Ethan Lizak came back from suspension last weekend at the Southern Scuffle, and wrestled incredibly well winning the 125 lb. title. Lizak was so dominant, with his length, and his tremendous ability on top, that he just crushed the field!!!
Ethan has jumped all the way up to 6th in this week's Intermat rankings, and he probably should be ranked 4th right now...behind Seniors Thomas Gilman (IA) and Joey Dance (VA Tech), and Freshman sensation Nick Suriano (PSU). Lizak will face unbeaten Suriano (who was 159-0 in HS) in the Gopher - PSU dual on Friday night at the Sports Pavilion.
Honestly, I thought Gilman would be the obvious Natty Champ at this weight this year, but Lizak has a real shot to not only be a high AA, but also to be a Champ!!!
We have a lot of good wrestlers, but Lizak himself is worth the price of admission. He's that good!!!
Here's an article on Lizak from Gophersports.com:
Ethan Lizak Named Co-B1G Wrestler of the Week
Lizak's bonus-point heavy march to the 125-pound title at the Southern Scuffle earned him this week's conference distinction
Gophersports.com
Jan. 3, 2017
The Big Ten conference announced today that Ethan Lizak earned co-Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors for his bonus-point heavy march to the 125-pound title at last weekend's Southern Scuffle. Lizak joins teammate Brett Pfarr as a Big Ten weekly honoree this season. Pfarr earned the award on Nov. 29. Lizak will share this week's honor with Iowa 125-pounded Thomas Gilman.
Lizak, the Scuffle's seventh seed at 125 pounds, won all five of his matches with bonus points - four major decisions and a tech fall. In his last three contests, Lizak defeated ranked opponents: No. 6 Darian Cruz (Lehigh), No. 12 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) and No. 11 Jack Mueller (Virginia), all by major decision. In total, Lizak rolled through his competition by a cumulative score of 61-9, or an average of 12-2. Lizak was the first Gopher to win a Southern Scuffle title since 2014. He also helped the Gophers to a fourth-place finish with 118 team points, the program's best showing in the event since 2014.
Lizak's return to the lineup on Sunday for the opening day of the Scuffle was his first action wrestling attached for Minnesota since the 2015 NCAA Championships at the end of his true freshman season. In the interim, Lizak had built up a collection of wins and titles dominating competition on the open tournament circuit. His return for the Scuffle was a step up in competition, but that did little to change Lizak's results.
Lizak and the Gophers return to action this Friday, when Minnesota hosts No. 2 Penn State at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets for the dual are still available by visiting MyGopherSports.com
Ethan has jumped all the way up to 6th in this week's Intermat rankings, and he probably should be ranked 4th right now...behind Seniors Thomas Gilman (IA) and Joey Dance (VA Tech), and Freshman sensation Nick Suriano (PSU). Lizak will face unbeaten Suriano (who was 159-0 in HS) in the Gopher - PSU dual on Friday night at the Sports Pavilion.
Honestly, I thought Gilman would be the obvious Natty Champ at this weight this year, but Lizak has a real shot to not only be a high AA, but also to be a Champ!!!
We have a lot of good wrestlers, but Lizak himself is worth the price of admission. He's that good!!!
Here's an article on Lizak from Gophersports.com:
Ethan Lizak Named Co-B1G Wrestler of the Week
Lizak's bonus-point heavy march to the 125-pound title at the Southern Scuffle earned him this week's conference distinction
Gophersports.com
Jan. 3, 2017
The Big Ten conference announced today that Ethan Lizak earned co-Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors for his bonus-point heavy march to the 125-pound title at last weekend's Southern Scuffle. Lizak joins teammate Brett Pfarr as a Big Ten weekly honoree this season. Pfarr earned the award on Nov. 29. Lizak will share this week's honor with Iowa 125-pounded Thomas Gilman.
Lizak, the Scuffle's seventh seed at 125 pounds, won all five of his matches with bonus points - four major decisions and a tech fall. In his last three contests, Lizak defeated ranked opponents: No. 6 Darian Cruz (Lehigh), No. 12 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) and No. 11 Jack Mueller (Virginia), all by major decision. In total, Lizak rolled through his competition by a cumulative score of 61-9, or an average of 12-2. Lizak was the first Gopher to win a Southern Scuffle title since 2014. He also helped the Gophers to a fourth-place finish with 118 team points, the program's best showing in the event since 2014.
Lizak's return to the lineup on Sunday for the opening day of the Scuffle was his first action wrestling attached for Minnesota since the 2015 NCAA Championships at the end of his true freshman season. In the interim, Lizak had built up a collection of wins and titles dominating competition on the open tournament circuit. His return for the Scuffle was a step up in competition, but that did little to change Lizak's results.
Lizak and the Gophers return to action this Friday, when Minnesota hosts No. 2 Penn State at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets for the dual are still available by visiting MyGopherSports.com
