Jan. 4, 2005
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THIS WEEK
Iowa (2-1) will host Virginia Tech (8-2) Friday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will then head west to face two California opponents Sunday. Iowa will wrestle at Fresno State (0-2) at 2 p.m. (CT) in the North Gymnasium in Fresno, CA, and at Cal-Davis (2-1) at 9 p.m. (CT) in The Pavilion at Davis, CA.
ON THE AIR
Radio – Morrie Adams and four-time Hawkeye 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. Broadcasts using Real One Player softward are available using the College Sports Pass, which can be purchased for $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year.
HEAD COACH Jim Zalesky
Jim Zalesky is in his eighth season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 108-23 (.824). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2000, he has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA (1998-00) and three Big Ten titles (1998, 2000, 2004). Zalesky has coached 10 NCAA Champions, 20 Big Ten Champions and 36 all-Americans at Iowa. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in June 2004, the University of Iowa Letterman’s Club Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994.
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.
IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 776-198-30 (.788) in 93 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 14, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 47 NCAA Champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 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 254 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 28 two-time honorees.
THE OPPONENTS
Virginia Tech — Iowa leads the series with Virginia Tech, 1-0, winning a 21-10 dual in Blacksburg, VA, in 1968. The Hokies are 8-2 under first year head coach and former Hawkeye assistant coach and wrestler Tom Brands. They have wins over VMI (36-6), James Madison (46-3), Anderson College (47-3), Appalachian State (27-18), Gardner-Webb (38-9), Cumberland (54-6), Virginia (32-0) and Ohio State (29-12) and losses to Tennessee-Chattanooga (32-13) and Missouri (33-6). Brands is assisted by former Iowa all-Americans Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Lee Fullhart. Virginia Tech returns nine starters and two NCAA qualifiers from the 2003-04 squad. Senior Chris Stith (165) and junior David Hoffman (133) are the returning national qualifiers. The Hokies are also led by senior Reed Carpenter (157), juniors Steve Borja (184) and Mike Faust (Hwt.) and freshman Justin Staylor (125).
Fresno State — Iowa leads the series with Fresno State, 2-0. The Hawkeyes won the first meeting, 32-10, at the 1994 National Duals and the second meeting, 38-7, in Fresno in 2001. The Bulldogs are 1-3, with a win over Portland State (41-12) and losses to Cal State Fullerton (24-15), Oklahoma State (34-6) and Oregon (21-19). Fresno State will host Menlo College and Arizona State Tuesday night. Head Coach Dennis DeLiddo is 304-166-5 in 24 years at Fresno State. The Bulldogs are led by returning NCAA qualifiers Christian Bowerman (125), Marcio Botelho (197) and Clint Walbeck (Hwt.)
Cal Davis — Iowa leads the series with Cal-Davis, 1-0, winning the first meeting 36-3 in Iowa City in 2003. The Aggies are 2-1 with wins over Portland State (44-3) and Oregon (26-22), and a loss to Boise State (22-15). They will host San Francisco State Saturday night. Head Coach Lenny Zalesky, who was a three-time all-American and Big Ten Champion at Iowa from 1979-82, is the brother of Hawkeye head coach Jim Zalesky. He is 24-25 in his fourth season with the Aggies. Cal Davis is led by returning NCAA qualifiers Derek Moore (133) and Brandon Bear (184).
HAVEN’T WE MET?
Following are the career results of potential matchups:
Iowa vs. Fresno State
157 Joe Johnston (I) is 0-1 vs. Jim Medeiros (FSU)
Medeiros dec. Johnston, 5-3, at 2003 NCAA Championships, first round
LAST MEET
Iowa crowned three individual champions en route to a runner-up finish at the 2004 Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL. The Hawkeyes scored 119.0 points at the 42nd annual tournament. Illinois scored 130.5 points to win its second straight team title.
Winning titles for the Hawkeyes were top-seeds Ty Eustice (149) and Paul Bradley (184), and third-seed Mark Perry (165). Eustice defeated third-seed James Woodall of Penn State, 6-5, in the finals. The Hawkeye junior is now 12-1 on the season. Perry, a redshirt freshman, scored a 6-4 decision over fourth-seed Travis Paulson of Iowa State in the finals, improving to 10-1. Bradley recorded his 45th career victory with a 4-2 decision over third-seed Kurt Backes of Iowa State in the finals. Bradley remains undefeated (8-0) in collegiate competition.
In the consolation bracket, Hawkeye junior Lucas Magnani (125) placed fourth, freshman Alex Tsirtsis (141) placed sixth, freshman Matt Fields (Hwt.) placed seventh and junior Joe Johnston (157) placed eighth. Magnani lost a 13-5 major decision to second-seed Efren Ceballos of Cal State Bakersfield in the third-place match. Tsirtsis, who was the sixth-seed, lost a 6-4 decision to third-seed and unattached competitor Max Meltzer in the fifth-place match. Fields defeated Paul Weibel of Lehigh, 13-6, in the seventh-place match, while Johnston lost a 12-1 major decision to Jeremiah Jarvis of the Schultz Wrestling Club to finish eighth.
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home for Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes have a record of 142-11 (.928) 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 2002-03. 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.
HAWK TALK WITH Jim Zalesky
KXIC Radio (AM-800) will air nine Hawk Talk with Jim Zalesky radio shows this season. The show will be live from LaCasa Mexican Restaurant in Iowa City from 6-7 p.m. Here are the show dates:
January 4, 18, 25; February 1, 15; March 1, 15
IOWA TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for each of Iowa’s remaining six home duals and the 2005 Big Ten Championships are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. Single-match tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for youth if purchased in advance and $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased at the door. All-session tickets for the Big Ten Championships are $35 for adults and $20 for youth.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Jim Zalesky, Troy Steiner, Tim Hartung, Cliff Moore and Mike Zadick earned a total of seven NCAA titles, 12 Big Ten titles and 17 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 619-88-1 (.875), including four undefeated seasons.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 75th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 17-19 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, MO. This will be the first time in tournament history that the meet will be held in the same venue back-to-back years. All-session tickets are $100 and are available at 877/722-1604 or www.stlsports.org/wrestling.