Wrestlers Head To Ames For Intra-State Rivalry

Wrestlers Head To Ames For Intra-State Rivalry

Dec. 1, 2009

THIS WEEK
Top-ranked Iowa (7-0) will take on second-ranked Iowa State (1-0) Dec. 6 in Ames. The intra-state rivals will face off at 6 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. The Hawkeyes have won their last 45 overall dual matches and 31 road duals. Both streaks are school records.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth, and are available at the Iowa State University Athletic Ticket Office at (888) 478-2925, (515) 294-1816 or www.cyclones.com.

ON THE AIR
Radio – Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action for live on AM-800, KXIC and www.hawkeyesports.com. Web audio broadcasts are available using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year).

Television – The dual will be broadcast live on Iowa Public Television (IPTV). Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and former Hawkeye wrestling coach Dan Gable will call the action for IPTV, which is in its 34th year of broadcasting college wrestling.

Online Video – Iowa State is providing a live web cast of the dual at www.cyclones.com through the Clone Zone premium service subscription ($8.95 per month or $79.95 per year).

IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Iowa State is 1-0 with a 43-3 win over South Dakota State Nov. 12 in Ames. The Cyclones also crowned seven champions at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open in Ames and one champion at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha last month.

Head Coach Kevin Jackson is in his first season at Iowa State and first as a collegiate head coach. The former Cyclone served as USA Wrestling’s National Freestyle Coach from 2001-08 and won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. Jackson was a four-time all-American in college, serving as team captain for the last Iowa State squad to win a national title (1987).

Jackson is assisted by Chris Bono (Iowa State, 1997), Yero Washington (Fresno State, 1999), Dylan Long (Northern Iowa, 2004) and Nate Gallick (Iowa State, 2006).

Iowa State returns four all-Americans in seniors Nick Gallick (141), Jake Varner (197) and David Zabriskie (Hwt.) and junior Jon Reader (165) from the 2008-09 squad that went 15-3, tied for first in the Big 12 and placed third at the NCAA meet. Varner is a three-time NCAA finalist, winning the 2009 197-pound national title. Gallick, Zabriskie and Reader are each two-time all-Americans. Varner is ranked first in the nation with a 6-0 record, while Gallick is ranked first and second with a 4-0 mark. Zabriskie is ranked between second and sixth, depending on the publication, with a 5-0 record. Reader is also 5-0 and ranked fifth.

Also returning for the Cyclones are seniors Nick Fanthorpe (133), Mitch Mueller (149), Duke Burk (174) and Joe Curran (184), and sophomore Jerome Ward (184). Fanthorpe is ranked between fifth and seventh in the nation with a 1-0 record; Mueller is ranked between ninth and 15th at 10-1 and Burk is ranked 12th or 13th at 6-0. Ward is ranked either 15th or 18th with a 4-1 record.

New to the Iowa State lineup are redshirt freshman Andrew Long (125), sophomore Andrew Sorenson (157) and junior Nate Carr, Jr. (157). Long is ranked 10th or 12th in the country with a 9-0 record. Carr, Jr. is 4-1, while Sorenson is 12-1.

THE SERIES
Iowa leads the series, 56-16-2, and has won the last four meetings. The Hawkeyes hold a 22-11-1 edge in Ames, and won the last meeting (20-15) last season. Iowa State’s last win in the series was 19-16 Dec. 5, 2004, at Iowa City.

HAVEN’T WE MET?
Following are the past series results for potential Iowa-Iowa State matchups:

133 – Daniel Dennis (I) is 1-0 vs. Nick Fanthorpe (ISU)
Dennis dec. Fanthorpe, 4-3, at 2008 Midlands finals

141 – Dan LeClere (I) is 2-0 vs. Nick Gallick (ISU)
LeClere dec. Gallick, 3-1, at 2007-08 dual
LeClere dec. Gallick, 5-3 SV-1, at 2007 Midlands

149 – Brent Metcalf (I) is 2-0 vs. Mitch Mueller (ISU)
Metcalf maj. dec. Mueller, 14-4, at 2007-08 dual
Metcalf tech. fall Mueller, 26-10 in 6:14, at 2008-09 dual

