Gopher Wrestling 2022-23


"The 109th Big Ten Wrestling Championships will be held March 4-5, 2023, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the University of Michigan playing host to the event for the first time since 2010.

All 14 conference schools will participate in the championships, which begin Saturday, March 4, with the first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal and wrestleback matches taking place during Sessions I and II. Action continues Sunday, March 5, with consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches getting underway during Session III and the first-, third- and fifth-place matches highlighting Session IV.

For the second year in a row, the Big Ten Network and B1G+ will offer live linear and streaming coverage of all four sessions at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Linear coverage on the Big Ten Network is also available on the FOX Sports app."

 


Gophers surprise at the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament.

Accolades for Minnesota!

Currently #3 in points.


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Aaron Nagao!

As the #6 seed he upset the #3 seed. And then just now in the semi-finals he came from behind to defeat the #2 seed!

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After semi-finals,

Minnesota has two wrestlers in the finals. Minnesota had five wrestlers in the semi-finals.

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Minnesota dropped from 3rd to 5th after the semi-finals.

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Interesting that power Iowa has three wrestlers in the finals. Nebraska is doing surprisingly well. Penn State is at the top.
 

These are some of the Gophers wrestlers competing next in the NCAA tournament. I can only post a few Twitter links because only a few will be seen. There are more to see at Twitter:









 

Gophers finished #6 at the Big Ten Tournament. That's respectable. Ideally fans like Minnesota to be closer to the top 3. Minnesota has a long history of producing great wrestlers.

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Looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, Minnesota has placed several wrestlers into top-12 seeds. At the same time, Minnesota isn't getting attention for very top wrestlers like the past in this article:


I think it's fair to say we'd like a champion wrestler in one of those weight classes. Minnesota now is a strong program; fans are simply accustomed to having a best.
 



Gophers finished #6 at the Big Ten Tournament. That's respectable.
the downward drift since jrob was let go. the U used to be a top 5 program nationally. now just outside the top 5 in the bigten

sadly, injuries really destroyed Lee. Kudos to Joles! Started the year at 197 and competing at HWT effectively.
 

15th place at the ncaas - as the program that used to be a top 5 continues to drop under eggum.
Damion Hahn's SDSU team finished 14th, 6.5 points ahead of the gophers

for next year: chittum never made it to campus as he defects to PSU. Nagao, VomBaur and incoming nelson - maybe the gophers can improve a little bit on that 15th place next year
 
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Minnesota hasn't been nationally competitive for awhile. Coyle needs to make a move.
You really cannot expect TOP RECRUITS to come to a program that has not proven to be a winning and competitive program for some time. I am not sure they can recruit them anyway.

The truth is, as much as Minnesota wrestlers and their families are probably very happy to join this program, it is not necessarily a CHAMPIONSHIP wnning formula, which has been proven over the past few seasons.

It is really unfortunate, it has come to this. I will say it again......This state known for it's High School Wrestling, needs to drop back to 2 Tiers. The MSHSL has spread this sport out way way too much with 3 tiers and it has shown in the lack of overall development of talent.
 
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one of the few bright spots on this and next years team, aaron nagao, is in the transfer portal
 


and now, Blockhus not returning to the team for his final season. Next years team will be a shell of this years team
 

You really cannot expect TOP RECRUITS to come to a program that has not proven to be a winning and competitive program for some time. I am not sure they can recruit them anyway.

The truth is, as much as Minnesota wrestlers and their families are probably very happy to join this program, it is not necessarily a CHAMPIONSHIP wnning formula, which has been proven over the past few seasons.

It is really unfortunate, it has come to this. I will say it again......This state known for it's High School Wrestling, needs to drop back to 2 Tiers. The MSHSL has spread this sport out way way too much with 3 tiers and it has shown in the lack of overall development of talent.
In 1999, we hadn't won the conference tournament in 40 years, and somehow we recruited strong enough wrestlers to win a couple of natties and 6 of the next 8 conference tournaments.
 






Glad there are others on this forum that feel the same way I do that this program is heading further and further in the wrong direction. It is really a shame.
 

yep. nagao to PSU - and spratley to Ok State. eeesh. no one transferring in yet
Add on losing Cody Chittum as a recruit and this is going south quick. I don’t know how you attract and keep the top guys when every years it’s down to iowa and Penn state for the title. Why would you not want to wrestle for them.
 

Add on losing Cody Chittum as a recruit and this is going south quick. I don’t know how you attract and keep the top guys when every years it’s down to iowa and Penn state for the title. Why would you not want to wrestle for them.
Recruits are attracted to Penn State and Iowa because of their HEAD COACHES who were very successful well-known wrestlers and with THEIR NAME ALONE, I'M SURE, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ATTRACT TOP RECRUITS.. They have surrounded themselves with staffs that CAN RECRUIT and maintain those recruits by winning.

Yes we were at once one of those top recruiting programs. You have to attract TOP RECRUITS to come here to be a top program, but also be able to back that "talk" up.
 

Recruits are attracted to Penn State and Iowa because of their HEAD COACHES who were very successful well-known wrestlers and with THEIR NAME ALONE, I'M SURE, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ATTRACT TOP RECRUITS.. They have surrounded themselves with staffs that CAN RECRUIT and maintain those recruits by winning.

Yes we were at once one of those top recruiting programs. You have to attract TOP RECRUITS to come here to be a top program, but also be able to back that "talk" up.
How much would it take to hire Lesnar? :)
 

2023-2024 initial roster out

mckee and lee are back. a lot of tourney pts went to the transfer portal. Not sure who might score enough pts in the tourney to keep the gophers from dropping out of the top 20. perhaps mckee and vombaur

counted 25 on the roster. roster has typically been in the low 30s, so maybe some additions via the portal over the summer
 


I would think quite a bit right now. Perhaps down the road after his stint with the wresting circuit ends, he could come back as an assistant.
i was thinking more along the lines of Hahn or Kish. Aren't the Steveson's running a local wrestling program? If so, maybe Gable when he's done with his current career and contracts
 





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