Nate Carlisle, Special To The Star Tribune
ST. LOUIS — It was a tale of two sessions for Gophers wrestlers Thursday.
During the first session of the NCAA championships, Minnesota advanced eight wrestlers in the championship bracket. But the Gophers lost six matches in that bracket’s second session and have only two remaining wrestlers who advanced to today’s quarterfinals.
Minnesota, the only team in the tournament to qualify wrestlers in all 10 weight classes, had 28,½ points and was in second place in the three-day tournament after Thursday’s matches. Two-time defending national champion Oklahoma State led the team race with 39 points. Iowa State (27,½) was in third place, followed by Oklahoma and Michigan (26,½).
The Gophers’ Big Ten champions, 133-pound Mack Reiter and heavyweight Cole Konrad, won their two matches Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals. Reiter, a No. 3 seed, won 5-0 and 7-5. Konrad controlled both of his matches, winning 12-4 and 13-5.
Konrad said he tried not to allow his teammates’ losses to distract him.
“It wasn’t a good session, “Konrad said between breaths shortly after his second match, “but not every session is going to go your way. You’ve got to bounce back.”
Minnesota’s first round was highlighted by unseeded 197-pounder Matt Koz, who had to take an injury timeout because of an injured knee. He then returned to the match and promptly pinned Landon Seefeldt of Cal State-Fullerton 52 seconds into the second period.
Koz’s second match, against Daren Burns of North Carolina-Greensboro, went into a double tiebreaker. Koz escaped in the second tiebreaker and tried to take down Burns. Burns kept backpedaling, and the referee ignored Koz’s pleas for a stalling call. Burns won the match 4-3 by having more riding time.
Minnesota missed a chance to wound tournament favorite Oklahoma State when 125-pound senior Bobbe Lowe lost to the Cowboys’ Coleman Scott during Thursday’s second session. Wrestling in the championship bracket and in a corner of the arena where both Minnesota and Oklahoma State fans were sitting, Lowe and Scott were tied 1-1 in the third period when Scott turned Lowe to his back and received two nearfall points.
Lowe escaped to make the score 3-2, and he received another point when Scott was called for stalling for the second time in the match. Lowe took Scott to the mat in the match’s final seconds but couldn’t cover his hips for a takedown before time expired. Scott had a 1:13 advantage in riding time and received an additional point to win the match 4-3.
“That probably hurt our momentum, “Gophers coach J Robinson said. “If Bobbe could have got that win, it would have got some guys excited.”
Wrestling Gear