157 – Matt Ballweg (I) is 1-0 vs. Andrew Sorenson (ISU)
Ballweg dec. Sorenson, 7-2, at 2009 Kaufman-Brand Open

157 – Jake Kerr (I) is 2-0 vs. Andrew Sorenson (ISU)
Kerr dec. Sorenson, 5-4 TB-1, at 2008 Nichols/Cyclone Open
Kerr dec. Sorenson, 3-2, at 2008 Midlands

165 – Ryan Morningstar (I) is 3-0 vs. Jon Reader (ISU)
Morningstar dec. Reader, 2-0, at 2008-09 dual
Morningstar dec. Reader, 5-4 TB-1, at 2008 Midlands finals
Morningstar dec. Reader, 7-5 SV-1, at 2009 NCAA’s

174 – Jay Borschel (I) is 2-0 vs. Duke Burk (ISU)
Borschel maj. dec. Burk, 10-1, at 2007 Midlands
Borschel dec. Burk, 6-2, at 2008-09 dual

184 – Phillip Keddy (I) is 1-0 vs. Jerome Ward (ISU)
Keddy dec. Ward, 3-2, at 2008-09 dual

PERSONNEL NOTES
? Iowa senior Brent Metcalf (149) and Iowa State junior Jon Reader (165) were high school teammates at Davison High School in Davison, MI. Metcalf was a four-time state champion, while Reader won three state titles. Both were part of four state champion teams during their prep careers.

? Iowa junior Tyler Clark (125) and sophomore Jordan Johnson (Hwt.) and Iowa State sophomore Billy Lewis (174) were prep teammates at Bettendorf in 2006-07. Clark transferred from Iowa State, where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier, and will redshirt the 2009-10 season.

? Iowa State senior Mitch Mueller (149) is an Iowa City native. He competed for Iowa City West High School.

? Hawkeyes Matt Ballweg (157) and Mark Ballweg (133/141) and Cyclone redshirt freshman Eric Thompson (Hwt.) were high school teammates at Waverly-Shell Rock in Waverly, IA. The Ballwegs and Thompson each won two state titles. Waverly-Shell Rock won the Class 3A state tournament and dual team titles in 2005 and 2008.

? Hawkeye Assistant Coach Terry Brands and Cyclone Head Coach Kevin Jackson both worked with USA Wrestling from 2005-08. Brands served as the National Freestyle Resident Coach, while Jackson was the National Freestyle Coach.

LAST MEETING – IOWA 20, IOWA STATE 15
The top-ranked Hawkeyes set the national collegiate dual meet attendance record as 15,955 fans packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena to see Iowa beat Iowa State, 20-15, on Dec. 6, 2008.The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Iowa scored wins at six weights – including two upsets and one technical fall.

Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck got Iowa out to a 3-0 lead with his 4-2 win over Cyclone sophomore Tyler Clark at 125, but Iowa State fought back with Nick Fanthorpe’s 12-2 major decision over Iowa junior Joe Slaton at 133. Senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) and junior Brent Metcalf (149) put Iowa on a roll with wins at the next two weights. Tsirtsis, who was ranked third in the nation, scored a reversal as time expired to upset second-ranked Nick Gallick, 4-2. Metcalf scored crucial team bonus points with a 26-10 technical fall over Mitch Mueller in 6:14. Cyclone Cyler Sanderson scored bonus points of his own with a 22-9 major decision over Iowa sophomore Matt Ballweg at 157, making the team score 11-8 going into intermission.

Hawkeye juniors Ryan Morningstar (165), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) fired off three straight wins, scoring Iowa’s final team points of the night. Morningstar, who was ranked ninth in the nation, upset #3 Jon Reader, 2-0. Borschel scored a 6-2 win over Duke Burk, while Keddy scored a takedown in the last minute to beat Jerome Ward, 3-2. Each Hawkeye, except Keddy, handed their Cyclone opponent his first loss of the season. Iowa State won the last two bouts – a 13-3 major decision by top-ranked Jake Varner over Hawkeye sophomore Luke Lofthouse at 197 and a 5-1 decision by David Zabriskie over junior Dan Erekson at heavyweight.

