Hawkeyes To Open 2005-06 Dual Season

Nov. 22, 2005

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THIS WEEK
Iowa (0-0) will open the 2005-06 dual meet season Saturday at Arizona State (3-1). The meet will be held at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ, and start at 7 p.m. (CT).

ON THE AIR
Radio – Morrie Adams and four-time Hawkeye all-American Mark Ironside will call this season’s action live on AM-800 KXIC. To listen to the broadcast online, go to the wrestling schedule page on www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the CSTV All-Access subscription, which can be purchased for $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year.

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State is 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-10, with wins over Pacific-Oregon (38-6), Southern Oregon (28-9) and Portland State (43-6) and a loss to Lehigh (29-7). Head Coach Thom Ortiz is 46-27-1 in five seasons at Arizona State. The Sun Devils are led by returning all-Americans Brian Stith (157), Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (Hwt.) Velasquez, who is 9-0 this season, won the heavyweight division at the East Stroudsburg Open in Stroudsburg, PA, last weekend.

THE SERIES
Iowa leads the series with Arizona State, 20-1-1, winning the last 14 meetings. The Hawkeyes are 8-1-1 against the Sun Devils in Tempe. Iowa’s last win in the series was a 29-10 decision in Iowa City last season. Arizona State’s last win in the series was a 22-18 decision, in Tempe, in 1988.

LAST MEETING
Iowa opened the 2004-05 dual season November 27 with a 29-10 victory over Arizona State in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes recorded their 775th dual win in school history with the victory. Arizona State fell to 0-1 with the loss. It was the Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut for seven Hawkeyes, and Iowa went 8-2 overall on the evening. The results:

Iowa 29, Arizona State 10
174 – Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Rick Renzi (ASU), 8-5
184 – Paul Bradley (I) dec. C.B. Dollaway (ASU), 9-7 sv
197 – Ryan Bader (ASU) pinned Dane Pape (I), 2:23
Hwt. – Matt Fields (I) dec. Cain Velasquez (ASU), 4-3
125 – Jeremy Mendoza (ASU) maj. dec. Lucas Magnani (I), 14-0
133 – Mario Galanakis (I) pinned Adam Hickey (ASU), 1:29
141 – Alex Tsirtsis (I) maj. dec. Chris Frieje (ASU), 10-2
149 – Ty Eustice (I) dec. Patrick Williams (ASU), 6-3
157 – Joe Johnston (I) dec. Brian Stith (ASU), 8-5
165 – Mark Perry (I) maj. dec. Patrick Pitsch (ASU), 14-3

LAST WEEK
Senior Ty Eustice (149) and freshman Ryan Morningstar (157) were Iowa’s two individual champions at the 2005 Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE. Iowa sent 26 competitors to the tournament, which featured 650 wrestlers from 42 teams, making it the nation’s largest single-day collegiate tournament.

It was Eustice’s first competition of the season, while Morningstar placed third at the Spartan Open in Dubuque earlier this month. Eustice scored a major decision and four decisions en route to his 149-pound open division title, improving to 5-0 on the season and 88-26 in his career. Morningstar scored two pins, a technical fall and two decisions on his way to the 20-and-under division title at 157. He is now 9-1 on the season. Also placing for Iowa in the open division were sophomore Alex Tsirtsis (141-2nd), senior Joe Johnston (157-2nd), junior Eric Luedke (165-3rd), senior Cole Pape (165-4th) and sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.-2nd). Placing for the Hawkeyes in the 20-and-under division were freshmen Thomas Magnani (125-5th), Daniel Dennis (133-5th) and Dan Erekson (197-3rd), and redshirt freshmen Jacob Neuzil (174-5th) and Michael Bucklin (Hwt.-6th).

2005 NWCA All-STAR CLASSIC
Hawkeye seniors Joe Johnston (157) and Paul Bradley (184) competed at the 40th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps Monday night in Stillwater, OK. Both wrestlers lost close matches.

