The Gophers host their second dual of the season on Friday evening when they welcome the Rider Broncs to historic Williams Arena.
Minnesota returns to dual action after spending last weekend at the Fargo Open while the Broncs haven’t competed since the Princeton Open.
Not only will the game be at the historic basketball arena, but the event features several great promotions.
Fans are able to purchase beer and wine in all seating areas at Williams Arena for all home games
Beer and Wine stands on the concourse are located near sections 100, 109, 113, and 222
Scouting the Broncs
The Broncs have yet to compete this season aside from their season-opening trip to the Princeton Open. At the tournament Rider crowned one champion in 157-pound Jesse Dellevechia and three more runner-ups.
Rider’s last All-Americans were Chad Walsh and Ryan Wolfe in 2017.
Last season the Mid-American Conference program sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and finished tied for 33rd place with five team points.
The two teams had been set to face-off last season at Northrop Auditorium but was canceled due to travel complications.
Probable Starters
Probable Lineups (Flowrestling Rankings):
Gophers:
125: Pat McKee (4-0)
133: Brent Jones (3-1)
141: No.4 Mitch McKee (5-0)
149: No.10 Brayton Lee (5-0)
157: Carson Brolsma (4-1)
165: Bailee O’Reilly (4-1)
174: No.7 Devin Skatzka (5-0)
184: Owen Webster (4-1) OR Hunter Ritter (3-1)
197: Garrett Joles (2-3) OR Dylan Anderson (3-1)
285: Bobby Steveson (0-0)
Broncs:
125: Jonathan Tropea (3-1)
133: Chris Wright (3-2) OR Herb Edwards (2-2)
141: Robert Cleary (0-2)
149: Gino Fluri (2-2)
157: No.8 Jesse Dellavecchia (5-0)
165: Georgio Poullas (0-2) OR Joe Casey (2-2)
174: Dean Sherry (0-0)
184: George Walton (4-1)
197: No.13 Ethan Laird (4-1)
285: Ryan Cloud (5-2)
Bison Open Titles
The Gophers spent last Saturday at the Bison Open where they crowned five champions and 12 top-three placers.
Pat McKee, Brent Jones, Mitch McKee, and Brayton Lee took home titles at the four lowest weights before Devin Skatzka was crowned at 174-pounds.
The Gophers had 15 semifinalists and several Gopher-on-Gopher match-ups, including a pair in the championship round. Both the 125-pound and 149-pound titles were battles between and Maroon and Gold where Pat McKee and Brayton Lee came out on top.
Back at the Barn
The Gophers are back at historic Williams Arena for the first time since Feb. 19, 2016, when the Maroon and Gold defeated Iowa State 30-10 as part of the NWCA National Championship Dual Series.
In that dual, the Gophers won four of the first five bouts to take a commanding 18-3 lead into intermission. After a minor stumble, Brett Pfarr and Michael Kroells each registered bonus-point victories to finish the dual victorious.
Undefeated Starts
Through one dual and one open tournament, the Gophers still have several undefeated wrestlers. In order by weight, Pat Mckee, Mitch McKee, Brayton Lee, and Devin Skatzka all remain unbeaten so far this season.
Next Up
The Gophers send some wrestlers to compete at the Daktronics Open on Nov. 17 but have some time off before the next dual.
The weekend before Thanksgiving the Gophers will continue their historic series against Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Two weekends later the Gophers travel to Las Vegas for the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Golden Gopher Wrestling Tickets
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