Iowa 20, Iowa State 15
125 – Charlie Falck (I) dec. Tyler Clark (ISU), 4-2
133 – Nick Fanthorpe (ISU) maj. dec. Joe Slaton (I), 12-2
141 – Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Nick Gallick (ISU), 4-2
149 – Brent Metcalf (I) tech. fall Mitch Mueller (ISU), 26-10 in 6:14
157 – Cyler Sanderson (ISU) maj. dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 22-9
165 – Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Jon Reader (ISU), 2-0
174 – Jay Borschel (I) dec. Duke Burk (ISU), 6-2
184 – Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Jerome Ward (ISU), 3-2
197 – Jake Varner (ISU) maj. dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 13-3
Hwt. – David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 5-1

HY-VEE CY-HAWK SERIES
This dual is the sixth event in the sixth annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series. Iowa State leads the series, 6-5, after scoring wins in volleyball, men’s cross country and women’s cross country. Iowa has wins in football and soccer. Fans can following the progress of this year’s 13-event series at www.hy-veecyhawkseries.com.

The series awards two points (except football, which is worth three) to the winning school in each head-to-head match-up between the two institutions. Additionally, two points are awarded to an institution if the graduation rate of its student-athletes is greater than the national average as reported each fall by the NCAA.

A commemorative Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series Cup, which stands 31 inches tall and weighs 19 pounds, is displayed on the winning team’s campus for an entire year after a victory. Replica cups are also presented as “traveling trophies” for individual victorious teams in the head-to-head competition.

Each team has won the series twice, with Iowa taking the titles in 2005 (13-8) and 2007 (13-8), and Iowa State winning in 2006 (13-8)and 2008 (18-9).

This season’s sixth annual series schedule and results are listed below:

Iowa State 6, Iowa 5
Date – Event (Point Value) – Site – Result – Score IA-ISU
9/11 – Volleyball (2) – Iowa City – ISU, 3-1 – 0-2
9/12 – Football (3) – Ames – IA, 35-3 – 3-2
9/18 – Soccer (2) – Iowa City – IA, 2-0 – 5-2
11/14 – Men’s Cross Country (2) – Springfield, MO – ISU, 3rd – 5-4
11/14 – Women’s Cross Country (2) – Springfield, MO – ISU, 3rd – 5-6
12/6 – Wrestling (2) – Ames
12/10 – Women’s Basketball (2) – Ames
12/11 – Men’s Basketball (2) – Ames
12/11 – Women’s Swimming (2) – Ames
2/21 – Women’s Gymnastics (2) – Iowa City
2/21 – Women’s Tennis (2) – Iowa City
3/5 – Women’s Gymnastics (2) – Ames
3/31 – Softball (2) – Ames

IOWA GOES 2-0 AT BUCKNELL
The Hawkeyes improved to 7-0 with wins over Bucknell (29-7) and Rutgers (33-9) Nov. 27 at Bucknell’s Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, PA. A crowd of 2,127 attended the dual meets. Iowa extended its winning streaks to 45 duals overall, which is a school record, and 31 duals on the road, which tied a school record.

Iowa went 16-4 in the two duals and scored bonus points in nine bouts. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 15-0 lead against Bucknell (2-3) with wins at the first four weights. The Bison scored wins at 157 and 165 before the Hawkeyes rolled through the final four bouts to take a 29-7 win. Against Rutgers (3-2), Iowa posted wins at the first five weights to take a 22-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights scored a win in sudden victory at 165 to get on the board, but Iowa followed with three more wins to seal the victory. Rutgers posted a pin at heavyweight to end the dual at 33-9.

Six Hawkeyes went 2-0 on the day, and improved to 7-0 on the season. Redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) scored a 19-4 technical fall over Bucknell’s Derrik Russell and pinned Rutgers’ Vinny Dellafave in 3:39. Senior Daniel Dennis (133) recorded a 14-5 major decision over Bucknell’s David Marble and a 20-5 technical fall over Billy Ashnault of Rutgers. At 174, senior Jay Borschel scored major decisions over Shane Riccio of Bucknell (10-1) and Daniel Rinaldi of Rutgers (16-3). McDonough, Dennis and Borschel have scored team bonus points in all seven victories this season. Senior Brent Metcalf followed a close 3-2 win over Bucknell’s Kevin LeValley with a match-ending 20-5 technical fall over Kellen Bradley of Rutgers. Seniors Dan LeClere (141) and Chad Beatty (197) each recorded two decisions on the day.

