Feb. 13, 2007
IOWA CITY, IA –
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THIS WEEK
Iowa (13-4, 4-2 Big Ten) will host two Big Ten foes to close out the 2006-07 dual meet season. The Hawkeyes host Ohio State (8-5, 4-2 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. and top-ranked Minnesota (18-1, 6-0 Big Ten) Sunday at 6 p.m. Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear black to the Iowa-Minnesota dual as part of a Black Out promotion. Iowa will also honor its fans and seniors with appreciation nights against the Golden Gophers.
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 – College Sports Television will air a tape-delayed broadcast of the Iowa-Ohio State dual Monday, February 19 at 8 p.m. (CT). The Iowa-Minnesota dual will be aired live on Iowa Public Television. Jason Knapp and Ken Chertow will provide commentary for CSTV, and Tim Johnson and Jim Gibbons will call the action for IPTV.
“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 Black Out 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.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Hawkeye senior 174-pounder Eric Luedke will be celebrating his 22nd birthday Sunday. This season the Colby, KS, native is 23-2 in collegiate matches, 14-1 in duals and 5-1 in Big Ten duals. He leads the team in collegiate wins (23), dual wins (14), collegiate winning percentage (.920) and dual winning percentage (.933), and ranks third on the team in falls (5). Luedke has a career record of 46-17 in two seasons at Iowa.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Ohio State is 8-5 (4-2 in the Big Ten) with wins over Cornell (18-17), Purdue (28-6), Ohio (26-10), Appalachian State (30-12), Ashland (25-15), Michigan State (19-14) and Northwestern (18-16), and losses to Missouri (29-9), Tennessee-Chattanooga (28-13), Kent State (20-18), Penn State (26-12) and Michigan (21-15).
Head Coach Tom Ryan is in his first season at Ohio State. The University of Iowa alum compiled a 109-82-2 record in 11 seasons at Hofstra. Ryan was a two-time all-American, Big Ten champion and letterwinner at 158 pounds for the Hawkeyes in 1991-92. He is assisted by Lou Rosselli (Edinboro, 1993), Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State, 2005) and Joe Heskett (Iowa State, 2002).
The Buckeyes are led by redshirt freshman Mike Pucillo (184), junior returning all-American J.D. Bergman (197), senior Chris Vondruska (165) and freshman Lance Palmer (149). Pucillo is 17-1, Bergman is 19-5, Vondruska is 28-10 and Palmer is 24-11. Pucillo and Vondruska transferred from Hostra.
THE SERIES
Iowa leads the series, 32-2, having won the last 30 meetings between the two teams. The Hawkeyes hold an 11-1 advantage in Iowa City. Iowa won the last meeting with a 30-6 decision in Columbus, OH, in 2005. Ohio State’s last win in the series was 14-11 in 1966 in Columbus.
HAVEN’T WE MET?
The only potential Iowa-Ohio State matchup that has previously met is Hawkeye senior Mario Galanakis vs. Ohio State junior T.J. Enright at 133. Galanakis is 3-0 vs. Enright, winning a 7-4 decision at the 2005 Iowa-Ohio State dual, a 2-0 decision in the opening round of the 2005 Big Ten Championships and a 5-4 decision in the 5th/6th place match at the 2005 conference meet.
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
Top-ranked Minnesota is 18-1, 6-0 in the Big Ten, with wins over Central Michigan (24-9 and 30-7), American (32-10), Pennsylvania (28-12), Northern Colorado (45-0), Oklahoma State (21-15), Iowa State (19-13 and 24-11), Arizona State (44-3), Cornell (32-11), Missouri (20-16), Penn State (31-12), Michigan (29-6), Purdue (32-9), Indiana (29-7), Illinois (28-12), Michigan State (35-4) and Nebraska (32-6). Minnesota lost its season-opening match (18-17) to Hofstra. The Golden Gophers will wrestle at Wisconsin Friday at 7 p.m.
Head Coach J Robinson is 314-103-3 in 21 seasons at Minnesota. He has coached 10 NCAA champions, 35 Big Ten champions and 80 all-Americans at Minnesota, while leading the Golden Gophers to five Big Ten and two NCAA titles. Robinson served as an interim head coach at Iowa in 1984, when then-Head Coach Dan Gable coached the U.S. Olympic team. He was an assistant coach (1976-83) and graduate assistant (1972-76) at Iowa.
The Golden Gophers are led by defending NCAA champions Dustin Schlatter (149) and Cole Konrad (Hwt.), returning all-Americans Mack Reiter (133) and Roger Kish (184), juniors Manuel Rivera (141) and C.P. Schlatter (157) and redshirt freshman Jayson Ness (125). Rivera (33-0), Dustin Schlatter (28-0), and Konrad (24-0) are all undefeated this season. Kish is 27-1, Reiter is 6-1, C.P. Schlatter is 18-4 and Ness is 31-3. Reiter is a Gilbertville, IA, native and was a four-time Iowa state champion at Don Bosco High School.
