Jan. 4, 2012
DUAL INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, January 4, 2012
Time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Sports Pavillion (5,840)
MATCH NOTES
SUNDAY’S MATCHUP
On Sunday Jan. 4 the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team will host the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers and Buckeyes are schedule to hit the mat at 1 p.m.
GOPHER ALL-ACCESS
Fans who can’t make it to the dual against Ohio State, Gopher All-Access is your place to be to watch all the action. You can join Gopher All-Access for $9.95 per month or $79.95 per year. Also, this winter you can watch several Gopher men's basketball and women's basketball games, along with select Gopher men's hockey and women’s hockey games. Gopher All-Access is also part of the Big Ten Digital Network. If you upgrade to the Big Ten package, you can access hundreds of live events featuring all 12 conference schools.
LIVE BLOG
If you can’t make it to the dual, check out our live blog on Gophersports.com which will be open to the public at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.
HONORING THE 2001-02 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
At halftime the University of Minnesota will honor its 2001-02 NCAA National Championship team. The Gophers won the title by 22.5 points ahead of the second place team. They were crowned Big Ten and National Dual Champions. Jared Lawrence and current assistant coach Luke Becker each won NCAA Individual titles. For the season, Minnesota went a perfect 19-0 in dual meet action.
WELCOME BACK
The Gophers are back in Minneapolis for the first time since their 34-6 victory over Iowa State on Dec. 9, at Williams Arena. Minnesota has not wrestled in the Sports Pavilion since Nov. 27 when they defeated North Dakota State 29-9
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota finished second at the 2012 Southern Scuffle with 177.5 points to ring in the new year. Three Gophers were crowned individual champions in the two-day event. Zach Sanders, Chris Dardanes and Tony Nelson, each posted a perfect 6-0 record in route to their titles.
A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State is currently 7-0 overall this season. The Buckeyes won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational back in early December edging out Michigan by 13 points. The Buckeyes will face Nebraska on Friday before taking on the Gophers.
ALL-TIME AGAINST OHIO STATE
Minnesota leads the all-time series against Ohio State 38-12-3. The Gophers defeated the Buckeyes last year in Columbus 31-9. Ohio State has not visited the Sports Pavilion since Feb. 24, 2008, when they fell to the Gophers 23-18.
I AM #1
Senior Zach Sanders the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 125 lbs. Sanders currently is 16-0 on the season after going 6-0 at the Southern Scuffle and winning the 125 lbs. title.
DEITCHLER CAREER OVER
As of Jan. 4 redshirt sophomore and former US Olympian Jake Deitchler will no longer be competing for the Gopher wrestling program due to his history with concussions that have dated back since he was 7-years old. Deitchler will still be a member of the team and will continue his education at the University of Minnesota.
GOPHER COACHING STAFF
Minnesota’s coaching staff is led by the legend J Robinson, who enters his 26th season at the helm. Longtime assistant Joe Russell left over the summer to take the head coaching job at George Mason University. Now, Brandon Eggum has moved up to Head Assistant Coach, while Luke Becker is a full-time assistant. Former National Champion Jayson Ness has also joined the staff as an assistant for the Gophers.
GOPHERS INNER CIRCLE
Make sure to check out the Minnesota Wrestling Blog (Gophers Inner Circle) for news, features, videos etc.
LIKE US AND FOLLOW US
Find Gopher Wrestling on Facebook at Golden Gopher Wrestling and make sure to follow the Golden Gophers on Twitter. Just search @GopherWrestling on Twitter to follow all the news updates.
