Men's Wrestling January 2, 2008

Top-Ranked Hawkeyes To Host Oklahoma State

Jan. 2, 2008

THIS WEEK
The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team (7-0) will host Oklahoma State (5-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Cowboys are ranked sixth in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches poll and ninth in the W.I.N. Magazine dual team rankings. The match has been designated as a “Be Bold, Wear Gold” event, where fans are encouraged to wear gold attire to the meet.

The UI Athletics Ticket Office has already sold over 8,000 tickets for the meet and encourages fans to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth. Prices increase to $10 and $5 on match night. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hawkeyesports.com, over the telephone at 1-800 IA-HAWKS, and at the ticket office 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 dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will 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 and audio broadcasts 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.

JOHNSON COUNTY I-CLUB LUNCHEON
The annual Johnson County I-Club wrestling luncheon will be held Friday at 11:45 a.m. at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City. Tickets are $13 and must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, make a check payable to the Johnson County I-Club and mail to:Iowa Wrestling, ATTN: Luncheon, 223 Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA 52242.

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Oklahoma State is 5-1 with wins over Binghamton (47-3), Clarion (38-6), Hofstra (20-16) and American (42-0), and a loss to Oklahoma (21-9). The Cowboys finished second at the Reno Tournament of Champions, crowning two individual champs.

Head Coach John Smith is 255-33-2 in 17 years at Oklahoma State. Smith, who is the all-time winningest coach in school history, was a two-time NCAA champion (1987-88) for the Cowboys and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1988, 1992). He is assisted by Mark Branch and Eric Guerrero, who wrestled for Smith at Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys return three all-Americans in seniors Coleman Scott (133) and Nathan Morgan (141), and junior Brandon Mason (174). Scott is ranked first in the nation and is 14-2. Morgan is ranked first, fourth and sixth in the nation by three different polls and is 16-2. Mason, a native of Shenandoah, IA, is ranked between fourth and sixth, and is 13-2.

HAWKEYE SOPHOMORES TO BE PUT TO THE TEST
Hawkeye sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141), Ryan Morningstar (157) and Jay Borschel (174) are all set to have matches against higher or similar-ranked opponents Saturday.

Slaton, who is ranked in the top three, will face top-ranked senior Coleman Scott at 133. Scott placed second at the 2007 NCAA Championships and is 14-2 this season. It will be the first meeting between the two.

LeClere will wrestle senior two-time all-American Nathan Morgan, who is ranked in the top six at 141. The two were set to meet at the 2006 Northern Iowa Open where LeClere was competing unattached. Morgan was forced to medically forfeit the match.

Morningstar and his opponent – junior Newly McSpadden – are both ranked between 14-20 at 157. Morningstar holds a 2-1 advantage against McSpadden, winning the first two meetings last season by decisions (5-3, 2-1 TB-2), but losing the last meeting at the dual in Stillwater (2-0). McSpadden is 16-3 this season.

Borschel will face Shenandoah native Brandon Mason, who is ranked in the top six at 174. Mason is a returning all-American and holds a 13-2 record this season. Mason won the only collegiate meeting between the two – a 4-2 decision at the 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open while Borschel was competing unattached.

LAST MEETING
Iowa fell to 9-2 with a 21-11 loss at Stillwater on Jan. 19. The Cowboys improved to 10-3 with the win, and extended their winning streak in the series to eight matches. It was also Iowa’s second loss to Oklahoma State in seven days. The Cowboys scored a 22-13 win on Jan. 13 at the N.W.C.A./Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to a solid start behind decisions from sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and senior Alex Grunder (149), as both avenged early season losses to their respective Cowboy opponents. Falck narrowly missed a major decision with a 9-2 win over redshirt freshman Tyler Shinn in the opening match. Grunder defeated freshman Dakotah Simpson, 5-2. The Cowboys picked up wins at 133 and 141, making the team score 6-6 after the first four matches. That score put Iowa in a much better position than the 15-0 deficit it was in at the same point at National Duals.

Oklahoma State picked up wins at 157 and 165, including two-time defending NCAA Champion Johny Hendricks’ sixth career win over Iowa junior Mark Perry at 165. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke scored a last second reversal to defeat Brandon Mason, 2-1 at 174, making the team score 12-9 in Oklahoma State’s favor. But Iowa could not keep the momentum as Cowboy Jack Jensen scored a 3-2 decision over redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy at 184 and a team point was deducted from Iowa for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Oklahoma State a 15-8 lead. Hawkeye sophomore 197-pounder Dan Erekson suffered a separated shoulder in his match with Jared Shelton and was forced to injury default, putting the team win out of reach for Iowa. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with a 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Jared Rosholt at heavyweight.

