All Gophers

4 Gophers advance to semifinals of Big Ten wrestling tournament

  • Minnesota wrestlers have done well to start the conference tournament.
  • The semifinals will be televised on Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. CT Saturday.
  • Championship matches are on Sunday.
Joe Nelson|
Minnesota's Gable Steveson reacts after scoring a major decision at 285 pounds during the second session of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 5, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. 220305 Big Ten Semi Wr 072 Jpg
Minnesota's Gable Steveson reacts after scoring a major decision at 285 pounds during the second session of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 5, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. 220305 Big Ten Semi Wr 072 Jpg | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gable Steveson headlines four Minnesota Gophers who have advanced to the Big Ten wrestling tournament semifinals, which will take place later Saturday night before the championship matches Sunday evening in Evanston, Illinois.

Steveson (285 pounds), Max McEnelly (184), Tommy Askey (157), and Vance VomBaur (141) are into the semifinals after winning each match in the Saturday morning session. The Gophers are fifth as a team with 41.0 points, trailing Penn State (88.0), Nebraska (63.0), Illinois (58.5) and Iowa (54.0).

Steveson, the No. 1 seed, dominated Maryland's No. 9 Seth Nevills 21-5 in the quarterfinals. He'll face No. 4 Nick Felman of Ohio State in the semifinals.

McEnelly, the No. 2 seed at 184 pounds, won via a 22-6 tech fall against No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh of Rutgers. He'll take Edmond Ruth, the No. 6 seed from Illinois, in the semis.

Askey, the No. 5 seed at 157 pounds, won a thriller over Iowa star and No. 4 Jacori Teemer in the quarterfinals, claiming a 4-1 sudden victory. Askey will take on No. 8 Brandon Cannon of Ohio State for a chance to reach the championship match.

VomBaur is into the semifinals as the No. 4 seed at 141 pounds after a major decision in the opening round and then a sudden victory over No. 5 Sergio Lemley of Michigan in the quarterfinals. He'll face the No. 1 seed, Penn State's Beau Bartlett, in the semifinals.

The semifinals start at 7 p.m. CT and will televised on Big Ten Network.

Gophers news, rumors and analysis

Published
Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

Share on XFollow JoeyBrainstorm