Johnston faced Illinois’ Alex Tirapelle in what was a rematch of the 2005 NCAA Championship quarterfinals. Johnston scored an escape in the second period, but Tirapelle tied the match at 1-1 with an escape of his own to start the third period. Tirapelle then scored a takedown with 1:15 left in the match. Johnston escaped to make the score 3-2, but could not score in the final minute. Tirapelle received a point for riding time to win, 4-2. Tirapelle is now 4-2 against Johnston in his career.

Bradley lost to Illinois’ Pete Friedl, 4-3, in the first meeting between the two. Friedl scored a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Bradley scored an escape and a takedown late in the third period, but Friedl escaped with 30 seconds left for the 4-3 win.

2005 NWCA All-Star Classic Results
Hwt. – Tervel Dlagney (UNK) dec. Josh Leadingfox (UCO), 6-3
125 – Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) dec. Nick Simmons (Michigan St.), 6-2
133 – Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) dec. Mack Reiter (Minnesota), 6-3
141 – Nate Gallick (Iowa St.) dec. Teyon Ware (Oklahoma), 3-1
149 – Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) dec. Zack Esposito (Oklahoma St.), 7-3
157 – Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) dec. Joe Johnston (Iowa), 4-2
165 – Matt Nagel (Minnesota) dec. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma St.), 5-3
174 – Jake Herbert (Northwestern) dec. Jacob Klein (Nebraska), 8-5
184 – Pete Friedl (Illinois) dec. Paul Bradley (Iowa), 4-3
197 – Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma St.) dec. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma), 8-3
Hwt. – Kole Conrad (Minnesota) dec. Steven Mocco (Oklahoma St.), 4-1 TB-1

HEAD COACH Jim Zalesky
Jim Zalesky is in his ninth season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 116-27 (.811). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004, 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 40 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 784-202-30 (.786) in 93 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 15, 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 127 all-Americans have earned all-America status 258 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 29 two-time honorees.

PACK THE PLACE – BREAK THE RECORD
The Hawkeyes will try to regain the dual meet national attendance record when they host defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Oklahoma State on January 7. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. The current national attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota.

IOWA TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa’s seven home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all duals except Oklahoma State.

Season Tickets – $56 – General Public; $49 – University Faculty & Staff
Single-Match Tickets (Advance Purchase)* – $8 – Adults; $4 – Youth
Single-Match Tickets (Gate Purchase)* – $10 – Adults; $5 – Youth
Group Rates* – $4 – Per person with a group of 15 or more
* Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. The group rate for the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual is $5 per person.

CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Jim Zalesky, Troy Steiner, Tim Hartung, Luke Eustice and Mike Zadick earned a total of six NCAA titles, 10 Big Ten titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 596-90-1 (.881), including four undefeated seasons.

HAWKEYES LEAD NATION IN ATTENDANCE
Iowa wrestling fans love their Hawkeyes, and have no problem coming out to show it. Iowa led the nation in home dual meet attendance last season, posting a season average of 5,073 fans per home dual. Oklahoma State was second (4,542) and Lehigh third (2,488).

The Hawkeye’s ability to draw crowds on the road has helped 10 schools set dual attendance records. In 2004-05, Cal Davis (5,150) and Illinois (3,573) set records when they hosted the Hawkeyes. The other eight schools are Minnesota (15,646 – 2002), Iowa State (14,507 – 1982), Penn State (11,245 – 1996), Northern Iowa (10,200 – 1976), North Dakota State (6,307 – 1992), Pennsylvania (5,109 – 2002), Wisconsin (4,800 – 1978) and Cleveland State (3,620 – 1987).

Iowa has been a part of the 35 largest recorded dual meet crowds, helping to set the national attendance record 10 times. The current attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. Thirty-two of the top 35 matchups were with intra-state rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes have also wrestled in front of 44 of the 47 recorded dual crowds over 10,000. In 2004-05, Iowa competed in 11 of the top 20 reported dual crowds, hosting six (Iowa State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Arizona State) and visiting for five (Oklahoma State, Cal-Davis, Illinois, Penn State and Northern Iowa).