Minnesota wrestlers grappling with success

Shelton Benjamin knows a thing or two about keeping his confidence.

Benjamin, Minnesota's senior heavyweight, remembers exactly where he was on a certain Sunday afternoon in mid-January -- namely, in the finals of the 1998 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals at Iowa's thunderous Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

With his Golden Gophers trailing the host Hawkeyes 17-12 heading into the final match of the day -- his match -- Benjamin needed a pin of Iowa's Wes Hand for Minnesota to pull off a miracle win.

Not a problem.

Benjamin calmly stepped onto the mat before 7,807 manic Iowa fans, waited until the first period was all of two minutes and 16 seconds old and threw Hand onto his back for a stunning six-point win. Minnesota 18, Iowa 17 -- and soon thereafter, an empty Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"After doing that," the No. 7-ranked Benjamin said, "I don't feel any pressure no matter where I wrestle."

Penn State included.

Benjamin and the rest of the No. 3 Gophers (14-1, 2-1 Big Ten) take to the mat against the No. 4 Nittany Lions (12-3, 5-1) at The Bryce Jordan Center this Friday, armed with both the confident attitude exemplified by Benjamin and the most potent dual-meet lineup in the country.

Minnesota, though only ranked third, has a top-10 wrestler at every weight class except one. From 126 pounds to heavyweight, every Gopher is among the best in the country.

And that spells trouble for Penn State coach John Fritz.

"Minnesota, geez, the worst record on the team is something like 15-6," Fritz said. "I think they're by far the best dual-meet team in the country right now. For us to beat them I think all 10 of our guys are going to have to wrestle better than they have all season."

The Gophers are led by top-ranked 150-pounder Chad Kraft, a junior. Minnesota also boasts junior No. 2 Tim Hartung at 190, senior No. 3 Jason Davids at 142 and junior No. 5 Troy Marr at 134. Five other Gophers -- including Benjamin -- are ranked in the top 10 of their weight classes.

Only 118-pound freshman Brett Lawrence is unranked. Lawrence dropped from the polls this week.

"I've been at Minnesota for five years and this is the best team I've seen," Davids said. "My freshman year we were ranked No. 1, but we're even better now. We're closer. It's continually getting better and better.

Benjamin agreed.

"Yeah, I think we're the best team in the country, without question," Benjamin said. "I think this is the best college team to wrestle in a long time, actually."

Minnesota skipper J Robinson, last year's Big Ten Coach of the Year, said he has heard all the hoopla surrounding his Gophers this season.

Robinson said the acclaim given to Minnesota is entirely based on past performances and could change anytime.

"I would say we're one of the best teams in the country, yes," Robinson said. "I think teams like Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State are all among the best in the country, too. But by saying you're the best, that's only the best on a certain day. Anything can happen to change that."

But not if Benjamin and his teammates have a say in the matter.