Minnesota leads Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite with five in semis
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By Mike Finn | Dec. 06, 2014, 12:27 a.m. (ET)
Chris Dardanes of Minnesota turns Ryan Osleeb of Harvard at 133 pounds during Cliff Keen Las Vegas International on Friday. Dardanes is one of five Gophers to reach the semifinals. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.

Article by Mike Finn, WIN Editor

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The University of Minnesota wrestling team is ranked No. 1 by WIN in both its dual meet rankings and Tournament Power Index (TPI), but Gopher coach J Robinson still wasn’t sure how good this 2014-15 team was.

That’s why the veteran coach chose to bring his Minnesota team to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend for the first time in six year.

And after day one of the two-day event in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Gophers are living up to their early-season billing by holding a 20-point lead in the team race and have sent five wrestlers to the semifinals of this event, which is in its 33rd year.

Advancing to the semifinals for Minnesota are the Dardanes twins — Chris at 133 pounds and Nick at 141 as well as a trio of wrestlers who are ranked No. 1 at their weight classes: Dylan Ness (157), Logan Storley (174) and Scott Schiller (197).

In the team race, Minnesota tops the field with 85.5 points, followed by Iowa State (65), Cornell (61), Michigan (60.5) and both Ohio State and Virginia Tech, which are tied for fifth place with 57.5 points.

In the past five years, Robinson has entered his team in the Southern Scuffle, which will take place Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. But since the Gophers will be in Hawaii for the Aloha Open on Dec. 30, the CKLV would be the only chance for him to see his team against other highly-ranked individuals.

“We had some young guys and wanted them to see what action was and give them a chance to be seeded (for the 2015 NCAA tournament) by doing well here and we wanted to see good competition,” Robinson said. “I’ve liked what some of them have done and that’s why we came here; to find out what we need to work on. It’s early in December so we have four months to work on it.”

Adding some punch for the Gophers — who finished second behind Penn State in last year’s NCAA tournament — are the Dardanes twins, who have dropped down this season from 141 and 149 pounds, where the pair failed to earn All-American honors last March in Oklahoma City. Robinson said the Gopher coaches decided to move the natives of Chicago back to the weight classes that had earned them All-American honors before last season.

“We have Jake Short and we wanted to get him in the lineup and it made our team stronger and those guys have a lot more power at these weight classes than then did up a weight class,” Robinson said. “If you watch Chris wrestle, his explosive power is completely different.”

The Dardanes have responded very favorably this winter and are ranked among the top three in their weight class. In Day 1, Chris earned a technical fall and pin before beating Virginia Tech’s Kevin Norstrem, 12-5, in the quarterfinals at 133 pounds. Nick got a scare from North Dakota State’s Mitch Bengston, who caught the 141-pound Gopher in a spladle before Dardanes rallied to win his quarterfinal 8-7.

The Gophers nearly saw a sixth wrestler qualify for Saturday morning’s semifinals, but also saw one of it’s top-ranked wrestlers nearly lose in the quarterfinals.

At 174 pounds, Storley was pushed to overtime before finally scoring a takedown and 3-1 decision against Michigan’s Davonte Mahomes. One match later, the Gophers 184-pound sophomore Brett Pfarr — in his first season on the Minnesota varsity — also nearly pulled off an upset when he appeared to score a takedown at the end of regulation in his match against Cornell’s top-ranked Gabe Dean. But the points were not allowed and sent the bout to a tiebreaker phase where Dean rode out the Pfarr after the Big Red wrestler had escaped.

Meanwhile’s Minnesota’s other top-ranked wrestlers — Ness and Schiller — easily won both of their bouts on Friday, including Ness who scored falls in his first two bouts.

The only other top-ranked wrestler competing in this year’s event was Ohio State’s 141-pound Logan Stieber, who is looking capture a fourth straight CKLV Invitational championship. The Buckeye picked up a pin and two technical falls. Also winning two matches at this weight class was Virginia Tech’s Devin Carter, who is back down at 141 pounds — where he lost in last year’s NCAA final to Stieber — after beginning the season at 149 pounds.

