Below is a weight by weight preview of today's dual meet. Lineups are subject to change.
125: No. 7 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State) vs. No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota)
This is the premier matchup of the dual meet as it features two wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Sanders, a three-time All-American who is ranked No. 2, has three wins against Sprenkle over the past two seasons. The last two have been major decision victories for Sanders, with the most recent coming earlier this month at the Bison Open. Sanders has looked sharp in the early part of the season.
Prediction: Sanders by maj. dec. (Minnesota +4)
133: Justin Solberg (North Dakota State) vs. No. 6 David Thorn (Minnesota)
Thorn, who is ranked sixth, has been on a tear in the early part of the season, going 6-0 with bonus points in five of the six victories. Thorn pinned Solberg in the semifinals of the Bison Open. Solberg has a respectable 9-6 record this season, but will be overmatched against Thorn.
Prediction: Thorn by pin (Minnesota +6)
141: Tyler Diamond (North Dakota State) vs. No. 13 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota)
Dardanes, a redshirt freshman, has already gone through some growing pains in his first month as a starter for the Gophers. He led 6-2 heading into the final period in a critical match against Cornell, only to get turned twice and give the match away. He bounced back two days later and looked impressive in a dominating 19-6 victory against Penn State. Diamond, a junior college transfer, has posted a 7-3 record this season. One of his losses came to Dardanes' backup, Seth Lange, 10-3, at the Bison Open. (He came back to pin Lange last weekend at the Finn Grinaker Open.)
Prediction: Dardanes by tech. fall (Minnesota +5)
149: Mark Erickson (North Dakota State) vs. No. 13 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) or Matt Mincey
Ness, like Dardandes, has gone through some growing pains in the early part of his redshirt freshman season. He dominated the Bison Open earlier this month before dropping a match against Cornell last Friday. Two days later after losing to Cornell, he fell to top-ranked Frank Molinaro, 16-10, but opened some eyes by taking down Molinaro two times in the final 30 seconds of the match. There is a chance the Gophers could rest Ness and send out Matt Mincey. Erickson has a nice 12-3 record, but has not faced someone of Ness' caliber this season. One of his three losses came to Mincey, 7-3, at the Bison Open.
Prediction: Ness by pin (Minnesota + 6)
157: No. 17 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) vs. No. 9 Jake Deitchler (Minnesota)
This is one of two matches (along with 125) pitting ranked wrestlers against each other. Both Monk and Deitchler have competed well in the early part of the season, going a combined 12-2. The two met in the finals of the Bison Open, with Deitchler coming out on top in sudden victory, 7-5. Monk led 5-1 in that match before Deitchler scored six unanswered points. Deitchler's only loss this season has come to two-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake of Cornell, while Monk's only loss is to Deitchler.
Prediction: Deitchler by dec. (Minnesota +3)
165: Tyler Johnson (North Dakota State) vs. No. 8 Cody Yohn (Minnesota)
Yohn, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has started the season 4-1, with his only loss coming to top-ranked David Taylor of Penn State last Sunday. He had a solid win against tough freshman Marshall Peppelman of Cornell two days before his loss to Taylor. Johnson is coming off a third-place finish at the Finn Grinaker Open, where he lost his first match before reeling off four consecutive wins. Yohn and Johnson met twice last season, with Yohn coming out on top in both meetings by scores of 7-6 and 7-3.
Prediction: Yohn by dec. (Minnesota +3)
174: Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State) vs. Alec Ortiz (Minnesota) or No. 8 Logan Storley
Julson, a Minnesota native, is off to a strong start this season. He has placed in the top three in three open tournaments this season. He was third at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open, won the Bison Open, and finished runner-up at the Finn Grinaker Open. Ortiz has been called upon to start for the Gophers while true freshman Logan Storley recovers from an injury he suffered at the Bison Open. Ortiz competed at 157 pounds at the beginning of the season, so he comes in as an undersized 174-pounder.
Prediction: Julson by dec. (NDSU +3)
184: Mac Stoll (North Dakota State) vs. No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)
Steinhaus is coming of a weekend in which he faced two returning All-Americans and had mixed results. He was dominated by Cornell's Steve Bosak, 8-2, but bounced back two days later and handled NCAA champion and top-ranked Quentin Wright of Penn State, 6-1. Stoll is off to a nice start this season. He is 9-3, with his only losses coming Steinhaus, seventh-ranked Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa, and fourth-ranked (Division II) Derek Skala of St. Cloud State.
Prediction: Steinhaus by pin (Minnesota +6)
197: John Gusewelle (North Dakota State) vs. No. 3 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota)
Yohn, a two-time All-American, has a 5-1 record this season. His only loss came to No. 1-ranked Cam Simaz of Cornell. Last Sunday he won a crucial match against Penn State's Morgan McIntosh, who is ranked 10th, which helped propel the Gophers to a 23-14 victory over the Nittany Lions. Gusewelle is 9-6 this season and placed at both the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open and Bison Open. One of his losses came to Yohn's backup, Scott Schiller, 9-2, at the Bison Open.
Prediction: Yohn by technical fall (Minnesota +5)
285: Evan Knutson (North Dakota State) vs. No. 3 Tony Nelson (Minnesota)
Nelson, who is coming off an All-American finish as a freshman, has shined in the early part of the season for the Gophers. He is currently 6-0 with bonus points in four matches. Nelson's most notable win came over Big Ten champion Cameron Wade of Penn State, 5-0, in his last match. He also has a win over Division II national champion Matt Meuleners of Northern State. Knutson, a freshman, has started the season 13-2. He finished third at both the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open and Bison Open, and captured a title last weekend at the Finn Grinaker Open in the Gold division. Nelson pinned Knutson at the Bison Open.
Prediction: Nelson by Pin (Minnesota +6)
Predicted Dual Meet Score: Minnesota 44, North Dakota State 3
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