THE SERIES
Iowa leads the series, 62-23-1, and is 30-11 in matches in Iowa City. Minnesota won the last meeting, 25-9, at Minneapolis in 2006. Iowa’s last win in the series was 23-14 in 2005 at Iowa City.
HAVEN’T WE MET?
Following are career results of possible Iowa-Minnesota match-ups:
133 – Mario Galanakis (I) is 0-1 vs. Mack Reiter (M)
Reiter dec. Galanakis, 2-0, at 2005 Iowa-Minnesota dual
141 – Alex Tsirtsis (I) is 0-1 vs. Manuel Rivera (M)
Rivera dec. Tsirtsis, 4-3, at 2006 Iowa-Minnesota dual
Hwt. – Matt Fields (I) is 0-2 vs. Cole Konrad (M)
Konrad dec. Fields, 2-0, at 2005 Iowa-Minnesota dual
Konrad won by injury default over Fields at 2006 Iowa-Minnesota dual
FALCK UNDEFEATED IN BIG TEN DUALS
Sophomore 125-pounder Charlie Falck is on an eight-match winning streak and the only Hawkeye to remain undefeated (6-0) in Big Ten duals this season. The Strawberry Point, IA, native is 18-5 in collegiate matches and 14-3 in duals. He has a 32-16 career record at Iowa. He leads the team in dual wins (14) and major decisions (5), ranks second in dual winning percentage (.824), and third in collegiate winning percentage (.783) and dual team points scored (51). His winning streak will be tested by Ohio State freshman Will Livingston and Minnesota redshirt freshman Jayson Ness this weekend. Ness is 31-3 (18-1 in duals), and owns a 14-match winning streak of his own.
MCLAUGHLIN STICKS DEBUT
Sophomore 197-pounder Jordan McLaughlin made his Hawkeye wrestling and Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut a wild one on Sunday, pinning Michigan State’s Nick Palmieri in 6:33. Palmeiri scored three takedowns and two escapes to build an 8-4 lead with 1:04 remaining in the match. McLaughlin threw the Spartan redshirt freshman to his back and got the pin with 27 seconds left on the clock.
The Belmond, IA, native is no stranger to the black and gold, as he has played linebacker and fullback on the Iowa football team for the past three seasons. He joined the wrestling team after Christmas break this season and is filling in for injured starter Dan Erekson. McLaughlin was a state champion and three-time state placewinner at Belmond-Klemme High School.
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 155-16 (.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 808-213-30 (.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.
LAST WEEK
Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th career victory as Iowa pounded Michigan State, 33-9, Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won eight bouts in front of 5,035 fans, including an upset by sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and a pin by sophomore Jordan McLaughlin (197) in his Iowa wrestling debut.
Falck handed Spartan Franklin Gomez his second dual loss of the season with a 5-3 win at 125. The Strawberry Point, IA, native scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds and another with one second remaining in the match to secure his eighth straight victory and remain undefeated (6-0) in Big Ten duals. Michigan State scored its first of two wins on the day when Nick Simmons won by injury default over senior Mario Galanakis in 2:23 at 133. Junior Alex Tsirtsis accepted a forfeit at 141, and senior Alex Grunder followed up with a pin in 5:32 to score his 30th career victory. Redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar (157) took Iowa into the intermission with a 3-2 win over Tony Greathouse.
Iowa junior Mark Perry climbed out of a sticky situation to defeat Spartan Rocky Cozart, 9-7, at 165. Perry had to bounce back from a 5-0 deficit after getting caught in his own offensive move and fighting off his back early in the match. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke improved to 23-2 in collegiate matches and 14-1 in duals with a 2-1 win over John Murphy at 174. Michigan State scored its second and final win of the night when Joe Williams defeated Hawkeye redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy, 6-3, at 184.
McLaughlin made his Hawkeye wrestling and Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut a wild one, pinning Nick Palmieri in 6:33. Palmeiri scored three takedowns and two escapes to build an 8-4 lead with 1:04 remaining in the match. McLaughlin threw the Spartan redshirt freshman to his back and got the pin with 27 seconds left on the clock. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with an 8-4 win over Alan O’Donnell at heavyweight.
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 title at Naperville North High School. He moved to Bettendorf, IA, and is 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 is competing at 189 pounds this season and is a projected 197-pounder for the Hawkeyes. Ambrose also is a 189-pound Fargo freestyle all-American.
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.
NEXT COMPETITION
Iowa will compete at the 2007 Big Ten Championships, 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.