The following are the semifinal match-ups, which will begin at 9 a.m. (PST):

125 pounds
Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Josh Martinez (Air Force)
Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) vs. Joey Dance (Virginia Tech)

133 pounds
Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. George DiCamillo (Virginia)
Rossi Bruno (Michigan) vs. Dan DeShazer (Nebraska-Kearney)

141 pounds
Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. Devin Carter (Virginia Tech)

149 pounds
Chris Villalonga (Cornell) vs Gabe Moreno (Iowa State)
Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) vs. Alec Pantaleo (Michigan)

157 pounds
Dylan Ness (Minnesota) vs. Russell Parsons (Army)
Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers) vs. James Green (Nebraska)

165
Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa)
Taylor Walsh (Indiana) vs. Mike Moreno (Iowa State)

174
Logan Storley (Minnesota) vs. Blaise Butler (Virginia)
Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) vs. Robert Kokesh (Nebraska)

184
Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Taylor Meeks (Oregon State)
Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) vs. Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State)

197
Scott Schiller (Minnesota) vs. Jace Bennett (Cornell)
Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)

Hwt
Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) vs. Joe Stolfi (Bucknell)
Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) vs. Adam Coon (Michigan)

Top Team Scores
1. Minnesota, 85.5
2. Iowa State, 65
3. Cornell, 61
4. Michigan, 60.5
5. Ohio State, 57.5
5. Virginia Tech, 57.5
7. Nebraska, 54.5
8. Virginia, 50.5
9. North Carolina State, 45
10. Rutgers, 44

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Quarterfinal Results

12/5/2014
InterMat Staff
contact@intermatwrestle.com
125:
No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) pinned No. 16 Paul Petrov (Bucknell), 6:48
No. 7 Josh Martinez (Air Force) dec. Chase Tolbert (Utah Valley), 8-4
No. 6 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) pinned No. 9 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), 4:36
No. 5 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 12 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-2

133:
No. 2 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 18 Kevin Norstrem (Virginia Tech), 13-5
No. 10 George DiCamillo (Virginia) dec. No. 13 Earl Hall (Iowa State), 9-2
No. 9 Rossi Bruno (Michigan) dec. Jack Hathaway (Oregon State), 5-2
Daniel DeShazer (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. No. 8 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), 3-1 TB

141:
No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) tech. fall No. 12 Todd Preston (Harvard), 5:31
No. 16 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. No. 9 Joe Spisak (Virginia), 9-7
No. 4 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. Mitch Bengtson (North Dakota State), 8-7
No. 3 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) maj. dec. No. 18 Sam Speno (North Carolina State), 14-5

149:
No. 6 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) maj. dec. Preston McCalmon (Arizona State), 10-2
Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) dec. No. 18 Ken Theobold (Rutgers), 13-8 SV
No. 15 Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) dec. Matt Frisch (The Citadel), 6-5
Alex Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. Victor Lopez (Bucknell), 6-2

157:
No. 1 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) maj. dec. Joel Smith (Arizona State), 14-2
Russell Parsons (Army) dec. No. 11 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 4-3
No. 8 Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers) maj. dec. Alex Elder (Oregon State), 13-5
No. 2 James Green (Nebraska) maj. dec. No. 20 Justin Staudenmayer (Brown), 15-5

165:
No. 2 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) maj. dec. No. 17 Austin Wilson (Nebraska), 14-3
No. 12 Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) by default over No. 11 Taylor Massa (Michigan)
No. 7 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) dec. No. 15 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), 7-2
No. 3 Michael Moreno (Iowa State) maj. dec. Peyton Walsh (Navy), 14-6

174:
No. 1 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 14 Davonte Mahomes (Michigan), 3-1 SV
No. 9 Blaise Butler (Virginia) dec. Jadaen Bernstein (Brown), 8-5
No. 6 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) dec. No. 10 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech), 3-2
No. 2 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. No. 12 Mark Martin (Ohio State), 6-2

