Minnesota hosts No. 8 Oklahoma State this Saturday at the Sports Pavilion in a matchup of powerhouse programs
On the heels of a pair of home victories last week to build its record on the young season to 4-0, No. 1 Minnesota will host No. 8 Oklahoma State (2-0) this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT at the Sports Pavilion in a matchup pitting two perennials powers head-to-head.
Minnesota has looked impressive in competition so far this season, capturing seven titles at the Bison Open before jumping into dual season with four victories to-date. Minnesota has not allowed more than eight team points to its opponents in its last three duals, winning those contests by an average score of 34-6. Those lopsided scores results from having an undefeated dual records as a team at seven different weight classes: 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184 and 285. The Gophers have eight wrestlers ranked nationally heading into this weekend, five of whom are undefeated on the season: No. 2 Chris Dardanes (133), No. 3 Nick Dardanes (141), No. 1 Dylan Ness (157), No. 15 Nick Wanzek (165) and No. 1 Logan Storley (174).
The Cowboys opened their season with a pair of duals on the same day, posting victories against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Community College (40-4) and South Dakota State (25-9). Seven of Oklahoma State’s potential starters for this Saturday’s dual went undefeated on the day, including ranked wrestlers Josh Kindig (No. 3 at 149), Alex Dieringer (No. 1 at 165) and Austin Marsden (No. 5 at 285). The Pokes followed that performance with a strong showing in the Lindenwood Open last Saturday, where the team won nine titles, seven in the Gold Open division – Eddie Klimara (125), Dean Heil (141), Anthony Collica (157), Dieringer (165), Nolan Boyd (184), Austin Schafer (197) and Marsden (285). Klimara, Heil, Dieringer, Boyd and Marsden will all arrive in Minneapolis with unblemished records on the season.
Looking ahead to potential matchups on Saturday evening, there will likely be a pair of matches pitting ranked opponents against each other, each featuring the top-ranked wrestler in that weight class. First, at 165, No. 15 Wanzek will take on No. 1 Dieringer. Then, at 197, No. 1 Scott Schiller will take on No. 19 Schafer. In the case of Wanzek versus Dieringer, one man will leave the mat with his first loss on the season, as the pair is a combined 15-0 to this point. Other potential matchups of undefeated wrestlers include Nick Dardanes (6-0) versus Dean Heil (4-0) at 141 and Jake Short (7-0) versus Kindig (2-0) at 149.
These two teams met last December in Stillwater, Okla. The first seven bouts all ended in decisions, with Oklahoma State building a 15-6 lead over the Gophers. At 184, Kevin Steinhaus scored a bonus point for Minnesota with a major decision. That point would be critical in the final score, as Schiller and Tony Nelson won their matches by decision to push the Gophers past the Cowboys, 16-15. It was the third time in the team’s last four matches that Minnesota defeated Oklahoma State.
The series between the Gophers and the Cowboys dates back to 1941. The teams met seven times in the next 25 years, with the Cowboys taking every dual. The two teams did not meet again for nearly three decades, until the sixth year of Head Coach J Robinson’s tenure as the Gopher head coach. Saturday’s contest will be the 27th time in the last 24 years that Robinson’s current team and his alma mater (he graduated from Oklahoma State in 1969) have met head-to-head. During that time, Oklahoma State leads the closely contested series 15-11 (22-11 overall).
Saturday’s dual will be streamed on Big Ten Plus, which requires a subscription. Updates throughout the event will be provided on the Gopher Wrestling Twitter feed, with a recap available later Saturday night on GopherSports.com
Minnesota Match Notes (OSU)
Oklahoma State Match Notes
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