Match Notes: #3 Iowa at #15 Wisconsin

Feb. 19, 2014

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ON THE MAT
The third-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team travels to Madison, Wis., to face No. 15 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes and Badgers meet at 1 p.m. (CT) inside the UW Field House.

THE SERIES — WISCONSIN
Iowa leads the all-time series, 74-8-3, including a 36-4-2 all-time record in Madison. The Hawkeyes have won the last four meetings and 35 of the last 36 dating back to 1975. Wisconsin’s only win during that time was a 21-14 decision inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 27, 2007. The Hawkeyes haven’t dropped a dual in Madison since 1945 (L, 18-16).

The series dates back to 1923, an 8-6 Iowa win. The teams had met every year from 1934-2010 before being omitted from the schedule in 2011. The series resumed in 2012, a 39-3 Iowa win, but was on hiatus again in 2013.

IOWA VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The Hawkeyes are 8-2 against ranked dual opponents, including a 6-0 record against ranked opponents on the road. Individually, Iowa’s probable lineup is 47-36 against ranked opponents. Bobby Telford leads all Hawkeyes with seven wins over top 20 opponents. Iowa lineup vs. ranked opponents
125 — Cory Clark (2-0)
125 — Thomas Gilman (5-2)
133 — Tony Ramos (5-2)
141 — Josh Dziewa (3-5)
149 — Brody Grothus (4-5)
149 — Michael Kelly (0-2)
157 — Derek St. John (5-2)
165 — Nick Moore (5-2)
174 — Mike Evans (3-3)
184 — Ethen Lofthouse (2-2)
184 — Sammy Brooks (3-5)
197 — Nathan Burak (3-3)
285 — Bobby Telford (7-3)

CHASING A TITLE
The Hawkeye could earn a share of the Big Ten regular season title with a win Sunday. Minnesota and Penn State have both clinched a share of the title by finishing the Big Ten dual season with 7-1 records. Iowa is 6-1 in conference duals heading into Sunday. The Hawkeyes have won five of the last six Big Ten dual championships, and have won or shared the regular season title seven times since the conference started recognizing a dual meet champion in 1999. Iowa won the title outright in 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013, and shared the title with Minnesota in 2003.

THE 250-POUND OPTION
Iowa has two 125-pounders who have appeared in the national rankings this year. Redshirt freshman Cory Clark debuted at No. 4 in the preseason rankings and owns a 14-0 record. Clark has scored 32 points in seven dual starts, and ties for third on the team with eight falls.
? Clark returned to the rankings Feb. 11, appearing at No. 9 by WIN Magazine.
? Clark placed fourth at the 2012 and 2013 Midlands Championships.
? His only loss this year is not recognized by the NCAA (Jarrod Garnett, Bison Wrestling Club).
Thomas Gilman is 16-3 overall with seven wins by bonus points. He has five wins against ranked opponents, and has been ranked as high as No. 3 nationally.
? Gilman is ranked No. 5 this week by InterMat.
? He is 5-2 against ranked opponents.
? He has scored 26 points in nine dual starts.
? He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 31 after winning the Midlands Championships.

ANOTHER TOP 10 FOE FOR RAMOS
Senior Tony Ramos is 5-2 against ranked opponents, and 3-2 against opponents ranked in the top 10. Wisconsin’s No. 5 Tyler Graff is the sixth top 10 opponent Ramos will have faced this season. Ramos is 2-1 in his career against Graff. He lost the first meeting, 3-1, in overtime at the 2011 Big Ten Championships, but has won each of the last two meetings. He defeated Graff, 3-1, at the 2013 Big Ten Championships, and won 6-4 in sudden victory in the semifinals of the 2013 NCAA Championships.
? Ramos was 10-0 at home this season and finished his career with a 34-0 all-time record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? Ramos won his 110th career match on Feb. 9 and is now tied with assistant coach Ryan Morningstar for No. 25 on the all-time list.
? Ramos is 67-2 in 69 career dual starts. He is 15-1 in duals this season.
? He leads Iowa with 10 pins this season after leading Iowa with 14 falls in 2012-13. He has 34 career falls. His 70 dual points also lead the team.
? He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 14. It was his fourth career Wrestler of the Week honor.