184:
No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) dec. No. 15 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), 2-1 TB2
No. 8 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) dec. No. 11 Dominic Abounader (Michigan), 4-3 SV
No. 7 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) dec. No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 11-7
No. 14 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) dec. Bubba Scheffel (West Virginia), 6-1

197:
No. 1 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) maj. dec. Trent Noon (Northern Colorado), 10-1
No. 18 Jace Bennett (Cornell) maj. dec. Tommy Peterson (North Dakota State), 8-0
No. 7 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) maj. dec. Lucas Sheridan (Indiana), 14-4
No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) dec. Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 8-3

285:
No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 15 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa), 4-1
Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) dec. No. 11 Nick Tavanello (Ohio State), 3-1
No. 9 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 10 Evan Knutson (North Dakota State), 3-2
No. 4 Adam Coon (Michigan) pinned No. 14 Collin Jensen (Nebraska), 1:56

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Placewinners

12/6/2014
InterMat Staff
contact@intermatwrestle.com
125:
1st: No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 6-4
3rd: No. 9 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Trey Andrews (Northern Colorado), 11-4
5th: No. 7 Josh Martinez (Air Force) by medical forfeit over No. 6 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa)
7th: Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) dec. No. 20 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia), 12-6

133:
1st: No. 2 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. No. 9 Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 8-3
3rd: No. 8 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 13 Earl Hall (Iowa State), 9-0
5th: Daniel DeShazer (Nebraska-Kearney) pinned No. 10 George DiCamillo (Virginia), 3:00
7th: No. 18 Kevin Norstrem (Virginia Tech) dec. Ian Nickell (CSU Bakersfield), 7-5 SV

141:
1st: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 3 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), 12-3
3rd: No. 4 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. No. 16 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), 6-3
5th: Geo Martinez (Air Force) dec. Mike Morales (West Virginia), 8-4
7th: No. 9 Joe Spisak (Virginia) dec. Mitch Bengtson (North Dakota State), 5-2

149:
1st: No. 6 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) dec. Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 4-0
3rd: Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) dec. Justin Arthur (Nebraska), 6-1
5th: No. 15 Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) pinned Matt Frisch (The Citadel), 0:43
7th: Abraham Rodriguez (Oregon State) dec. No. 9 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech), 8-3

157:
1st: No. 1 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 James Green (Nebraska)
3rd: No. 8 Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers) vs. No. 20 Justin Staudenmayer (Brown)
5th: Russell Parsons (Army) by forfeit over Steven Hernandez (Boise State)
7th: Joel Smith (Arizona State) maj. dec. Alex Elder (Oregon State)

165:
1st: No. 2 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. No. 7 Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
3rd: No. 3 Mike Moreno (Iowa State) vs. No. 12 Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa)
5th: Peyton Walsh (Navy) dec. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield), 10-5
7th: Max Rohskopf (North Carolina State) dec. No. 16 Jesse Stafford (Air Force), 4-2

174:
1st: No. 2 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. No. 9 Blaise Butler (Virginia)
3rd: No. 1 Logan Storley (Minnesota) vs. No. 6 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State)
5th: No. 10 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech) by medical forfeit over No. 14 Davonte Mahomes (Michigan)
7th: No. 12 Mark Martin (Ohio State) pinned No. 17 Pete Renda (North Carolina State), 6:40

184:
1st: No. 7 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) vs. No. 8 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State)
3rd: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 14 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State)
5th: No. 15 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) dec. No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 8-3
7th: No. 17 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) pinned Austin Gabel (Virginia Tech), 4:41

197:
1st: No. 1 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) vs. No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)
3rd: No. 7 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 18 Jace Bennett (Cornell)
5th: Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) dec. Trent Noon (Northern Colorado), 7-5
7th: Lucas Sheridan (Indiana) pinned Jake Smith (West Virginia), 1:06

285:
1st: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) vs. No. 9 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech)
3rd: No. 4 Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. Michael Kroells (Minnesota)
5th: No. 11 Nick Tavanello (Ohio State) pinned Joe Stofli (Bucknell), 0:43
7th: No. 10 Evan Knutson (North Dakota State) dec. No. 15 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa), 4-1