-time All-American last year with a sixth-place finish at 165 pounds. Twenty-nine of his 46 matches on the year came against opponents that reached the NCAA Championships. His experience and leadership will be an invaluable asset in the practice room.
“Now that Matt’s an All-American, we think he will have an even stronger season this year,” Robinson said. “We should see more consistency out of him. He had a lot of close matches that he lost during the regular season, but by the postseason, had learned how to win. We expect him to build on that and become the team leader that we need this year.”
Also competing at 165 will be sophomore Jeremy Larson, redshirt freshman Phil Meinert and true freshman Nate Matousek. In his first season back with the Golden Gophers after serving a two-year mission in Argentina, Larson made eight starts, including six in the Big Ten, at 174 and 184 pounds. He will drop down a weight class to add depth at 165.
A standout wrestler at Princeton High School, Meinert finished with a 7-10 record during his redshirt season in 2005. Matousek joins the Golden Gophers as the state’s all-time winningest high school wrestler. He finished with 243 wins as a prep, topping Mitch Kuhlman’s previous record of 233. Matousek was a three-time state champion out of Glencoe-Silver Lake High School.
174
Dretsch entered last season third on the depth chart at 174 behind a pair of seniors. By the end of the year, he had qualified for his first NCAA Championship. Dretsch finished 23-13 overall with a 4-4 record in dual meets. Dretsch qualified for nationals with a grueling double overtime victory against James Yonushonis of Penn State in the seventh- place match at the Big Ten Championships.
“Gabe surprised the coaching staff, as well as the fans last year,” Eggum said. “He became a fan favorite because he’s an exciting wrestler to watch. He’s not afraid to try different things and leave everything he has on the mat. Gabe will also benefit from the talented guys pushing for playing time behind him.”
Dretsch will be joined by a trio of underclassmen. Kuhlman began his career at 157, but after a strong showing at 165 towards the end of last season, will look for playing time at 174. Kuhlman was 12-6 last year with a 7-0 mark at 165. He made one dual meet start against Northern Iowa.
Nick Davis finished with a 10-5 record during his redshirt season, including a 4-1 record at the Bison Open. A former two-time Florida state champion, he finished with two major decisions and one technical fall. Sophomore Jason Waidzulis joined the Golden Gophers prior to last season after spending one year at the University of Wisconsin. He wrestled at 184 last year and made one start against Michigan State.
184
Kish was the top recruit in the nation two years ago and was well on his way to living up to those expectations before being sidetracked midway through last season. He was sidelined over a month with a skin infection and returned just prior to the Big Ten Championships. Kish finished sixth at Big Tens and posted a 3-2 record at nationals. He will look to build off of last year’s adversity.
“A healthy Roger Kish can win a national championship,” Robinson said. “He had a tough break last year when he had to sit out five weeks. To his credit, despite being hampered, he finished the season strong. He should be right there with the top wrestlers in the nation by the time March rolls around.”
True freshman Chris MacPhail joins the Golden Gophers after earning six letters and one state championship at Pine Island (Minn.) High School. He finished with a perfect 40-0 record en route to the state title as a senior.
197
“Justin has lost a lot of weight and has a much leaner body,” Morgan said. “He’s fired up for this opportunity. There’s not an athlete on our team that has worked harder than Justin. It will take some time for him to adjust to 197, but if anyone can make that transition, Justin can.”
HWT
Minnesota is set at heavyweight with the return of Konrad, a two-time All-American. Last season as a sophomore, he won a Big Ten title and finished second at the NCAA Championships. Konrad finished the 2005 season with a 41-3 record, the fourth-highest win total in school history. In just two seasons, Konrad has a 79-13 career record. His 79 wins are the most by a Golden Gopher in back-to-back season since Dan Zilverberg’s 88 victories from 1978-80.
“Cole isn’t satisfied,” Russell said. “He had a tremendous season a year ago, but he continually changes. He continually improves. Cole went to the World Trials at the senior level this past offseason and finished third. I know in his mind he wants to be a national champion and works every day to get closer to that goal.”
SCHEDULE
The season kicks off with the Golden Gophers competing at the Bison Open on Nov. 12 and the UNO Open on Nov. 19. Minnesota will travel east to Albany, N.Y., to compete in the Northeast Duals. The Golden Gophers will also compete in the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 29-30.
Minnesota begins its dual meet season at Northern Iowa on Dec. 2, and returns home to host Iowa State (Dec. 9), Nebraska (Dec. 11) and Arizona State (Jan. 3). Following the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 14-15, the Golden Gophers open Big Ten action at home against Northwestern on Nov. 20.
In addition to the dual with the Wildcats, the Golden Gophers will also host Big Ten foes Iowa (Jan. 22), Wisconsin (Feb. 3) and Indiana (Feb. 5). Minnesota faces Ohio State (Jan. 27), Penn State (Jan. 29), Michigan (Feb. 17) and Michigan State (Feb. 19) on the road. The Golden Gophers will not meet defending Big Ten champion Illinois or Purdue during the regular season.
In addition to a challenging Big Ten slate, Minnesota will face three-time defending NCAA Champion Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., on Sunday, Feb. 12. The Cowboys have won 24 of their last 25 home dual meets, with the lone loss coming against Minnesota during the 2003-04 season.
“We are going to be tested this year with a schedule that will prepare us for the Big Ten and NCAA Championships,” Robinson said. “We have a great home schedule, along with a challenging road slate. The keys for success are to remain healthy of course, and continue to improve and come together as a team. By the time spring gets here, we are confident we will be right there with the other top teams in the nation.”
Wrestling Gear
