Match Notes: #3 Iowa hosts #1 Penn State

Dec. 18, 2013

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Weekly Release

ON THE MAT
The third-ranked University of Iowa (4-0) wrestling team hosts top-ranked Penn State on Saturday on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena (14,742). The dual begins at 8 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for youth 18-years old and younger. UI students and youth five-years old and younger are admitted free, but everyone entering the arena must have a ticket.

PARKING, TICKETS AND ADMISSION
Fans attending Saturday night’s wrestling dual between No. 3 Iowa (6-0) and No. 1 Penn State (6-0) are reminded that several parking options are available near Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Limited free parking is available in Lot 33 (North Dental Lot), Lot 43 (around Kinnick Stadium), and Lot 65 (formerly Finkbine Commuter). Parking is also available in the nearby Hospital Ramps and Newton Road Parking Ramp at an hourly rate ($1.20/hour), as well as Hancher Commuter lot (free of charge with a continuous shuttle service).

To avoid long lines at the ticket windows, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are available online at hawkeyesports.com or by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS (Adults $15, youth ages 6-18 $8, youth under age 5 and UI students free). Fans are encouraged to use the “print at home” option for easiest entry into the arena.

To accommodate the transition between women’s basketball and wrestling, doors to the arena will open at 7 p.m. The wrestling meet is scheduled to begin at 8:04 p.m. (CT)

THE SERIES
Iowa leads the all-time series 26-7-2. The Hawkeyes has won five of the last six meetings, including the most recent dual, 22-16, on Feb. 1, 2013, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are 13-3 all-time at home against Penn State. The Nittany Lions haven’t won in Iowa City since defeating Iowa, 21-12, on Feb. 3, 2006.

BRANDS VS. SANDERSON
Iowa head coach Tom Brands owns a 6-1 all-time record against Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson. Brands and Sanderson met three times from 2006-08, when Sanderson was head coach at Iowa State. Brands won all three meetings. The coaches have met four times since Sanderson was named head coach at Penn State prior to 2009. Brands won in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Sanderson earned his only win of the series in 2012 (22-12 at State College).

A NONCONFERENCE AFFAIR
Saturday’s meeting marks the first time since 1998 the teams will meet in a nonconference dual. Iowa won the last meeting, 23-9, on Jan. 17, 1998, in the NWCA National Duals. Penn State joined the Big Ten prior to the 1992-93 season. Iowa owns a 10-3-1 advantage in the nonconference series.

24-Ho! Ho! Ho!
The Hawkeyes are 24-0 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 (2-0) and Thomas Gilman (1-0) are both undefeated in their young careers, while senior Derek St. John is 14-0 and junior Bobby Telford is 9-0.

THROW OUT THE RANKINGS
Penn State enters the dual ranked No. 1 for the third time in the last four years. Iowa has knocked off the Nittany Lions the last two times they have entered the dual as the nation’s top-ranked team. No. 8 Iowa knocked off No. 1 Penn State, 22-13, on Jan. 30, 2011, and again last season as the nation’s No. 3 team, 22-16, in Iowa City. The lower ranked team has come away with the win in each of the last three meetings. No. 3 Penn State topped No. 2 Iowa, 22-12, at State College, Pa., on Jan. 22, 2012.

Last three meetings:
2011: #8 Iowa 22, at #1 Penn State 13
2012: #2 Iowa, 12, at #3 Penn State 22
2013: #1 Penn State 16, at #3 Iowa 22

HOME WINNING STREAK
The Hawkeyes have won 13 consecutive duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has won 51 of its last 52 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 209-19 (.916) all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

HOME MAT ADVANTAGE
Six Hawkeyes in the probable lineup have a combined 85-0 record inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They include Cory Clark (4-0), Tony Ramos (28-0), Josh Dziewa (5-0), Derek St. John (27-0), Mike Evans (20-0), and Sammy Brooks (1-0).

CLARK AMONG UNBEATENS
Redshirt freshman Cory Clark is one of six Hawkeyes in the probable lineup with an undefeated record. Clark is 9-0 overall with a team-best six falls. He is 5-0 in duals and 4-0 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 MILESTONE
All-American Tony Ramos is four wins shy of becoming the 38th wrestler in program history to reach 100 career wins. Ramos has a career record of 96-13, including a perfect 27-0 mark inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ramos owns a 57-2 all-time record in duals, including a 34-1 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 six Hawkeyes in the probable lineup with an undefeated record inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Dziewa is 5-0 at home with three pins and two major decisions. He is 7-1 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. Dziewa is 10-1 in his first year as a full-time starter. He four pins and a team-best three major decisions.

KELLY PINS HIS FOURTH
Junior Michael Kelly recorded his fourth fall of the season when he flattened Buffalo’s Ryan Todora in 4:03 on Dec. 12. The four pins matches Kelly’s career total heading into this year. He earned two falls as a freshman and two as a sophomore. Kelly opened the season with a career-best eight-match winning streak. His only loss this season is a 4-2 setback to Iowa State’s Luke Goettl. He is 9-1 overall with six bonus-point victories.

