Golden Gophers Perfect In First Session Of NCAA Championships

All nine Minnesota wrestlers advance to second round of bracket

March 15, 2007

The top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team is in first place after the first session of the NCAA Championships at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. All nine Minnesota wrestlers advanced into the second round of the championship bracket. Minnesota recorded 10 wins during the first session with six victories earning bonus points in the team race.

The Golden Gophers have 22.0 points, followed by Missouri, 20.5, and Iowa State, 20.0. The Tigers have six wrestlers in the championship bracket, but top-ranked Max Askren was upset in the first round at 197 pounds. The Cyclones have seven of their tournament-best 10 wrestlers in the championship bracket. Penn State is in fourth with 18.0 points after the Nittany Lions went a perfect 7-0 in the first round. Iowa is in fifth with 13.5 points.

Redshirt freshman Jayson Ness was dominating in his debut at the national tournament. Following a couple early scrambles against Taylor Cummings of North Carolina State, Ness earned the fall in just 2:28 following his first takedown. Ness will face Oklahoma State's Tyler Shinn in the second round. Ness defeated Shinn, 6-3, earlier this season.

Two-time All-American Mack Reiter followed with a pin of Richard Donald of Bloomsburg at 133 pounds. Reiter dominated from the beginning and racked up over three minutes of riding time before picking up the fall in the second period at 4:36. Reiter, the seventh seed, will meet Jospeh Baker of Navy, an upset winner over No. 10 Evan Sola of North Carolina, in the second round.

The bonus points continued for Minnesota at 141 pounds as fourth-seeded Manuel Rivera earned a 14-4 major decision against Matthew Schumm of CS-Bakersfield. Leading 4-1, Rivera took control with a takedown and a three-point near fall to take a commanding 9-1 lead early in the second period. Rivera sealed the major with a pair of third-period takedowns. Rivera will face Army's Matthew Kyler in the second round.

Defending NCAA Champion Dustin Schlatter remained perfect on the year with a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Nebraska freshman Jordan Burroughs at 149 pounds. Trailing 1-0, Schlatter took a 2-1 lead with a takedown midway through the second period. With the match tied at two, Schlatter took the lead for good with an escape and then held off a late Burroughs scoring attempt to hang on for the win. Schlatter will face Matt Moley of Bloomsburg tonight.

Fourth-seeded C.P. Schlatter opened the tournament with a pair of major decisions at 157 pounds. In his pigtails match against Luke Salazar of Northern Colorado, Schlatter collected a 9-1 major decision. In the first round, Schlatter had little trouble with Cody Midlam of Duquesne in a 10-2 major decision. Schlatter will face Navy's John Jarred in tonight's second round.

The strong start continued with Minnesota's pair of unseeded wrestlers. Sophomore Tyler Safratowich upset eighth-seeded Steve Anceravage of Cornell, 8-4, at 165 pounds.

Trailing 2-1 in the second period, Safratowich surprised Anceravage with a takedown and two-point near fall to take a 5-2 lead. After the lead was cut to 5-4 in the third period, Safratowich put the match away with another takedown. Safratowich will meet No. 9 Matt Pell of Missouri tonight.

Junior Gabriel Dretsch also advanced at 174 pounds with a narrow 5-3 decision against Nathan Lee of Boise State. Leading 3-2 in the third period, Dretsch got some breathing room with a takedown near the edge of the mat. Dretsch's reward for his win will be a matchup against top-ranked Ben Askren of Missouri. Askren has won a nation-best 83 straight matches.

2006 NCAA runner-up Roger Kish began his quest for a return trip to the finals with a 12-3 major decision against Oklahoma State's Jack Jensen at 184 pounds. Kish blew open a close match with a takedown and three-point near fall early in the second period. Kish will meet Northern Colorado's Shawn Jensen in tonight's second session.

Top-ranked Cole Konrad ran his win streak to 72 matches with an 8-2 decision against Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt at heavyweight. After riding Rosholt the entire second period, Konrad scored the reversal to start the third period to take a 2-0 lead. He added a three-point near fall and another takedown to easily advance. He will face Cleveland State's Rashard Goff in the second round.

Tonight's second session at the Palace will begin at 5:30 p.m. Central with two rounds of consolation and the second round of the championship bracket.

Team Standings
1. Minnesota, 22.0
2. Missouri, 20.5
3. Iowa State, 20
4. Penn State, 18.0
5. Iowa, 13.5
6t. Hofstra, 13.0
6t. WIsconsin, 13.0
8t. Illinois, 12.0
8t. Navy, 12.0
10t. Oklahoma, 10.0
10t. Northwestern, 10.0
10t. Oklahoma State, 10.0

Individual Results
No. 4 Jayson Ness - 125 pounds
1st Round - Ness pinned Taylor Cummings (NCSU), 2:28
2nd Round - Ness vs. Tyler Shinn (OSU)

No. 7 Mack Reiter - 133 pounds
1st Round - Reiter pinned Richard Donald (Bloomsburg), 4:36
2nd Round - Reiter vs. Joseph Baker (Navy)

No. 4 Manuel Rivera - 141 pounds
1st Round - Rivera maj. dec. Matthew Schumm (CSB), 14-4
2nd ROund - Rivera vs. Matthew Kyler (Army)

No. 1 Dustin Schlatter - 149 pounds
1st Round - Schlatter dec. Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska), 3-2
2nd ROund - Schlatter vs. Matt Moley (Bloomsburg)

No. 4 C.P. Schlatter - 157 pounds
Pigtails - Schlatter maj. dec. Luke Salazar (UNC), 9-1
1st Round - Schlatter maj. dec. Cody Midlam (Duquesne), 10-2
2nd Round - Schlatter vs. John Jarred (Navy)

Tyler Safratowich - 165 pounds
1st Round - Safratowich dec. No. 8 Steve Anceravage (Cornell), 8-4
2nd Round - Safratowich vs. No. 9 Matt Pell (Missouri)

Gabriel Dretsch - 174 pounds
1st Round - Drestch dec. Nathan Lee (Boise State), 5-3
2nd Round - Dretsch vs. No. 1 Ben Askren (Missouri)

No. 2 Roger Kish - 184 pounds
1st Round - Kish maj. dec. Jack Jensen (OSU), 12-3
2nd Round - Kish vs. Shawn Vincent (UNC)

No. 1 Cole Konrad - Heavyweight
1st Round - Konrad dec. Jared Rosholt (OSU), 8-2
2nd Round - Konrad vs. Rashard Goff (CSU)