All-Female Invicta FC Debut Features Minnesotan Kaitlin Young

Saturday will be a historical day in women's mixed martial arts history when upstart promotion Invicta Fighting Championships plays host to their first all-female fightcard. The Kansas City event, which will stream live on the Invicta FC website, will feature 11 professional bouts. The feature fight is a rematch of former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion Marloes Coenen (19-5) vs Romy Ruyssen (5-1). The two faced off first in August 2008, which Coenen won by R2 submission (rear naked choke). This time the fight will be contested at featherweight.

One of the top Minnesota fighters will be fighting on the card. Veteran bantamweight Kaitlin Young (6-5), who holds a 30-second KO victory over ex-Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate, facing 29-year old Leslie Smith (3-2). Young has fought some of the top female fighters in the world, including the first female fight on broadcast television, a 2nd-round TKO (doctor stoppage) loss to Gina Carano on CBS.

Shana Nelson was scheduled to compete on the card, but a training injury forced her to withdraw. On April 14, Nelson injured her neck and back during a sparring session.

For more news and the complete fightcard, go to: http://www.mmarising.com/news/2012/04/18/late-change-made-to-invicta-fighting-championships-1-bout/

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Gophers Come Up Short, Nelson Crowned Champion

Despite having one more wrestler competing in the quarterfinals, Minnesota came up 25 points short of winning a team NCAA National Championship. Big Ten Conference foe Penn State had five wrestlers reach the finals and that was enough to wrap up their second-straight team championship.

Final Team Scores:
1. Penn State  143
2. Minnesota  117.5
3. Iowa  107.5
4. Cornell  102.5
5. Ohio State  68.5

This was the fifth runner-up finish for Minnesota, who won the NCAA Championship in 2007, 2002, and 2001.

Tony Nelson

The highlight of the tournament for the Gophers came in the final match as sophomore Tony Nelson became the fifth heavyweight in Minnesota history to capture the NCAA title. Nelson defeated Zach Rey of Lehigh 4-1 in the final.

The individual title is the first for a Minnesota heavyweight since Cole Konrad (2007 and 2006). Other Gopher heavyweight champions include Brock Lesnar (2000), Verne Gagne (1949) and Leonard "Butch" Levy (1941).

Minnesota Gophers Individual Results:
125: Zach Saunders, 6-1; 3rd Place
133: Chris Dardanes, 5-2; 4th Place
141: Nick Dardanes, 2-2
149: Dylan Ness, 4-1; 2nd Place
157: none
165: Cody Yohn, 0-2
174: Logan Storley, 3-3; 6th Place
184: Kevin Steinhauss, 5-2; 5th Place
197: Sonny Yohn, 5-2; 5th Place
HWT: Tony Nelson, 5-0; NCAA Champion

Gophers Head Coach J Robinson was also honored at the tournament by being named NWCA National Coach of the Year.

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