On what it feels like to win second straight NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals title
"It always feels good, especially when we're going down there and we still don't have Reiter back. We came in there with our team. We had a good training cycle … and they were focused on winning this tournament the way it was … and that's good. They've had a lot of adversity so far and they're rallying to it. We feel good about it."
On what was going through his head when Missouri decided to bump
"You start adding up points real quick, where they could get points and what we had to do. It was a good thing on their part to do. It was a good tactic or good strategy to do. But the one thing they needed was bonus points that they didn't get. That could have made a little bit of a difference."
On what he told Brent Eidenschink prior to his match
"I just told him to go out there and wrestle. He's a true freshman. We had some wrestle-offs this week … and he has some good skills. He's a real team player. He went out there, he's good on top, and did what he had to do."
On whether Minnesota is a better dual team or tournament team
"I think we're good at both. I think if we get our whole lineup together, I think we're both. If we get Reiter back in, I think we're good at both. I think we have a good tournament team, too."
On when Mack Reiter is coming back
"Somewhere in the next month. He's starting to wrestle already. He made this weight this weekend, so he's on his way back."
On whether or not he thought Roger Kish could beat Ben Askren
"Yeah, we thought he could. The score was 5-4. One takedown either way it could go."
On what it means to be ranked No. 1
"I think it's a good thing to establish as a team, but I think the thing for us is to keep it in perspective. We were here last year, too … and we didn't get to where we wanted to be. So it really doesn't make any difference. That's what we'll be telling the team, 'Hey, this is great. Let's enjoy it for a week or so, and then let's get back and think about what we didn't get last year and what we need to do."
On C.P. Schlatter
"C.P. has been out with a knee injury. He's been working real hard at it. I think it's a testament to how tough the kid is. He's starting to come into his own. He's getting more and more confidence … and he wasn't tired a bit. I think that's the object of what we try to do is push the pace in the third period … and that's exactly what happened here."
Cole Konrad (Minnesota, Hwt)
On Missouri
"They have a lot of guys who can score big points, so you have to be ready for that … and take that into account. That's why we figured it would come down to who could get the most bonus points, basically. We don't really have a rivalry with Missouri, like we do with Oklahoma State. I mean, we hate each other, so it's a little different."
On where Minnesota sits right now
"I've been saying all year that we're the top team. That's just my personal opinion, obviously. But we have a tough team. We have a lot of guys who can score points … and we're solid all the way through. We don't give up a lot of bonus points."
On what it will mean to have Mack Reiter back in the lineup
"Well, he's gong to motivate us. I live with the guy. He's a great influence. He lives and breathes everything wrestling. When he comes back, he's a pinner … and he's exciting watch. He constantly goes … he's a brawler. He's going to bring a lot of emotion to our team, especially at the lower weights."
Ben Askren (Missouri, 174)
On whether or not this loss to Minnesota gives the team motivation
"We don't really need motivation. The motivation is to be the best. Nothing motivates you more than to be the best. And we want to be the best. When you look at the big picture, this seems minor. The National Tournament in March is the real deal, that's what everyone looks back. This is a minor setback, a test for us. We're going to come back from this."
On when the final decision was made to bump
"When Michael Chandler lost that match at 157, we realized that we needed to bump up. That's what we needed. I knew that I needed bonus. Kish wrestled me tough. I wanted to open it up on him. He locked me down. I couldn't get bonus. I kind of let the team down."
On Roger Kish's strength
"He definitely was stronger than I expected. I couldn't get to any shots that I wanted to. In the first period because he was slowing me down. But I started getting my shots in the third period. I cut him with 20 seconds left. I knew I need a takedown and back points. He shot on me, which is what I wanted him to do … because I wanted to be in a scramble and put him on his back. I looked for the back points. I didn't want the takedown … because I knew that wouldn't get the job done. I just about had it … he slipped off …he got the takedown. Whether I win by five or win by one, we still don't get bonus. It still leaves it up to the big man to get the win. And that's what happened."
On what he weighs naturally
"177, 178."
On whether Missouri is a better dual team or tournament team
"It's questionable. We'll find out in March. We beat Minnesota by three points at the Southern Scuffle a few weeks back. It was a war. They had Mack and C.P. out. We had Tyler and Matt Pell out. I think that just shows how good us and Minnesota are that we both had two key starters out of the tournament. And there's Edinboro, who is a top 10 team, and Cornell, who is a top 10 team, and both of us still blew them water. I think that just shows the strength of us and Minnesota … and I think that's what it's going to come down to at the National Tournament, us and Minnesota duking it out."
