No. 2-ranked Iowa defeated the No. 11 Gophers 18-13 in a Big Ten wrestling dual Friday night at Maturi Pavilion. The Hawkeyes (13-1, 6-1), who had three true freshmen in the lineup, won the first six matches to take an 18-0 lead before the Gophers (11-3, 4-3) closed with victories in the final four matches. At 125 pounds, the Hawkeyes' Spencer Lee, a three-time NCAA champion, defeated No. 6 Patrick McKee 7-1 for his 50th consecutive victory.
It was the Gophers first home loss in over a calendar year.
Minnesota's 174-pounder, Bailee O'Reilly, finally put the Gophers on the board as he claimed a 4-1 decision, using an opening-period takedown for all the lead he would need.
Isaiah Salazar followed that up with a 13-5 major decision at 184 pounds.
At 197 pounds, Michial Foy secured the match-winning takedown as time expired to knock off returning NCAA finalist Jacob Warner, 2-1.
Garrett Joles closed out the match at heavyweight with a 5-0 win over Bradley Hill on the heels of two takedowns, but there wasn't enough left for a team victory.
ETC.
- Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins earned a bronze medal Friday in a World Cup freestyle sprint in Toblach, Italy.
The Afton native won her quarterfinal heat and finished third in the semifinals. In the final, she outsprinted Emma Ribom of Sweden to take the bronze. Diggins is third in the World Cup overall standings and is expected to race in a 10k freestyle Saturday in Toblach.
