March 15, 2010
- 2010 NCAA Championships
- Carver-Hawkeye Arena Revitalization
- 2009-10 Hawkeye Wrestling Media Guide
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- Big Ten Network highlights
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
THIS WEEK
Iowa’s 10 qualifiers will compete for the school’s 23rd NCAA team title at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships, Thursday-Saturday at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. Competition is set to start Thursday at 11 a.m. (CT).
This is the first time in the championship’s 80-year history that the state of Nebraska will host the event. The NCAA, University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission will co-host the event. For ticket information, visit ticketmaster.com.
Iowa enters the tournament as the two-time defending team champion. The Hawkeyes have put together a series of title streaks, placing first nine straight times from 1978-86, six times from 1995-2000, three times from 1991-93 and two times twice (1975-76, 2008-09).
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Following is the NCAA Championships event schedule. Times are Central.
Session – Day – Time (CT) – Mats – Competition
Session I – Thursday – 11 a.m. – 8 – Pigtails & 1st Round
Session II – Thursday – 6:30 p.m. – 8 – Consolation Prelims, 1st Round
Session III – Friday – 9:30 a.m. – 8 – Championship Quarterfinals, Consolation 2nd & 3rd Rounds
Session IV – Friday – 6 p.m. – 6 – Championship Semifinals, Consolation 4th & 5th Rounds
Session V – Saturday – 10 a.m. – 6 – Consolation Semifinals, 3rd-5th-7th Place Matches
Session VI – Saturday – 6:30 p.m. – 1 – Championship Finals
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Updated brackets and team standings will be available throughout the tournament at www.ncaasports.com.
NCAA QUALIFIERS
Iowa is one of four schools to qualify its entire 10-man lineup for the national tournament. It is the 18th time in school history – and the first since 2004 – that the Hawkeyes have qualified all 10 wrestlers. The other years were 1968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2004. Iowa qualified 11 wrestlers to the national tournament in 1959 and 1969.
Iowa is the only school with 10 automatic qualifiers. The other three schools with 10 qualifiers – Iowa State, Central Michigan and Oklahoma – each had at least one at-large qualifier. Oklahoma State and Minnesota each have nine qualifiers, while Boise State, Cornell, Ohio State and Virginia have eight.
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. Web audio broadcasts are available using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year).
Television – Sessions III, IV and V will be aired live on ESPNU HD. The championship finals will be aired live on ESPN HD.
Internet – Matches from Sessions I and II will be broadcast on NCAA.com, and wrestling from Sessions III and VI will be available on ESPN360.com. 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 ppics.hawkeyesports.com.
IOWA QUALIFIERS BY THE NUMBERS
Iowa’s 10 NCAA qualifiers have combined for one national title, eight all-America honors and 24 NCAA appearances.
Seniors Ryan Morningstar (165) and Phillip Keddy (184) are making their fourth NCAA appearance, seniors Brent Metcalf (149), Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) are competing at their third and seniors Daniel Dennis (133) and Chad Beatty (197) are wrestling in their second. Junior Jake Kerr (157), sophomore Montell Marion (141) and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) are all making their first NCAA appearance.
Metcalf and Keddy are all two-time all-Americans, with Metcalf winning the 2008 149-pound NCAA title. Dennis, Morningstar,Borschel and Erekson have each earned one all-America honor.
NCAA BRACKETS ANNOUNCED The NCAA released brackets for the upcoming Division I Wrestling Championships last week, announcing that nine of Iowa’s 10 national qualifiers earned tournament seeds. The top-ranked Hawkeyes will compete for the school’s 23rd NCAA team title March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE.
Seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Jay Borschel (174) are each seeded second at their respective weight classes, while redshirt freshman Matt McDonough is seeded third at 125. Hawkeye senior Dan Erekson (Hwt.) is seeded fifth, sophomore Montell Marion (141) is seeded sixth and seniors Phillip Keddy (184) and Chad Beatty (197) are each seeded ninth. Iowa’s 10 NCAA qualifiers have combined for one national title, eight all-America honors and 24 NCAA appearances. McDonough, Marion and Kerr will be competing at their first NCAA tournament.
