In front of crowd of nearly nine thousand fans, Minnesota and Iowa split the dual, winning five bouts apiece, for a 15-15 tie. The deciding factor came down to a factor of tiebreaker criteria, in which case the Hawkeyes came out ahead on the third rule, match points (41-33). The loss is the second of the season for the Gophers who drop to 11-2, 5-1 B1G. Iowa improves to 15-1, 5-0 B1G.
The Hawkeyes excelled in the lower weights to gain a large lead before intermission., Dylan Ness, at 149 lbs. was the only Gopher in the first half of the lineup to add points to the team total by defeating unranked Michael Kelly by an 8-2 decision. However, the Gophers managed to keep bonus points at bay and went into intermission trailing 3-12.
Cody Yohn, faced Nick Moore in the 165-pound weight class to start the match after break. A slow start cost Yohn valuable points and resulted in a loss for the redshirt senior. Yohn fell 8-2 but not before marking a late reversal to prevent the major.
Once again, it was Minnesota’s top-weighted wrestlers who brought the spirit back into the crowd and turned the momentum around., Logan Storley, Kevin Steinhaus, Scott Schiller, and, Tony Nelson, the final four wrestlers of the night, each won their respective bouts to bring the score back to a tie.
At 174 lbs., Storley edged Mike Evans in a tightly contested match, winning by a score of 4-3. Steinhaus followed at 184 lbs. and took care of opponent Ethen Lofthouse with a 6-3 victory. Schiller faced Nathan Burak in the 197-pound weight class. After scoring only an escape apiece, the match went into overtime where Schiller came up with the takedown for the sudden victory. Nelson closed out the match with a 2-1 victory over Bobby Telford. Each wrestler also gained a point during regulation for escapes but Nelson accumulated 1:40 of riding time for the extra point and the win.
Minnesota now looks ahead to its final home dual of the season which will take place next Sunday at 11 a.m. against Michigan State. The match will also serve as senior day for the Gophers’ graduating class.
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