Iowa also went 2-0 at 184 pounds, with senior Phillip Keddy and redshirt freshman Grant Gambrall splitting time. Keddy scored a 12-4 major decision over Bucknell’s Rob Walkto, improving to 6-0 on the season. Gambrall picked up his first career dual win with an 11-3 major decision over Jesse Boyden of Rutgers.

HAWKEYE WRESTLING TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Iowa’s six remaining home meets are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. Following are this season’s prices.

Single Meet vs. Northern Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern
Advance Purchase: $10 – Adult, $5 – Youth
Door Purchase: $12 – Adult, $6 – Youth
Free Admission: UI students, Children ages 5 and under

Single Meet vs. Oklahoma State, Penn State and Ohio State
Advance Purchase: $13 – Adult, $7 – Youth, $2 – Age 5 and under
Door Purchase: $15 – Adult, $8 – Youth, $2 – Age 5 and under
Free Admission: UI students

WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS
For dates and more information about 2010 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com.

WWW.HAWKYESPORTS.COM
Press releases, meet results, and audio and video broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa’s website, www.hawkeyesports.com.To access live scoring for home meets, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Live Results link. Results will be updated after each bout during the dual. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Iowa’s 11 seniors – Chad Beatty, Jay Borschel, Daniel Dennis, Dan Erekson, Michael Fahrer, Phillip Keddy, Dan LeClere, Rick Loera, Brent Metcalf, Ryan Morningstar, Joe Slaton – bring a wealth of talent and experience to the mat.

The group has a combined career record of 550-197, going 338-105 in duals, 94-48 in Big Ten duals and 126-36 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The group has scored 1,371 team points in dual competition and has started a combined 446 dual matches. Iowa’s seniors have won one NCAA individual title, three Big Ten individual titles, nine all-America honors and qualified for the NCAA Championships 16 times.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
On the 2009-10 Hawkeye wrestling team, there is one set of brothers, two wrestlers whose fathers also wrestled at Iowa and two uncle-nephew combinations.

Junior Matt Ballweg (157) and redshirt freshman Mark Ballweg (133/141) are brothers who hail from Waverly, IA.

Senior Rick Loera (197), redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125/133) and true freshman Nick Trizzino all had fathers who wrestled for the Hawkeyes. George Loera (1975-76) and Mike McDonough (1974-76) wrestled on the same team, while Mark Trizzino was an all-American (1984) and four-year letterwinner (1981-84) for the Hawkeyes.

Junior Luke Lofthouse (197) is the uncle of Hawkeye true freshman Ethen Lofthouse (174). Nick Trizzino’s uncle, Scott Trizzino, was also a three-time all-American (1978-79-81) and four-time letterwinner (1977-79, 1981) for the Hawkeyes.

There have been 10 sets of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye lineup since the 1950s. They are Don and Tom Huff (1961), Mark and Scott Trizzino (1981), Lenny, Larry and Jim Zalesky (1981-82), Ed and Lou Banach (1981-83), Marty and Lindley Kistler (1984-85), Jim and John Heffernan (1987), Tom and Terry Brands (1989-92), Troy and Terry Steiner (1991-93), Ryan and Randy Fulsaas (2001) and Luke and Ty Eustice (2003-04).

There have also been five sets of twins to wrestle at Iowa. They are Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Ben and Brett Stedman, Troy and Terry Steiner, and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas.

CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Mike Zadick and Danny Song earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, six NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 13 all-America honors.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR OMAHA
The 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. The NCAA, University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission will co-host the event. Tickets to the event are available at (402) 422-1212 or ticketmaster.com.

UP NEXT
Top-ranked Iowa (7-0) will host intra-state rival Northern Iowa (3-3) Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 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. Web audio broadcasts are available using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Video of the dual will be also streamed live on www.bigtennetwork.com at at cost of $2.99. Tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, while tickets purchased at the event are $12 for adults and $6 for youth. UI students and children ages five and under will receive free admission to the dual. The meet has been designated the Miracle Meet, in support of the UI Children’s Hospital, and food drive. Fans can bring in three non-perishable food items to the UI Sports Marketing table at each Carver-Hawkeye Arena entrance and receive an Iowa wrestling decal.

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