Feb. 17, 2009
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- 2008-09 UI wrestling media guide
- 2009 NCAA Championships Information
- 2009 NCAA Championships Tickets
- Big Ten Network highlights
THIS WEEK
The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (22-0, 6-0 Big Ten) will close out the 2008-09 regular season with a Big Ten road trip. The Hawkeyes will wrestle at #18 Indiana (15-5-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at University Gym. Iowa will then travel to #19 Nortwestern (9-6-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) for its final dual of the season Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Welsh-Ryan 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 and www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year).
Internet – Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa’s website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com..
HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND STREAKS
Iowa has won its last 36 duals, and its last 27 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). Both current streaks rank second in school history.
Junior Brent Metcalf (149) has a streak of his own, winning his last 58 bouts. Former Hawkeye Jim Zalesky (1981-84) holds the school record for consecutive wins with 89. Metcalf’s streak ranks fourth in school history behind Zalesky, Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands (69) and former Hawkeye T.J. Williams (67).
INDIANA HOOSIERS
Indiana is 15-5-1 (2-3-1 in the Big Ten) and ranked 18th in the nation. The Hoosiers have wins over Wabash (49-0), Manchester (58-0), Ohio (38-3), South Dakota State (46-3), Rutgers (29-9), Liberty (29-3), Cumberlands (36-6), Eastern Michigan (31-6), Harper (50-3), Gardner-Webb (43-3), American (24-11), Clarion (49-0), Purdue (21-12) and Northwestern (23-11), losses to Iowa State (0-35), Wisconsin (15-19), Ohio State (16-18), Michigan (18-20) and Illinois (6-25), and a 17-17 tie with Penn State.
Head Coach Duane Goldman is 216-114-5 in 17 seasons at Indiana. He was a four-time all-American, NCAA finalist and Big Ten champion at Iowa (1983-86), winning the 1986 NCAA title. Goldman is assisted by four-time Hawkeye all-American (1994-97) and 1995 Big Ten champion Mike Mena and Indiana alum Pat DeGain (2005).
The Hoosiers are led by juniors Angel Escobedo (125) and Trevor Perry (174) and sophomore Kurt Kinser (157). Escobedo is ranked third in the nation with a 18-2 record, and has won his last five matches. He won the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA titles, and is a two-time all-American. Escobedo, his cousin Hoosier senior Andrae Hernandez (141) and Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) all wrestled at Griffith High School in Griffith, IN. Kinser is ranked 13th in the country with a 16-4 mark. Perry, who was a high school teammate of Hawkeye junior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, is ranked 15th in the nation with a 24-11 record.
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
Northwestern is 9-6-1 (2-3-1 Big Ten) and ranked 19th in the nation. The Wildcats have wins over Eastern Michigan (23-13), Kent State (21-8), Tennessee-Chattanooga (30-12), Stanford (25-15), Northern Illinois (27-12), Pittsburgh (20-18), Clarion (29-3), Michigan State (31-6), Wisconsin (21-19), losses to UC Davis (15-23), Nebraska (18-19), Missouri (12-25), Illinois (13-22), Minnesota (16-18) and Indiana (11-23), and a 17-17 tie with Michigan. The Wildcats host Ohio State (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. (CT).
Head Coach Tim Cysewski is 149-175-6 in 19 seasons at Northwestern. He was an all-American at 134 pounds for Iowa in 1976, and a four-time Hawkeye letterwinner (1973-76). He is assisted by Northwestern alum Drew Pariano (2000), Will Durkee (Virginia, 2006) and Ryan Bertin (Michigan, 2005).
The Wildcats are led by senior Jake Herbert (184), junior Brandon Precin (125), sophomore Keith Sulzer (141) and freshman Jason Welch (157). Herbert is ranked first in the nation with a 24-0 record. A three-time all-American and two-time Big Ten champion, he won the 2007 NCAA title and took off the 2007-08 season to train for the Olympics. Precin is ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-2 mark and has won 21 of his last 22 bouts. Welch is ranked 14th in the nation with a 19-7 record, while Sulzer is 15th at 18-7. Redshirt freshman Robert Kellogg (174) is a Sioux City, IA, native.
MARQUEE MATCH-UPS
There are five marquee match-ups based on the probable starters for this weekend’s duals. The individual rankings listed below are the most recent from the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA poll.
Iowa vs. Indiana
125 – #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa) vs. #3 Angel Escobedo (Indiana)
Falck is 2-2 against the defending NCAA and Big Ten champion. The Hawkeye junior won the first two meetings (2-1 at 2007 Big Ten Championships and 4-2 at 2008 dual), but Escobedo posted decisions at the 2008 Big Ten (6-3) and NCAA Championships (4-1). Falck is 18-2, ranked fifth in the nation and has won six of his last seven bouts. Escobedo is ranked third in the nation with a 18-2 record, and has won his last five matches.
