The Minnesota Gophers advanced three wrestlers into the NCAA Quarterfinals after day one of the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa on Thursday. The Gophers were tied for fourth place as a team after the first two rounds of competition with the quarterfinals, semifinals and matching consolation rounds occurring on Friday.
Minnesota was led by Big Ten runner-up Aaron Nagao at 133 pounds. The Gopher freshman earned an 8-0 major decision over Bucknell’s Kurtis Phipps before pinning Pittsburgh’s Micky Phillippi in the first period of his second round match. Nagao now faces a Big Ten finals rematch against Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young in Friday morning’s quarterfinals.