Gable Steveson earns spot on U.S. junior team for World Wrestling Championships

Gable Steveson earned a spot in the World Wrestling Championships at the junior level on Saturday, but his chance at making the U.S. senior team ended.

Steveson, a 17-year-old senior at Apple Valley High School who will wrestle for the Gophers next season, won the best-of-three finals at 125 kilograms (275.5 pounds) in the junior division at the U.S. World Freestyle Team Trials in Rochester. He defeated Iowa State freshman Gannon Gremmel 10-0 in 29 seconds and 10-0 in 1:13 to land on the U.S. junior team. Steveson will defend his world title from Sept. 17-23 in Trnava, Slovakia.

On the senior level — wrestling's highest — Steveson lost on a tiebreaker in the challenge tournament final to Tony Nelson, a two-time NCAA champion for the Gophers and Steveson's teammate with the Minnesota Storm wrestling club. The match finished tied 4-4, but Nelson won because he had the highest value of hold — a four-point move late in the first period. Nelson led 4-1 after the first, but Steveson tied it with 29 seconds left in the match.

On Sunday, Nelson will face U.S. Open champion Adam Coon in a best-of-three trials final. The winner of that series advances to the Final X event against world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski on June 23 in Bethlehem, Pa. The Final X winner will represent the United States at the World Championships on Oct. 20-28 in Budapest, Hungary.

Steveson advanced to the challenge tourney final by beating Dom Bradley 5-4, avenging a loss in the U.S. Open third-place match. Nelson beat 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner 3-2 in the other semifinal.

Hayden Zillmer, a former North Dakota State standout from Crosby, Minn., will wrestle Deron Winn in the 92 kg senior final on Sunday. Zillmer beat Nikko Reyes 10-0 in 29 seconds in the semifinals.

Gophers assistant coach Zach Sanders lost 10-0 in 2:00 to Daton Fix in the 57 kg challenge tourney final.

RANDY JOHNSON

The Gophers baseball team's regular-season finale was rained out Saturday at Rutgers. The Gophers (37-13, 18-4 Big Ten), the Big Ten regular-season champion, will be the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament starting Wednesday in Omaha, Neb.

They will face the eighth seed, Michigan State (20-30, 11-12), in their tournament opener at 5 p.m.

Lincoln Erickson, 8, of Rogers, won a boat, motor and trailer rigged with fish-finding electronics on Lake Minnetonka by catching a .93-pound crappie in the Minnesota Bound Crappie Contest.

Lincoln's prize-winning fish was the first registered to hit nearest to the secret weight chosen ahead of time by contest organizers.

• Mr. Jagermeister won the $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes at Canterbury Park, finishing 6 furlongs in 1:10.81. Pinup Girl won the $50,000 Lady Slipper Stakes, finishing 6 furlongs in 1:12.37.

• Augustana of the NSIC placed 10th in the NCAA Division II women's golf tournament in Houston with a 1,247 total, 34 over par.

• No. 11 Southern Arkansas defeated St. Cloud State 11-5 in the losers' bracket of the NCAA Division II Central Region baseball tournament in Magnolia, Ark.

• Brady Shoemaker went 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the St. Paul Saints to a 8-3 victory over the host Gary SouthShore Railcats. The Saints scored three runs in the seventh inning to break a 3-all tie.