Hawkeyes To Host Bucknell

Jan. 27, 2009

THIS WEEK
The top-ranked Iowa wrestlers (17-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will host Bucknell (8-7, 2-2 EIWA) Friday at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It will be the first collegiate meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes will be looking for their 32nd consecutive dual win, and Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands will be vying for his 70th career victory.

EREKSON NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Hawkeye junior Dan Erekson earned his first career Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor after improving 16-5 with a pair of triumphs over #7 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin (3-2) and #9 John Wise (9-8) of Illinois last weekend. With the wins, the Eagle, ID, native helped the top-ranked Hawkeyes go 2-0 in their Big Ten season opener and improve to 17-0 on the season.

Against Massey, Erekson posted a first-period takedown and a third-period escape while holding his opponent to two escapes for the win. In his match against Wise, Erekson led 6-4 after the first period on two takedowns and a reversal. Wise tied the score at 7-7 at the end of the second period, but Erekson posted a reversal mid-way through the third period for the win. The Hawkeye heavyweight, who was ranked 11th in the nation, is 13-3 in dual competition this season.

Erekson is the second Hawkeye to earn the conference weekly honor this season. Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) shared the accolade with Michigan’s Steve Luke Dec. 9.

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 and www.hawkeyesports.com.Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year).

Internet – Live results and video broadcasts from both duals will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com. The live results are free and the video broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com.

BUCKNELL BISON
Bucknell is 8-7 (2-2 EIWA) with wins over Appalachian State (26-8), Franklin & Marshall (32-3), Cleveland State (32-15), Drexel (25-16), Wagner (49-6), Ohio ( 22-13), Brown (20-12) and Liberty (37-12), and losses to Missouri (16-25), Army (15-21), Central Michigan (6-25), Virginia (11-30), Kent State (10-22), Navy (12-18) and Old Dominion (9-21).

Head Coach Dan Wirnsberger is 29-27-2 in four years at Bucknell and 55-49-2 in six seasons as a collegiate head coach. He is assisted by Dave Hoffman (Virginia Tech, 2006) and Dustin Manotti (Cornell, 2006). Hoffman wrestled under Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands and Assistant Coach Doug Schwab while at Virginia Tech.

The Bison are led by junior Andy Rendos, who is ranked between 13th and 15th in the nation at 165 with a 21-4 record. Four other Bucknell wrestlers have posted 20 or more wins this season. Freshman Derek Reber is 24-8 at 125, junior David Marble is 21-6 at 133, sophomore Kevin LeValley is 22-8 at 141 and junior Shane Riccio is 23-12 at 174.

HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND WINNING STREAKS
Iowa has won its last 31 duals, and its last 25 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for overall consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). The 31 straight wins ranks third in school history, while the 25 away victories rank second.

Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf (149) also has a winning streak of his own, winning his last 54 bouts. Former Hawkeye Jim Zalesky (1981-84) holds the school record for consecutive wins with 89.

IOWA GOES 2-0 IN BIG TEN SEASON OPENER
Iowa extended its winning streak to 31 with wins over Wisconsin (24-12) and Illinois (32-4) last weekend at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was the Big Ten season opener for all three teams. Iowa emerged with an unblemished 17-0 (2-0 Big Ten) record, while Wisconsin fell to 6-4 (0-1) and Illinois to 7-1 (0-1).

Against #15/#13 Wisconsin, Iowa went 6-4 in front of 6,981 fans Friday night to record its 165th win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes opened the dual with a 8-0 lead on a decision by senior Charlie Falck at 125 and a match-ending technical fall by junior Daniel Dennis at 133. It was Falck’s first match since injuring his ankle at the 2008 Midlands.

Wisconsin senior Zach Tanelli put the Badgers’ first points on the board with a 5-0 win over Iowa senior Alex Tsirtsis at 141. Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf widened Iowa’s lead to 14-3 with his 2:12 pin over fifth-ranked Kyle Ruschell at 149.

Wisconsin made a run at the mid-way point with decisions from freshmen at 157 and 165. Badger Ben Jordan scored an 8-4 win over Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg at 157, and Andrew Howe posted a 4-3 overtime victory over Iowa junior Ryan Morningstar in the second tiebreak period. Howe was awarded the win due to a seven-second riding time advantage after the second tiebreak.

Hawkeye juniors Jay Borschel and Philllip Keddy responded with wins at 174 and 184, respectively, to make the team score 21-9. Borschel picked up his 50th career win with a 7-3 win over freshman Travis Rutt at 174, and Keddy posted a 17-4 major decision over sophomore Eric Bugenhagen at 184.

Third-ranked Badger Dallas Herbst fought off late attempts by Hawkeye junior Chad Beatty at 197 to post a 2-1 win, but the mere decision put a team win out of reach for Wisconsin. Iowa junior Dan Erekson closed out the dual with a 3-2 decision over Badger senior Kyle Massey at heavyweight.

