Match Notes: #3 Iowa vs. Buffalo

Dec. 10, 2013

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Match Notes: Buffalo

ON THE MAT
The third-ranked University of Iowa (4-0) wrestling team hosts Buffalo on Thursday on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,077). The dual begins at 7 p.m. (CT).

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for youth 18-years old and younger. UI Students and youth five-years old and younger are admitted free.

THE SERIES
Iowa leads the all-time series 1-0. The Hawkeyes won the only meeting between the schools, 39-3, in Buffalo last season.

HOME WINNING STREAK
The Hawkeyes have won 12 consecutive duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has won 50 of its last 51 duals at home, including a 38-dual home winning streak from 2008-12. Iowa hasn’t lost a nonconference home dual to a team not named Oklahoma State since Dec. 5, 2004 (Iowa State, 19-16). Iowa is 2008-19 (.916) all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

HOME MAT ADVANTAGE
Five Hawkeyes in the probable lineup have a combined 79-0 record inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They include Cory Clark (3-0), Tony Ramos (27-0), Josh Dziewa (4-0), Derek St. John (26-0) and Mike Evans (19-0). They are a combined 79-0 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

23-Ho! Ho! Ho!
The Hawkeyes are 23-0 in December duals since Tom Brands was named head coach prior to the 2006-07 season. Four Hawkeyes in the probable lineup are undefeated in their career in the month of December. Freshmen Cory Clark and Thomas Gilman are both 1-0. Senior Derek St. John is 13-0 and junior Bobby Telford is 8-0.

CLARK AMONG UNBEATENS
Redshirt freshman Cory Clark is one of six Hawkeyes in the probable lineup with an undefeated record. Clark is 8-0 overall with a team-best six falls. He is 4-0 in duals and 3-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Five of his six pins have come in the opening period.

GILMAN SHINES IN DUAL DEBUT
Redshirt freshman Thomas Gilman earned a 12-3 major decision against Edinboro’s 17th-ranked Kory Mines in his dual debut Dec. 5. Gilman improved to 7-1 overall. He has two pins, a technical fall and a major decision among his seven wins. His only loss this season was to teammate Cory Clark in the finals of the Luther Open. Gilman owned a 23-5 record competing unattached last season. He has three career tournament titles to his credit, including a first-place finish at the 2013 Joe Parisi Open on Nov. 23.

RAMOS CLOSES IN ON MILESTONES
All-American Tony Ramos is five wins shy of becoming the 38th wrestler in program history to reach 100 career wins. Ramos has a career record of 95-13, including a perfect 27-0 mark inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ramos owns a 56-2 all-time record in duals, including a 33-1 nonconference mark. Ranked No. 3 at 133 pounds, Ramos has recorded a team-best six falls this season. He entered the season with 24 career pins, and has since raised his career total to 30. He recorded two falls as a redshirt freshman, eight falls as a sophomore, and 14 falls last season as a junior. Ramos needs 44 career falls to tie Chuck Yagla for 10th all-time in career pins. Brent Metcalf, who scored 47 pins from 2008-10, was the last Hawkeye to crack the top 10 list. Prior to Metcalf, the list had not changed since Terry Brands (48), Tom Brands (46), and Mark Reiland (45) ended their careers in 1992.

DZIEWA HAPPY AT HOME
Junior Josh Dziewa is one of seven Hawkeyes to enter Thursday’s dual with an undefeated record inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Dziewa is 4-0 at home with three pins and a major decision. He is 6-1 all-time in duals, including a 1-0 mark as a redshirt freshman (149 pounds), and a 1-0 in record last season as a sophomore. Both wins were major decisions.

ST. JOHN OFF TO HOT START
Senior Derek St. John has started 10-0 for the third straight season. He was 11-0 as a sophomore and 22-0 as a junior before suffering his first loss. St. John has won a team-high 17 straight matches. Among his 10 wins this year, he has four pins, one technical fall and one major decision. He is 5-0 in duals, scoring a team-best 25 points. St. John has a 51-4 all-time dual record. He enters 2013-14 as a three-time All-American and a chance to become the 18th four-time All-American in school history. St. John finished fourth as a freshman and runner-up as a sophomore before winning the NCAA title in 2013. He put together five-straight wins to climb to the top of the 157-pound bracket and become the 52nd national champion in program history. His title is the 80th individual NCAA wrestling championship in school history. Mark Perry was the last Hawkeye four-time All-American. He is also the last Iowa wrestler to win back-to-back NCAA championships. Perry won titles in 2007 and 2008.

MOORE IMPROVES TO 4-0
Junior Nick Moore defeated Edinboro’s Zach Towers, 11-4, to improve to 4-0. Moore’s victories this season include a 3-1 decision over third-ranked Mike Moreno, and a pair of first period falls at the Iowa City Duals. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the national rankings. Moore was 18-10 overall last season at 165, placing fourth at the Big Ten Championships and earning his first NCAA berth.

10-FOR-10 ON BONUS POINTS
Junior Mike Evans has scored bonus points in each of his 10 matches. He owns a team-high four technical falls, and has recorded four pins and two major decisions this season. The four pins surpass his season total from a year ago, when he recorded two falls. Evans is riding a career-long 10 match winning streak. He opened each of the last two seasons with 9-0 records before suffering his first defeat. He won his first 10 and his last 10 matches while competing unattached as a freshman. Evans opened the season in the Iowa starting lineup for the third straight year, but for the first time at 174 pounds. He recorded a 26-8 record at 165 as a freshman, and was 2-0 at 165 his sophomore season before bumping up a weight class. He was 21-7 at 174 in 2013, earning a Big Ten runner-up finish and his first All-America honor.

