March 17, 2005
ST. LOUIS, MO – The University of Iowa wrestling team is tied for fifth place with Illinois and Iowa State with 16.0 points after Thursday’s first session at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, MO. Oklahoma State leads the team race with 23.5 points. The Hawkeyes advanced six of their seven qualifiers in the championship bracket. All but one will face a Big Ten foe in the second round.
Hawkeye junior Mario Galanakis opened the tournament for Iowa, pinning Air Force’s Matt Benza in 6:39 at 133 pounds. He will face Wisconsin’s Tom Clum tonight. Galanakis is 1-1 vs. Clum, winning 9-5 in sudden victory in the Iowa-Wisconsin dual and losing 5-3 at the Big Ten Championships.
Iowa junior Ty Eustice picked up his 25th season win with an 8-4 decision over Northern Illinois’ Mike Grimes at 149. He will face Wisconsin’s Chad Henning tonight. Eustice is 1-1 against Henning, winning 3-2 in the Iowa-Wisconsin dual and losing 4-2 in sudden victory at the Big Ten meet.
Hawkeye junior Joe Johnston came back from a first-period deficit to defeat Kevin Ward of Oklahoma State, 18-8, at 157. He will face Minnesota’s C.P. Schlatter tonight. Johnston is 1-0 vs. Schlatter, winning an 8-5 decision at the Big Ten Championships.
At 165, redshirt freshman Mark Perry scored Iowa’s second pin of the session, decking Brody Barrios of Cal Poly in 47 seconds. He will face Indiana’s Max Dean tonight. Perry is 2-0 against Dean, winning 7-0 at Midlands and 13-2 at the Iowa-Indiana dual.
Iowa junior Paul Bradley scored a 5-1 decision over Northern Iowa’s Alex Dolly at 184. He will face Missouri’s Matt Pell tonight. It will be the first meeting between the two.
Hawkeye freshman Matt Fields ended the first session for Iowa with a 9-5 win over Boston’s Courtney Howard. He will face Ohio State’s Kirk Nail tonight. Fields is 1-0 against Nail, winning a 6-4 decision at the Iowa-Ohio State dual.
Iowa’s only loss on the morning came at 141 when Clarion’s Frank Edgar scored a 10-2 major decision over Hawkeye freshman Alex Tsirtsis. Tsirtsis will face Northern Illinois’ Josh Wooten in tonight’s first round of consolation matches. This will be their first meeting.
SESSION I TEAM STANDINGS (Top 10 teams)
Place – Team – Points
1. Oklahoma St. 23.5
2. Minnesota 23.0
3. Cornell 18.5
4. Oklahoma 16.5
5. Iowa 16.0
Illinois 16.0
Iowa State 16.0
8. Northwestern 13.0
9. Lehigh 12.5
10. Hofstra 12.0
Indiana 12.0
Michigan 12.0
IOWA’S INDIVIDUAL SESSION I RESULTS
133 – Mario Galanakis (Iowa) pinned Matt Benza (Air Force), 6:39
141 – Frank Edgar (Clarion) maj. dec. Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa), 10-2
149 – Ty Eustice (Iowa) dec. Mike Grimes (N. Illinois), 8-4
157 – Joe Johnston (Iowa) maj. dec. Kevin Ward (Oklahoma St.), 18-8
165 – Mark Perry (Iowa) pinned Brody Barrios (Cal Poly), 0:47
184 – Paul Bradley (Iowa) dec. Alex Dolly (N. Iowa), 5-1
Hwt. – Matt Fields (Iowa) dec. Courtney Howard (Boston), 9-5