Joles finishes fifth in Big Ten tourney, qualifies for NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships
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Boyceville graduate and wrestling standout Garrett Joles has qualified for his second straight NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships.
The sixth-year senior at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities most recently finished 4-2 to place fifth at 197 pounds during the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships held March 9-10 at the XFinity Center in College Park, Maryland. The finish earned him a return trip to the national tournament. In last year’s conference championships, Joles finished tenth at heavyweight to earn his first NCAA national championship appearance.
At this year’s Big Ten tournament in Maryland, Joles scored a pin and a pair of major decision shutouts among his four victories. In the opening round, Joles, seeded fifth, blanked Illinois’ Isiah Pettigrew (#12) 11-0. Joles lost a 5-4 heartbreaking decision to Silas Allred of Nebraska in the quarterfinals, but bounced back with a 3:57 pin fall in a consolation round match versus Michigan State’s Kael Wisler (#11). The Boyceville native then shutout Evan Bates (#8) of Northwestern 8-0 in the next round. Against second seed and hometown favorite, Jaxon Smith of Maryland, Joles lost 11-2 putting him in the fifth-place match versus Ohio State’s Luke Geog. Joles won that final bout via a medical forfeit.
Joles, now 22-8 on the season, will compete in this week’s NCAA Division 1 national wrestling championships which are being held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Kansas this Thursday through Saturday, March 21-23. He will face a familiar opponent, Maryland’s Jaxon Smith, in the opening round of the 31-man bracket at 197 pounds.
Some of Joles highlights this season include:
•A career-best fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships
•A 18-3 technical fall against Wisconsin’s Josh Otto on February 16, 2024
•Another 18-3 technical fall this one against Purdue’s Ben Vanadia on February 11, 2024
•A pin of Illinois’ Isiah Pettigrew in a February 9, 2024 dual
•A 20-4 technical fall win over Maryland’s Kevin Makosy on February 2, 2024
•A 4-1 overtime upset of ninth-ranked John Poznanski in a dual at Rutgers on January 27, 2024
•A fourth-place finish at the Soldiers Salute
•A pin of North Dakota State’s Spencer Mooberry on December 10, 2023
•A runner-up finish at the Cougar Clash
•A 3-0 East Coast road trip against Bucknell, Morgan State and George Mason with a pair of tech falls
•Won the 197-pound title at the Bison Open
Joles holds a 61-49 overall record in his six seasons wrestling for the Golden Gophers including a 13-16 mark in Big Ten matches which reflects a 6-2 record this season. He has five pins, five tech falls and five major decisions among his 22 victories this year.