LOFTHOUSE STREAK HITS 9
Senior Ethen Lofthouse has won a career-best nine-straight matches. His previous career long winning streak was six, which he has done on two other occasions — first in 2011-12, and then again at the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Lofthouse is 9-0 this season and ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News. He has five pins this season, one more than he had all of last year.

BROOKS EARNS DECISIVE WIN
Redshirt freshman Sammy Brooks recorded an 11-0 major decision to help Iowa prevail at Edinboro, 22-19. The win was the first dual victory of Brooks’ career. He is now 1-1 in career duals, both at 197 pounds. He bumped up a weight class to make his Hawkeye dual debut at Iowa State on Dec. 1, but fell to third ranked Kyven Gadson, 3-2. He is 7-2 overall competing at 184 pounds, and 1-1 at 197.

BURAK AWAITS DEBUT
Sophomore Nathan Burak, an NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds last season, could make his season debut against Buffalo. Burak earned his second career dual victory at Buffalo last season, scoring a 12-4 major decision against Angelo Malvestuto.

TELFORD RISES THROUGH FALLS
Junior Bobby Telford pinned all five opponents at the Luther Open on Nov. 16. It was Telford’s first appearance since leaving the 2013 NCAA Championships with a knee injury. He navigated the 285-pound bracket at the Luther Open in a combined time of 7:32. He pinned his first four opponents in the opening minute before winning the championship finals with a second period fall (4:42). Telford’s five falls match his season total from a year ago. He now has 19 career pins.

NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes return seven wrestlers with NCAA Championship experience. Senior Derek St. John (157) is the defending national champion at 157 pounds and a three-time All-American. Seniors Ethen Lofthouse (184) and Tony Ramos (133) are three-time NCAA qualifiers and two-time All-Americans. Juniors Mike Evans (174) and Bobby Telford (285) are two-time NCAA qualifiers. Telford earned All-America honors in 2012, while Evans earned All-America honors in 2013. Junior Nick Moore (165) and sophomore Nathan Burak (197) both qualified for their first NCAA Championships in 2013.

HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 931-222-31 (.799) in 104 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 23 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 52 NCAA Champions have won a total of 80 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 148 All-Americans have earned All-America status 301 times, including 17 four-time, 32 three-time and 38 two-time honorees.

LAST MEETING (Dec. 17, 2012 — Buffalo, N.Y.)
Iowa won nine of 10 bouts and scored bonus points in eights contests to improve to 10-0. Mike Evans scored a takedown 35 seconds into the match and totaled six nearfall points by the end of the frame to cruise to a 14-1 major decision at 174. Ethen Lofthouse recorded five takedowns and 2:37 of riding time to earn a 12-4 win at 184. Bobby Telford (285) needed just 1:36 to earn his fourth pin of the season, and Tony Ramos (133) closed the dual with a fall in 4:22. Michael Kelly and Derek St. John both dominated their respective third periods to earn major decisions at 149 and 157. Kelly fell behind 4-0 in the first but rallied to tie the score 8-8 entering the second. He opened the second frame with an escape and added two points for stalling before finishing the match with a five-point move to win 21-13. St. John scored one takedown in the first and two in the second before totaling 11 points in the third. He recorded four takedowns in the final frame and used three nearfall points at the end of the match to secure a 21-7 major decision. Freshman Nathan Burak fought back from an early deficit to earn a major decision at 197, and sophomore Matt Gurule, filling in for top-ranked Matt McDonough at 125, earned a 15-10 shootout against returning NCAA qualifier Max Soria.

#5 IOWA 39, Buffalo 3
141 – #11 Mark Ballweg (IA) major dec. Andrew Schutt (UB), 12-3; 4-0
149 – Michael Kelly (IA) major dec. Blake Roulo (UB), 21-13; 8-0
157 – #1 Derek St. John (IA) major dec. Wally Maziarz (UB), 21-7; 12-0
165 – Mark Lewandowski (UB) dec. Nick Moore (IA), 8-3; 12-3
174- #7 Mike Evans (IA) major dec. John-Martin Cannon (UB), 14-1; 16-3
184 – #7 Ethen Lofthouse (IA) major dec. Tony Lock (UB), 12-4; 20-3
197 – Nathan Burak (IA) major dec. Angelo Malvestuto (UB), 12-4; 24-3
285 – #5 Bobby Telford (IA) pinned Justin Heiserman (UB), 1:36; 30-3
125 – Matt Gurule (IA) dec. Max Soria (UB), 15-10; 33-3
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Erik Galloway (UB), 4:27; 39-3

2013-14 SCHEDULE
Nine of Iowa’s 17 dual opponents are ranked in the top 25 of the NWCA/USA Today/AWN Division I Coaches Poll. They include Penn State (1), Minnesota (2), Oklahoma State (5), Nebraska (9), Northwestern (16), Purdue (21), and Michigan (19). Iowa defeated No. 15 Iowa State, 23-9, on Dec. 1, and No. 15 Edinboro, 22-19, on Dec. 5. Iowa’s schedule includes one regular season tournament, 17 duals, eight home dates and two postseason events — Big Ten Championships (Mar. 8-9), and NCAA Championships (Mar. 20-22).

TICKET INFORMATION
Single-meet tickets are available for purchase on hawkeyesports.com. Admission to Buffalo (12/12), Michigan State (1/4), Indiana (1/12) and Michigan (2/9) is $12 for adults and $8 for youth. Single-meet tickets to Penn State (12/21), Oklahoma State (1/10) and Minnesota (1/25) are $15 for adults and $8 for youth. Kids five-years old and younger are admitted free to all wrestling events, but everyone entering the arena must have a ticket.