Feb. 6, 2007
IOWA CITY, IA –
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THIS WEEK
Iowa (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten) will host Michigan State (3-6, 2-2 Big Ten) Sunday at 2 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ON THE AIR
Radio – Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC. All remaining dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will also be available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To listen online, go to the wrestling schedule, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($6.95 per month or $49.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($99.95 per year).
Television – The Iowa-Michigan State dual will be aired live on Iowa Public Television (IPTV), which is in its 31st year of broadcasting college wrestling. Tim Johnson and Jim Gibbons will call the action.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
Michigan State is 3-6, 2-2 in the Big Ten, with wins over Pittsburgh (23-13), Michigan (21-17) and Purdue (21-14), and losses to Oklahoma State (22-8), Edinboro (26-13), Missouri (29-14), Central Michigan (21-14), Illinois (22-13) and Ohio State (19-14). The Spartans will wrestle at Minnesota Friday night.
Head Coach Tom Minkel is 124-134-3 in 16 seasons at Michigan State and 139-152-3 in 18 seasons as a college head coach. His assistants are Roger Chandler (Indiana, 1997) and Chris Williams (Michigan State, 2002).
Michigan State is led by senior brothers Nick and Andy Simmons, redshirt freshman Franklin Gomez and junior Joe Williams. Nick Simmons, a three-time all-American and two-time Big Ten Champion, is 25-1 (8-1 in duals) at 133. Andy Simmons is a fifth-year senior and two-time all-American with a 9-1 (6-1 in duals) record at 141. Gomez boasts a 29-2 mark (9-0 in duals) at 125. Williams is 18-7 (4-5) at 184.
THE SERIES
Iowa leads the series, 30-15-2, and holds a 16-6-1 advantage in Iowa City. Michigan State won the last meeting, a 19-17 decision at East Lansing, in 2006. Iowa’s last win in the series was a 31-6 victory, at Iowa City in 2004.
LAST MEETING
Iowa lost to Michigan State, 19-17, February 5, 2006, in East Lansing, MI. The Hawkeyes and Spartans each won five matches in the dual, but Michigan State won the battle of the bonus points with a pin at 125 and a major decision at 174.
Michigan State 19, Iowa 17
184- Paul Bradley (I) dec. Joe Williams (MSU), 5-2
197- Jeff Clemens (MSU) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 8-4
285- Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Max Lossen (MSU), 7-3
125- Nick Simmons (MSU) pinned Lucas Magnani (I), 2:39
133- Jeff Wimberley (MSU) dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 9-6
141- Andy Simmons (MSU) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 2-1
149- Ty Eustice (I) dec. Darren McKnight (MSU), 9-5
157- Joe Johnston (I) maj. dec. Tony Greathouse (MSU), 18-8
165- Eric Luedke (I) maj. dec. Bryan Harney (MSU), 11-1
174- R.J. Boudro (MSU) maj. dec. Ben Stedman (I), 13-3
HAVEN’T WE MET?
Hawkeye junior Alex Tsirtsis is 0-2 vs. Michigan State’s Andy Simmons at 141, and redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar is 1-0 vs. Spartan Tony Greathouse at 157. Tsirtsis lost a 2-1 decision at the 2006 Iowa-Michigan State dual and a 6-2 decision at the 2006 Big Ten Championships. Morningstar scored a 3-1 victory, in sudden victory, at the 2006 Midlands.
KIDS CLINIC SET FOR SUNDAY
The Iowa Wrestling Kid’s Clinic is scheduled for Sunday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena before the Iowa-Michigan State dual. Participants can enter through the Carver-Hawkeye Arena North entrance starting at 11:30 a.m. The clinic is free to participants eighth grade and younger, and those attending the clinic will receive free admission to the dual. Parents are welcome to attend the clinic, but need to purchase a ticket to the dual meet in advance.
“BLACK OUT” SET FOR IOWA-MINNESOTA DUAL
Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear black to the Iowa-Minnesota dual on Sunday, February 18, as part of a “black out” promotion. The official Iowa Wrestling Blackout shirt is currently available at all Iowa Hawk Shop locations and online at www.bravosportsmarketing.com.
Senior Night and Fan Appreciation Night will also be observed at the Iowa-Minnesota dual. The 2007 senior class of Mario Galanakis (133), Alex Grunder (149), Eric Luedke (174), Lucas Magnani (125), Ben Stedman (164/174), Brett Stedman (149) and Joe Uker (165/174) will be recognized for their effort and commitment to Iowa Wrestling. All fans in attendance will be eligible to win prizes.
