Against a top-notch field, the Gophers captured the team title and two individual championships at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas
Against a field that included 11 ranked teams and nearly 100 ranked wrestlers, No. 1 Minnesota returned from the 33rd annual Cliff Keen Invitational with a team title and a pair of individual champions – No. 2 Chris Dardanes (133) and No. 1 Dylan Ness (157).
Minnesota took the lead in the team race during the opening day of the two-day event, leading the field by 20 points as the team’s left the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday night. The Maroon and Gold returned the following day and claimed the title with 146 points, 26 more than the nearest competitors.
Individually, seven Gophers placed in the top five at their weights. In addition to titles for Dardanes and Ness, No. 2 Scott Schiller (197) finished second, No. 4 Nick Dardanes (141) claimed third, No. 4 Logan Storley (174) and No. 12 Michael Kroells (285) placed fourth and No. 11 Brett Pfarr (184) took fifth.
The Gophers return to action against Big Ten foe Northwestern at the Sports Pavilion on Thursday, December 18 at 7 p.m. CT. That match will be televised on the Big Ten Network and will also be available online via the BTN2Go app.
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