Marc Bauer (Nebraska Kearney, Head Coach)
On winning the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals
"I'm very proud of our guys. They all put a great effort into it. For them, it would have been an upset. We were seeded second. But our guys wrestled really well … and I'm proud of them all."
On whether or not he was hoping to wrestle Nebraska Omaha
"We were kind of looking ahead. We weren't even thinking about them. We know they get lot of guys at semester break in their lineup who are very solid kids. I know right now they're missing their 125-pounder, but it was a great battle every match."
On why they wrestle such a touch schedule and competing in Division I events
"The reason we do that is because we want our guys for when it comes to pressure situations like this. We don't wrestle a schedule at all. We don't want them nervous. We don't want to them anxious. We want to be able to tell them, 'Hey, you you've been here. You've been in competitions just as tough or tougher than this … just get ready for it."
On whether or not the victory over Nebraska Omaha was the biggest win of his coaching career
"Yeah, I would have to say so. A come back win like that, that's huge."
On what he said to Tervel Dlagnev before he walked out onto the mat against Nebraska Omaha
"Before Tervel walked out onto the Mat, I said, �Tervel, you know what you have to do. He looked at me and shook his head. Tervel, I'll tell you what, he's a dynamite young man. It's a great way to cap a tournament off, obviously."
On whether or not he talked strategy with Dlagnev prior to stepping out on the mat against Nebraska Omaha
"All of our work that we had done up until this point is done. The more I say, the more I think I'm going to interfere routine. So I back off them. Just right before he walked out, I just patted him and said, �You know what you have to do. And he looked at me and shook his head … and he got it done."
On being a Nebraska Omaha alum and coaching against your alma mater
"Coach Denney has always been a great mentor to me. He runs a stellar program. And I think that's what I bring to UNK. You coach like you were coached. It rubbed off, obviously. Anytime something like this happens to us, it's huge for our program … because they're a top-notch program, the three-time defending national champions. They were the defending champs for the National Dual Championships … so yeah, this is special for our program."
On where Dlagnev stacks up against Division I heavyweights
"He has already beaten the No. 3. We lost in overtime to the No. 1 at the Midlands. He's right there with every one of those kids. He's a young man. He didn't start wrestling until he was a sophomore in high school … and has just continued to develop. We're the only school that recruited him. He finished third in the state of Texas. He traveled all over the nation this summer and wrestled some of the best. He went to Ohio State and wrestled with Tommy Rowlands for a week. He's been also working with Tolly Thompson, one of the assistant coaches here at UNI, and it's helped him out tremendously. He's a special young man. We're just happy that we have him for one more year."
Mike Denney (Nebraska Omaha, Head Coach)
On Tony Lewis getting pinned at heavyweight
"When you're a heavyweight, it's coming down to you. And that's the same way with a 125-pounder, you're the first guy out, so you need to start it. A closer needs to finish it. He's young … he hasn't wrestled that much. He's going to get better. He made a mistake. But we're going to hang with him."
On the team's performance
"I was proud of our team. Really proud of them, actually … the way we wrestled, just the way we competed. That was a tough way to lose it, though."
Jeff Swenson (Augsburg, Head Coach)
On winning the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals
"They don't hand out the real national championship trophies until the first weekend in March. It's nice. It shows our kids that hard work is paying off. But we sure walked out of here knowing that we have a lot to work on. Give Wartburg all the credit in the world. I think we were favored at most of those first seven weight classes … and they came after us and almost upset us a couple of times. They did a nice job with us."
On whether or not he expected to be up 22-0 against Wartburg
"I'm always expecting the unexpected. That's kind of wrestling. But, no … I didn't expect that. In a perfect world, I think we were probably favored in those seven, even if it was slight, but, no, I figured that they would come up with something at one of those weight classes that we didn't have an answer for."
On getting breaks
"We got some breaks. They had the lead in a couple of those matches … and we had to come back like that … and get a close win. I think our 157-pounder needed to ride him out to get that riding time in order to get that win. I'm real proud of my team, real proud."
On the return of Marcus LeVesseur to the lineup
"It was a little bit of a whole for us … so that really helps. (Jared) Evans and (Jeremy) Anderson were down in weight, kind of anticipating the return of Marcus. He just gives us an extra punch as we hit that second five weight classes."
On whether or not he expects Wartburg to change things at the Feb. 1 dual
"I expect the unexpected all the time with Wartburg. They have a great coaching staff and a great group of wrestlers. I'm not sure how many years it's been, but I think we've seen them in the finals every year since they've done the Division III Duals."
On whether or not it's tough to keep the team motivated in the early rounds
"Not, really … because it's the National Duals. I always say, I think it's one of the top three competitions that we wrestle all year. National Duals, of course our qualifier, and the most important one is the first weekend in March Nationals."
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