Gophers Pummel Augustana in 37-4 Victory
MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota wrestling program put on a dominant display in a rare appearance on the raised floor of Williams Arena, as they rolled to a 37-4 win over Division-II foe Augustana on Thursday night.
The Gophers claimed nine of the ten bouts on the evening, earning their largest margin of victory since January 16, 2021 where they swept Maryland by a score of 48-0 in a triangular meet hosted by Michigan State.
The Maroon & Gold proved to be the aggressors early and often throughout the dual, particularly on the feet, where they tallied 31 takedowns on the night to Augustana’s seven. The Vikings did not score an offensive point after the first match of the night.
The dual kicked off at 125 pounds, where true freshman and South Dakota native Quincy Hulverson would make his first career start, but fall to Division-II’s eighth-ranked Jaxson Rohman by 16-7 major decision.
Jake Gliva took the mat for his first start since last season against John Babineau at 133 pounds, where Gliva would roll to a 16-5 major decision to the tune of seven takedowns throughout the match.
Vance VomBaur continued the offensive onslaught with nine takedowns of his own in his match, as he dominated his opponent by way of 22-7 technical fall.
Marcos Polanco gave Minnesota their first pin of the night with a second-period fall over Kyle Boeke. Polanco started the second frame on bottom, where he earned a quick reversal before driving a half-nelson to Boeke’s back for the fall.
Sebas Swiggum got the nod at 157 pounds, where he used an eight-point offensive flurry in the opening period to take an 8-1 decision over Miles Fitzgerald, the tenth-ranked 157-pounder in Division-II.
Coming out of the break, Andrew Sparks controlled another ranked opponent in No. 6 Tyler Wagener in a 12-1 major decision. Sparks got back to his offensive ways in this one, securing four takedowns in the win.
After Jared Krattiger earned a 3-2 decision at 174 pounds, Sam Skillings earned an impressive 6-1 victory over Augustana’s highest-ranked wrestler in No. 4 Cade Mueller.
Garrett Joles kept it going for Minnesota with a 4-1 decision at 197 pounds, before Keaton Kluever capped off the dual in style with a fall in 2:39 after hitting a lateral drop on the edge of the mat.
With the win, the Gophers remain undefeated with a 3-0 record on the season, as Augustana falls to 0-2 on the year after dropping both contests to Division-I opponents.
Looking ahead, the Gophers head into the weekend with a big contest ahead of them as they travel to Stillwater, Okla., for a date with fifth-ranked Oklahoma State on Sunday, Dec. 4. The dual will begin at 2:00 p.m. CST inside the historic Gallagher-Iba Arena, and will be broadcast live on ESPN+
The Vikings head to Chadron, Nebraska, on Sunday for the Chadron State duals. Augustana is set to face San Francisco State at 11: 30 a.m. and Western Colorado at 1 p.m. at the event.
#10 Minnesota (37), #5-DII Augustana (4)
December 1, 2022 | Minneapolis, Minn. | Williams Arena | Attendance: 2156
125: #8-DII Jaxson Rohman (AUG) maj. dec. Quincy Hulverson (MINN), 16-7
133: Jake Gliva (MINN) maj. dec. John Babineau (AUG), 16-5
141: Vance VomBaur (MINN) tech. fall Kade Sammons (AUG), 22-7
149: Marcos Polanco (MINN) pinned Kyle Boeke (AUG), 3:23
157: Sebas Swiggum (MINN) dec. #10-DII Miles Fitzgerald (AUG), 8-1
165: #27 Andrew Sparks (MINN) maj. dec. #6-DII Tyler Wagener (AUG), 12-1
174: Jared Krattiger (MINN) dec. Jacob Tvinnereim (AUG), 3-2
184: Sam Skillings (MINN) dec. #4-DII Cade Mueller (AUG), 6-1
197: #28 Garrett Joles (MINN) dec. Zach Peterson (AUG), 4-1
HWT: Keaton Kluever (MINN) pinned Edward Hajas (AUG), 2:39
Note: Minnesota rankings from InterMat, Augustana rankings from NWCA
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