Oklahoma State 21, Iowa 11
125 – Charlie Falck (I) dec. Tyler Shinn (OSU), 9-2
133 – Coleman Scott (OSU) dec. Mario Galanakis (I), 5-2
141 – Nathan Morgan (OSU) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 6-2
149 – Alex Grunder (I) dec. Dakotah Simpson (OSU), 5-2
157 – Newly McSpadden (OSU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-0
165 – Johny Hendricks (OSU) dec. Mark Perry (I), 4-3
174 – Eric Luedke (I) dec. Brandon Mason (OSU), 2-1
184 – Jack Jensen (OSU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 3-2
197 – Jared Shelton (OSU) won by injury default over Dan Erekson (I)
Hwt. – Matt Fields (I) dec. Jared Rosholt (OSU), 6-4 SV-1

HAVEN’T WE MET?
Following are results for potential Iowa-Oklahoma State match-ups:

141 – Dan LeClere (I) vs. Nathan Morgan (OSU) – 1-0
LeClere won by medical forfeit, 2006 Northern Iowa Open*

141 – Alex Tsirtsis (I) vs. Nathan Morgan (OSU) – 0-2
Morgan dec. Tsirtsis, 4-2, at 2007 National Duals
Morgan dec. Tsirtsis, 6-2, at 2007 dual

157 – Ryan Morningstar (I) vs. Newly McSpadden (OSU) – 2-1
Morningstar dec. McSpadden, 5-3, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open
Morningstar dec. McSpadden, 2-1 TB-2, at 2007 National Duals
McSpadden dec. Morningstar, 2-0, at 2007 dual

174 – Jay Borschel (I) vs. Brandon Mason (OSU) – 0-1
Mason dec. Borschel, 4-2, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open*

184 – Rick Loera (I) vs. Cody Hill (OSU) – 0-1
Hill maj. dec. Loera, 9-1, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open

Hwt. – Matt Fields (I) vs. Jared Rosholt (OSU) – 1-1
Rosholt dec. Fields, 2-1, at 2007 National Duals
Fields dec. Rosholt, 6-4 SV-1, at 2007 dual

PERSONNEL NOTES
Hawkeye senior 165-pounder Mark Perry is the nephew of Oklahoma State Head Coach John Smith. Perry’s father, Mark Perry, Sr., was a two-time Big 12 Conference champion (1984-85) at 118 pounds and a three-year letterwinner (1983-85) for the Cowboys. He also served as an assistant coach on the Oklahoma State wrestling staff for eight seasons (1992-99).

THE SERIES
Oklahoma State leads the series, 24-16-1, and has won the last eight meetings. Iowa’s last win in the series was 20-14, in Iowa City in 2000. Iowa holds a 9-8 advantage in matches wrestled in Iowa City.

HAWKEYES WIN MIDLANDS TITLE, CROWN FOUR CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeyes crowned four individual champions en route to winning the 2007 Midlands team title Sunday night in Evanston, IL. Iowa won its 19th team title in school history and its first since 2002. Iowa scored 185 points to win the 45th annual tournament. Defending team champion Iowa State placed second with 139.

Iowa went four-for-five in the finals with junior Mark Perry (165) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) each winning individual titles. It was Perry’s second career title and his fourth appearance in the finals. It was the first title for Slaton, LeClere and Metcalf.

Slaton set the tone for Iowa in the finals with a 6-2 upset over top seed Franklin Gomez of Indiana to remain undefeated at 12-0. LeClere followed with a narrow 5-4 upset over second seed Zack Bailey of Oklahoma. Metcalf won Iowa’s third straight title, racking up third-period points to beat fifth seed Jake Patascil of Purdue by an 18-5 major decision. Perry made Iowa four-for-four in the finals with his 8-0 major decision over fifth seed Jonathan Reader of Iowa State. Sophomore Jay Borschel wrestled above his sixth seed, but could not pull the upset over top seed Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh and lost Iowa’s final championship match, 13-4.

For his efforts, Perry was named the Art Kraft Champion of Champions and the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He scored the most team points (30) of any competitor in the tournament, and recorded the most falls in the fastest time (four in 8:10).

Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Alex Tsirtsis (141-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-8th), junior Charlie Falck (125-3rd), and sophomores Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Ryan Morningstar (157-5th). Tsirtsis was wrestling unattached.

BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
The Big Ten Network has released its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. Nine duals and the finals of the 2007 Midlands Championships and 2008 Big Ten Championships are scheduled to be aired on the network.

Iowa will have two televised duals on the network. The Iowa-Ohio State dual on Jan. 18 in Columbus will air same-day tape-delayed at 8:30 p.m. (CT) and the Iowa-Minnesota dual on Feb. 1 in Minneapolis will air live at 7 p.m. (CT). The Iowa-Oklahoma State dual on Jan. 5 was originally scheduled for a tape-delayed broadcast, but will not be aired due to the addition of the Iowa-Minnesota dual.

CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 158-17 (.903) 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 816-214-30 (.784) in 96 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.

NEXT COMPETITION
Top-ranked Iowa (7-0) will compete at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 12-13 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The two-day annual tournament features 16 teams from NCAA Division I, 12 from NCAA Division II, 15 from NCAA Division III and NAIA, eight NJCAA teams, seven NCWA teams and five women’s wrestling teams.

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