Hawkeyes To Hold Wrestle-Offs

Nov. 7, 2007

IOWA CITY, IA –

• The Big Ten Network: Programming Schedule

Complete Release in PDF Format

WRESTLE-OFFS ANNOUNCED
Iowa will hold its annual team wrestle-offs, to determine the 2007-08 lineup, over a three-day period this week. All matches will be held at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and are open to the public. Admission is free. The quarterfinal matches will be held Thursday at 3:30 p.m., semifinals will be Friday at 3:30 p.m. and finals will be Saturday at 9 a.m. Following are the scheduled matchups:

Thursday’s Quarterfinals
133 – Tyler Halverson vs. Tom Magnani
165 – Ryan Kurovski vs. Weston Marling

Friday’s Semifinals
133 – Daniel Dennis vs. Winner Halverson/Magnani
133 – Montel Marion vs. Joe Slaton
141 – Alex Tsirtsis vs. Ethan Sebert
141 – Derek Coorough vs. Dan LeClere
149 – Brent Metcalf vs. Stew Gillmor
149 – Nick LeClere vs. Matt Ballweg
157 – T.H. Leet vs. Brooks Kopsa
165 – Mark Perry vs. Winner Kurovski/Marling
165 – Michael Fahrer vs. Jake Kerr
184 – Vinnie Wagner vs. Rick Loera
Hwt. – Blake Rasing vs. Jordan Johnson

Saturday’s Finals
125 – Charlie Falck vs. J.J. Krutsinger
133 – Winner Dennis/Halverson/Magnani vs. Winner Marion/Slaton
141 – Winner Tsirtsis/Sebert vs. Winner Coorough/ D. LeClere
149 – Winner Metcalf/Gillmor vs. Winner N. LeClere/Ballweg
157 – Ryan Morningstar vs. Winner Leet/Kopsa
165 – Winner Perry/Kurovski/Marling vs. Winner Fahrer/Kerr
184 – Phillip Keddy vs. Winner Wagner/Loera
197 – Derrick Mehmen vs. Brodie Ambrose
Hwt. – Matt Fields vs. Winner Rasing/Johnson

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 or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free to all matches with a student ID. Following are the ticket prices:

Season Tickets – 48 – General Public, $42 University Faculty & Staff
Single-Match Tickets Purchased in Advance – $8 – Adults, $4 – Youth
Single-Match Tickets Purchased at the Door – $10 – Adults, $5 – Youth

SEASON OPENER
The Hawkeyes will send a partial team to the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open in Ames, IA. Competition is scheduled to start Saturday at 10 a.m. in Hilton Coliseum.

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 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 ($9.95 per month or $79.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($119.95 per year).

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.

CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 156-17 (.902) 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 WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 809-214-30 (.783) in 95 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 48 NCAA champions have won a total of 74 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 100 Big Ten champions have won a total of 181 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 130 all-Americans have earned all-America status 266 times, including 16 four-time, 28 three-time and 32 two-time honorees.

CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, four NCAA titles, six conference titles and 12 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.853).

GABLE STEPS DOWN, SCHWAB PROMOTED
Dan Gable, arguably the state of Iowa’s most successful student-athlete and coach and the architect of one of college athletics’ longest running dynasties, stepped down from from the position of assistant wrestling coach. He returned to his role as special assistant to the director of athletic on Oct. 1. Three-time all-American and former Hawkeye wrestler Doug Schwab was promoted from volunteer assistant to interim assistant in his place.

Gable remains fully engaged in the day-to-day operations of Iowa’s wrestling program, but without the title or on-the-mat responsibilities that come with the title of assistant coach.

“Dan has been my coach and my mentor,” said Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. “What’s important to me is that he’s going to remain involved in the Hawkeye wrestling program and will continue to play a significant role as we continue to make progress toward the goal of domination.”

“My assistant coach’s role was always temporary and I’m not going anywhere,” explained Gable. “I’ll be directly involved in our wrestling program as much as NCAA rules allow me to be. I’m very excited for everyone who loves the sport of wrestling and cares about wrestling at the University of Iowa and worldwide. I feel good about the direction of our program, the leadership and the young men who are involved. What isn’t temporary, and what will never be temporary, is the respect and appreciation I have for Tom, his drive and determination, and the love he has for wrestling. We’re in very, very good hands and there is absolutely no doubt we’re headed in the right direction.”

Schwab served as Iowa’s volunteer assistant coach last season and spent two seasons (2005-06) as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech University under Brands.

“We got the best young coach in the country whose role will now expand into off campus recruiting,” said Brands. “He has been very valuable to the structure of this program. He kows how to make our student-athletes better people and better wrestlers.”

Schwab was a three-time all-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes, lettering from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history.

The Osage, IA, native has remained active in international competition. He won the 2007 U.S. Senior Freestyle title, earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Schwab’s other post-college national wrestling accomplishments include winning the 145.5-pound title at the 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the freestyle event. In 2005, Schwab won the 145-pound division of Real Pro Wrestling, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors as part of the champion Iowa Stalkers team.

WHAT I DID THIS SUMMER
University of Iowa assistant wrestling coaches Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick, and Hawkeye redshirt freshman Jake Kerr all competed internationally last summer.

Schwab and Zadick earned spots on the 2007 United States World Freestyle Team and competed at the World Championships, September 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Both won titles at the Senior Freestyle World Team Trials in Las Vegas, NV, in June. Zadick had to post a win over 2007 U.S. National Champion Nate Gallick in a special best-of-three wrestle-off in Colorado Springs, CO, to earn his world team spot.

Zadick, won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, while Schwab picked up a bonze medal.

At the world team trials, Schwab was the No. 6 seed at 66 kg entering the tournament, while Zadick was the top seed at 60 kg. Schwab upset the top three seeds during the challenge tournament, and beat defending U.S. National freestyle champion Chris Bono in the finals. He was named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for his performance. Zadick beat Zach Roberson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the finals.

Kerr, who wrestles at 165 pounds for the Hawkeyes, represented the United States at the FILA Junior World Championships in Beijing, China.

NEXT COMPETITION
The Hawkeyes will compete at the annual Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE, Nov. 17. Competition starts at 9 a.m. at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. A total of 42 teams and approximately 650 wrestlers will compete at the meet. It’s easily the country’s largest single-day collegiate meet. The tournament will be wrestled in two age-based divisions – an open division and a 20-and-under division.

Click HERE for the Big Ten Network home page.