This winter’s flu season has been a doozy, as health officials and Gophers wrestler Isaiah Salazar can attest. Minutes before Salazar’s name was announced to start the Gophers’ Big Ten dual meet with Ohio State last Friday, he was vomiting in a bathroom at Covelli Center in Columbus.

But the seventh-ranked Gophers needed its reigning Big Ten champion at 197 pounds if they were going to upset the fourth-ranked Buckeyes.

“He was able to hold it all in, and after the match was over, he’s throwing up again,” coach Brandon Eggum told the Pioneer Press this week. “It’s just wild to think the toughness that that took and discipline.”

If that’s not enough, Salazar had to dig deep to win in overtime, scoring a takedown with two seconds remaining in the extra session.

The Gophers’ 20-17 win over the Buckeyes last Friday was Minnesota’s first victory over a team ranked in the top five since they beat Oklahoma State in December 2022. The sixth-ranked U now has a chance to make it two in a row when No. 3 Iowa comes to Maturi Pavilion on Friday night.

Public heath leaders might have squawked at an ill Salazar wrestling in the first place, but the Colorado native sat out the U’s win over Purdue on Sunday.

On top of Salazar, who is 15-3 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten duals, here are four other reasons the U has climbed back into the top tier of programs nationwide this season. Minnesota slipped to 15th in the NCAA tournament in 2023 and went even lower, to 22nd, last year.

Gable Steveson, duh

The return of Olympic gold medalist in 2020 and two-time NCAA and three-time Big Ten champion will catapult any program’s standing. The Apple Valley native is 10-0, including 7-0 in Big Ten duals, to run his consecutive win streak to 62.

“When you can end a dual with a guy like Gable, that is not only going to go out and get a W, but he’s going to probably do it with bonus (points),” Eggum said. “He’s such a nice anchor to have in that lineup; he just builds confidence around the guys to have him there.”

The Robin role

If Steveson is Batman, Max McEnelly is becoming Robin.

The 184-pounder from Waconia is 17-0 this season, 7-0 Big Ten. The redshirt freshman has 11 technical falls and four major decisions. He has built on a 15-0 record during his true freshman year.

With McEnelly coming into the lineup full-time, the U moved fifth-year veteran Salazar up from 184 to 197. Now, the U has an impressive trio in three straight weights: McEnelly is ranked fourth in the nation, Salazar comes in at eighth and Steveson at No. 1.

Momentum

Vance VomBaur was seeded 26th at 141 pounds going into last year’s NCAA tournament and became an All-American with an eighth-place finish. That vaulted his confidence, and he’s now ranked eighth in the country with a record of 19-3, 5-2.

“It adds that confidence when you become an All-American for the first time, but he’s a kid that works extremely hard,” Eggum said. “He loves wrestling. He is on the mat all the time. Every night I come into the office, and if I’m hanging around, it’s not uncommon to see him down there (in the practice facility) with another guy, playing in positions and working in new areas.”

VomBauer pushed Ohio State’s top-ranked 141-pounder Jesse Mendez last weekend before falling to a Mendez escape in overtime.

“He was all over Mendez and, I think, it shows that he is right there with the best of them,” Eggum said. “I know no one wants to wrestle Vance. He wrestles at such a high pace. He’s a funky dude out there. He is hard to finish on. He’s physical. His conditioning is great.”

Trio of transfers

The Gophers had success in the NCAA transfer portal, bringing in 125-pounder Cooper Flynn from Virginia Tech, 157-pounder Tommy Askey from Appalachian State, and 174-pounder Clayton Whiting from Missouri.

“We lost some guys in those weight classes, so to pick up a couple guys at those spots was really helpful,” Eggum said. “They’ve done a really good job transitioning, not just on the mat, but just as far as fitting in with the team and the way that they work and lead. … It feels like we’ve had them around for years because they’re just great guys.”

The Gophers should be favored in four weight classes against Iowa — Steveson, McEnelly, VomBauer and Flynn. But to beat its arch rival, the U will likely need those four wins and victories from a few others.

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