Minnesota Scene: Gophers wrestling earns first Big Ten victory, beating Rutgers

Behind three upset wins, including two in overtime, the ninth-ranked Gophers wrestling team picked up its first Big Ten victory of the season, beating host and 12th-ranked Rutgers 20-12 on Saturday.

The Gophers improved to 6-0 all-time against the Scarlet Knights, including 4-0 in Piscataway, N.J. They won six of the 10 matches Saturday, including an 18-3 technical fall by Michael Blockhus over Al DeSantis at 157 pounds.

At 197 pounds, the Gophers’ No. 24 Garrett Joles beat No. 9 John Poznanski 4-1 in overtime. Joles escaped in the second period for his point, while Poznanski got his escape in the third, sending the match to overtime. There, Joles won his first conference match of the season as he scored a takedown in the extra session.

And with the Gophers up 17-12, No. 26 Tyler Wells beat No. 8 Dylan Shawver in the final match at 133 pounds, again with an overtime takedown for a 5-2 victory.

The No. 17 Gophers gymnastics team defeated No. 21 Maryland 196.725-195.625 at Maturi Pavilion, improving to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Big Ten.

“A really solid performance,” Gophers coach Jenny Hansen said. “The girls reminded me we went 24-for-24, so that’s all of our routines that we hit. That’s a huge accomplishment, so we were really excited about that.”

The Gophers improved to 20-1 in home meets since the 2021 season, including a 3-0 record in 2024.

Minnesota United and Montreal played to a 1-1 draw in an exhibition in Tucson, Ariz.

Lakeville South graduate Loïc Mesanvi scored in the 66th minute for the Loons, who gave up the tying goal to former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama in the 85th minute.

• Victory Godah make her highly anticipated debut by winning the 60 meters, one of seven victories for the Gophers women’s track and field team at the 2024 Jack Johnson Classic at the University Fieldhouse. On the men’s side, six Gophers won events, with Kostas Zaltos posting a Greek national record in the weight throw at 78-11¼.