IOWA’S FIRST ROUND NCAA MATCH-UPS (Numbers indicate tournament seeds)
125 – #3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. winner of Eric Morrill (Edinboro)/Jason Lara (Oregon State)
133 – #2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) vs. Kevin Smith (Buffalo)
141 – #6 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. Cole VonOhlen (Air Force)
149 – #2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Trenton Washington (Northern Iowa)
157 – Jake Kerr (Iowa) vs. Tejovan Edwards (Arizona State)
165 – #7 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Donald Jones (West Virginia)
174 – #2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. Scott Giffin (Pennsylvania)
184 – #9 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) vs. Michael Salopek (Virginia)
197 – #9 Chad Beatty (Iowa) vs. Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State)
Hwt. – #5 Dan Erekson (Iowa) vs. Clayton Jack (Oregon State)
NCAA RECORDS
Iowa holds five NCAA Championship records. The Hawkeyes hold records for most team points scored (170 in 1997), largest margin of victory (73.25 points in 1986), number of consecutive team titles (nine from 1978-86), most finalists (six in 1986 and 1997) and most individual champions (five in 1986 and 1997).
Ten Hawkeyes have been named Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships since the award was first given in 1932. They are Chuck Yagla (1976), Bruce Kinseth (1979), Jim Zalesky (1984), Barry Davis (1985), Marty Kistler (1986), Tom Brands (1992), Terry Steiner (1993), Lincoln McIlravy (1997), Joe Williams (1998) and Brent Metcalf (2008).
2009 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW
Despite crowning no individual champions, the Hawkeyes collected their second straight national team title at the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, MO. Iowa scored 96.5 points, edging runner-up Ohio State by 4.5 points, to record the school’s 22nd NCAA team title. That is the closest margin of victory since Iowa won the 1999 team title by two points. It marked only the second time in school history that the Hawkeyes won the NCAA title without an individual champion. Iowa also accomplished that feat in 1978. It was also the first year the Hawkeyes did not crown an individual champion since 2006.
Iowa’s lone finalist – junior Brent Metcalf – was upset in the 149-pound finals by #3 seed Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State, 11-6. Metcalf, who won the 2008 NCAA 149-pound title and was the tournamen’ts top seed at that weight class, saw his 69-match winning streak snapped in the finals.
After qualifying nine wrestlers for the event, the Hawkeyes crowned five all-Americans in Metcalf and juniors Daniel Dennis (133-7th), Ryan Morningstar (165-3rd), Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.-4th). The tournament’s six-session attendance total of 97,111 was a record.
2010 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW
Hawkeye seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) wrestled their way to conference titles at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, MI. The duo helped the top-ranked Hawkeyes win their third-straight Big Ten title and the school’s 34th overall. Iowa scored 156.5 points en route to the title, which is its highest score since 1995 (185), and the Big Ten’s highest since Minnesota scored 174 in 2002. Iowa also qualified its entire 10-man lineup for the NCAA Championships for the 18th time in school history and the first since 2004.
The Hawkeyes posted a 27-10 record over the two-day tournament, including a perfect 15-0 first round on Saturday.
Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third straight year becoming the first coach in conference history to earn the honor in three consecutive seasons. Iowa redshirt freshman Matt McDonough, who placed second at 125 pounds, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He is the fifth Hawkeye to earn the honor and the first since Steve Mocco in 2002.
Borschel, who was the tournament’s top seed at 174 pounds, picked up his first Big Ten title with an 8-1 decision over Minnesota’s Scott Glasser in the finals. The Hawkeye senior controlled the match, scoring a takedown in each period, a second-period escape and a point for accumulating 2:59 of riding time. Borschel is undefeated at 32-0, and the title is Iowa’s first at 174 pounds.
