Wrestling

The Big Ten Conference issued a public reprimand Tuesday of Gophers head wrestling coach J Robinson for “violating the Big Ten Sportslike Conduct Agreement following Minnesota’s dual match against Penn State on Feb. 13.”

Assistant commissioner Scott Chipman issued a release that said some of Robinson’s post-match comments were in violation of the Agreement, presumably those from a Q&A with Robinson posted by the Daily Collegian — Penn State’s student newspaper — following an 18-18 tie in which Robinson said:

The Big Ten dual season championship was there for Minnesota to take Sunday, but a come-from-behind effort was quashed on a day that must have been bittersweet for J Robinson, who was honored before the meet for 25 years at the helm of the program.

“It’s great, you don’t think about it much, but I guess 25 years is a long time,” Robinson joked after his team’s 19-12 loss at the hands of Iowa.

“We had a chance to win it, we just didn’t do what we needed to do.”

In his quarter century with Gophers wrestling, J Robinson has vaulted the program to new heights. The team will return the favor Sunday, putting Robinson on a pedestal rather than the other way around.

When the No. 3 Hawkeyes come to Williams Arena on Sunday, Robinson will be honored for his 25 years at the helm of Minnesota wrestling.

There figures to be plenty at stake for Robinson and his Gophers this weekend. For starters, Iowa is carrying a 76-dual unbeaten streak, matching the longest since Oklahoma State’s 14-year streak that ended in 1951.

Filling one of the biggest holes in the Gophers’ lineup, Sonny Yohn came back Sunday from a knee injury and a 10-week hiatus with the dual on the line.

Yohn entered with No. 5 Minnesota trailing No. 3 Penn State by a point, much to the delight of the 4,020 fans gathered at the Sports Pavilion. They roared as the All-American, who has been out since the Southern Scuffle, burst from the locker room.

After dominating Ohio State last weekend, the Gophers wrestling team has a difficult weekend ahead.

Minnesota (14-3 overall, 6-0 Big Ten) first heads to Ann Arbor to take on No. 10 Michigan, a good team, but not the biggest obstacle of the weekend.

The biggest challenge will come Sunday at the Sports Pavilion when No. 3 Penn State comes to town. Penn State, which was recently ranked No. 1, features ranked wrestlers at eight out of 10 weight classes and will likely contend for a national title.

Not many high school coaches have had the displeasure of a Secret Service visit interrupting a wrestling practice.

But then again, not many high school wrestling coaches have said publicly that they would like to “knock some sense into that idiot” about President Barack Obama.

Former Gophers All-American Jacob Volkmann, an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor, coaches the White Bear Lake Area High School wrestling team two days a week. After winning his most recent fight with Antonio McKee on Jan. 1 at UFC 125, Volkmann was asked who he’d like to fight next.

Not many high school coaches have had the displeasure of a Secret Service visit interrupting a wrestling practice.

But then again, not many high school wrestling coaches have said publicly that they would like to “knock some sense into that idiot” about President Barack Obama.

Former Gophers All-American Jacob Volkmann, an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor, coaches the White Bear Lake Area High School wrestling team two days a week. After winning his most recent fight with Antonio McKee on Jan. 1 at UFC 125, Volkmann was asked who he’d like to fight next.