It will also be the final opportunity that Hawkeye wrestling fans have to help Iowa “March To A Million” and achieve this year’s goal of a million participants at all University of Iowa athletics events.
LAST WEEK
Iowa went 1-1 on its final Big Ten road weekend of the season. The Hawkeyes defeated Michigan (20-13) Friday night in Ann Arbor and lost to Penn State (24-13) Sunday afternoon in University Park.
Iowa led the entire dual against Michigan, winning six of 10 bouts, to score its first win over the Wolverines since 2003. At Penn State, the Hawkeyes won four bouts on the day, but two of the six it loses were by pin. The Nittany Lions defeated the Hawkeyes for only the sixth time in school history and the third at University Park.
Hawkeye sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar (157) were the lone Hawkeyes to go 2-0 on the weekend. Falck picked up his 30th career win at Michigan and extended his winning streak to seven with a 7-3 upset of Penn State’s Mark McKnight. Morningstar scored a come-from-behind 8-7 win over Michigan’s Jeff Marsh, and picked up his 20th win with a 12-3 major decision over Penn State’s Bubba Jenkins.
HAWKEYES SIGN TWO
Iowa signed two student-athletes to national letters of intent in the early signing period. Jordan Johnson of Bettendorf, IA and Brodie Ambrose of Eldridge, IA, are Tom Brands’ first signings as Iowa’s head coach.
Johnson won the 2006 Class AA Illinois state heavyweight state title at Naperville North High School. He moved to Bettendorf, IA, and will be competing for Bettendorf High School this season.
Ambrose placed third at 171 pounds at the 2006 Class 3A state tournament for North Scott Eldridge High School. He will compete at 189 pounds this season and is a projected 197-pounder for the Hawkeyes. Ambrose also is a 189-pound Fargo freestyle all-American.
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 154-16 (.906) 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, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. Iowa’s meet with Iowa State earlier this year drew 13,732. That figure ranks 11th in NCAA and Carver-Hawkeye Arena history.
IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 807-213-30 (.783) in 95 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 16, 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 titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 129 all-Americans have earned all-America status 263 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 32 two-time honorees.
IOWA TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Iowa’s remaining home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. Tickets purchased at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge with a student ID. For tickets, contact the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com.
THE INTERNET
Press releases, meet results, audio broadcasts and dual livestats are available on the University of Iowa’s website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of two Olympic gold medals, seven NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 605-84-2 (.877), including three undefeated seasons.
IOWA WRESTLING ON JEOPARDY!
Former Hawkeye wrestlers Luke and Ty Eustice were featured in a clue of the category “Iowa” December 8th, and in several clues of the category “Wrestling” January 8th on the TV game show JEOPARDY! Jimmy McGuire and Kelly Miyahara of the JEOPARDY! Clue Crew taped clues at Carver-Hawkeye Arena featuring the Eustice brothers in August.
The Eustice brothers are natives of Blue Earth, MN. Luke was an all-American and NCAA finalist at 125 pounds in 2002, lettering for the Hawkeyes from 2001-04. Ty was a two-time all-American at 149 pounds, competing in the NCAA finals in 2006. He lettered for the Hawkeyes from 2003-06. They are the 10th set of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye varsity lineup since the 1950s.
2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2007 Big Ten Championships will be held March 3-4 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI. The meet will be broken into three sessions. Session I will start Saturday at 10 a.m. (CST), Session II will start Saturday at 6 p.m. and Session III will start Sunday at 11 a.m. All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students. Sunday’s finals session tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, while Saturday’s single session tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Michigan State University’s Ticket Office at 517/355-1610.
NEXT COMPETITION
Iowa close out the 2006-07 dual meet season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena next weekend. The Hawkeyes will host Ohio State Friday, February 16 at 7 p.m. and top-ranked Minnesota Sunday, February 18 at 6 p.m. The Iowa-Ohio State dual will be broadcast live on College Sports Television (CSTV), and the Iowa-Minnesota dual on Iowa Public Television (IPTV). Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear black to the Iowa-Minnesota dual as part of a Blackout promotion. Iowa will also honor its fans and seniors with appreciation nights against the Golden Gophers.