Erekson became Iowa’s 27th two-time conference champion with his 9-6 win over top-seeded Nate Everhart of Indiana in the finals. Erekson took Everhart to his back right off the opening whistle, scoring a takedown and three nearfall points to take a 5-0 lead. Everhart, who entered the bout with an undefeated 35-0 record, scored two escapes, but Erekson took a 6-2 lead when he was awarded a penalty point for Everhart fleeing the mat. Erekson started the third period with an escape, but Everhart rallied scoring two takedowns. Erekson held off the rally and added a point for riding time to remain undefeated at 12-0 this season.
McDonough, and seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Phillip Keddy (184) all earned second-place finishes for the Hawkeyes. Sophomore Montell Marion (141) placed third, while junior Jake Kerr (157) and senior Ryan Morningstar (165) placed fourth, and senior Chad Beatty (197) placed sixth.
McDonough, who was making his first Big Ten Championships appearance, lost a close 6-4 decision to three-time Big Ten champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana in the finals. Both wrestlers entered the bout with undefeated 32-0 records. After two periods full of scrambles, Escobedo led 1-0. McDonough escaped early in the third period to tie the score at 1-1, but Escobedo scored a quick takedown to take a 3-1 lead. McDonough escaped with 40 seconds left in the match, but Escobedo scored another takedown to make the score 5-2. McDonough reversed the top-seeded Indiana senior with 13 seconds left to pull within one (5-4). He let Escobedo up, but ran out of time in losing his first bout of the season.
Dennis, who was also wrestling in his first Big Ten final, lost to two-time Big Ten champion Jayson Ness of Minnesota, 9-3, in the 133-pound finals. Ness, who was the top seed and undefeated at 25-0, scored a first period takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Dennis chose the neutral position to start the second period and neither wrestler scored in the allotted two minutes. Ness chose the down position to start the third period, scoring an escape, takedown and two nearfall points to go up 7-0. Dennis escaped and scored a takedown of his own, but Ness escaped and added a riding time point for the 9-3 win. The Hawkeye senior is now 18-3 this season.
Metcalf was going for his third-straight 149-pound Big Ten title, but Ohio State’s Lance Palmer spoiled the effort with a 9-3 victory in the finals. Metcalf led 3-1 after the first two periods, but Palmer had 1:33 in riding time going into the third. Palmer chose down to start the third period, and was awarded a penalty point after Metcalf was called for locked hands during a scramble. Metcalf held on to get the riding time under one minute, but Palmer escaped to tie the score at 3-3. The pair scrambled after an offensive flurry and Palmer came out on top, scoring a takedown and three nearfall points. Palmer held on to get the riding time point back and win his first Big Ten title. The Buckeye handed Metcalf (31-1) his first loss of the season while scoring his first win over Metcalf in five attempts.
Keddy placed second for the second-straight year, losing a 5-2 decision to top seed John Dergo of Illinois in the finals. The Hawkeye senior put the first points on the board with an escape to start the second period. Dergo followed with a takedown, but Keddy quickly escaped to tie the score at 2-2. Dergo started the third period in the down position and escaped to grab a 3-2 lead. Keddy had several offensive attempts, and Dergo capitalized on the last one, scoring a takedown for the 5-2 win.
The Hawkeyes had some key matches early in Sunday’s consolation round to ensure 10 national qualifiers. The NCAA only allocated four automatic qualifiers at 141 and 157 pounds, which meant Marion and Kerr needed to with their first round matches to earn a trip to the NCAA meet. Morningstar’s 165-pound class allowed for five qualifiers, meaning that he needed to win at least one match to make the national trip, and the 197-pound class took seven qualifiers so Beatty was guaranteed a spot regardless of his finish.
