Third-seeded University of Minnesota wrestling upset No. 1 Oklahoma State, 18-13, to win the 2012 National Duals Division I Championships in front of 4,453 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. Sunday night.
The loss is the first for the Cowboys this season, which had been 16-0, and No. 1 in two of four national rankings for Feb. 14 (No. 2 in the other two). Minnesota, which had been ranked third or fourth this past week, now sports a 14-3 record overall.
To get to the finals, the Golden Gophers edged No. 2 seed Iowa, 16-15, while top-seeded Oklahoma State defeated No. 4 seed Illinois, 19-15 Sunday afternoon.
Minnesota won six of ten bouts in the Cowboys' home gym. The lead went back and forth throughout the dual until the 197-pound match when the Gophers edged ahead for good. The only match that resulted in bonus points was at 133, with Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver getting a major decision victory over Chris Dardanes.
Match Results
- 125: Zach Sanders (Minn) dec. Jon Morrison (OK State), 5-2
- 133: Jordan Oliver (OK State) maj. dec. Chris Dardanes (Minn), 11-3
- 141: Nick Dardanes (Minn) dec. Julian Feivert (OK State), 10-4
- 149: Jamal Parks (OK State) dec. Dylan Ness (Minn), 11-8
- 157: Albert White (OK State) dec. Dan Zilverberg (Minn), 9-7
- 165: Cody Yohn (Minn) dec. Dallas Bailey (OK State), 4-2 OT
- 174: Chris Perry (OK State) dec. Logan Storley (Minn), 4-0
- 184: Kevin Steinhaus (Minn) dec. Chris McNeil (OK State), 4-1
- 197: Sonny Yohn (Minn) dec. Blake Rosholt (OK State), 3-1
- Hwt: Tony Nelson (Minn) dec. Austin Marsden (OK State), 8-1
In the match for third place, Iowa defeated Illinois, 28-6.
Want to know more? For more detailed accounts of the Golden Gophers-Cowboys meet to determine the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Division I Championships, check out this report from TheMat.com... the official Minnesota wrestling website... and the official Oklahoma State wrestling website.
Listen in: InterMatWrestle.com has audio interviews with Minnesota head coach J Robinson and wrestler Zach Sanders... and Oklahoma State head coach John Smith and Cowboy matman Jordan Oliver.
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