News - Page 2 of 4

Pat Smith's Croatia Recap

By Markos Tsegaye Published 3/21/2023 Patrick Smith, wrestler for the Minnesota Storm, was in Croatia in February to compete in the Zagreb Open Ranking Tournament. Smith says the experience in Croatia was a good test to see where he was at in terms of his preparation for the World Championships this September in Serbia. He came into the Zagreb Open at 159 pounds or 72 kilograms. “It’s always one of the better tournaments in the world,” Smith said. “I had three really good matches and saw a lot of different looks.” Smith won his opening match against Krisztofer Klanyi (Hungary) before losing his next two matches to Saijad Ali (Iran) and Jamol Jumabaev (Uzbekistan). After competing, Smith participated in […]

How Did the Storm Athletes do at Fargo?

The 2018 US Marine Corps Junior and Cadet National tournament kicked off over the weekend, representing for most high school aged athletes the culmination of the 2018 season. The event draws close to 5,000 unique entrants from across the country all in search of bringing home a coveted “stop sign;” a representation that the individual has earned a place on the podium and became an age group All-American. This age group tournament also serves as a stepping stone for future Olympic hopefuls, most members of the Minnesota Storm Senior Roster competed in the tournament at some point in their career. For some the tournament was their first opportunity to test their skills on the national stage, for some it’s where […]

Bill Farrell Memorial Open Preview

The historic Bill Farrell Memorial Open has been a marquee international tournament in the United States for over 50 years. Located in downtown Manhattan, the New York Athletic Club is usually reserved for New York’s high class elite. However every year, singlets are added to the sport coat minimum dress code, opening its door to showcase some of the best wrestling in the United States and the world. On March 30th, six of Minnesota Storm’s top Greco prospects will step to the mats of the sixth floor gym overlooking the south side of Central Park. Not only will this tournament provide a good measuring stick for these athletes heading into the U.S. Open at the end of April, it also […]

Storm Goes Global for Winter Tour Schedule

When it comes to the senior international wrestling circuit, there really isn’t an off-season. Tournaments and training camps sanctioned by United World Wrestling can be found scattered across the globe at any given time. However, during the winter months is when the schedule really ramps up. Most countries are getting ready to peak for their own National Championships and gain an edge going into their own World Team selection processes. For the athletes in the U.S. it’s no different. With limited competitions stateside for the Olympic styles, the majority of the world’s top-level athletes will venture internationally to see how they measure up against the world’s best. Our Minnesota Storm Athletes have filled their calendars for the month of February […]

Jayson Ness Headlines Gopher Dual with Freestyle Exhibition

This Sunday the University of Minnesota will honor current and past Minnesota Storm Wrestling Club members in their dual against Fresno State. The dual, starting at 1 pm at the Maturi Sports Pavilion, will have a number of Storm legends in attendance. Including past Olympic and World medalists, along with current Storm wrestlers that are part of the USA National and World Teams. The highlight of the event will feature an exhibition match between current Storm Freestyle Athlete Jayson Ness and Fresno State Regional Training Center Athlete Anthony Abidin. This will be a treat for Minnesota fans to see the former NCAA Champion and the most recent Gopher Hodge Trophy winner come out of the tunnel one more time. The […]

Minnesota Storm U23 World Championship Preview

Minnesota wrestlers are well represented at yet another World Championships. This time, it will be at the inaugural U23 World Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland from November 21-26. United World Wrestling recently added the 23 and under age category, in addition to their cadet, and junior developmental divisions. Three decorated Minnesota Storm wrestlers qualified for the Championships at the World Team Trials in Rochester, MN in October for the opportunity to wear the red, white and blue this week on one of the world’s biggest wrestling stages. The first to compete will be 85 kg, Greco Roman wrestler, Barrett Stanghill. The Montana native, who has been knocking at the door at multiple levels, will be competing in his first World […]

Stanghill picks up win in dual vs. Belarus

Minnesota Storm rising Greco Roman star Barrett Stanghill flew to Belarus with a number of Team USA athletes last week to prepare for the upcoming U23 World Championships on November 21st in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The 23 year old Montana native, was one of seven U.S. wrestlers to compete in a goodwill dual against a strong Belarusian team. Stanghill defeated Belarussian National Team member, Andrey Mikailovsky in a hard fought 2-1 match, to capture one of the three wins for U.S. team. After showing promise at 80 kg last year, placing 3rd and 4th in the U.S. Senior Nationals and Senior World Team Trials respectively, he broke threw to make his first World Team earlier in October, defeating fellow Storm teammate […]

Six-minute mat chat with reigning freestyle national champion, Mitch McKee

MINNEAPOLIS — This time last year Mitch McKee stormed his way through the UWW Freestyle Junior National Championships, racking up four technical falls in the preliminary rounds before pinning Seth Gross, an NCAA Division-I finalist in 2017, in the first period of the finals. It was a dominant performance that showcased McKee’s talents as a freestyle wrestler. This week McKee is heading back to Las Vegas to defend his title as a UWW Junior freestyle national champion. Coming off his freshman season with the Gophers, in which he qualified for the NCAA Division-I National Championships at 133 pounds, McKee is excited to get back on the mat. “I have had some time to rest before this tournament. Sometimes it is […]

Hayden Zillmer ready to compete in the 2017 World Team Trials

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Hayden Zillmer, a native of Crosby, MN, will travel to Las Vegas this week to compete in the U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Trials at 98 kilograms (215 lbs). This will not be Hayden’s first time competing in the U.S. World Team Trials, but this will be his first attempt to make a U.S. World Team after a full season of training Greco as a senior-level athlete. Last year, shortly after finishing his collegiate career at North Dakota State University, where he was an NCAA Division-I all American, Hayden transitioned into Greco and finished third at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 85 kilograms (187 lbs). This season, Hayden enters the Trials a more experienced Greco wrestler who […]

Sanders makes strides as a coach while still pursuing his own dreams

Zach Sanders, a four-time NCAA all American for the Gophers, and former graduate assistant, stepped into a new role last fall when he became volunteer assistant coach for the Gopher wrestling program. This season the Gophers surpassed a lot of expectations, qualifying nine for the NCAAs and advancing two athletes to the finals. In addition to coaching for the Gophers, Sanders is training full-time as a member of the Minnesota Storm. He plans to compete next in the U.S. Open National Championships in Las Vegas, NV, April 27-29. We caught up with Sanders to ask how it’s been for him to pursue his own goals on the mat while coaching for the Gophers. We also asked him about Ethan Lizak, […]