March 20, 2009
ST. LOUIS, MO — Hawkeye junior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf will wrestle for his second straight NCAA title Saturday night in St. Louis, MO. He and four other Hawkeyes earned all-America honors with their wins Friday night at the NCAA Championships. Iowa is in second place with 81 points in a tight team race after Friday’s competition. Ohio State leads the team standings with 84.5, and Iowa State is in third with 71.5.
“We’ve got five guys tomorrow that need to take care of business,” said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. “The final two matches of the night (Friday) were huge for us for the team race.”
Metcalf posted his 69th straight win with a 6-2 victory over #4 seed Lance Palmer of Ohio State in the championship semifinals. The defending NCAA champion and the tournament’s top seed at 149 pounds, Metcalf will put his 37-0 season record on the line when he faces #3 seed Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State in the finals Saturday night. Caldwell handed Metcalf (72-1) his only collegiate career loss when he pinned the Hawkeye junior in 1:40 at the 2007 St. Edward Duals. Metcalf won the other collegiate meeting – a 19-3 technical fall in 6:20 – at the NWCA All-Star Dual in November.
Hawkeye junior Phillip Keddy (184) earned his second all-America honor Friday night, while juniors Daniel Dennis (133), Ryan Morningstar (165) and Dan Erekson (Hwt) each garnered their first.
Morningstar lost his semifinal bout – a 2-1 decision in the first tiebreak period – to #2 seed Andrew Howe of Wisconsin. The third-seeded Hawkeye will face #4 seed Moza Fay of Northern Iowa in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning. Keddy and Erekson both went 2-0 in their wrestleback matches and will compete in Saturday’s consolation semifinals. Keddy helped the Hawkeye team score with a 10-2 major decision over Northern Iowa’s Alex Dolly in his first match. He then scored his 75th career win with a 2-0 decision over Harvard’s Louis Caputo in his second bout. The second-seeded Hawkeye will face #12 seed Vince Jones in the consolation semifinal. Keddy is 2-0 against Jones, posting an 8-1 win at the 2008 dual and an 8-5 victory at the 2009 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals.
In his first bout of the night, Erekson got a takedown in sudden victory to beat Edinboro’s Joe Fendone, 8-6, and score his 25th season win. He then received a default from Pittsburgh’s Zach Sheaffer to advance to the consolation semifinals. The seventh-seeded Hawkeye will face top seed David Zabriskie of Iowa State in the bout. Erekson is 0-3 against the Cyclone.
Dennis picked up his 30th season victory with an 8-4 decision over #11 seed Mike Grey of Cornell in his first consolation bout of the night. He then lost a 6-3 decision to #3 seed Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois in the second wrestleback bout. The third-seeded Hawkeye will face #8 seed Joe Baker of Navy in the seventh-place match Saturday morning. It will be the first meeting between the two.
Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck (125) and junior Jay Borschel (174) were eliminated from the tournament after losing their consolation bouts Friday night. Falck ended his Hawkeye career with a 94-34 mark, going 25-6 this season. Borschel went 29-5 this season, and has a 61-10 career record.
Saturday morning’s session is scheduled to get underway at 9:30 a.m. (CT) at the Scottrade Center. Competition will include the consolation semifinals and the third, fifth, and seventh-place matches. Competition will be broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPN360.com
NCAA TEAM STANDINGS (Top 10 After Day Two)
Place Team – Points
1. Ohio State – 84.5
2. Iowa – 81
3. Iowa State – 71.5
4. Nebraska – 69
5. Edinboro – 63.5
6. Cornell – 63
7. Missouri – 57.5
8. Illinois – 49.5
9. Wisconsin – 45
10. Boise State – 43
IOWA’S NCAA SESSION FOUR RESULTS
Championship Semifinal Matches
149 – #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec. #4 Lance Palmer (Ohio St.), 6-2
165 – #2 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. #3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa), 2-1 TB-1
Consolation Bracket Matches
125 – #11 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa), 5-2
133 – #4 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) dec. #11 Mike Grey (Cornell), 8-4
133 – #3 Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) dec. #4 Daniel Dennis (Iowa), 6-3
174 – #6 Steve Anceravage (Cornell) pinned #4 Jay Borschel (Iowa), 1:54
184 – #2 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) maj. dec. Alex Dolly (N. Iowa), 10-2
184 – #2 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) dec. #11 Louis Caputo (Harvard), 2-0
Hwt. – #7 Dan Erekson (Iowa) dec. Joe Fendone (Edinboro), 8-6 SV-1
Hwt. – #7 Dan Erekson (Iowa) won by default over Zach Sheaffer (Pittsburgh)
IOWA’S NCAA SESSION FIVE MATCH-UPS
Consolation Semifinals
165 – #3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. #4 Moza Fay (N. Iowa)
184 – #2 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) vs. #12 Vince Jones (Nebraska)
Hwt. – #7 Dan Erekson (Iowa) vs. #1 David Zabriskie (Iowa St.)
Seventh Place Match
133 – #4 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) vs. Joe Baker (Navy)