April 5, 2013
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa junior Derek St. John has been named winner of the Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestler Award for the UI wrestling team. The announcement was made tonight at the team’s annul awards banquet.
St. John, a junior from Parnell, Iowa, capped his 31-2 season with the 157-pound national title at the 2013 NCAA Championships. He strung together five straight wins to claim his first career national crown and become the school’s 32nd three-time All-American. He led the Hawkeyes with 31 wins and three technical falls, posted a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten duals, and his 85 dual points scored ranked second on the team. St. John was also the recipient of the Mike Howard Award for most courageous wrestler, and he was one of four Hawkeyes honored with an All-American Award.
Juniors Tony Ramos (133) and Ethen Lofthouse (184), and sophomore Mike Evans (174) were also presented All-America honors.
Ramos placed second at the NCAA Championships, and was runner-up at the Big Ten tournament. He led Iowa with 114 dual points scored, and posted a perfect 23-0 record in dual competition, including an 8-0 mark in conference duals. Ramos was also presented the Most Pins Award after recording a team-high 14 falls, and the John and Dorothy Sill Award for most dedicated wrestler. He finished the season with a 30-2 mark after opening the season with 26 straight wins.
Lofthouse entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed before advancing through seven ranked wrestlers to place fifth on the medal stand. The All-America honor was the second of his career. He finished the season with a 22-9 record.
Evans earned his first career All-America nod following a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He was runner-up at the Big Ten tournament for the second straight year, and finished the season with a 23-7 record and tied for the team lead with 10 major decisions. Evans was 7-1 in Big Ten duals, and 8-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Senior Matt McDonough earned the J. Donald McPike, Sr., Award for highest grade point average by a Hawkeye senior. McDonough, a three-time All-American and two-time conference champion, finished his senior season with a 22-5 record and earned academic All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year.
Freshman Nathan Burak, sophomore Nick Moore, and senior Mark Ballweg shared the Most Improved Award. Ballweg was a Big Ten runner-up and posted a 23-7 overall record in his first full-time role in the varsity lineup. Burak won 20 matches in his rookie season, falling one step short of the All-American stand at the NCAA Championships. Moore earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships in his first season as a full-time starter. He owned an 18-10 overall record and was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 29.
The Coaches Appreciation Award was shared by senior Grant Gambrall, and sophomores Matt Gurule and Jeremy Fahler.
The Hawkeyes finished the 2012-13 season with a Big Ten regular season dual title, one national champion and four All-Americans. The Hawkeyes owned an overall record of 20-3 and won the Big Ten regular season title for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Iowa finished the conference schedule 8-0. Four Hawkeyes earned All-America honors and seven student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
2012-13 University of Iowa Wrestling Team Awards
Mike Howard Award (Most Valuable): Derek St. John
J. Donald McPike Award (Highest GPA): Matt McDonough
Mike J. McGivern Award (Most Courageous): Derek St. John
John and Dorothy Sill Award (Most Dedicated): Tony Ramos
All-American Award: Tony Ramos, Derek St. John, Mike Evans, Ethen Lofthouse
Most Improved Award: Nathan Burak, Nick Moore, Mark Ballweg
Most Pins Award: Tony Ramos
Coaches Appreciation Award: Grant Gambrall, Matt Gurule, Jeremy Fahler