ST. JOHN OFF TO HOT START
Senior Derek St. John, who is 27-0 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, has started 11-0 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 18 straight matches. Among his 10 wins this year, he has five pins, one technical fall and one major decision. He is 6-0 in duals, scoring a team-best 31 points. St. John has a 52-4 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 improved to 5-0 with a 13-4 major decision against Buffalo’s Wally Maziarz. The major decision was his first of the young season. Moore opened the season with a pair of first period falls at the Iowa City Duals, and improved to 3-0 with a 3-1 decision over Iowa State’s third-ranked Mike Moreno. 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.

11-FOR-11 ON BONUS POINTS
Junior Mike Evans, who is 20-0 all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, has scored bonus points in each of his 11 matches, including a team-best five technical falls, four pins, and two major decisions. The four pins surpass his season total from a year ago, when he recorded two falls.

Evans is riding a career-long 11 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 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 11
Senior Ethen Lofthouse has won a career-best 11-straight matches. He has won his first 10 bouts of 2013-14, and ended last season with a win at the NCAA tournament. 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 10-0 this season and ranked No. 2 at 184 pounds. Among his 10 wins, he has one major decision and five pins, one more than he had all of last year.

BROOKS IMPROVES AT 197
Redshirt freshman Sammy Brooks has recorded a pair of major decisions in his last two outings. A natural 184-pounder, Brooks has bumped up to 197 to wrestle in the absence of Nathan Burak. He has posted a 2-1 record at 197, and owns a 9-3 record overall. 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 then recorded an 11-0 major decision to help Iowa prevail at Edinboro, 22-19. The win was the first dual victory of Brooks’ career. In his most recent outing, Brooks earned a 13-5 major decision against Buffalo. The outing marking his first career appearance inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

BURAK AWAITS DEBUT
Sophomore Nathan Burak, an NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds last season, could make his season debut against Penn State. Burak placed fourth at the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the NCAA round of 12 as a true freshman last season. He has been sidelined since the start of the year with an undisclosed injury.

TELFORD RISES THROUGH FALLS
Junior Bobby Telford opened the season pinning 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. Telford, who owns a 15-3 career mark inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, made his 2013-14 dual debut against Buffalo. He scored five takedowns and five nearfall points, totaling 5:28 of riding time, to defeat James Benjamin, 16-3.

NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have seven wrestlers with NCAA Championship experience in the lineup. 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.

LAST MEETING (Feb. 1, 2013 — Iowa City, Iowa)
Iowa won 6-of-10 matches to defeat top-ranked Penn State, 22-16, in front of a sold-out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win gave the third-ranked Hawkeyes sole possession of first place in the Big Ten and snapped Penn State’s streak of 20 consecutive dual victories.

#3 IOWA 22, #1 PENN STATE 16
125 – #1 Matt McDonough (IA) dec. #2 Nico Megaludis (PSU), 2-1 (TB1)
133 – #2 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Jordan Conaway (PSU), 4:23
141 – #9 Mark Ballweg (IA) major dec. Bryan Pearsall (PSU), 12-2
149 – #8 Andrew Alton (PSU) major dec. Brody Grothus (IA), 18-8
157 – #1 Derek St. John (IA) dec. #5 Dylan Alton (PSU), 4-3
165 – #2 David Taylor (PSU) tech. fall #13 Nick Moore (IA), 18-2
174 – #6 Mike Evans (IA) dec. #4 Matt Brown (PSU), 4-3
184 – #1 Ed Ruth (PSU) major dec. Grant Gambrall (IA), 21-10
197 – #3 Quentin Wright (PSU) dec. #19 Nathan Burak (IA), 8-3
285 – #6 Bobby Telford (IA) dec. #17 Jon Gingrich (PSU), 9-2

HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 932-222-31 (.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.

ALL-AMERICAN STREAK
The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American every year since 1972, a span of 42 seasons. Iowa has totaled 255 All-America honors during that stretch. The Hawkeyes return five All-Americans to this year’s squad. Tony Ramos (2nd-133), Derek St. John (1st-157), Mike Evans (6th-174) and Ethen Lofthouse (5th-184) join 2012 All-American Bobby Telford (5th-285) in the 2013-14 lineup.

40 YEARS OF DOMINANCE
Since 1974, only seven schools have captured the NCAA Championship. During that 40-year span, the Hawkeyes have won 23 team titles, including nine straight from 1978-86. The other schools include Oklahoma State (7), Minnesota (3), Penn State (3), Iowa State (2), Arizona State (1) and Oklahoma (1).

ATTENDANCE LEADERS AT IT AGAIN
In seven home dates last season, Iowa averaged 8,764 fans per dual. It marked the fifth straight year Iowa averaged over 8,000 fans, and the seventh straight season the Hawkeyes led the nation in attendance. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on Dec. 6, 2008.

The seventh-largest dual crowd in NCAA history saw Iowa defeat top-ranked Penn State on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. The Hawkeyes drew a sellout crowd of 15,077, the sixth-largest wrestling crowd in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history. That all-time single dual record stood until Dec. 8, 2013, when 15,996 watched Pitt wrestle Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center.

CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
The Hawkeyes have won 13-straight duals inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena (14,742). Iowa finished the 2012-13 home schedule with a 9-0 record at home. The perfect record marked Iowa’s 20th undefeated season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since moving from the UI Fieldhouse in 1983. Iowa has a 209-19 (.915) all-time record in the arena. The Hawkeyes have also won five tournament titles on their home mat, including the 1983 and 1994 Big Ten Championships, and the 1986, 1991 and 1995 NCAA Championships.