174 – #4 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. #15 Trevor Perry (Indiana)
Borschel is 2-0 against the Hoosier junior, posting an 8-2 win at the 2007 Midlands and a 11-3 major decision at the 2008 dual. Fourth-ranked Borschel is 21-2 and 4-0 in Big Ten duals. He made his return to the Hawkeye lineup last week against Purdue and Minnesota after sitting out three duals due to injury. He has won his last six matches. Perry is ranked 15th in the nation with a 24-11 record.
Iowa vs. Northwestern
125 – #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa) vs. #4 Brandon Precin (Northwestern)
Falck is 2-1 against Precin, winning the last two meetings (5-2 at 2007 dual and 5-3 at 2008 dual). Precin won the first meeting (pin in 3:20) at the 2007 National Duals. Precin is ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-2 mark and has won 21 of his last 22 bouts. His two season losses were both in overtime to Escobedo (3-1) and Edinboro’s Paul Donahoe (4-1).
141 – #2 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. #15 Keith Sulzer (Northwestern)
This will be the first meeting between Tsirtsis and Sulzer. The Hawkeye senior is ranked second in the nation and boasts a 22-2 season record and six-match winning streak. Sulzer is ranked 15th in the nation with an 18-7 mark.
184 – #3 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) vs. #1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern)
Third-ranked Keddy hits the road with a 12-match winning streak and a 25-1 season record, while top-ranked Herbert is waiting with a perfect 24-0 mark. Keddy’s lone loss was a 15-1 major decision to Herbert in the 2008 Midlands finals. Herbert won the other meeting between the two (pin in 3:44) at the 2007 National Duals. Keddy will have his hands full with the two-time Big Ten champion and 2007 NCAA champion. Herbert has scored team bonus points in all but one match this season.
HAVEN’T WE MET?
Following are past results between the Hawkeyes and their probable weekend opponents that were not mentioned previously in the release.
Iowa vs. Indiana
141 – Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. Scott Kelly (Indiana), 1-0
Tsirtsis dec. Kelly, 2-0 – at 2008 Midlands
157 – Matt Ballweg (Iowa) vs. Kurt Kinser (Indiana), 0-1
Kinser pinned Ballweg, 0:50 – at 2007 Midlands
165 – Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Paul Young (Indiana), 1-0
Morningstar dec. Young, 4-0 – at 2008 Midlands
Iowa vs. Northwestern
149 – Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern), 1-0
Metcalf pinned Nadhir, 6:50 – at 2008 Midlands
165 – Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Dominic Marella (Northwestern), 2-0
Morningstar maj. dec. Marella, 18-5 – at 2007 National Duals
Morningstar dec. Marella, 8-3 – at 2007 dual
THE SERIES
Indiana – Iowa leads the series, 32-4-3, and is 15-1-2 in Bloomington. The Hawkeyes have won the last 17 meetings – including a 28-7 victory last season. Indiana’s last win in the series was 19-13 in 1968. Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands is 1-1 against Indiana. The loss (13-40) came at the 2006 Virginia Duals when Brands was the head coach at Virginia Tech. Hoosier Head Coach Duane Goldman is 0-8 against his alma mater.
Northwestern – Iowa leads the series, 64-7-1, and is 30-4-1 in Evanston. Iowa has won the last four meetings – including the 22-13 decision last season. Northwestern’s last win in the series was 22-19 in 2005. Brands is 3-0 against Northwestern, while Cysewski is 1-19 against his alma mater.
LAST MEETING – HAWKEYES HOLD OFF NORTHWESTERN, 22-13
The top-ranked Hawkeyes won their seventh straight dual, defeating #10 Northwestern, 22-13, Jan. 27, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won six bouts, but trailed the first half of the dual against an aggressive Wildcat squad. The win was the 160th for Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the 45th career victory for Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. Iowa improved to 14-1 (3-0 Big Ten), while the Wildcats fell to 5-5 (0-1).
Northwestern jumped out to a 7-0 lead with wins at the first two weights. Senior Mike Tamillow opened the dual at 197 with a 12-3 major decision over Iowa sophomore Chad Beatty. Top-ranked senior heavyweight Dustin Fox used 1:07 of riding time to defeat #6 Matt Fields, 2-1.
