The Wake

Break out the spandex and get ready for a team of sweaty men. As autumn picks up, and we reach the midpoint of fall semester, wrestling season is quickly approaching. Nov. 11 marks the first Gopher wrestling meet — The Bison Open. This event may not seem too important to all you fair weather fans out there, but we, at The Wake, recognize that the University of Minnesota wrestling team is “kind of a big deal.” According to preseason polls, the team is ranked No. 1 in the nation right now, after finishing second at the NCAA championships last year. Gopher wrestler Cole Konrad is the NCAA heavyweight champion, Mack Reiter finished fourth and Dustin Schlatter became the first freshman wrestler in school history to win a NCAA individual title. The Wake had the chance to speak with Reiter about the upcoming season.

The Wake: So you guys have recently been ranked as the number one NCAA wrestling team in the nation. How has that affected what is going on for everyone?

Reiter: It’s a different attitude that we have to take into the season, my freshman and sophomore year, we weren’t even ranked fifth in the country. Everyone is taking it differently. The coaches and everybody are taking things a little bit more seriously.

The Wake: You took fourth at the NCAA championships last year. Has that affected you personally at all?

Reiter: Yeah, it did because, as a freshman I finished fourth, so I took it as that I didn’t improve any. It’s almost like a slap in the face to me because I didn’t do what I needed to do, so I’m taking that next step this year to getting on top of the podium.

The Wake: What about your rivals, Oklahoma State? Have you got anything to say about that?

Reiter: It’s exciting to wrestle them. We met a couple of times last year in the national championships, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we met a few times this year. I like those sorts of duels; they are great for us to have. I think it’s going to be a similar situation with Iowa this year. It’s great for us, and I think it’s great for them too.

The Wake: Your season starts on Nov. 11 with The Bison Open. How have you been preparing for that?

Reiter: We spend a lot of time with independent coaches; one coach will work with two or three guys just trying to start out right to start winning early. But we’re not trying to peak at The Bison Open. We want to use it as a warm up. A lot of guys’ bodies aren’t going to be where they want them to be. It’s a step in a long process.

The wrestling team opens their season Nov. 11 but won’t have their first home meet until Dec. 6 when they take on Oklahoma State, currently ranked number two in the nation, at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets for Gopher Wrestling are available through .