June 8, 2010
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IOWA CITY, IA — Former University of Iowa wrestler Brent Metcalf has one more all-America honor to add to his collegiate collection after being named to the ESPN The Magazine at-large all-America first team Tuesday. Metcalf is the first Hawkeye wrestler since Tyler Nixt (2004) to earn a spot on the first team, and only the second wrestler in school history to earn the national honor.
“This is yet another example of how Brent Metcalf has excelled as part of the Iowa wrestling program,” said University of Iowa Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands. “His determination and drive are apparent in the classroom and on the mat. As a coaching staff, we are proud of his accomplishments.”
Metcalf is one of two wrestlers and one of two competitors from the Big Ten Conference named to the national 15-man academic squad. Harvard’s J.P. O’Connor was the other wrestler, while Ohio State swimmer Stefan Sigrist was the other Big Ten student-athlete. The rest of the team was comprised of four swimmers, two ice hockey players, two lacrosse players, one tennis player, one skier, one hockey player and one fencer.
A native of Davison, MI, Metcalf is a sociology major with a 3.46 grade-point average. To be nominated a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his or her current institution. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s competitions, have completed one full calendar year at his or her current institution and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
A three-time NWCA all-academic and academic all-Big Ten team selection, Metcalf was Iowa’s 2010 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner. He earned his third all-America honor and second NCAA title at 149 pounds in March. He posted a 108-3 career record at Iowa, which gives him a .972 career winning percentage that ranks second in school history. A two-time Big Ten Champion, Metcalf is the first wrestler in Big Ten history to earn Outstanding Wrestler honors at the conference meet two straight years (2008, 2009). In 2008, he won the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is annually presented to the nation’s top wrestler, the Jesse Owens Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year award and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championships. Metcalf’s 69-match winning streak that spanned his sophomore and junior seasons led the nation and is tied for second in Iowa school history with Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. He recorded 47 career pins, which ranks seventh in Iowa history, and pinned 20 opponents in 2008-09, which ranks fourth. During his Hawkeye career, he went 68-1 in dual matches and 24-0 in Big Ten duals, scoring extra team points in 85 of his 108 wins (.787).