The Hawkeyes bounced back with #3 Charlie Falck scoring his 20th season victory with a 5-3 win over #5 Brandon Precin at 125. Sophomore Joe Slaton followed at 133 with an 11-6 win over unranked Eric Metzler.
Northwestern responded with an upset at 141 as unranked freshman Keith Sulzer defeated #9 Dan LeClere, 9-3. Trailing 10-6, Iowa won four of the last five bouts to remain undefeated in the Big Ten. Sophomores Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (157), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) each picked up wins for the Hawkeyes. Top-ranked Metcalf dominated #4 Ryan Lang, scoring a 12-3 major decision. Keddy brought the crowd of 5,837 to its feet with his 1:58 pin over Adil Kolovic to end the dual and clinch the win for Iowa.
Iowa 22, Northwestern 13
197 – Mike Tamillow (N) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 12-3
Hwt. – Dustin Fox (N) dec. Matt Fields (I), 2-1
125 – Charlie Falck (I) dec. Brandon Precin (N), 5-3
133 – Joe Slaton (I) dec. Eric Metzler (N), 11-6
141 – Keith Sulzer (N) dec. Dan LeClere (I), 9-3
149 – Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Ryan Lang (N), 12-3
157 – Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Andrew Nadhir (N), 6-4
165 – Dominic Marella (N) dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 7-5
174 – Jay Borschel (I) dec. Nick Hayes (N), 3-1
184 – Phillip Keddy (I) pinned Adil Kolovic (N), 1:58
LAST MEETING – HAWKEYES BEAT INDIANA, 28-7
The top-ranked Hawkeyes posted their 12th straight win with a 28-7 victory over #21 Indiana Feb. 15, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 19-1 with the win. Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 50th career win, as Iowa won eight bouts and scored bonus points in four. Indiana fell to 12-7, 1-5 in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead with wins at the first four bouts. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck brought the crowd of 6,116 to its feet when he upset #2 Angel Escobedo, 4-2, at 125. Falck, who is ranked third in the nation, handed Escobedo (24-1) his first loss of the season. Sophomore Joe Slaton won his 10th straight match with a 3-2 decision over Andre Hernandez at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere scored 19 points in the last two periods of his 141-pound match to post a 23-8 technical fall over Scott Kelly. At 149, sophomore Brent Metcalf won his 21st straight match with a 19-6 major decision over Kurt Kinser.
Indiana put points on the board with wins at 157 and 165, but the Hawkeyes shut the Hoosiers out in the final four matches. Sophomore Jay Borschel extended his winning streak to 12 with an 11-3 major decision over Trevor Perry at 174. Sophomore Phillip Keddy followed with a 17-5 major decision over Marc Bennett at 184. At 197, sophomore Chad Beatty scored a takedown with 30 seconds left in the match to beat Joe Fagiano, 9-7. Senior heavyweight Matt Fields closed out the dual with a 7-3 victory over Nate Everhart.
Iowa 28, Indiana 7
125 – Charlie Falck (I) dec. Angel Escobedo (IND), 4-2
133 – Joe Slaton (I) dec. Andre Hernandez (IND), 3-2
141 – Dan LeClere (I) tech. fall Scott Kelly (IND), 23-8
149 – Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Kurt Kinser (IND), 19-6
157 – B. Becker (IND) maj. dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 9-0
165 – Matt Coughlin (IND) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 7-4
174 – Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Trevor Perry (IND), 11-3
184 – Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. Marc Bennett (IND), 17-5
197 – Chad Beatty (I) dec. Joe Fagiano (IND), 9-7
Hwt. – Matt Fields (I) dec. Nate Everhart (IND), 7-3
HAWKEYES GO 2-0 IN FINAL SEASON HOME STAND
The top-ranked Hawkeyes recorded wins over #25 Purdue (38-0) and #11/#13 Minnesota (25-9) last weekend to finish the 2008-09 regular season undefeated at home (10-0). It was Iowa’s 17th undefeated season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (7-0) as the first three home duals were held at the University of Iowa Field House. It was also the first time Iowa stayed perfect at home since the 2002-03 season. The Hawkeyes improved to 22-0 (6-0 Big Ten) with the wins, while Purdue fell to 11-5-1 (0-4-1) and Minnesota dropped to 14-7 (4-3).
Despite adverse weather conditions, 5,709 fans turned out for the Iowa-Purdue dual on Friday the 13th. It was the first time Iowa shut out an opponent since beating Binghamton (48-0) on Nov. 29 at the Journeymen Duals in Troy, NY. It was also the first time that the Hawkeyes held a Big Ten opponent scoreless since beating Purdue (42-0) in 2000.
