No. 1 Gopher wrestlers face No. 2 Iowa State

The top-ranked Gopher wrestling team opened its dual-meet season last weekend by eviscerating Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado, and North Dakota State. Minnesota overwhelmed their opponents by a combined score of 109-21, and lost just four times in 30 matches.

On Sunday they will face substantially stiffer competition when they take on second-ranked Iowa State at Williams Arena. The Gophers outpointed the Cyclones last year to win their third national title in seven years. It will be the fourth time in just two years that Minnesota has been involved in a one-two showdown, with the Gophers prevailing in all three previous encounters.

Sunday's marquee matchup will pit the U of M's Roger Kish against Jake Varner. The 184 pounders are ranked one-two in the country. In four prior meetings, the rivals have each prevailed twice. Most notably, Varner pulled off a 4-2 win in last year's NCAA seminfinals.