2023-24 Minnesota Preview

For Minnesota, this year will be summed up as “one last shot”. It’ll be one last shot for sixth-year senior and two-time NCAA All-American Patrick McKee to prove that he can get the job done on the front side of the bracket at NCAAs. It’s one last shot for AA Michael Blockhus, who returned to the team after making his MMA debut this summer at Bellator 298. And potentially, one last shot for Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson to claim Gopher wrestling history by becoming the first three-time NCAA Champion in program history. No matter what, the Gophers are looking to make this a year to remember. Hear from Head Coach Brandon Eggum. Top Returners Patrick McKee For the multiple-time AA, the narrative has been that he’s the bandit of the backside of the bracket. In 2021-22 he collected six straight wins to finish fifth at the National Championships. The year before, he had the same six-match win streak on the consolation side to claim third place. No one can refute the fact that McKee is a gamer and he’s never out of the match. However, he doesn’t get off to the best start when the lights are the brightest. But make no mistake about it, he is certainly a tone-setter at the front of the lineup. Michael Blockhus In April, he said he was moving on from wrestling and heading into the Bellator cage. But then after a successful debut, he had a change of heart and decided that he still had something left to give the Gophers. Like McKee, Blockhus will be coming back for his sixth and final year. A season ago, he finished in eighth place at 149 pounds, but this year he’s moving up to 157 where he will look to finish on the podium once again. Andrew Sparks After making an appearance at the NCAA tournament a season ago at 165, Sparks returns to the lineup at 174. He sits at #17 coming into the year and while we’ve seen some very good wrestling from Sparks during his career, he certainly has a lot to impress upon this year. Isaiah Salazar Salazar came so close to finishing on the podium last season as he saw things come to an end in the bloodround after falling to Clarion’s Will Feldkamp, 8-4. Salazar and Sparks have the potential to form a formidable 1-2 punch in the back half of the lineup that can use some firepower. Salazar will be the lone returner in this part of the lineup coming back at the same weight. Note: It hasn’t been announced that Gable Steveson will in fact be back in the lineup at heavyweight, but this is where he would go. [insert the paragraph of accolades and superlatives for how great he is here]. Key Departures Coach Eggum’s squad lost a few NCAA qualifiers from last year, but the biggest hit is the loss of 133-pound fifth-place finisher Aaron Nagao, who transferred to Penn State. In addition, they lost NCAA qualifiers Jake Bergeland and Bailey O’Reilly. Bergeland unfortunately had to medically forfeit out of the championships last year. Newcomers Vance VomBaur The redshirt sophomore will be coming into the lineup at 141 this year. He saw some mat time last year with an appearance at the Southern Scuffle where he notched three wins. He also claimed a 5-4 win over No. 9-ranked 2x AA Clay Carlson last year as well. Wrestlers to watch Tyler Wells The true freshman is coming in as one of the six guys part of the Gophers’ recruiting class. With Jake Gliva coming back, I don’t expect to see Wells a lot this season. But I’m betting he will be using all of his allotted starting spots that he can make and still maintain his redshirt. During my conversation with Coach Eggum, he mentioned how important it is for him and his staff to keep the in-state talent in Minnesota and Wells is part of that contingent this season as he’s one of the four wrestlers staying in their home state to join the Minnesota roster this year. Wells finished his high school career as a four-time state champ and a 162-1 record. He also won a U15 Freestyle World title in 2019. Garrett Joles Last season he put the team first and bumped up to fill a void at heavyweight where he received an at-large bid to NCAAs. This year he will be at 197. And with the experience from last season where he took on the big boys and claimed wins over four ranked opponents, he will be looking to make a big splash in a star-studded weight class. Top out-of-conference event For this one, I’m taking a guess. On December 29-30, they will be wrestling in the Soldier Salute Collegiate Wrestling Tournament where, and again, I’m guessing, they will face opponents UNC and UNI at some point over that 2-day span. Both schools have wrestlers that would make for good matchups with the Gophers.

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2023-24 Minnesota Preview

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