Marion was the only Hawkeye to win two matches on the day, posting an 11-6 decision over Wisconsin’s Cole Schmitt in the consolation semifinals and a 5-2 win over Purdue’s Juan Archuleta in the third-place match. Against Schmitt, Marion led 4-2 at the start of the third period, but the Badger escaped and scored a takedown to take a 5-4 lead. Marion reversed Schmitt to take a 6-5 lead with 42 seconds remaining. Schmitt escaped to tie the score at 6-6 and had 1:06 of riding time banked, but Marion’s takedown with 12 seconds left and three additional nearfall points as time expired gave him the 11-6 win.
Kerr scored a 5-3 win over Michigan’s David Johnson in the consolation semifinals, but lost a 6-4 decision in overtime to Michigan State’s Anthony Jones to place fourth. Morningstar held off a late charge from Indiana’s Paul Young to win 4-3 in the consolation semifinals. He was tied 2-2 with Penn State’s Dan Vallimont in the third-place bout, but was injured going out of bounds and was forced to default the match and take fourth place. Beatty, in his first competition since December due to injury, posted medical forfeits in each of his consolation matches to place sixth.
IOWA EARNS THIRD STRAIGHT BIG TEN TITLE
The Hawkeyes earned their third straight Big Ten regular season title Feb. 21 when they defeated Wisconsin, 31-6, in Madison, WI, going undefeated (23-0, 8-0 Big Ten) in dual competition for the 2009-10 season.
It marked the second straight season the Hawkeyes posted an undefeated record. The team ended the regular season on a school-record 61-match winning streak. The Hawkeyes have now posted 13 undefeated and untied seasons in school history.
IOWA WINNING STREAKS
The Hawkeyes have won 61 straight dual matches, which is a school record. The current streak started with a win over Cornell (32-3) on Jan. 12, 2008, which was the first match after Iowa lost to Oklahoma State (19-14) on Jan. 5.
That 61-match winning streak ranks fourth-best in NCAA wrestling history behind three Oklahoma State streaks. The Cowboys won 76 straight duals from 1937-51, and had two 69-match streaks (1921-32 and 1996-99).
The Hawkeyes have also won 41 consecutive duals on the road, which is also a school record. That streak started with a 20-13 win at Iowa State on Dec. 9, 2007.
Iowa has also won its last 25 duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That streak, which ranks fourth-best in school history, started with a 27-13 win over Penn State on Jan. 20, 2008, which was also the first home match after the loss to the Cowboys. The school record is 55 (1/9/1977-12/18/1983).
Against Big Ten opponents, the Hawkeyes have won their last 27 duals, including the last 12 at home and 15 on the road. The 27 duals rank second in school history, while the 12 home duals rank third and the 15 road duals rank fourth. Iowa’s school record for consecutive Big Ten wins is 98 (12/13/1975-1/28/1989), while the records for Big Ten home wins is 63 (1/17/1975-1/3/1998) and road wins is 54 (1/19/1974-1/28/1989).
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 669-221, going 413-116 in duals, 137-51 in Big Ten duals and 156-39 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The group has scored 1,687 team points in dual competition and has started a combined 532 dual matches. Iowa’s seniors have won one NCAA individual title, five Big Ten individual titles, nine all-America honors and qualified for the NCAA Championships 21 times.
HAWKEYES SET SHUTOUT RECORD
Iowa’s 49-0 shutout of Northwestern on Feb. 12 was its eighth of the season, which is a school record. The previous record of five was set during the 1980-81, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 seasons. Iowa blanked Cornell College (57-0), Iowa Lakes (52-0), North Carolina Pembroke (47-0), Southern Illinois Edwardsville (51-0), Michigan (36-0), Michigan State (37-0), Utah Valley (38-0) and Northwestern (49-0) this season.
UNDEFEATED AT HOME
The 2009-10 Hawkeyes added another school record to their list of accomplishments with a 32-3 victory over #3 Ohio State on Feb. 19. The win gave Iowa a perfect 11-0 season record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which bested the previous record of 10 home wins in a season set in 1986. The Hawkeyes have posted 18 undefeated seasons at Carver-Hawkeye since moving into the facility in 1983. Iowa has a 179-18 (.909) record in the arena, which seats 15,500. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on December 6, 2008.
