The Gophers wrestling team won nine of 10 matches to defeat South Dakota State 30-3 on Sunday in a matchup of top-20 teams in Brookings, S.D.
Gophers thrash South Dakota State in clash of ranked wrestling teams
The No. 7 Gophers won all but one match against No. 17 South Dakota State. Gable Steveson extended his winning streak to 55 matches.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 2, 2024 at 12:56AM
The victory was the 10th straight for the No. 7 Gophers (4-0) dating to last season and was their 13th consecutive victory in the series with the Jackrabbits.
The Jackrabbits, ranked 17th and coached by former Gopher All-American Damion Hahn, fell to 1-2.
Gophers 125-pounder Cooper Flynn, No. 14 in the nation, opened the match with a 7-2 decision over No. 4 Tanner Jordan. Tyler Wells followed with a 10-2 major-decision over Derrick Cardinal at 133 pounds to give the Gophers a 7-0 lead.
The Gophers’ lead grew to 19-0 before the Jackrabbits’ Cade DeVos won at 174 pounds, Gophers freshman Max McEnelly, ranked No. 9 at 184 pounds, defeated Bennett Berge 9-6.
Heavyweight Gable Steveson closed out the victory for the Gophers with a 19-4 technical fall against Luke Rasmussen. The victory was Steveson’s 55th straight and improved his Gophers career record to 88-2. The winning streak is the fourth longest in program history.
The Gophers will wrestle in the Cougar Clash at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Saturday.
Minnesota had hoped to be among the 16 teams playing at home for the first two rounds but instead will play Western Kentucky on Thursday in Lexington.
