Golden Gophers: A Legacy of Excellence in Minnesota Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS — After a 22-day hiatus from competition, Minnesota is set to return this weekend at the Soldier Salute. The two-day event is scheduled for Sunday and Monday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Session 1 commences Sunday at 10 a.m., while Session 2 is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. Monday’s Session 3 kicks off at 11 a.m., and the finals are slated for 5 p.m. on Monday night. B1G+ will provide streaming coverage, and SmoothComp.com will offer live updates.

The Golden Gophers, currently ranked fourth in the latest Intermat Tournament Team Rankings and seventh in Intermat’s Dual Rankings, are among 11 collegiate teams participating at the talent-rich Soldier Salute alongside No. 2/2 Iowa, No. 5/3 Nebraska, No. 8/9 Northern Iowa, No. 16/18 Missouri, No. 24/14 Iowa State, No. 28/22 North Carolina, No. 27/16 South Dakota State, NR/26 Wyoming, Bellarmine, and Navy.

The Gophers are expected to send 26 wrestlers to the Salute, including all 10 who are included in the latest Intermat rankings: No. 1 Gable Steveson (285 pounds), No. 4 Max McEnelly (184 pounds), No. 5 Isaiah Salazar (197), No. 6 Tommy Askey (157), No. 6 Vance VomBaur (141), No. 9 Cooper Flynn (125), No. 9 Andrew Sparks (165), No. 11 Tyler Wells (133),  No. 21 Drew Roberts (149), and No. 23 Clayton Whiting (174).

There could be as many as 78 ranked wrestlers competing this weekend, depending on the participants from other schools, according to Intermat’s rankings. As mentioned, Minnesota is planning to send all 10 of its ranked wrestlers, while Iowa, Nebraska, and Northern Iowa may also send 10 wrestlers each. Iowa State has nine ranked competitors, closely followed by eight from South Dakota State, seven from Missouri, six from North Carolina, five representing Wyoming, and three from Navy.

This weekend signifies the fifth major tournament of the season for the Gophers. The opening weekend saw the team capture seven titles combined at the Mountaineer Invite and Bison Open, with the subsequent week showcasing five undefeated wrestlers at the Daktronics Open. Last time out at the Cougar Clash on Dec. 7, Minnesota secured eight individual titles. Additionally, a smaller group traveled to the Jim Koch Open on Nov. 23, winning one more title there.

Minnesota approaches this weekend boasting a 4-0 record in dual matches this season, having defeated Bucknell 35-3 on Nov. 15, before blanking both North Dakota State 39-0 and Campbell 44-0, and concluding with a victory at South Dakota State 30-3 on Dec. 1. This marks the first occasion of consecutive shutouts since achieving four straight in December of 1997, when current head coach Brandon Eggum was a sophomore on the team. Previously, the only other occurrence in program history happened during the first three matches of the 1936-37 season.

Minnesota has achieved 10 consecutive dual wins dating back to last season. Throughout this current streak, the Gophers have outscored opponents 329-54 and have not allowed more than 12 points in any dual.

Ten Gopher wrestlers are featured in at least two of the major polls, with eight being listed in all four: Intermat, Win, Flo, and OpenMat. Steveson (285) holds the No. 1 ranking across all four polls, while McEnelly (184) appears in the top five of each, VomBaur (141) and Askey (157) are ranked sixth or better in every ranking, and Flynn (125), Sparks (165), and Salazar (197) all reside in the top 10 of all lists.

McEnelly is 10-0 this season, with eight of those victories coming by tech fall. These eight tech fall wins are tied for second nationally behind Purdue’s Matt Ramos (10), as per WrestleStat.com.

VomBaur remains unbeaten at 11-0 this year, with five of those victories coming via major decision, placing him tied for fourth nationally in MD wins.

LAST YEAR AT THE SOLDIER SALUTE