BORSCHEL, EREKSON ENTER NCAA TOURNAMENT UNDEFEATED
Hawkeye seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) enter their final NCAA tournament with undefeated season records. Borschel is 32-0, posting a 23-0 record in dual competition, while Erekson is 12-0, going 8-0 in dual matches.
Two Hawkeyes – redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) and senior Brent Metcalf (149) – each have one loss. McDonough is 32-1, while Metcalf is 31-1. Both lost their first bout of the season in the 2010 Big Ten Championship finals.
TRIO GOES OVER CENTURY POINT TOTAL
For the first time since the 2000-01 season, more than one Iowa wrestler has scored over 100 team points in dual competition. Hawkeye seniors Brent Metcalf and Jay Borschel, and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough scored 123, 105 and 104 team points in duals, respectively. Metcalf scored 100 or more dual team points in each of his seasons at Iowa, scoring 100 in 2007-08 and 123 in 2008-09. Former Hawkeye Eric Juergens (108) and current Hawkeye Assistant Coach Doug Schwab (104) were the last wrestlers to score over 100 team points in the same season.
METCALF MOVES UP ON CAREER PINS LIST
Hawkeye senior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf ranks seventh on Iowa’s all-time career pins list with 47 falls. Former Hawkeye Ed Banach (1980-83) holds the record with 73. Iowa Assistant Coach Terry Brands ranks sixth with 48 (1988-92).
Metcalf is the only Hawkeye to crack the career list with only three seasons of competition. He has pinned 45 percent (44 pins in 106 matches) of his opponents at Iowa. The top-ranked Hawkeye has 16 pins this season with a 31-1 record.
METCALF, MORNINGSTAR SNARE 100TH CAREER VICTORIES
Seniors Brent Metcalf and Ryan Morningstar have each posted their 100th collegiate career victories this season.
Metcalf recorded his 100th career victory Feb. 19 with a 3-1 decision over Lance Palmer of Ohio State. He started 69 duals at Iowa, has a career record of 103-3 and a season record of 31-1. Morningstar recorded his 100th career win Feb. 6 with a 3-1 victory over Utah Valley’s Jeb Clark. The Lisbon, IA, native is 26-6 this season, starting 86 duals for the Hawkeyes and has a career record of 106-38.
Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy (99-39) is also closing in on his 100th career victory.
IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 877-215-30 (.795) in 100 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 22 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 57 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 102 Big Ten champions have won a total of 186 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 27 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 138 all-Americans have earned all-America status 278 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 35 two-time honorees.
BIG TEN WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
Each week during the regular season, the Big Ten awards a conference wrestler of the honor to the Big Ten’s best individual competitor for that week.
Five Hawkeyes earned the honor during the 2009-10 season, including three in consecutive weeks. The five honorees ties Iowa’s school record set during the 2002-03 and 2007-08 seasons. Minnesota posted six honorees in 2005-06, which is the Big Ten record. It was the first time, since the conference started awarding the weekly honor during the 2001-02 season, that wrestlers from the same team earned the honor in three consecutive weeks.
Senior Brent Metcalf earned the honor twice in 2009-10, becoming Iowa’s first season honoree on Jan. 5 and collecting the season’s last honor on Feb. 23. The Davison, MI, native was one of two Big Ten wrestlers to earn the honor twice in 2009-10, as Ohio State’s Lance Palmer (Jan. 26, Feb. 16) and Penn State’s Cyler Sanderson (Nov. 17, Dec. 22) each collected the honor twice this season.
Metcalf totaled five Big Ten Wrestler of the Week awards during his Hawkeye career, and is one of only three wrestlers in Big Ten history to do so. Minnesota’s Ryan Lewis (2001-03), Michigan State’s Nick Simmons (2004-07) and Northwestern’s Jake Herbert (2004-09) are the other three.
