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Gophers Fall to No. 2 Iowa in Dual Finale

MINNEAPOLIS – A comeback bid in the second half fell just short on Sunday afternoon when the No. 5 Minnesota wrestling team fell to No. 2 Iowa 19-12, snapping the Gophers’ seven-dual unbeaten streak. Danny Zilverberg, Cody Yohn, Scott Glasser and Kevin Steinhaus picked up wins for the Gophers while the Hawkeyes earned the Big Ten Dual Meet Championship with an 8-0-0 conference record.

2011 Iowa at Minnesota

• Post-Meet Audio Interviews – intermatwrestle.com

The Hawkeyes opened the day with three-straight wins by way of decision to build a 9-0 lead. No. 1 Matt McDonough bested No. 5 Zach Sanders 10-3 in the opening match at 125 lbs. before No. 7 Tony Ramos tallied a 7-3 decision over No. 20 David Thorn. Iowa also scored three points in the highly touted 141 lbs. match between No. 3 Montell Marion and No. 2 Mike Thorn. Thorn scored a late takedown to even the match at 3-3 but his Hawkeye counterpart escaped in the closing seconds to come away with the 4-3 win at 141 lbs.. Minnesota (15-4-1 overall, 6-1-1 Big Ten) would finally break onto the scoreboard in the 149 lbs. match when Danny Zilverberg outlasted Mark Ballweg, scoring a takedown in the overtime period to pick up a 5-3 decision and cut Iowa’s lead to 9-3. The Hawkeyes (14-0-1, 8-0-0) would close out the first half with a four-point major decision when No. 7 Derek St. John topped Matt Mincey 20-8 at 157 lbs. to take a 13-3 lead into intermission.

But Minnesota would come out reenergized in the second half and score three-straight wins to cut the lead to 12-13. No. 12 Cody Yohn held off No. 13 Aaron Janssen to pick up a 6-4 decision at 165 lbs, No. 15 Scott Glasser upset No. 11 Ethen Lofthouse with a 7-5 decision at 174 lbs. and No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus topped No. 11 Grant Gambrall at 184 lbs. with a 5-4 win via decision.

However, one point was as close as the Gophers would get as Iowa closed out the dual with a pair of decisions from No. 8 Luke Lofthouse at 197 lbs. and No. 15 Blake Rasing at heavyweight to pick up the 19-12 win and extend the Hawkeyes’ unbeaten streak to 77-straight duals.

The loss to Iowa, coupled with Penn State’s win over Wisconsin on Friday, places the Gophers in a tie for second in the Big Ten with the Nittany Lions. Minnesota is returns to action in two weeks at the 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 5-6 at Northwestern University. The two-day event is the national qualifier for the conference and begins with an 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central) session on Saturday, March 5. The Sunday session starts at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central) with the finals airing live on the Big Ten Network at 4 p.m. Eastern (3 p.m. Central).

No. 2 Iowa at No. 5 Minnesota
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Minneapolis, Minn. (Williams Arena)

Iowa 19 Minnesota 12
125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (IOWA) dec. No. 5 Zach Sanders (MINN) 10-3
133: No. 7 Tony Ramos (IOWA) dec. No. 20 David Thorn (MINN) 7-3
141: No. 3 Montell Marion (IOWA) dec. No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) 4-3
149: Danny Zilverberg (MINN) SV. Mark Ballweg (IOWA) 5-3
157: No. 7 Derek St. John (IOWA) maj. Matt Mincey (MINN) 20-8
165: No. 12 Cody Yohn (MINN) dec. No. 13 Aaron Janssen (IOWA) 6-4
174: No. 15 Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. No. 11 Ethen Lofthouse (IOWA) 7-5
184: No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. No. 11 Grant Gambrall (IOWA) 5-4
197: No. 8 Luke Lofthouse (IOWA) dec. No. 4 Sonny Yohn (MINN) 7-4
285: No. 15 Blake Rasing (IOWA) dec.  No. 8 Tony Nelson (MINN) 4-2

Gophers Tie No. 3 Penn State 18-18

February 13, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 5 Minnesota wrestling team remained unbeaten in the Big Ten after tying No. 3 Penn State 18-18 on Sunday afternoon at the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers recorded wins via decisions by Zach Sanders and Mike Thorn and also tallied key major decisions by Cody Yohn, Kevin Steinhaus and Sonny Yohn to overcome a 12-6 deficit at half time and keep the Gophers unbeaten in their last seven duals.

2011 Penn State at Minnesota

Penn State-Minnesota Post-Meet Interviews – intermatwrestle.com

Sanders, a two-time All-American ranked fifth in the nation at 125 lbs., scrounged a 10-8 decision over No. 11 Brad Pataky in the dual opener before Penn State’s Andrew Long – ranked No. 7 – tallied a 14-4 major decision over David Thorn in the 133 lbs. match. The Nittany Lions’ first lead would be short lived however when No.2 Mike Thorn edged No. 7 Andrew Alton with a 4-1 decision – giving Minnesota a 6-4 advantage.  Penn State would reply with a pair of wins in the next two matches to take a 12-6 lead into the half. At 149 lbs, No. 5 Frank Molinaro snuck by Minnesota’s Danny Zilverberg to pick up a 6-5 decision before No. 3 David Taylor scored a 16-1 technical fall on Matt Mincey in the 157 lbs. match.

Minnesota would match Penn State’s success in the second half when the Gophers would outscore their conference opponent 12-6 thanks to three major decisions in the heavier weight classes. No. 11 Cody Yohn scored an 8-0 major decision over Jake Kemerer in the 165 lbs. match, and No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus followed a 12-5 decision in Penn State’s favor at 174 lbs. with another major decision for the Gophers – this time outscoring No. 13 Quentin Wright 10-1 to put the Gophers down by just one point at 14-15.

