Jan. 1, 2014
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- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
ON THE MAT
The University of Iowa wrestling team travels to Bradley, Ill., to face Purdue on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT). Bradley-Bourbannais High School will host the dual. Admission is $7.
The Hawkeye return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to host Michigan State on Saturday at 7 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for youth, and free for UI students and children five years old and younger.
BIG TEN OPENERS
Head Coach Tom Brands owns a 51-5 Big Ten record in seven seasons, including 7-0 in conference openers. He is 27-1 all-time at home in Big Ten duals.
THE SERIES — PURDUE
The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 38-4-3 and have won the last 26 meetings between the two schools. Iowa owns an 18-3-1 advantage at Purdue. The Boilermakers are hosting this year’s dual at Bradley-Bourbonnais High School in Bradley, Ill. Iowa won the last meeting between the schools, 29-9 last year in Iowa City. Iowa hasn’t lost to Purdue on the road since Feb. 27, 1954 (L, 16-10).
THE SERIES — MICHIGAN STATE
The Hawkeyes have won five straight meetings with the Spartans and hold a 35-15-2 lead in the all-time series. Iowa hasn’t lost to Michigan State at home since Feb. 5, 2006 (L, 19-17). Iowa won the most recent meeting, 27-12, last season at Michigan State.
GILMAN NAMED B1IG WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
University of Iowa freshman Thomas Gilman was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 31. The conference honor was the first of his career. Gilman defeated defending NCAA Champion Jesse Delgado and defending Midlands champion Jarrod Garnett to win the 125-pound title at the 2013 Midlands Championship. He topped Delgado, 3-1, in the semis before defeating Garnett, 6-1, in the finals. He also registered a major decision in the opening round and a 6-3 win over No. 7 Dylan Peters in the quarterfinals. Gilman is 10-2 this season with three wins over ranked opponents, two major decisions, two falls, and one technical fall. He is ranked No. 3 in the most recent Intermat rankings.
HAWKEYES DOMINATE MIDLANDS
The Hawkeyes won three individual titles and scored a tournament-record 187.5 points to win the 51st annual Midlands Championships on Dec. 30. Thomas Gilman (125), Derek St. John (157), and Mike Evans (174) each won their first career Midlands titles as the Hawkeyes won their record 23rd Midlands team championship. Iowa placed 14 wrestlers in the top eight, including 10 inside the top three. Tony Ramos (133), Nick Moore (165), Ethen Lofthouse (174), and Bobby Telford (285) each finished runner-up at their respective weight class. Josh Dziewa won a 3-1 decision in the 141-pound third-place match, and Brandon Sorensen topped Brody Grothus, 4-2, for third place at 149. Nathan Burak placed third at 197, and Sammy Brooks (184) and Cory Clark (125) each placed sixth.
24 AND COUNTING FOR ST. JOHN
Senior Derek St. John has won a team-best 24 straight matches dating back to last season. His last defeat was a 5-4 loss to Nebraska’s James Green in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships. He won two matches in the consolation bracket to place third, and then won five straight at the national tournament to win the 157-pound NCAA title. He has opened the 2013-14 season with 17 straight wins. The 24-match win streak is the longest of St. John’s career.
UNDEFEATED HAWKEYES
Cory Clark (12-0) and Derek St. John (17-0) enter the weekend with undefeated records. Clark lost to Jarrod Garnett in the semifinals of the Midlands Championships, but Garnett was wrestling as a member of the Bison Wrestling Club and the match does not count toward Clark’s college record.
In the history of Iowa wrestling, 15 wrestlers have finished the season with a perfect record (minimum 20 matches). Four of those wrestlers were able to perform the feat twice. They include Mark Ironside, Lincoln McIlravy, T.J. Williams and Jim Zalesky. Iowa coaches Tom Brands and Terry Brands are among the 15 wrestlers. Tom went 45-0 in 1990-91 and Terry went 35-0 in 1991-92.
RAMOS HITS 100-WIN PLATEAU
All-American Tony Ramos won four matches en route to the Midlands finals, picking up career win No. 100 along the way. Ramos is 101-14 all-time. He is the 19th wrestler in program history to reach 100 career wins. His 101 wins rank No. 37 all-time. Ramos has a perfect 27-0 record inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ramos owns a 57-2 all-time record in duals, including a 23-2 all-time record in Big Ten duals.
Ranked No. 4 at 133 pounds, Ramos has recorded seven falls this season. He entered the season with 24 career pins, and has since raised his career total to 31. 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.
SWEET 16 FOR EVANS
Junior Mike Evans has scored bonus points in 16-of-17 wins this year. Evans has a recorded seven falls, and leads the team with four major decisions and five technical falls. Evans racked up three pins and two majors en route to his first Midlands title Dec. 30. He is 17-1 this season and has a career record of 66-16, including a 20-1 all-time mark inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
GROTHUS BREAKS INTO RANKINGS
Brody is ranked No. 15 at 149 pounds in the most recent Intermat rankings. Grothus went 6-2 en route to a third-place finish at the Midlands Championships. He avenged an earlier season loss to No. 8 Dave Habat, pinning Habat in 1:38. He also topped No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern, 3-2. Grothus is 15-5 overall with four falls.