Nov. 28, 2012
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ON THE MAT
The fourth-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team hosts Iowa State on Saturday at 7:37 p.m. on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The dual marks the sixth event of the ninth annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Admission is $15 for adults, $8 for youth, and $2 for kids five-years old and younger.
THE SERIES
The Hawkeyes have won eight in a row against the Cyclones and own an all-time series record of 60-16-2. Tom Brands is 7-0 against the Cyclones as Iowa’s head coach. He’s beaten Iowa State each year since his arrival in 2006, including two wins during the 2009-10 season. Iowa’s largest margin for victory came in 1991, when the Hawkeyes defeated Iowa State 37-6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa State’s last victory was a 19-16 win in 2004 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
MCDONOUGH STREAK HITS 33
Senior Matt McDonough extended his winning streak to a career-best 33 matches last weekend. McDonough finished last season with an NCAA title and a 28-match winning streak, and opened this year with three consecutive dual wins at Tennessee-Chattanooga and a pair of victories at the IC Duals. McDonough’s last loss was an 11-7 overtime decision to Illinois’ Jesse Delgado (Dec. 2, 2011). He has since defeated Delgado twice — first at the National Duals tournament (6-3) and most recently in the semifinals at the 2012 Big Ten Tournament (4-3).
RAMOS IS DUAL DOMINANT
Junior Tony Ramos has won 34-of-35 career duals and owns a perfect 17-0 record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ramos has pinned four of his five opponents this season (five of six counting the exhibition with Iowa Central) and has scored a team-high 28 dual points (four falls, one major decision).
PLAY BALL-WEG
Senior Mark Ballweg is 5-0 with a team-high four major decisions and one pin. His return to the dual lineup in Iowa’s season opener marked his first dual appearance since 2010-11. Ballweg opened that season as Iowa’s starting 141-pounder and wrestled his way to a 15-3 record that included seven falls. He has won his last 19 bouts and owns a career record of 30-3 at 141 pounds.
STEP RIGHT UP TO 149
Redshirt freshmen Brody Grothus and Patrick Rhoads, and sophomores Michael Kelly and Josh Dziewa are listed as probable starters at 149. Grothus won the preseason wrestle-off and opened the year as Iowa’s starter, posting a 2-1 record in three starts. Kelly, who owned a 15-14 record as Iowa’s 149-pounder last season, recorded a win in his only dual appearance this year and placed fourth at the Lindenwood Open. He is 5-2 with a pair of pins, one technical fall and one major decision. Dziewa is 5-2 this year with all seven bouts coming at 141 pounds. He is 6-2 all-time a 149, including a major decision against UNI last year in his only dual appearance. Rhoads defeated Jake Kadel and Kelly in the preseason wrestle-offs before falling to Grothus in the finals. In his only appearance this season, he defeated Iowa Central’s Kennan Jackson, 11-5, in an exhibition.
MOUNT ST. JOHN
Junior Derek St. John earned career win No. 50 last week at the Iowa City Duals. He is the fifth active Hawkeye to record 50 career wins, joining a list that includes Matt McDonough (105), Grant Gambrall (62), Tony Ramos (63) and Ethen Lofthouse (53). He owns a 50-9 career record, including a 29-3 mark in dual competition and a 16-0 mark at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
GETTING MORE FROM MOORE
Sophomore Nick Moore scored a pair of pins at 165 pounds last weekend at the Iowa City Duals. He is now 3-0 at 165 with two pins and a major decision. Moore was 3-1 last year at 165 before dropping down to 157. He debuted at No. 20 this week in the Amateur Wrestling News 165 pound rankings.
WHICH WAY WILL HE GO?
Last year wrestling at 165, sophomore Mike Evans racked up 61 points in 14 dual victories, an average of 4.38 points per dual win, more than any other Hawkeye. Evans opened this season with a 2-0 record at 165 before moving up a class last weekend and scoring a 16-0 technical fall at 174. He is listed as one of two probables at 174 this week, the other being senior Grant Gambrall, who owns a 3-1 record at 174 this season. Evans was 22-2 with 12 pins while wrestling unattached at 174 as a true freshman in 2010-11.
