Overview

Head coach: Brandon Eggum (seventh season)

Assistants: Luke Becker, Trevor Brandvold, Zach Sanders

2022 NCAA tournament finish: 11th

2022 NCAA tournament record: 17-16

2022 NCAA tournament points: 48.5

2022 B10 tournament finish: 6th

2022 dual record: 4-6 (3-5 B10)

Returning national qualifiers: 12 (Patrick McKee, Jake Gliva, Jake Bergeland, Marcos Polanco, Michael Blockhus, Brayton Lee, Cael Carlson, Andrew Sparks, Bailee O'Reilly, Isaiah Salazar, Michial Foy, Gable Steveson)

Returning All-Americans: 4 (Patrick McKee, Jake Bergeland, Brayton Lee, Gable Steveson)

Last NCAA champion: Gable Steveson (2022)

Highest NCAA team finish: 1st (2001, 2002, 2007)

Highest NCAA team finish under Eggum: 7th (2017, 2021)

Most place winners under Eggum: 4 (2017, 2019)

Summary

Minnesota has up to 12 returning national qualifiers headlined by Gable Steveson, who could return for his final season of eligibility. The Golden Gophers return 2022 All-Americans Patrick McKee (125) and Jake Bergeland (141) along with 2021 All-American Brayton Lee (157) who was out last year with an untimely end-of-the-year injury.

Few teams have the balance and overall depth that Minnesota has, but that doesn’t necessarily mean NCAA tournament points. Eggum and company went 4-6 in duals last season with a 3-5 record in the B10 — the toughest wrestling conference in the country. The Golden Gophers picked up nice wins against Northwestern (31-9) and Nebraska (19-13) but fell to Oklahoma State (23-10), Iowa (22-10), Wisconsin (21-15), Purdue (18-14), and Ohio State (24-14). It will be interesting to see if a few of the younger wrestlers can push the upperclassmen for their spots. 

Minnesota’s Projected 2022-23 Starting Lineup

125: Patrick McKee, JR, (AA)

133: Aaron Nagao, SO

141: Jake Bergeland, SR, (AA)

149: Michael Blockhus, JR, (NQ)

157: Brayton Lee, JR (AA)

165: Andrew Sparks, SO (NQ)

174: Bailee O’Reilly, SR, (NQ)

184: Isaiah Salazar, SO (NQ)

197: Michial Foy, SR (NQ)

285: Gable Steveson, SR (NC, OG)

125: Patrick McKee, JR
2022 record: 26-9
2022 NCAA tournament record: 6-2 (5th)

McKee should be just fine if he loses early during a tournament. He placed third in 2021 after losing in the second round and he placed fifth this year after dropping his opening match. That makes him 13-3 over two NCAA Championships. 

The Golden Gophers will rely on him again this year to be a spark for the team. He can score valuable points at the NCAA tournament and he will be the favorite in most matches, although he’ll have a tall task with Iowa’s Spencer Lee returning. Troy Spratley and Quincy Halverson could contend here but a returning two-time All-American is a good bet to be the starter.

133: Aaron Nagao, SO
2022 record: 8-3  

Nagao gets the nod solely because he defeated Jake Gliva in straight matches at U23 Freestyle Nationals this summer. And Nagao is actually better suited for folkstyle. That’s good news for Eggum since Gliva reached the 2022 NCAA tournament, although he went 0-2 after a 13-15 season. Nagao reached the finals of this year’s Southern Scuffle so Minnesota will be in good hands here. Jager Eisch could also contend after an 8-6 freshman campaign. 

141: Jake Bergeland, SR
2022 record: 23-9
2022 NCAA tournament record: 4-2 (7th)

Bergeland is coming back for his COVID year after a breakout season where he was an All-American. It was Bergeland’s first year as the starter and he took advantage by providing the Golden Gophers consistency and key wins. He took a couple of bad losses to the top guys in the weight, but a seventh-place finish should boost his confidence — especially since most of the top wrestlers are gone. 

Vance Vombaur redshirted last year but he had a win over Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa — a Big 12 finalist at 133 and a national qualifier — prior to posting a 13-3 freshman campaign. Marcos Polanco was a national qualifier in 2021 with a 7-8 record and Tagen Jamison has created a buzz after a 6-2 gray shirt year where he lost to Bergeland, 8-6, and dropped a 6-4 sudden victory match to Iowa’s Caleb Rathjen. This is the weight class to watch if you’re a Minnesota wrestling fan. 

149: Michael Blockhus, JR
2022 record: 18-15
2022 NCAA tournament record: 1-2

Three-time national qualifier Michael Blockhus is back after transferring from Northern Iowa following the 2020 season. Blockhus picked up a win at nationals but didn’t have any signature victories throughout the season, although he held national finalists Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell), Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), and Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) to decisions. Drew Roberts is a U23 All-American and could be a contender after a 10-8 redshirt season, as could Blaine Brenner.  

157: Brayton Lee, JR
2022 record: 17-2

Minnesota gets Lee back after losing him to injury during the final dual of the season. Lee placed sixth at the NCAA Championships in 2021 following a 14-6 season. Prior to the injury, he had only dropped one match on the season and had wins over Kendall Coleman (Purdue), Will Lewan (Michigan), Peyton Robb (Nebraska), Kaleb Young (Iowa), and Jared Franek (NDSU) up to that point. 

165: Andrew Sparks, SO
2022 record: 4-3

This is a roll of the dice here, but Sparks gets the nod over 2022 national qualifier, Cael Carlson, even though Carlson defeated Sparks at the 2021 Bison Open. Sparks qualified for nationals in 2021 as a true freshman and is still relatively unproven, but he has shown glimpses of potential — especially during his first college win against Nebraska’s Peyton Robb. Don’t be surprised if Carlson is the starter with incoming freshman Hunter Lyden giving chase. 

174: Bailee O’Reilly, SR
2022 record: 25-11
2022 NCAA tournament record: 0-2

Minnesota caught the injury bug when two proven wrestlers went down at critical parts of the season. First, it was Lee in the final dual, then it was O’Reilly getting hurt during his quarterfinal match against Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola at the B10 Championships. O’Reilly still qualified for NCAAs but went 0-2. The Goodhue, Minnesota, native is competitive in most matches but didn’t pick up any wins against top 10 opponents last season. 

Don’t expect to see O’Reilly early in the season. Minnesota might roll him out at the end of the first semester or early in second semester so he can be at full strength. Wisconsin transfer Jerad Krattinger (9-4 last season for Minnesota) and incoming freshman Devin Wasley will compete for the spot and one should be the starter until O'Reilly returns. 

184: Isaiah Salazar, SO
2022 record: 15-7
2022 NCAA tournament record: 1-2

Salazar had a string of four victories at the beginning and middle of the season but alternated between wins and losses in the last half. He keeps most matches close, and if he can turn around a couple of toss-up losses then he has a shot at reaching the Round of 12 this year and, with a stellar performance, he could reach the podium. Sam Skillings is challenging for the spot but Salazar is the clear front-runner right now. 

197: Michial Foy, SR
2022 record: 16-14
2022 NCAA tournament record: 0-2

It should come as no surprise that Foy made a U23 Greco World team this year. His father, also Michial, was a Greco Olympian in 1988 and 1992. The younger Foy is down to his final shot at reaching the podium after a back-and-forth season similar to Salazar’s.

The Crete, Illinois, native dropped both his matches at the NCAA tournament but they were to Junior World Freestyle champions Rocky Elam (Missouri) and Braxton Amos (Wisconsin). Junior Garrett Joles has seen varsity action but he has not been the starter at the end of the year. Rowan Morgan — son of former Minnesota NCAA champion and assistant — will be in the mix, as will Gabe Nagel who could either go at 184 or 197. 

285: Gable Steveson
2022 record: 18-0
2022 NCAA tournament record: 5-0 (1st)

There are no guarantees, but signs point to a return of Steveson at some point for his final year of eligibility. The 2020 Olympic gold medalist hasn’t lost a college match since a semifinal setback to Penn State’s Anthony Cassar during the 2019 NCAA Championship semifinals on March 21. 

Getting Gable back would be big for the Golden Gophers — especially since he scored 23 of Minnesota’s 48.5 points last season and because some consider him the greatest college heavyweight ever. Steveson just turned 22 so there’s no telling what he could do for an encore in one of the deepest heavyweight fields in history. He could be the first three-time NCAA champion in program history, which should add to his motivation. Keaton Kluever and Bennett Tabor will battle for the spot until Steveson’s possible return.

Where Will The Golden Gophers Finish At The NCAAs?

Assuming Steveson returns for his final year, the Golden Gophers have a real shot at a trophy this year, given to the top four teams at the NCAA Championships. Success depends on how the supporting cast helps its superstar. Arizona State placed fourth in 2022 with 66.5 points — and that’s a realistic total for next year’s Minnesota team. It will take McKee, Lee, and Bergeland to reach the podium again, and it will take three or four others to get multiple wins at nationals.

Without Steveson, there is a scenario where this team drops out of the top 15. It’s hard to replace 20-plus points from one wrestler, but Minnesota has proven they can succeed with a balanced attack. Is this a team that can do it? The Golden Gophers could have up to 12 returning national qualifiers but most haven’t made a deep run in the tournament...yet. 

This team is designed for end-of-the-year tournaments. Don’t expect Minnesota to have its best line-up for every dual, which could lead to more losses than wins in the ultra-competitive B10 conference. Regardless of who is starting, this Minnesota team should be fun to watch — and the battle for varsity spots will be just as intriguing as the teams they are facing.