MINNEAPOLIS – A new season of collegiate wrestling is upon us, as the University of Minnesota wrestling program travels to Fargo, N.D. to compete in the Bison Open on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Similar to previous seasons, the Gophers intend to send the majority of their roster and have multiple competitors at each weight class, using this weekend’s competition as the initial indicator for how the starting lineup will shake out ahead of the dual season.
Minnesota’s last appearance came just a season ago, as six of the ten tournament champions donned the Maroon & Gold – Patrick McKee, Jake Gliva, Michael Blockhus, Brayton Lee, Jared Krattiger, and Isaiah Salazar.
Competitor schools expected to be participating in the Bison Open are host school North Dakota State and South Dakota State, as well as other lower-divisions programs around the area such as Jamestown, Mary, Minot State, and Northern State, among others.
Action will begin inside the Scheels Center at 9:00 a.m. CST. Fans who would like to follow along with the action can head to Twitter at @GopherWrestling for live match-by-match updates, or head to the tournament page and follow the brackets as they are updated here.
One of Minnesota’s strengths heading into the 2022-23 season is its depth with a total of 11 former national qualifiers returning to the squad, and nearly 20 student-athletes with wins over ranked opponents last season. With such depth, as well as a few wrestlers returning from season-ending injuries last season, this weekend’s action is bound to see matches between teammates that will influence the landscape of the starting lineup as the “U” prepares for its’ regular season opener on Nov. 20 against Binghamton
This weekend’s Bison Open will also provide an opportunity for Gopher fans to be introduced to some of Minnesota’s incoming freshman class, as they will see their first collegiate action on Saturday. The incoming class, which was ranked as the No. 14 recruiting class for the Class of 2022, includes Troy Spratley, Quincy Hulverson, Hunter Lyden, Devin Wasley, and Tagen Jamison.
Gopher Competitors at the Bison Open
125: Patrick McKee
125: Quincy Hulverson
125: Troy Spratley
133: Jake Gliva
133: Aaron Nagao
133: Jager Eisch
141: Jake Bergeland
141: Vance VomBaur
141: Theo Cha
149: Michael Blockhus
149: Blaine Brenner
149: Marcos Polanco
149: Ben Lunn
157: Tim Stapleton
157: Sebas Swiggum
165: Cael Carlson
165: Andrew Sparks
174: Bailee O’Reilly
174: Jared Krattiger
174: Devin Wasley
184: Isaiah Salazar
184: Michial Foy
184: Sam Skillings
197: Garrett Joles
197: Gabe Nagel
197: Rowan Morgan
HWT: Keaton Kluever
Lineup Subject to Change
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