Minnesota Golden Gophers

Gophers Wrap Day One of Cliff Keen Invitational

Three wrestlers still alive as they look to advance to the placement round tomorrow morning

LAS VEGAS – Minnesota closed out day one of the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., as three Gophers are still alive on the consolation side as they look to place in tomorrow’s competition.

Minnesota kicked off the day with a solid performance in the opening session as they pushed three into the Friday evening quarterfinals, with Jake Gliva, Jake Bergeland, and Michael Blockhus all advancing.

After having a first-round bye, Jake Gliva’s first and only competition of the morning session was against No. 20 Job Greenwood of Wyoming. Gliva controlled the match early and often as he secured a takedown in each of the first two periods of the bout, before displaying some solid collar-tie defense in the third period to hold his ranked opponent scoreless in the 5-0 victory.

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Minnesota Takes Flight for Sin City as They Prepare for Cliff Keen Invitational

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 12 Minnesota hits the road this weekend for one of the biggest tournaments of the regular season, as they are set to compete in Las Vegas, Nev., for the Cliff Keen Invitational. The two-day event will be hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center, beginning on Friday morning and wrapping up on Saturday afternoon.

Among the 26 teams participating in this weekend’s event, ten of them are ranked in the NWCA Coaches Poll, including some household names in collegiate wrestling such as Michigan, Ohio State, Cornell, and Nebraska.

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Changing The Game – Gavin Nelson

By Brian Jerzak

After moving to Wisconsin as a baby, Gavin Nelson put together a stellar youth record wrestling and training in Wisconsin. When he entered junior high, Gavin and his family decided to move back to Minnesota – in part – to try to further Gavin's wrestling career. When Nelson first stepped into the Simley wrestling room as a 7th grader, the coaching staff threw him right in with the varsity. The new Spartans' first practice did not go well.

"My first Simley practice in 7th grade," Nelson said, "I got right into it with all the varsity guys. In my first practice, I threw up so much because I was not ready for that level of practice. Coach (Will) Short got me into shape quickly. I was not ready for that grind, but once I got used to it, it was a huge game-changer for me."

The game changed to the tune of becoming a three-time state place winner, a one-time state champion, and a member of the 2021 U.S. Cadet World Championships team.

Long before entering the Spartans' wrestling room, Nelson was playing youth soccer.

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Rutgers, Wisconsin rise after sweeping duals at Garden State Grapple

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Saturday’s inaugural Garden State Grapple in Newark, New Jersey was the culprit behind a couple of key moves in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

Rutgers improved to 8-0 with wins over Hofstra and then-No. 14 North Carolina, while Wisconsin improved to 4-0 with wins over the Pride and Tar Heels as well. Rutgers moved up one spot to No. 14, while Wisconsin jumped three spots to No. 16. North Carolina (3-4) slid five spots to No. 19. The top ten teams remained unchanged.

Top-ranked Iowa (2-0) saw its scheduled dual with Oregon State axed due to the Beavers’ travel issues getting into Iowa from the West Coast. A quick audible saw the Hawkeyes quickly schedule Army West Point for a Sunday dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which resulted in a 36-7 victory. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State improved to 3-0 after a 45-0 win over visiting Drexel.

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Minnesota 23, South Dakota State 10

Minnesota Earns 1000th Win in Program History with Win over SDSU

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota claimed their first win of the season and their 1000th win in program history on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the South Dakota State Jackrabbits by a score of 27-13. The Gophers won seven of the dual’s ten bouts.

With the win, Minnesota became just the fifth Division-I in collegiate wrestling history to surpass the 1000-win landmark, behind Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oregon State, and Iowa.

The Jackrabbits got out of the gates quickly by winning a pair of matchups between nationally-ranked wrestlers. With the dual starting at 165 pounds, 17th-ranked Tanner Cook of SDSU and No. 20 Andrew Sparks traded takedowns and near-falls in a high-scoring opening period that ended with Sparks leading 11-7. Cook regained control in the second period, recording a pin midway through the stanza.

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