Metcalf earned his first honor of the season after winning his third straight title at the annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL. He was named the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament, and took home the Individual High Scorer Award for racking up 32.5 team points. Iowa won its 21st overall and third straight Midlands title with 168.5 points. Metcalf pinned three Midlands opponents, and recorded a technical fall and major decision before beating #2 Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin, 9-2, in the finals. He picked up his second season award for helping the Hawkeyes finish out the 2009-10 season undefeated (23-0) for the second-straight season and pick up their third-straight Big Ten regular season title with wins over #3 Ohio State (32-3) and #14 Wisconsin (31-6). The wins helped Iowa extend its school-record winning streak to 61 matches. Metcalf scored a 3-1 victory over #2 Lance Palmer of Ohio State in Iowa City, recording his 100th career victory and going undefeated (25-0) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during his collegiate career. The Hawkeye senior received a forfeit in the dual at Wisconsin to stay undefeated at 29-0 and post a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten dual competition.
Senior Jay Borschel (174) picked up his first career honor Jan. 12 after being named Division I Outstanding Wrestler at the 2010 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. Borschel, who went 4-0 at the two-day tournament, helped the Hawkeyes win their third-straight and sixth overall National Duals tournament team title. Iowa joins Oklahoma State (2003-05) as the only schools to win three consecutive team titles in the tournament’s 22-year history. He is only the second Hawkeye to earn the Division I Outstanding wrestler honor. Metcalf earned the award in 2008. Borschel opened the tournament with a 10-7 win over #3 Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska and a 8-2 decision over #16 Nate Lee of Boise State. He posted one of Iowa’s two major decisions in the championship semifinals over #13 Scott Glasser of Minnesota (11-3). He then scored the only team bonus points in Iowa’s finals match with #2 Iowa State, beating #14 Duke Burk, 10-2.
Sophomore Montell Marion (141) earned his first career honor Jan. 19 after scoring Iowa’s biggest upset in its 19-16 victory over the Cowboys. Marion, who was ranked #11 by Intermat at match time, blanked fifth-ranked sophomore Jamal Parks, 4-0. After a scoreless first period, Marion scored an escape and takedown and added a riding time point for the victory. Marion accumulated 3:16 of riding time during the match. A crowd of 10,967 was on hand at to see Iowa Oklahoma State for the first time, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, since December 4, 2000. Both teams won five bouts in the dual, but Marion’s upset and Iowa’s bonus-point wins at 125, 149 and 174 made the difference in the final team score.
Senior Daniel Dennis (133) picked up his second career honor Feb. 2 after upsetting top-ranked Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, 3-2 in the first tiebreak period, and scoring a 17-7 major decision over Penn State’s Bryan Pearsall. Gomez, a senior who is the defending NCAA and Big Ten champion, entered the dual on a 29-match winning streak. Dennis was the last collegiate wrestler to beat Gomez, scoring a 3-2 decision at the dual in East Lansing last season, earning him his first Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor. After a scoreless first period, Gomez scored a quick escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Dennis started down in the third period and scored a reversal to take a 2-1 lead. Gomez escaped with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 2-2. Dennis had only accumulated 59 seconds of riding time when Gomez escaped, so the match went to overtime. Neither wrestler scored in the one minute sudden victory period. Dennis started down in the first 30-second tiebreak period, escaping with 16 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead. Gomez needed an escape in the second 30-second tiebreak to force the match to a second sudden victory period, but Dennis rode him out to hold on for the 3-2 win. Iowa’s 37-0 shut out of Michigan State was the sixth for the Hawkeyes this season, which sets a new school record. The previous record of five was set during the 1980-81, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 seasons.