All-American and fourth-ranked Sonny Yohn then came up big for Minnesota in his return to the mat. Yohn, who had been out of action since late December, put the Gophers up 18-15 when the Alamosa, Colo. native scored a 10-2 major decision over Nick Ruggear at 197 lbs. At heavyweight, No. 6 Cameron Wade of Penn State would earn a 2-0 decision over No. 8 Tony Nelson to close out the dual and secure an 18-18 tie. The even slate extends the Gophers’ unbeaten streak against the Nittany Lions to ten-straight meetings while Penn State has never won a dual against the Gophers in Minneapolis.

Minnesota closes out the regular season next Sunday against No. 2 Iowa at Williams Arena. Tickets are still available for the 2 p.m. dual atmygophersports.com. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the dual on same-day tape delay.

No. 3 Penn State at No. 5 Minnesota
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Minneapolis, Minn. (Sports Pavilion)

Minnesota 18 Penn State 18
125: #5 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. #11 Brad Pataky (PSU) 10-8
133: #9 Andrew Long (PSU) maj. David Thorn (MINN) 14-4
141: #2 Mike Thorn (MINN) dec. #7 Andrew Alton (PSU) 4-1
149: #5 Frank Molinaro (PSU) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN) 6-5
157: #3 David Taylor (PSU) tech. Matt Mincey (MINN) 16-1; 3:37
165: #11 Cody Yohn (MINN) maj. Jake Kemerer (PSU) 8-0
174: #2 Ed Ruth (PSU) dec. #13 Scott Glasser (MINN) 12-5
184: #8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) maj. #13 Quentin Wright (PSU) 10-1
197: #4 Sonny Yohn (MINN) maj. Nick Ruggear (PSU) 10-2
285: #6 Cameron Wade (PSU) dec. #8 Tony Nelson (MINN) 2-0

Gophers Take Down No. 3 Badgers 21-15

MINNEAPOLIS — In front of a sold-out crowd of 5,225 at the Sports Pavilion, the No. 4 Minnesota wrestling team scored a 21-15 win over No. 3 Wisconsin capped off with a 3-2 decision victory by a returning Ben Berhow in the heavyweight match to lock up the win. The Gophers also picked up wins from Zach Sanders, Mike Thorn, Danny Zilverberg and Cody Yohn.

Wisconsin at Minnesota Photos

“I think the fans got their money’s worth today. We’re trying to get better and better each week going into the Big Ten tournament. We made some good progress today, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson said.

Berhow, a redshirt senior this year for the Gophers, was a late addition to the lineup – replacing an ill Tony Nelson at heavyweight – for the final matchup of the night against No. 11 Eric Bugenhagen with the score sitting at 18-15 in the Gophers’ favor. The pair of heavyweights dueled through a scoreless first period before Bugenhagen opened the second period with an escape to take a 1-0 lead. But Berhow, who hadn’t wrestled since Dec. 11, would bide his time until the third period, scoring an escape of his own and following up with a takedown in the match’s final seconds to jump ahead. Bugenhagen would score a late escape as time expired, giving Berhow a 3-2 decision in the match and the Gophers a 21-15 win in the dual.

“That was really special. I’ll remember that the rest of my life,” Berhow said. “And with the great crowd…it’s fun wrestling for them.”

Minnesota (13-3 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) once again opened the dual with a strong showing in the earlier matches. No. 5 Zach Sanders kicked off the afternoon with his 13th-straight dual win, this time taking down Tom Kelliher with an 11-8 decision. The Badgers (9-2-1, 0-0-1) would answer with a decision win in the 133 lbs. match as No. 3 Tyler Graff put together a 9-4 win over David Thorn.

The Gophers would add bonus points in three of the next four matches however as No. 2 Mike Thorn pinned Danny Arnel at 3:42 in the 141 lbs. match, Danny Zilverberg scored a 12-3 major decision over Shawn Perry at 149 lbs. and No. 11 Cody Yohn followed up a 9-3 loss in the 157 lbs. match with a 15-0 technical fall over Ben Cox in the 165 lbs. match.

The Badgers, who remain winless in Big Ten action, would make it interesting over the next three matches however, picking up a trio of decision in the 174-197 lbs. matches to head into the 285 lbs. match with Minnesota nursing an 18-15 lead. Bonus points by Wisconsin would have given the higher-ranked team a come from behind win while a decision would have given Wisconsin its second tie of the season. However, neither result would come as Berhow sent the packed house into a frenzy with the late takedown to seal the win in both the match and the dual.

Minnesota returns to action next Saturday at Ohio State. The dual can be watched live on the Big Ten Network.

No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Wisconsin
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Minneapolis, Minn. (Sports Pavilion)

Minnesota 21, Wisconsin 15
125: No. 5 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. Tom Kelliher (WISC) 11-8
133: No. 3 Tyler Graff (WISC) dec. David Thorn (MINN)9-4
141: No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall Danny Arnel (WISC) 3:42
149: Danny Zilverberg (MINN) maj. Shawn Perry (WISC) 12-3
157: Kalvin York (WISC) dec. Joe Grygelko (MINN) 9-3
165: No. 11 Cody Yohn (MINN) tech. Ben Cox (WISC) 15-0; 3:27
174: No. 19 Ben Jordan dec. No. 8 Scott Glasser (MINN) 8-4
184: No. 3 Travis Rutt (WISC) dec. No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 3-2
197: No. 2 Trevor Brandvold (WISC) dec. Joe Nord (MINN) 8-1
285: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. No. 11 Eric Bugenhagen (WISC) 3-2