Iowa dominated the dual, scoring 36 takedowns while holding Purdue to two. The Hawkeyes got technical falls from junior Daniel Dennis (133) and senior Alex Tsirtsis (141), as well as major decisions from senior Charlie Falck (125) and juniors Brent Metcalf (149), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184).
Tsirtsis picked up his 90th career victory and his 20th win in Carver-Hawkeye with the win. Metcalf posted a 14-4 victory over #8 Jake Patascil to record his 57th straight win. Morningstar tallied his 70th career win, and Borschel posted his 20th season win in first apperance since the end of January due to injury. Beatty scored an escape in the tiebreak period to upset #13 Logan Brown, 2-1.
The Hawkeyes celebrated senior day with 10,095 fans and their second win of the season over Minnesota. Hawkeye seniors Derek Coorough (149), Falck, Tsirtsis, and T.H. Leet (165) were honored before the dual.
Minnesota started the dual with an upset at 125 pounds, as freshman Zach Sanders scored a takedown with eight seconds left to beat Falck. Sanders, who is ranked eighth in the nation, snapped Falck’s six-match winning streak and handed the fourth-ranked Hawkeye his first dual loss of the season.
The Hawkeyes responded with top-ranked Dennis scoring a 9-7 victory over #5 Jayson Ness to tie the team score at 3-3. Dennis, who posted a 6-4 win over Ness when Iowa beat Minnesota 27-7 in the second round of the 2009 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls last month, remains 6-0 in Big Ten duals and has won his last eight bouts.
Iowa posted wins at the next two weights as Tsirtsis and junior Brent Metcalf (149) extended their own winning streaks. Tsirtsis, who is ranked second in the nation, posted a 2-1 decision over #8 Mike Thorn at 141 to score his sixth-straight win. Metcalf stuck Joe Grygelko in 4:38 to post his 59th straight win and his 14th pin of the season. The top-ranked Hawkeye junior is now 27-0 on the season.
The Hawkeyes responded after the break with four straight wins to clinch the team victory. Junior Ryan Morningstar kicked the run off with a 9-4 decision over Scott Glasser at 165. Hawkeye 174-pounder junior Jay Borschel followed with an 11-3 major decision over Kaleb Young. Borschel scored all 11 points in the third period – including 10 in the last minute.Junior Phillip Keddy posted his 25th season and 12th straight victory, beating Sonny Yohn, 10-6, at 184. Hawkeye junior Chad Beatty scored Iowa’s final win of the dual with a 5-4 victory over Gordon Bierschenk at 197. Beatty and Borschel have won their last five matches. Minnesota closed out the dual with a victory at heavyweight when Ben Berhow beat Iowa redshirt freshman Jordan Johnson, 12-9. Johnson was competing for injured Hawkeye starter Dan Erekson.
WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS
For dates and more information about 2009 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 HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 850-215-30 (.790) in 97 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 21 national titles and 32 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 76 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 101 Big Ten champions have won a total of 182 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 135 all-Americans have earned all-America status 273 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 33 two-time honorees.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Mike Zadick and Jared Frayer earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, six NCAA titles, 11 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.858).
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS ON SALE
Penn State University will host of the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA, March 7-8.
Action begins on March 7 with two sessions, one at 10 a.m. (CT) and a second at 5 p.m. (CT). The March 8 session, which features the placing bouts and championships, begins at 11 a.m. (CT). The championship finals will be aired live on the Big Ten Network at 1 p.m. (CT).
All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students/youth. Fans can purchase tickets from the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office at 814-865-5555.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR ST. LOUIS
The 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Scottrade Center was the site for the national wrestling tournament in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2008. The NCAA, University of Missouri and the St. Louis Sports Commission will co-host the event.
Sessions one (11 a.m.) and two (6:30 p.m.) will be held Mar. 19, sessions three (10 a.m.) and four (6 p.m.) will be Mar. 20, and session five (9:30 a.m.) and the championship finals (5:30 p.m.) are set for Mar. 21. Sessions three and five will be aired live on ESPNU, session four will be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPNU and the championship finals will be aired live on ESPN. ESPN360.com will air a live simulcast for sessions three, five and the championship finals.
Tickets to the event are available at (800) 745-3000, (314) 241-1888 or ticketmaster.com. All-session tickets are priced based on seat location. The price breakdown is as follows: Plaza – $150, Mezzanine Center & Mezzanine Corner (1st 2 rows) – $120, Mezzanine Corner & Mezzanine End (1st 2 rows) – $95, Mezzanine End – $60.
UP NEXT
The top-ranked Hawkeyes will vy for their 33rd conference team title at the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held by Penn State University, March 7-8, at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA.