Fresno State Athletics
Saturday, December 8
Fresno, CA
7 P.M. PT
Fresno State
vs
No. 8 Minnesota
Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno State
Back-end of Saturday Doubleheader features Wrestling vs. No. 8 Minnesota
12/6/2018 12:35:00 PM | Wrestling
Fresno State Wrestling Notes (PDF)Minnesota Wrestling Notes (PDF)Fresno State-Minnesota Wrestling Lineup Card (PDF)
The second half of an exciting Saturday doubleheader at the Save Mart Center will showcase the Bulldog Wrestling team taking on No. 8 Minnesota at 7 p.m. following the men's basketball game versus Long Beach State at 4 p.m.
FRESNO, Calif. - The second half of an exciting Saturday doubleheader at the Save Mart Center will showcase the Bulldog Wrestling team taking on No. 8 Minnesota at 7 p.m. following the men's basketball game versus Long Beach State at 4 p.m.
Fresno State vs. No. 8 Minnesota
Dec. 8, 2018 • 7:00 P.M. • Save Mart Center • Fresno, Calif.
Video:Â FloWrestling
Live Scoring:Â Trackwrestling
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateWRES
Series History: Minnesota leads 5-2-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 10, 2017 – L, 7-38 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Promotions:Â Â
125:Â Robert Garcia IV, RFr. (3-5 overall; 3-3 dual)
133:Â Gary Joint, RFr. (4-5; 4-3)
141:Â Chris Deloza, So. (5-4; 5-2)
149: No. -/-/23Â Khristian Olivas, RJr. (8-4; 5-2)
157:Â Isaiah Hokit, RJr. (6-5; 3-3)
165:Â Jacob Wright, RFr. (10-4; 3-2)
174:Â Ricky Padilla, RJr. (3-6; 1-2)
184:Â Jackson Hemauer, RFr. (9-3; 6-1)
197:Â Danny Salas, RFr. (8-8; 0-5)
HWT: No. 19/-/20Â AJ Nevills, So. (9-2; 7-0)
- Rankings by FloWrestling, Intermat & Trackwrestling
No. 8 Minnesota Probable Lineup
125: No. 7/5/5 Sean Russell, RSr. (11-2; 2-1)
133: No. 8/8/8 Ethan Lizak, RSr. (11-3; 2-1)
141: Brent Jones, RFr. (7-4; 0-0)
149: No. 20/-/21 Tommy Thorn, RSr. (5-4; 2-1)
157: Miles Patton, RJr. (1-3; 0-1)
165: No. -/-/25 Carson Brolsma, RJr. (8-3; 2-1)
174: No. 16/16/18 Devin Skatzka, RJr. (11-4; 2-1)
184: No. -/-/24 Owen Webster, Jr. (4-5; 1-2)
197: Brandon Krone, RSr. (1-2; 0-1)
HWT: No. 1/2/1 Gable Stevenson, Fr. (13-0; 1-0)
- Rankings by FloWrestling, Intermat & Trackwrestling
Scouting the No. 8 Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Gophers come into Saturday's dual coming off a sixth-place finish as a team at last weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. True freshman heavyweight Gable Stevenson, ranked No. 1 in the country by FloWrestling and Trackwrestling, finished first while redshirt senior Sean Russell took third at 125 pounds, redshirt senior Ethan Lizak placed fourth at 133 pounds and redshirt junior Devin Skatzka came in seventh at 174 pounds.
Minnesota, who finished seventh at the 2018 Big Ten Championships and 17th at the NCAA Championships a season ago, are 2-1 in dual meets this season squaring off against three Big 12 opponents defeating Air Force (33-3) and South Dakota State (35-6) and falling 23-9 to then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.
The Gophers, ranked No. 8 in both the FloWrestling and Intermat rankings and No. 9 in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. return two-time All-American Lizak who has moved up to 133 pounds this season after finishing fourth in the nation at 125 pounds last season and second in 2017. Redshirt senior Tommy Thorn is also back in the lineup after finishing eighth at 141 pounds in 2017 and has moved up to 149 pounds this season.
Russell, a graduate transfer from Edinboro was a three-time NCAA qualifier and three-time EWL champion for the Fighting Scots, comes in ranked No. 5 at 125 pounds as he is off to a 11-2 start at Minnesota. Thorn and redshirt senior Brandon Krone were also 2018 NCAA Championships qualifiers at 141 and 184 pounds, respectively, and each has moved up one weight class this season.
One of the nation's top programs, from 1997-2014, the Gophers placed in the top three at the NCAA Championships in 12 of 18 seasons winning national championships in 2001, 2002 and 2007 along with six runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes. The Gophers claimed six Big Ten championships and placed in the top three as a team at the Big Ten Tournament every year in that 18-year stretch outside of 2009 (5th).
Fresno State vs. Big Ten opponents
This will be the Bulldogs' ninth dual against Minnesota, its most-ever against a Big Ten opponent, as Fresno State is 9-27-1 all-time against the 14 current members of the Big Ten. The 'Dogs have faced 12 of the 14 Big Ten programs with Michigan and Wisconsin being the only two teams that Fresno State has never faced in a dual.
Following Minnesota, the 'Dogs have had duals against Ohio State (6), Purdue (4), Nebraska (4), Illinois (3), Iowa (3), Northwestern (3), Indiana (2), Rutgers (1), Maryland (1), Michigan State (1) and Penn State (1).
Fresno State fell 30-6 at No. 13 Rutgers on Nov. 3 earlier this season while traveling to Minneapolis last season winning two matches in a 38-7 loss at Minnesota and hosted Illinois for its home opener last season.
The Bulldogs also travel to Big Ten country for the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 hosted by Northwestern in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Last time out vs. Minnesota
The Bulldogs won two matches in Minneapolis a season ago with a win at 149 pounds by Khristian Olivas with a 14-2 major decision over Hunter Marko and heavyweight AJ Nevills downed Rylee Streifel, 5-1.
Only three of the Gophers who wrestled in the dual against the Bulldogs a season ago are expected to wrestle on Saturday in Lizak, Thorn and Owen Webster.
'Dogs at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite
The Bulldogs went to the highly-competitive Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite last weekend finishing 25th out of 43 teams as both Olivas and Nevills made it to Saturday where they fell one win shy of placing in the top eight in their respective weight classes.
Olivas, Isaiah Hokit at 157 pounds, Jacob Wright at 165 pounds and Jackson Hemauer at 184 pounds all won three matches apiece while Nevills added a pair of matches and Ricky Padilla won one for a total of 15 individual wins in the tournament.
The 'Dogs secured 10 of its wins by bonus points with a pair of falls, three technical falls and five major decisions.
'Dogs in the national rankings
Olivas has moved back into the national rankings this week coming in at No. 23 by Trackwrestling while Nevills checks in No. 19 by FloWrestling & The Open Mat and No. 20 by Trackwrestling.
2018 Battle on the Midway
Fresno State wrestled in the Second Annual Battle on the Midway aboard the USS Midway in San Diego on Nov. 20 falling to Stanford, 22-15 with four Bulldogs picking up wins.
Redshirt freshman Jackson Hemauer at 184 pounds and sophomore Chris Deloza at 141 pounds picked up wins by decision while heavyweight AJ Nevills recorded a major decision and 133-pounder Gary Joint scored five points for the 'Dogs with his second technical fall of the season.
The Bulldogs led 15-12 after seven matches, but the Cardinal won the final three matches of the dual, including an upset of the 'Dogs No. 14-ranked Khristian Olivas at 149 pounds, to score the final 10 points for the 22-15 win.
Pledge for Pins (Current count: 19)
Pledges for pins is designed to help support the Fresno State Wrestling Program. Proceeds will benefit the Fresno State Wrestling Fund for Excellence along with a portion contributing to the Valley Regional Training Center -- a nonprofit organization that supports Fresno State Wrestling.
It works like this, for example, if you pledge $5 per pin and the team accumulates 40 pins during the season, your pledge will be $200. Throughout the season, pins and pledges will be recorded and a letter will be mailed with your pledge amount and payment information.
Levels of Pledges
Cooper - $1-10
Bronze - $11-20
Silver - $21-49
Gold - $50 & Up
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter: @Fresno StateWRES
Instagram:Â fresnostatewrestling
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Fresno State vs. No. 8 Minnesota
Dec. 8, 2018 • 7:00 P.M. • Save Mart Center • Fresno, Calif.
Video:Â FloWrestling
Live Scoring:Â Trackwrestling
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateWRES
Series History: Minnesota leads 5-2-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 10, 2017 – L, 7-38 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Promotions:Â Â
- High School Night: All High School Students Get in FREE!
- Greek Night
- Hear the Bulldog band rockÂ
- The Valley "V" Foam Finger Giveaway!
- Get loud for a shirt giveaway sponsored by Chevron
125:Â Robert Garcia IV, RFr. (3-5 overall; 3-3 dual)
133:Â Gary Joint, RFr. (4-5; 4-3)
141:Â Chris Deloza, So. (5-4; 5-2)
149: No. -/-/23Â Khristian Olivas, RJr. (8-4; 5-2)
157:Â Isaiah Hokit, RJr. (6-5; 3-3)
165:Â Jacob Wright, RFr. (10-4; 3-2)
174:Â Ricky Padilla, RJr. (3-6; 1-2)
184:Â Jackson Hemauer, RFr. (9-3; 6-1)
197:Â Danny Salas, RFr. (8-8; 0-5)
HWT: No. 19/-/20Â AJ Nevills, So. (9-2; 7-0)
- Rankings by FloWrestling, Intermat & Trackwrestling
No. 8 Minnesota Probable Lineup
125: No. 7/5/5 Sean Russell, RSr. (11-2; 2-1)
133: No. 8/8/8 Ethan Lizak, RSr. (11-3; 2-1)
141: Brent Jones, RFr. (7-4; 0-0)
149: No. 20/-/21 Tommy Thorn, RSr. (5-4; 2-1)
157: Miles Patton, RJr. (1-3; 0-1)
165: No. -/-/25 Carson Brolsma, RJr. (8-3; 2-1)
174: No. 16/16/18 Devin Skatzka, RJr. (11-4; 2-1)
184: No. -/-/24 Owen Webster, Jr. (4-5; 1-2)
197: Brandon Krone, RSr. (1-2; 0-1)
HWT: No. 1/2/1 Gable Stevenson, Fr. (13-0; 1-0)
- Rankings by FloWrestling, Intermat & Trackwrestling
Scouting the No. 8 Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Gophers come into Saturday's dual coming off a sixth-place finish as a team at last weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. True freshman heavyweight Gable Stevenson, ranked No. 1 in the country by FloWrestling and Trackwrestling, finished first while redshirt senior Sean Russell took third at 125 pounds, redshirt senior Ethan Lizak placed fourth at 133 pounds and redshirt junior Devin Skatzka came in seventh at 174 pounds.
Minnesota, who finished seventh at the 2018 Big Ten Championships and 17th at the NCAA Championships a season ago, are 2-1 in dual meets this season squaring off against three Big 12 opponents defeating Air Force (33-3) and South Dakota State (35-6) and falling 23-9 to then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.
The Gophers, ranked No. 8 in both the FloWrestling and Intermat rankings and No. 9 in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. return two-time All-American Lizak who has moved up to 133 pounds this season after finishing fourth in the nation at 125 pounds last season and second in 2017. Redshirt senior Tommy Thorn is also back in the lineup after finishing eighth at 141 pounds in 2017 and has moved up to 149 pounds this season.
Russell, a graduate transfer from Edinboro was a three-time NCAA qualifier and three-time EWL champion for the Fighting Scots, comes in ranked No. 5 at 125 pounds as he is off to a 11-2 start at Minnesota. Thorn and redshirt senior Brandon Krone were also 2018 NCAA Championships qualifiers at 141 and 184 pounds, respectively, and each has moved up one weight class this season.
One of the nation's top programs, from 1997-2014, the Gophers placed in the top three at the NCAA Championships in 12 of 18 seasons winning national championships in 2001, 2002 and 2007 along with six runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes. The Gophers claimed six Big Ten championships and placed in the top three as a team at the Big Ten Tournament every year in that 18-year stretch outside of 2009 (5th).
Fresno State vs. Big Ten opponents
This will be the Bulldogs' ninth dual against Minnesota, its most-ever against a Big Ten opponent, as Fresno State is 9-27-1 all-time against the 14 current members of the Big Ten. The 'Dogs have faced 12 of the 14 Big Ten programs with Michigan and Wisconsin being the only two teams that Fresno State has never faced in a dual.
Following Minnesota, the 'Dogs have had duals against Ohio State (6), Purdue (4), Nebraska (4), Illinois (3), Iowa (3), Northwestern (3), Indiana (2), Rutgers (1), Maryland (1), Michigan State (1) and Penn State (1).
Fresno State fell 30-6 at No. 13 Rutgers on Nov. 3 earlier this season while traveling to Minneapolis last season winning two matches in a 38-7 loss at Minnesota and hosted Illinois for its home opener last season.
The Bulldogs also travel to Big Ten country for the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 hosted by Northwestern in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Last time out vs. Minnesota
The Bulldogs won two matches in Minneapolis a season ago with a win at 149 pounds by Khristian Olivas with a 14-2 major decision over Hunter Marko and heavyweight AJ Nevills downed Rylee Streifel, 5-1.
Only three of the Gophers who wrestled in the dual against the Bulldogs a season ago are expected to wrestle on Saturday in Lizak, Thorn and Owen Webster.
'Dogs at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite
The Bulldogs went to the highly-competitive Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite last weekend finishing 25th out of 43 teams as both Olivas and Nevills made it to Saturday where they fell one win shy of placing in the top eight in their respective weight classes.
Olivas, Isaiah Hokit at 157 pounds, Jacob Wright at 165 pounds and Jackson Hemauer at 184 pounds all won three matches apiece while Nevills added a pair of matches and Ricky Padilla won one for a total of 15 individual wins in the tournament.
The 'Dogs secured 10 of its wins by bonus points with a pair of falls, three technical falls and five major decisions.
'Dogs in the national rankings
Olivas has moved back into the national rankings this week coming in at No. 23 by Trackwrestling while Nevills checks in No. 19 by FloWrestling & The Open Mat and No. 20 by Trackwrestling.
2018 Battle on the Midway
Fresno State wrestled in the Second Annual Battle on the Midway aboard the USS Midway in San Diego on Nov. 20 falling to Stanford, 22-15 with four Bulldogs picking up wins.
Redshirt freshman Jackson Hemauer at 184 pounds and sophomore Chris Deloza at 141 pounds picked up wins by decision while heavyweight AJ Nevills recorded a major decision and 133-pounder Gary Joint scored five points for the 'Dogs with his second technical fall of the season.
The Bulldogs led 15-12 after seven matches, but the Cardinal won the final three matches of the dual, including an upset of the 'Dogs No. 14-ranked Khristian Olivas at 149 pounds, to score the final 10 points for the 22-15 win.
Pledge for Pins (Current count: 19)
Pledges for pins is designed to help support the Fresno State Wrestling Program. Proceeds will benefit the Fresno State Wrestling Fund for Excellence along with a portion contributing to the Valley Regional Training Center -- a nonprofit organization that supports Fresno State Wrestling.
It works like this, for example, if you pledge $5 per pin and the team accumulates 40 pins during the season, your pledge will be $200. Throughout the season, pins and pledges will be recorded and a letter will be mailed with your pledge amount and payment information.
Levels of Pledges
Cooper - $1-10
Bronze - $11-20
Silver - $21-49
Gold - $50 & Up
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter: @Fresno StateWRES
Instagram:Â fresnostatewrestling
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Players Mentioned
141
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
157
/ Wrestling
133
/ Wrestling
285
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
174
/ Wrestling
184/197
/ Wrestling
157
/ WrestlingFB Media Availibility [11/18]: Jadon Pearson, Ryan Wilson, Julian Polendo, Jordan Brown
Tuesday, November 18
FB Weekly Press Conference [11/17]
Monday, November 17
FB highlight vs Wyoming [11/15/25]
Sunday, November 16
Postgame Press Conference [11/16]
Sunday, November 16