Consecutive victories by Tommy Thorn at 141 pounds, Steve Bleise at 149 and Jake Short at 157 enabled the Gophers wrestling team to rally past Illinois for a 17-14 victory in a Big Ten dual on Sunday at the Maturi Pavilion.
The 14th-ranked Gophers improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten with the victory over the No. 12 Fighting Illini (3-3, 2-2).
With Minnesota trailing 12-8 after six matches, Thorn beat Mike Carr 11-6 to cut it to 12-11, Bleise gave the Gophers a 14-12 lead with a 4-2 win over Eric Barone, and Short topped Kyle Langenderfer 6-1 for a 17-12 lead that clinched it.
The Gophers also got victories from Chris Pfarr at 174, Rylee Streifel at heavyweight and Ethan Lizak at 125.
Both teams had a team point deducted, the Gophers on their bench and Illinois on Langenderfer.
Staff, News Services
