The Golden Gophers are 4-0 on the season after sweeping four matches at the Northeast Duals on Saturday in Albany, N.Y. Minnesota defeated Virginia Tech, 41-7, No. 25 Tennessee-Chattanooga, 36-6, No. 15 Central Michigan, 19-13, and American, 40-10.
Overall, the Golden Gophers won 30 of the 40 individual matches. Three wrestlers finished unbeaten on the day. Third-ranked Mack Reiter (133), eighth-ranked C.P. Schlatter (157) and second-ranked Cole Konrad (HWT) all finished 4-0.
Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad is 10-0 on the season and has won 39 of his last 40 matches dating back to last year. Konrad was defeated in the NCAA finals last March by Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State. Konrad avenged the loss last week with a 4-1 overtime decision at the NWCA/Marines All-Star Classic.
The Golden Gophers' 4-0 start is its best since the 2001-02 squad finished a perfect 19-0-0. Last year's team got off to a 2-2 start. Minnesota's four-match winning streak is the longest since the Golden Gophers won its final five matches of the 2003-04 season (2/6-22).
Minnesota eclipsed the 40-point mark in the 41-7 win against Virginia Tech on Saturday for the first time since Jan. 4, 2004, a span of 32 matches. On that day, the Golden Gophers defeated Portland State, 43-4, at the Sports Pavilion.
Last year after four matches, the Golden Gophers were a combined 1-7 at 149 and 157 pounds. Minnesota had been outscored 34-3 at the two weights.
This season, Dustin and C.P. Schlatter have combined to go 7-1 and outscore the opposition, 31-3.
The Golden Gophers are 9-0-1 in their last 10 road openers. Minnesota's last loss in a season road opener came at Fresno State, 17-14, on Dec. 13, 1994.
The Golden Gophers are ranked fifth in the nation by The Wrestling Mall and sixth by the NWCA. Three-time defending NCAA Champion Oklahoma State is ranked first, followed by Oklahoma and Michigan. Iowa is ranked fourth by The Wrestling Mall, while defending Big Ten Champion Illinois is sixth. In all, nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25.
Six of Minnesota's 10 wrestlers are currently ranked by The Wrestling Mall. Cole Konrad is ranked second in the nation at heavyweight, followed by No. 3 Mack Reiter (133), No. 4 Matt Nagel (165), No. 6 Roger Kish (184), No. 8 C.P. Schlatter (157) and No. 14 Gabriel Dretsch (174). True freshman Dustin Schlatter is expected to become the seventh wrestler to be ranked when the next ratings are released.
Including all four major polls, nine of Minnesota's 10 wrestlers are ranked at least once (see page 3).
Senior All-American Matt Nagel leads the Golden Gophers with six pins on the season. That already equals his entire total as a junior last season. Nagel entered the year with 14 career falls in his first three years. Mack Reiter, Dustin Schlatter and Cole Konrad rank second with four pins apiece.
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