All six Gophers who competed in Sunday’s Duhawk Open in Dubuque, Iowa placed in the event, led by championship performances from Ethan Lizak and Fredy Stroker. Rylee Streifel also reached the finals at his weight, finishing as the runner-up.
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Lizak, competing at 133 pounds for the first time this season, had little trouble dealing with bigger wrestlers. After an opening round bye, Lizak mowed through the bracket with three tech falls and a first-period pin in his semifinal match. In total, Lizak allowed just two points in his four matches.
Lizak is first Gophers this year to win tournament titles at multiple weights, adding the 133 Duhawk Open crown to a pair of 125 titles. Steve Polakowski was the only Gopher to accomplish the feat last season. Coincidentally, Polakowski’s titles also came at 125 and 133.
Stroker, who again wrestled at 157 over the weekend after winning the Worthington Open title at that weight two weeks ago. Stroker won five matches on the day, beginning with a fall 40 seconds into his opening bout, followed by a major decision and a tech fall. He did not allow a point in either his final two matches, a pair of decisions that finished off his title run.
Streifel, wrestling at heavyweight as usual, reached a tournament final for the third time this season. A pair of second-period pins pushed him through the quarters and semis, but a 3-2 loss in the finals denied him a second straight tournament title.
Will Balow placed fourth at 184 pounds after wrestling a team-high eight matches. A loss in sudden victory overtime in the second round of the tournament stretched out Balow’s path to placing, forcing him to win five consecutive contests in wrestlebacks to reach the third-place match. During that stretch, Balow posted a pair of major decisions and a 55-second fall. Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin), the same wrestler who sent Balow to the backside of the bracket, also defeated him for third.
Two other Gophers, Larry Early III, who wrestled up at 165 pounds, and Bobby Steveson at 184, placed sixth at their respective weights. Both had their days end on a series of medical forfeits. Prior to his injury, Early has gone 3-0 on the afternoon and reached the semifinals of his bracket.
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Duhawk Open Results
Gopher Match-By-Match Results:
133
Ethan Lizak (4-0, 1st Place)
Champ Rnd 1: Bye
Champ Rnd 2: Ethan Lizak tech fall Gilberto Rodriguez (William Penn), 18-2
Quarters: Ethan Lizak tech fall Markus Simmons (Iowa State), 16-0
Semis: Ethan Lizak fall (1:38) Rudy Johnson (Unattached)
Finals: Ethan Lizak tech fall Tepra Wright (Ellsworth), 18-0
157
Fredy Stroker (5-0, 1st Place)
Champ Rnd 1: Fredy Stroker fall (0:40) Dennis Simmons (William Penn)
Champ Rnd 2: Fredy Stroker maj dec Logan McQuillen (Iowa), 12-4
Quarters: Fredy Stroker tech fall Kory Jauch (Wisconsin-Whitewater), 18-3
Semis: Fredy Stroker dec Mason Miller (Grand View ), 4-0
Finals: Fredy Stroker dec Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois), 5-0
165
Larry Early III (3-0, 6th Place)
Champ Rnd 1: Larry Early III tech fall Brandon Dyke (Davenport), 18-3
Champ Rnd 2: Larry Early III dec (TB-1) Burke Paddock (Iowa), 6-3
Quarters: Larry Early III dec Isaiah Patton (Northern Iowa), 7-5
Semis: Jeremiah Moody (Iowa) med. forfeit Larry Early III
Cons Semis: Chase Straw (Iowa State) med. forfeit Larry Early III
5th Place: Sadarriss Patterson (Ellsworth) med. forfeit Larry Early III
184
Will Balow (6-2, 4th Place)
Champ Rnd 1: Will Balow maj dec Chase Reising (Iowa State WC), 16-4
Champ Rnd 2: Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) dec (SV-1) Will Balow, 3-1
Cons Rnd 2: Will Balow fall (0:55) Nathyn Sierra (William Penn)
Cons Rnd 3: Will Balow maj dec James Garrett (Cornell College), 14-5
Cons Rnd 4: Will Balow dec Michael Aldrich (Northern Illinois), 3-2
Cons Rnd 5: Will Balow maj dec Christian Dischler (Wisconsin-Whitewater), 12-4
Cons Semis: Will Balow med. forfeit Bobby Steveson
3rd Place: Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) dec Will Balow, 10-3
Bobby Steveson (2-1, 6th Place)
Champ Rnd 1: Bye
Champ Rnd 2: Bobby Steveson maj dec Javier Soto (Loras), 17-8
Quarters: Bobby Steveson dec Dillon Francisco (Davenport), 10-4
Semis: Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin) dec Bobby Steveson, 9-5
Cons Semis: Will Balow med. forfeit Bobby Steveson
5th Place: Dillon Francisco med. forfeit Bobby Steveson
285
Rylee Streifel (2-1, 2nd Place)
Champ Rnd 1: Bye
Quarters: Rylee Streifel fall (5:32) Mark Gadson (William Penn)
Semis: Rylee Streifel fall (4:48) Ross Sealby (Northern Illinois)
Finals: Caleb Gossett (Northern Illinois) dec Rylee Streifel, 3-2
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