The Maroon and Gold return home to Maturi Pavilion on Sunday, January 26th for a dual against the Ohio State Buckeyes at 7:30 pm.
The top-five battle will feature over 15 ranked wrestlers and is headlined by the marquee matchups at 141 and 149-pounds.
The dual will also be the team’s first Goldy’s Kids Club Day of the year where kids can participate in a pre-match youth clinic and also receive discounted tickets. Plus, the team is also celebrating the communities of Goodhue, Zumbrota, and Kasson!
All action can be watched live on Big Ten Network.
Gophers Lineup (FloWrestling Rankings)
125: No.13 Patrick McKee (16-5, 8-3 duals)
133: Jake Gliva (6-7, 1-3 duals) OR Brent Jones (6-10, 0-7 duals)
141: No.5 Mitch McKee (21-2, 10-1 duals)
149: No.4 Brayton Lee (18-2, 7-2 duals)
157: No.21 Ryan Thomas (8-5, 1-1 duals) OR Carson Brolsma (10-9, 4-5 duals)
165: Bailee O’Reilly (18-6, 9-2 duals)
174: No.7 Devin Skatzka (23-4, 9-2 duals)
184: No.18 Owen Webster (16-7, 7-4 duals)
197: Hunter Ritter (18-5, 2-2 duals) OR Garrett Joles (8-10, 2-5 duals)
285: No.1 Gable Steveson (6-0, 6-0 duals)
Ohio State Lineup
125: Malik Heinselman (9-11, 3-5 duals) OR Hunter Lucas (6-4, 0-0 duals)
133: No.20 Jordan Decatur (9-4, 1-3 duals)
141: No.1 Luke Pletcher (18-0, 8-0 duals)
149: No.6 Sammy Sasso (16-2, 7-1 duals)
157: Elijah Cleary (13-7, 3-5 duals)
165: No.12 Ethan Smith (13-7, 4-4 duals)
174: No.8 Kaleb Romero (13-2, 7-0 duals)
184: No.23 Rocky Jordan (22-4, 2-2 duals)
197: No.1 Kollin Moore (18-0, 8-0 duals)
285: No.23 Gary Traub (17-3, 4-2 duals)
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State enters the weekend with a dual record of 7-1. Led by head coach Tom Ryan, the team from Columbus boasts eight wrestlers ranked in the FloWrestling Top-25.
Both the Gophers and Buckeyes attended the Cliff Leen Las Vegas Invitational where Ohio State finished five spots ahead in second place with two more champions.
Deja Vu For Lee and Sasso
Brayton Lee and Sammy Sasso are set to face-off for the second time this season and the sixth time in the last calendar year. After meeting at last season’s Edinboro Open the pair met this summer in a best-of-three series for a spot on the Junior World Team. Sasso won in Edinboro but Lee got the best of Sasso in freestyle this summer.
Lee then topped Sasso in early December in the championship round of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Thomas Time
After notching his second-ranked victory of the season Ryan Thomas made his debut in the FloWrestling rankings at 21. Thomas moved to 8-5 on the season and has won four of his last five bouts.
The Saint Paris, Ohio, native was the 2018 Super 32 Champion and hails from Saint Paris Graham High School, a national wrestling powerhouse.
O’Reilly Rolling
With victories in seven of his last eight bouts dating back to last December, Bailee O’Reilly is showing off in his breakout season. The redshirt sophomore from Goodhue has solidified his.
Across the season O’Reilly has 18 victories with seven bonus-point wins in that grouping. O’Reilly has been incredible in dual meets where he has nine wins and only two losses.
To learn more about Bailee O’Reilly check out the recent Post Bulletin feature HERE.
Skatzka’s Century
With a 10-5 decision on Friday night in East Lansing, Michigan, 174-pound Devin Skatzka notched his 100th victory.
In front of plenty friends and family the Richmond, Michigan, native went 2-0 on the weekend against the Spartans and Wolverines. Skatzka thanked his family, fiancee, and coaches before receiving plenty of well-wishes in return.
Next Up
The Gophers hit the road again for their first two-dual weekend of the season when they take on Indiana and Purdue.
Minnesota returns home for a February 9 dual against the four-time defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions.
Golden Gopher Wrestling Tickets
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