Following are the 2009-10 Big Ten Wrestlers of the Week:
Date – Wrestler (Wt., School)
11/10 – Colton Salazar (157, Purdue)
11/17 – Cyler Sanderson (157, Penn State)
11/24 – Reece Humphrey (141, Ohio State), Brad Pataky (125, Penn State)
12/1 – Paul Young (165, Indiana)
12/8 – Angel Escobedo (125, Indiana)
12/15 – Ben Berhow (Hwt., Minnesota)
12/22 – Cyler Sanderson (157, Penn State)
1/5 – Brent Metcalf (149, Iowa)
1/12 – Jay Borschel (174, Iowa)
1/19 – Montell Marion (141, Iowa)
1/26 – David Cheza (149, Michigan State), Lance Palmer (149, Ohio State)
2/2 – Daniel Dennis (133, Iowa)
2/9 – Trevor Brandvold (197, Wisconsin)
2/16 – Lance Palmer (149, Ohio State)
2/23 – Brent Metcalf (149, Iowa)
WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS
For dates and more information about 2010 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com.
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.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
On the 2009-10 Hawkeye wrestling team, there is one set of brothers, three wrestlers whose fathers 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 11 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.
BIG TEN/BIG 12 FREESTYLE CHALLENGE SET FOR OMAHA
In a cooperative effort, USA Wrestling and the NCAA will present an exhibition men’s freestyle wrestling dual meet as part of the NCAA Fan Festival which is held alongside the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, NE.
The event is called the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge and will feature wrestlers who competed for universities in these prestigious conferences as undergraduates. The competitors are now pursuing their Olympic dreams in men’s freestyle wrestling. It will be held at Exhibit Hall C of the Qwest Center Omaha on Friday from 1:45 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. Central, as part of the annual NCAA Fan Festival.
The dual meet will be held on the mats where USA Wrestling’s Team USA will hold their popular public workouts between sessions of the NCAA Championships each day. Admission to the Fan Festival is free. For the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, there will be close to 1,000 seats and many more standing room only viewing opportunities provided matside on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition, as many as 1,000 fans will be able to watch the dual meet on two large projection screens flanking the main stage within the Fan Festival.
For those who cannot attend the NCAA Division I Championships in person, the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge will be webcast live on NCAA.com/wrestling and available through TheMat.com, with USA Wrestling’s Jason Bryant calling the action.
The rules for the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge have been modified. Instead of having individual match winners, there will be a cumulative point total for each conference. Team scores will be based upon adding up the technical points scored in each match by the athletes. At the end of the dual meet, the points will be tallied up, and the winning conference team will be announced. Another rule modification is that each match will consist of two, two-minute periods. There will not be any third periods contested, which is possible in an international freestyle match.
Following are the tentative lineups:
TENTATIVE BIG TEN VS. BIG 12 CHALLENGE LINEUPS
(Big Ten athlete/school vs. Big 12 athlete/school)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Nick Simmons (Michigan State) vs. Obe Blanc (Oklahoma State)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) vs. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Andy Simmons (Michigan State) vs. Jared Frayer (Oklahoma)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Mike Poeta (Illinois) vs. Trent Paulson (Iowa State)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Herbert (Northwestern) vs. Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Andy Hrovat (Michigan) vs. David Bertolino (Iowa State)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Aaron Anspach (Penn State) vs. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State)
Exhibition bouts
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – J.D. Bergman (Ohio State) vs. Kyle Cerminara (Buffalo)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev (UN-Kearney) vs. Blake Gillis (Wartburg)
Big 10 Coach: Mark Johnson (Illinois)
Big 12 Coach: Bobby Douglas (Iowa State)
This year’s NCAA Fan Festival will feature wrestling exhibit booths, displays, memorabilia, interactive games, souvenirs, food and beverage sales, and a number of other featured events. In addition to the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, the lineup Friday includes a USA Wrestling autograph session at 3:15 p.m. and the annual Semifinals Preview Show featuring Nate Carr, Scott Casber and Wade Schalles at 4 p.m. Central.
For more information on the NCAA Fan Festival at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Nebraska, visit: NCAA.com/wrestling.
NCAA FUTURE SITES & DATES
Following are the future sites, dates and hosts for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
2011: March 17-19 – Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Center
Hosts: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Rider University
2012: March 15-17 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
Hosts: University of Missouri, St. Louis Sports Commission