MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota wrestling program has a short turnaround this week, as they will take on the Augustana Vikings for a rare Thursday night contest on December 1 at 7:00 p.m.
The dual will take place inside Williams Arena, as Minnesota volleyball prepares for the first two rounds of the NCAA Championships next door at Maturi Pavilion. Fans can watch the dual live on B1G+ or follow along for live match-by-match updates on Twitter at @GopherWrestling.
Minnesota will also be hosting a high school dual prior to the collegiate action, as they celebrate Community Day for the Waconia and Tracy communities. 2022 U17 World Bronze medalist and Class of 2023 Gopher signee Max McEnelly will lead his fifth-ranked Waconia Wildcats (Class AAA) against Single-A foe Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers at 4:00 p.m. CST.
Purchase of a ticket to the Minnesota-Augustana dual will allow entry to both contests on Thursday evening, as doors to Williams Arena will open at 3:30 p.m. CST. There will be no re-entry allowed at the event.
Tale of the Tape – The Vikings
Augustana is led by head coach Jason Reitmeier, who is in his 20th season as head coach with a 202-96 career mark at the helm. The Vikings currently have six wrestlers ranked in the NWCA Division-II polls, four of which are slated to compete in Thursday’s dual.
Augustana heads into the contest 0-1 on the year after falling to Division-I opponent South Dakota State by a score of 40-4 earlier this season. Tenth-ranked Miles Fitzgerald was the lone victor in that contest, winning by 11-2 major decision over Ryan Dolezal.
The Series with Augustana
Minnesota has only squared off with Augustana once in its 122-year history, taking place on December 5, 1997, as the Gophers rolled their Division-II counterpart by a score of 53-0.
At the time, it had tied for the second-largest margin of victory in program history, only to be outdone by a performance that occurred that same day as the Gophers trounced Truman State by a score of 57-0 only hours prior.
Potential Matchups
Minnesota’s starting lineup will see a different look this Thursday, as a total of six weights could see Gophers making their first career start. Between the starting lineups, there are a total of six-ranked wrestlers between the two divisions.
South Dakota native Quincy Hulverson is slated to make his first career start at 125 pounds as he could face a ranked test in No. 8 Jaxson Rohman.
The Gophers could see a trio of former NCAA qualifiers make their season debuts in the starting lineup, as Jake Gliva, Marcos Polanco, and Michial Foy all appear in the probables.
An interesting battle looms at 165 pounds as No. 27 Andrew Sparks faces the sixth-ranked wrestler in Division II, Tyler Wagener.
Jared Krattiger will look to keep his undefeated season rolling at 174 pounds, as he squares off against Jacob Tvinnereim.
At 184 pounds, Michial Foy or Sam Skillings will be tasked with the toughest test of the evening, as they are set to square off against Division II’s fourth-ranked Cade Mueller.
Up Next
Following Thursday’s action with Augustana, the “U” will head to Stillwater, Okla., for their annual rivalry dual with the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sunday, Dec. 4. The dual will take place at 2:00 p.m. CST inside the historic Gallagher-Iba Arena and will be aired live on ESPN+.
Minnesota Probable Starters
125: Quincy Hulverson (0-2)
133: Jake Gliva (5-2)
141: Vance VomBaur (3-2)
149: Marcos Polanco (7-4) -OR- Drew Roberts (3-2)
157: Sebas Swiggum (2-1) -OR- Tim Stapleton (4-3)
165: #27 Andrew Sparks (3-2)
174: Jared Krattiger (4-0)
184: Michial Foy (5-1) -OR- Sam Skillings (5-3)
197: #28 Garrett Joles (3-2) -OR- Gabe Nagel (7-2)
HWT: Keaton Kluever (2-4)
Note: InterMat Rankings
Augustana Probable Starters
125: #8 Jaxson Rohman (2-1) -OR- Christian Olsen (1-2)
133: Christian Olsen -OR- John Babineau (3-4)
141: Kage Lenger (2-1) -OR- Kade Sammons (4-5)
149: Kyle Boeke (0-3) -OR- Connor Simmonds (5-3)
157: #10* Miles Fitzgerald (7-2) -OR- Payton Anderson (0-2)
165: #6* Tyler Wagener (2-3)
174: Jacob Tvinnereim (7-3)
184: #4* Cade Mueller (1-1) -OR- Danny Reynolds (4-5)
197: Zach Peterson (3-2)
HWT: Edward Hajas (6-4) -OR- Jaret Haglund (1-2)
Note: NWCA Division-II Rankings
*- Indicates athlete is ranked at a different weight class
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