The Hawkeyes went 9-1 in front of 6,946 fans Sunday evening to hand previously unbeaten Illinois its first loss of the season. Iowa jumped out to a 16-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck opened the dual at 125 with an 11-5 win over B.J. Futrell to remain undefeated (12-0) in dual competition. Iowa junior Daniel Dennis won one of the night’s highlighted match-ups when he blanked Jimmy Kennedy, 5-0, at 133. Dennis, who was a high school teammate of Kennedy’s, handed the Illinois junior his only other loss of the season in the Midlands finals. He took Kennedy down with 1:20 left in the second period and rode him for the rest of the match. Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis posted an 11-3 major decision over Ryan Prater at 141 before junior Brent Metcalf scored his 54th straight win with a pin in 3:52 over Eric Terrazas at 149. Metcalf, who is the nation’s top-ranked 149-pounder is 22-0 this season, and leads the team with 10 pins. Top-ranked Illini Mike Poeta scored Illinois’ only points with a 15-5 major decision over Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg at 157.

Hawkeye junior Ryan Morningstar led Iowa out of the intermission with a 3-0 win over Roger Smith-Bergsrud at 165. Iowa junior Jay Borschel followed at 174 with an 10-1 major decision over John Dergo. Iowa 184-pounder Phillip Keddy posted his seventh straight win and his 20th season victory with an 11-4 decision over Jordan Blanton. The Hawkeye junior remains 16-0 in dual competition. Iowa junior Chad Beatty followed up with a 2-1 victory over Patrick Bond at 197, and junior Dan Erekson closed out the dual with a hard-fought 9-8 win over John Wise at heavyweight.

MEET RESULTS
Iowa 24, Wisconsin 12
125 – Charlie Falck (I) dec. Drew Hammen (W), 10-3
133 – Daniel Dennis (I) tech. fall Tom Kelliher (W), 19-4 in 4:24
141 – Zach Tanelli (W) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 5-0
149 – Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Kyle Ruschell (W), 2:12
157 – Ben Jordan (W) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 8-4
165 – Andrew Howe (W) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 4-3 TB-2
174 – Jay Borschel (I) dec. Travis Rutt (W), 7-3
184 – Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. Eric Bugenhagen (W), 17-4
197 – Dallas Herbst (W) dec. Chad Beatty (I), 2-1
Hwt. – Dan Erekson (I) dec. Kyle Massey (W), 3-2

Iowa 32, Illinois 4
125 – Charlie Falck (I) dec. B.J. Futrell (IL), 11-5
133 – Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Jimmy Kennedy (IL), 5-0
141 – Alex Tsirtsis (I) maj. dec. Ryan Prater (IL), 11-3
149 – Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Eric Terrazas (IL), 3:52
157 – Mike Poeta (IL) maj. dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 15-5
165 – Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Roger Smith-Bergsrud (IL), 3-0
174 – Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. John Dergo (IL), 10-1
184 – Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Jordan Blanton (IL), 11-4
197 – Chad Beatty (I) dec. Patrick Bond (IL), 2-1
Hwt. – Dan Erekson (I) dec. John Wise (IL), 9-8

WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS
For dates and more information about 2009 University of Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com.

HAWKEYES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD
Iowa set the national collegiate dual meet attendance record of 15,955 when it hosted #2 Iowa State Dec. 6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes won the Iowa State dual, 20-15.

HAWKEYE WRESTLING TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Iowa’s three remaining home duals are on sale at the UI Athletic Ticket Office at 800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com.

Against Bucknell and Purdue, tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Tickets purchased at the meet are $12 for adults, $6 for youth. UI students and children ages five and under will be admitted free.

Against Minnesota, tickets purchased in advance are $13 for adults, $7 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. Tickets purchased at the meet are $15 for adults, $8 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. Due to the possibility of a sellout crowd, the first 1,000 general admission University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge after they log-in to their student account at www.hawkeyesports.com to reserve a seat and download a free paper ticket. After that allotment is sold out, students may purchase reserved seats at the youth price.

CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 166-18 (.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 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on December 6, 2008. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet.

H. A. W. K. CLUB PARTIES
After 15 years at the First Avenue Club, the post-meet H.A.W.K. club parties will have a new location for the 2008-09 season. All parties will be held on the second floor of Kinnick Stadium’s Brechler Pressbox. Using the Gate D entrance, take one of the elevators to the second floor, take a left out of the elevator and another left at the hallway. The remaining party dates are as follows: Jan. 30 (Bucknell) and Feb. 15 (Minnesota).

UP NEXT
Top-ranked Iowa (17-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will takes its first Big Ten road trip. Iowa will wrestle at Michigan State 5-4, 0-2) Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. (CT) and at #16/#17 Penn State (7-6-2, 0-0-2) Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. (CT).

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