IOWA FIRSTS
Senior Grant Gambrall (174), junior Ethen Lofthouse (184) and sophomore Jeremy Fahler (197) each made their career debuts at their respective weights in Iowa’s season opener. Sophomore Mike Evans followed suit by making his first career appearance at 174 last week. Nathan Burak (197), Brody Grothus (149) and Ethan Owens (141) have also made their Hawkeye debuts this season.
TELFORD FINISHES STRONG
Sophomore Bobby Telford’s 26 dual points ranks third on the team behind Tony Ramos (28) and Matt McDonough (27). He scored the maximum 18 team points in Iowa’s first three duals of the season. He opened the season with a fall in 0:51, scored six points via forfeit against Virginia, and closed Iowa’s season opener with a first period pin (2:48). He followed that performance up last week with a decision and a technical fall. The 26 points are just 10 shy of the 36 dual points Telford scored in 2011-12, a season that ended in All-America honors and 29 total victories.
MCDONOUGH AMONG THE BEST
Senior Matt McDonough owns a career record of 105-4. His .963 winning percentage ranks fourth in program history among wrestlers with a minimum 95 decisions. Iowa’s top wrestlers in program history based on winning percentage include:
1. T.J. Williams (98-1-0) .990
2. Brent Metcalf (108-3-0) .972
3. Lincoln McIlravy (96-3-0) .970
4. Matt McDonough (105-4) .963
5. Tom Brands (158-7-2) .952
6. Terry Brands (137-7) .951
THREE WITH AN EYE ON FOUR
Senior Matt McDonough is a three-time NCAA finalist. He won NCAA titles in 2010 and 2012, and finished runner-up in 2011. With a top eight finish at the 2013 NCAA tournament, McDonough would become the 18th four-time All-American in school history. With a trip to the finals he’d become join Ed Banach, Duane Goldman and Lincoln McIlravy as the school’s only four-time NCAA finalist. A third national title would make McDonough the seventh wrestler in school history to earn three NCAA Championships (Ed Banach, Tom Brands, Barry Davis, Lincoln McIlravy, Joe Williams, Jim Zalesky).
TICKET INFORMATION
Season and single-meet tickets are now available for purchase on hawkeyesports.com. Season tickets are available for $85. Single-meet tickets for Lehigh (12/6), Purdue (1/6), Nebraska (2/10) and Edinboro (2/16) are $12 for adults, $8 for youth, and free for kids five-years old and younger. Single-meet tickets to Iowa State (12/1), Ohio State (1/4) and Penn State (2/1) are $15 for adults, $8 for youth and $2 for kids five-years old and younger.
ATTENDANCE LEADERS AT IT AGAIN
Last year Iowa’s 9,014 average was a national dual record. It marked the fourth straight year Iowa averaged over 8,000 fans per dual and the sixth straight season the Hawkeyes were the nation’s attendance leaders. Iowa and Iowa State set the national dual attendance record (15,955) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 6, 2008. Iowa won the dual, 20-15.
PARTY LIKE IT’S 199
Iowa’s next win will be No. 199 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has a 198-19 (.913) record in the arena, including 19 undefeated seasons, since moving from the UI Fieldhouse in 1983. If Iowa defeats Iowa State on Saturday, the Hawkeyes will aim for win No. 200 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, Dec. 6, when they host No. 21 Lehigh at 4:30 p.m.
HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 911-219-31 (.797) in 102 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 23 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 51 NCAA Champions have won a total of 79 NCAA Individual titles, crowning six three-time and 16 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 105 Big Ten champions have won a total of 190 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 28 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 147 All-Americans have earned All-America status 297 times, including 17 four-time, 31 three-time and 37 two-time honorees.
39 YEARS OF DOMINANCE
Since 1974, only seven schools have captured the NCAA Championship. During that 38-year span, the Hawkeyes have won 23 team titles, including nine straight from 1978-86. The other schools include Oklahoma State (7), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), Penn State (2), Arizona State (1) and Oklahoma (1).
2012-13 SCHEDULE
Eleven of Iowa’s 21 dual opponents are ranked in the top 25 of the preseason NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll. They include Minnesota (1), Penn State (2), Oklahoma State (3), Ohio State (5), Illinois (6), Nebraska (9), Michigan (14), Virginia (17), Edinboro (20), Lehigh (21) and Purdue (22). Iowa’s schedule includes eight home dates and three postseason events, including the NWCA National Duals (Feb. 23), the Big Ten Championships (Mar. 9-10), and NCAA Championships (Mar. 21-23).