The University of Northern Iowa will be hosting the event for the third consecutive year.
The 2008 National Duals will feature 11 of the nation's top 12 teams, with 15 of the 16 participants ranked nationally in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll. Undefeated and No. 1 Penn State enters the weekend as the top seed, while No. 2 Iowa (#2), No. 4 Iowa State (#3) and No. 5 Central Michigan (#4) round out the top five seeds.
Gopher sophomore Jayson Ness has a chance to make history this weekend. The undefeated 125-pounder (19-0 this season) has pinned 15 opponents this season and six in a row. The Gopher streak for most consecutive pins is eight (set by Tim Hartung in '97) and the single-season pin record is 20, set by current Gopher head assistant coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90. The 2006-07 All-American is currently ranked third in the nation at 125 pounds.
West Virginia, Minnesota's first-round opponent, is the only unranked team in this year's National Duals. The two teams have only met up twice in Minnesota's 98-year program history, with both of those meets coming in National Duals competition. The Gophers were 33-3 winners in the quarterfinals at the 1998 National Duals (en route to their first-ever team title) and also emerged a 20-15 victor in the quarterfinals at the 2003 National Duals.
A win against West Virginia could force a meeting with the Central Michigan Chippewas at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The Gophers have not lost to the Chippewas in eight meets all-time, including four National Duals match-ups.
The 2007-08 Golden Gophers have already faced two teams that will be participating in this weekend's event. Minnesota dropped a tough 18-13 decision against then-No. 2 Iowa State on Dec. 2 and topped then-No. 7 Nebraska by a score of 25-13 on Dec. 6 at the Sports Pavilion.
Minnesota has won its last eight straight meets at the annual event. The Gophers defeated then-No. 1 Oklahoma State 21-14 in the 2006 final and also upset then-No. 1 Missouri 20-14 last year. The Gophers have won five National Duals titles since the 1996-97 season, with additional titles coming in 2002, 2001 and 1998.
The Gophers dropped to No. 6 in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll after Oklahoma State defeated top-ranked Iowa on Jan. 2. Minnesota regained their top ranking in the latest W.I.N. Magazine national poll, and also stayed No. 1 in W.I.N. Magazine's "TPI" (Tournament Power Index) rankings. Eight Minnesota individuals (Ness, Mack Reiter, Dustin Schlatter, Manuel Rivera, C.P. Schlatter, Scott Glasser, Gabe Dretsch and Roger Kish) are ranked in the top-20 of their respective weight classes.
After the National Duals, the Gophers will host a home dual meet with South Dakota State Jan. 20 at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota's most highly anticipated dual meet of the season will come on Friday, Feb. 1 against the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes at Williams Arena.
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