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Saturday, March 23
 
School's first back-to-back titles since 1941

Associated Press

ALBANY, NY -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling team left the East Coast on Saturday with a team title and two individual national titles.

It's the school's first consecutive national titles since the Minnesota football team won back-to-back championships in 1940 and 1941.

Gophers wrestlers Jared Lawrence (149 pounds) and Luke Becker (157 pounds) also made school history with their individual titles, making it the first time that Minnesota won more than one individual title in a single NCAA championship.

Minnesota finished the meet with 126.5 points. Iowa State, Oklahoma, Iowa and Oklahoma State followed.

Cael Sanderson propelled Iowa State to a second-place finish. Sanderson completed his record-setting college career, winning his 159th match without a loss and claiming his fourth straight NCAA title.

"The toughest thing about going undefeated," Sanderson said, "is winning all your matches."

The Cyclones finished with 104 points.

Like Sanderson, No. 1-seeded Gophers 133-pounder Ryan Lewis is from Utah. He also was trying to cap an undefeated season, but lost in the finals 5-4 to No. 2 Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State to finish 32-1.

Aside from the pain of losing, Lewis was upset by an injury timeout Thompson received late in the match while Lewis was gaining momentum.

"Thompson took a timeout when he wasn't hurt," said Gopher coach J Robinson. "I don't look at Thompson as the national champion. The referees wouldn't call him on it, and it allowed a guy who doesn't have the heart to be the winner."

Oklahoma State's Pat Smith, who had five losses in his career, is the only other four-time NCAA champion.

Minnesota's Lawrence beat Jared Frayer of Oklahoma 3-1 at 149 pounds. Oklahoma State's Johnny Thompson edged Minnesota's top-seeded Ryan Lewis 5-4 at 133 pounds.




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