Minnesota Pummels the Hoosiers in 28-6 Victory
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The No. 11 University of Minnesota wrestling program put on a dominant performance inside Wilkinson Hall on Friday night as they rolled to a 28-6 win on the road against Indiana.
The Gophers claimed eight of the night’s ten matches, including a seven-match stretch from 141 pounds to 197 pounds to help the Maroon & Gold put the dual away.
Patrick McKee got the ball rolling for the Gophers at 125 pounds as he rolled to a 10-2 decision over Jacob Moran. McKee was dominant in the top position with over four minutes of riding time while also securing four takedowns in the match on his path to victory.
After a loss at 133 pounds, Jake Bergeland put the Gophers back on the scoreboard with a 12-0 major decision over Cayden Rooks. Bergeland used a seven-point third period to push himself into bonus points, getting a quick escape and a takedown before finding a four-point turn late in the bout.
Michael Blockhus followed that up with a 6-2 win in a solid showing over No. 31 Graham Rooks. Blockhus secured a takedown in the opening seconds of the match and didn’t look back, as Rooks had nothing for him offensively in the contest.
Brayton Lee closed out the first half by earning a ranked win over Derek Gilcher in front of his hometown fans. Tied at 1-1 late in the third period, Lee secured a single-leg takedown on the edge of the mat to clinch the match.
At 165 pounds, Cael Carlson would get the nod in the starting lineup as he would knock off Indiana’s Nick South, as Carlson would secure two takedowns in the contest.
The feature bout of the night at 174 pounds saw a barnburner between Bailee O’Reilly and Donnell Washington. Washington jumped out ahead early and led 8-4 halfway through the second period, but O’Reilly would storm back late with a third-period takedown to tie it before drawing a stalling point with his tough work on top in order to take a 9-8 decision.
Isaiah Salazar continued his hot start to the year with a dominant 15-0 technical fall over Clayton Fielden, as he put on an offensive clinic in both the neutral and top positions.
Rounding out the Gophers’ wins would be Michial Foy at 197 pounds, as he defeated Indiana’s Nick Willham 3-2 in tiebreakers. The match went without a takedown, however, it was Foy’s persistence that was rewarded late as a stall point against Willham proved to be the difference-maker.
With the win, the “U’ jumps to 9-2 on the year with an even 2-2 record in the Big Ten. Indiana falls to a 6-2 record after the loss, as they drop to a 2-3 record in conference play.
Looking ahead, the Gophers will return home to close out their weekend with a dual against Purdue inside Maturi Pavilion at 1:00 p.m. CST. Fans can watch the dual live on B1G+ or follow along for match-by-match updates on Twitter at @GopherWrestling.
January 20, 2023 | Bloomington, Ind. | Wilkinson Hall | Attendance: 1,349
#11 Minnesota 28 #22 Indiana 6
125: #5 Patrick McKee (MINN) maj. dec. Jacob Moran (IND), 10-2
133: #31 Henry Porter (IND) dec. Jake Gliva (MINN), 3-1
141: #11 Jake Bergeland (MINN) dec. Cayden Rooks (IND), 12-0
149: #16 Michael Blockhus (MINN) dec. #31 Graham Rooks (IND), 6-2
157: #16 Brayton Lee (MINN) dec. #19 Derek Gilcher (IND), 3-2
165: Cael Carlson (MINN) dec. Nick South (IND), 5-1
174: #15 Bailee O’Reilly (MINN) dec. #18 Donnell Washington (IND), 9-8
184: #11 Isaiah Salazar (MINN) tech. fall Clayton Fielden (IND), 15-0
197: #28 Michial Foy (MINN) dec. Nick Willham (IND), 3-2 TB1
HWT: #30 Jacob Bullock (IND) dec. #27 Garrett Joles (MINN), 5-3
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