Ranked third in the nation at 125 pounds, Ness' eye-popping weekend performance continued what has been an outstanding season for the Bloomington, Minn. native. Ness notched three of his six pins in less than two minutes before winning the championship bout over No. 13 Mike Sees of Bloomsburg University with a fall at the 5:58 mark.
Ness currently boasts a perfect 19-0 record (already the 21st-longest win streak in Gopher history) and has collected 15 of those wins by way of fall. He is well on his way to establishing a new Minnesota single-season record for pins, and has already tied his career high set last year. Ness' current pin tally is already the seventh-highest total in program history, and he is on pace to shatter the all-time mark of 20 (set by current Gopher head assistant coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90).
This is the third Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor for Ness during his short career, as he earned the award twice last season en route to his first All-American finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The sophomore currently has a career record of 59-5, with 30 of those wins coming by way of fall – the 11th-highest total in Minnesota history.
This is the first weekly honor for the defending national champions during the 2007-08 season. The Gophers will resume competition Jan. 12-13 as they look to defend their 2007 National Duals title in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
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