The 2002 Freedom High School graduate pinned two-time NCAA champion Steve Mocco in the heavyweight match to give the then-second-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team (12-0-0) a 21-14 win over then-top-ranked Oklahoma State in the finals of the National Duals on Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Konrad ended Mocco’s 85-match winning streak, while the Golden Gophers snapped the Cowboys’ 30-match winning streak. Oklahoma State began its run following a 17-16 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 22, 2004.
Konrad earned his first official win over Mocco after defeating the OSU star earlier this season in an exhibition match. Last season, Mocco defeated Konrad three times, including an overtime decision in the NCAA championship final.
“Everyone was saying, ‘You can win once,’ and I just needed to do it for myself and to prove to others that I can beat him, it wasn’t just a fluke, “Konrad told The Des Moines Register.
With Minnesota leading 15-14, the heavyweight match started slow. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods, before Konrad (24-0) recorded the pin. Konrad, the top-ranked heavyweight in the country, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
The Golden Gophers, who are now the top-ranked team in the country, won their fourth National Duals title and first since 2002. Last year, Minnesota placed third.
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