Jan. 26, 2004
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THIS WEEK
Iowa (7-3, 2-1 in the Big Ten) will host Penn State (8-3, 1-1) Friday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will also host Michigan State (1-6, 0-2) on Superbowl Sunday at 1 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Live updates of both meets will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com.
NWCA ALL-STAR DUAL
Hawkeye senior 125-pounder Luke Eustice is scheduled to face Michigan’s Mark Moos at the 38th annual NWCA all-star dual Monday (February 2) at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, IA. Match time is 8 p.m., and tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. Eustice is ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News, Intermat and W.I.N. He is 16-1 overall, 8-0 in dual competition. His lone loss, a 7-5 decision in sudden victory to top-ranked Tom Noto of Hofstra, came in the 2003 Midlands finals. Eustice and Moos met for the first time last weekend in Ann Arbor, with Eustice scoring a 13-3 major decision.
ON THE AIR
Radio – Morrie Adams and four-time Iowa all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800 KXIC. To listen to the broadcast online, go to the wrestling schedule page on www.hawkeyesports.com. Click on the match you want to hear using Real One Player software. Broadcasts are available using the College Sports Pass, which can be purchased for $6.95 per month or $44.95 per year, or the College Sports Superpass for $13.95 per month.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is 8-3, 1-1 in the Big Ten, with wins over Navy (41-3), Lehigh (19-15), Pittsburgh (28-15), West Virginia (24-13), Northern Iowa (31-9), Pennsylvania (25-15), Oklahoma (20-14) and Ohio State (20-14), and losses to Missouri (23-16), Michigan (21-17) and Illinois (26-13). Head Coach Troy Sunderland is 50-52 in six years as a collegiate head coach, all at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are led by returning all-Americans Josh Moore (133) and Pat Cummins (Hwt.).
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
Michigan State is 1-6, 0-2, with a win over Kent State (22-15) and losses to Oklahoma State (29-12), Missouri (29-3), Central Michigan (20-15 and 19-15), Minnesota (22-16) and Illinois (22-10). The Spartans will face Michigan Friday night in Ann Arbor. Head Coach Tom Minkel is 108-106-2 in 13 seasons at Michigan State and 123-124-2 in 15 years as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES & LAST MEETING
Penn State – Iowa leads the series, 19-4-2, and hold a 9-2 advantage in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won the last six duals, between the two teams, including a 26-10 win in State College last season.
Michigan State – Iowa leads the series, 29-14-2, and holds a 15-6-1 advantage in Iowa City. The Spartans won the last meeting, a 20-20 decision based on criteria, in East Lansing, last season.
HAVEN’T WE MET?
Penn State – At 149 pounds, Hawkeye sophomore Ty Eustice is 0-1 vs. Penn State’s Matthew Storniolo, losing a 5-1 decision at the 2003 Midlands Championships. At 157, Iowa sophomore Joe Johnston is 1-0 vs. Penn State’s James Woodall, winning a 10-6 decision at the 2002 Midlands. At 184, Hawkeye sophomore Paul Bradley is 0-1 vs. Nittany Lion Eric Bradley, losing a 7-4 decision at the 2003 Midlands.
Michigan State – At 141 pounds, Hawkeye senior Cliff Moore is 1-0 vs. Michigan State’s Andy Simmons, winning a 6-2 decision at the 2003 Midlands Championships. At 184, Iowa sophomore Paul Bradley is 1-0 vs. Spartan Nate Mesyn, winning a 4-2 decision at the 2003 Midlands.
HEAD COACH Jim Zalesky
Jim Zalesky is in his seventh season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 102-21 (.829). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000, he has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA (1998-00) and two Big Ten titles (1998, 2000). Zalesky has coached nine NCAA Champions, 19 Big Ten Champions and 32 all-Americans at Iowa. A three-time national champion and one of Iowa’s 15 four-time all-Americans, Zalesky was an assistant coach and head recruiter at Iowa under Dan Gable for seven seasons (1991-97). He was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the N.W.C.A. in 1992 and 1997. Undefeated as a junior and senior, Zalesky ended his career on an 89-match winning streak.
LAST WEEKEND
Iowa split meets on the road, winning a 23-9 decision over Purdue in West Lafayette, IN, and losing a 20-16 decision to Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. The victory marked Iowa’s 770th win in school history.
Hawkeye senior 125-pounder Luke Eustice scored Iowa’s only team bonus point wins of the weekend, scoring a 13-3 major decision over Michigan redshirt freshman Mark Moos to collect his 75th career win, and a 20-4 technical fall over Purdue’s Sean Schmaltz. Iowa seniors Cliff Moore (141), Tyler Nixt (174) and Ryan Fulsaas (197), and sophomore Paul Bradley (184) also went 2-0 on the weekend. At Purdue, Moore picked up his 95th career win, while Fulsaas grabbed his 50th. In a rematch of the 2003 Big Ten Championship finals, Nixt won a 7-5 tiebreak decision over Boilermaker Ryan Lange.
IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 770-196-30 (.788) in 92 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 13, and 30 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 46 NCAA Champions have won a total of 71 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 98 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 179 conference individual titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 124 all-Americans have earned all-America status 250 times, including 16 four-time, 26 three-time and 30 two-time honorees.
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home for Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes have a record of 137-10 (.932) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2003. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, which was set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. The Hawkeyes are scheduled to host the 2005 Big Ten Championships in Carver-Hawkeye.
BRANDS NAMED TO OLYMPIC STAFF
University of Iowa Assistant Coach Tom Brands has been selected by USA Wrestling as one of the coaches for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team that will participate in Athens, Greece. Brands joins USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson and Zeke Jones on the staff. The selection has been forwarded, for final approval, to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Brands served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed second in the World Championships. He was also the Assistant Coach of the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which did not compete in the World Championships in Iran due to a threat of violence. All three Olympic Coaches were teammates on the only U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Teams to win the World Team title (1993 in Toronto, Canada and 1995 in Atlanta, GA).