DZIEWA IS THE 141
Junior Josh Dziewa has started all 16 duals at 141 pounds, and his 45 dual points scored rank fifth on the team. He is ranked as high as 13th by InterMat.
? He is 6-1 in Big Ten duals this season, and 11-5 in overall duals. His 11 dual wins rank fourth on the team.
? Dziewa’s next win will be the 50th of his career. He has a career mark of 49-13 (.790).
? He earned his third win of the season over a top five opponent when he defeated No. 5 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) on Jan. 25. Dziewa twice beat fifth-ranked Rick Durso (Franklin and Marshall) at the Midlands Championships.
? Dziewa can win high or low. He defeated Ethan Raley (Indiana), 20-10, and Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 1-0.

A SEASONED GROTHUS
One year after posting a 2-8 dual record, sophomore Brody Grothus has five wins in nine dual starts, including a 4-3 mark in conference duals. He was inserted into the lineup following a fourth place finish at the 2013 Midlands Championships.
? Grothus has four wins over top 10 opponents, including: No. 8 David Habat (Edinboro), No. 3 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), and No. 7 Eric Grajales (Michigan).
? Grothus is 21-8 overall and ranked No. 7 by InterMat. His 21 wins are a career best.
? He has three major decisions and a career-high four pins.

ST. JOHN CLOSES IN ON 100
Senior Derek St. John is one win away from becoming the 40th wrestler in program history to reach 100 career wins.
? He has a 23-2 overall record this year, and his .920 win percentage is the best among varsity wrestlers.
? He has five pins this season, a single-season career high.
? He is a three-time All-American and has a chance to become the 18th four-time All-American in school history.

MOORE OF THE SAME
Junior Nick Moore has won a career-best nine straight duals. He has one pin, one technical fall, two major decisions, and three wins over top 10 opponents during the streak.
? Moore is 18-2 overall, 14-1 in duals, and 5-2 this year against ranked opponents.
? He is 7-0 in the Big Ten, and his 56 dual points are the second most on the team (Ramos, 70).
? He was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on Jan. 10 following a 3-1 win over No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State).

A LITTLE EXTRA EVANS
Junior Mike Evans has scored bonus points in 18-of-22 wins this year. He has recorded seven falls and four major decisions, and leads the team with six technical falls.
? Evans is 3-3 against ranked opponents. He defeated Logan Storley (Minnesota) 2-1 in overtime, has a 10-1 major decision against No. 8 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State), and a 2-0 win over No. 12 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh).
? His three losses this year have been to the No. 2, 3, and 4 rated wrestlers in the country (Perry, Brown, Kokesh).
? Evans racked up three pins and two majors en route to his first Midlands title Dec. 30.
? He is 22-3 this season and has a career record of 71-18. His 22 wins are second on the team to Derek St. John (23).

LOFTHOUSE UNBEATEN IN BIG TEN
Senior Ethen Lofthouse returned to the lineup Jan. 31 with an 11-5 win at Northwestern. Lofthouse improved to 17-2 overall, 9-1 in duals, and 3-0 in the Big Ten.
? Lofthouse has five pins this season, a single-season career best.
? He is 2-2 this year against ranked opponents.

BURAK WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Sophomore Nathan Burak is 5-2 in matches decided by two points or fewer. The No. 13 ranked sophomore is 2-0 in overtime.
? Burak widened the gap in his last outing, topping Lehigh’s Austin Meys, 18-1, to earn his first tech. fall of the season.
? Burak is 12-3 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten.
? He is 3-3 against ranked opponents.
? He has started all nine of Iowa’s duals at 197 since returning the lineup after the Midlands Championships (7-2).

TELFORD AMONG THE BIG DOGS
Junior Bobby Telford is ranked No. 3 in the InterMat rankings. His only losses this season have been to then-No. 3 Mike McMullan of Northwestern, who is now ranked No. 1, and No. 3 Adam Coon of Michigan, who is now ranked No. 2. Two of his three losses have been in overtime.
? Telford is 18-3 this season, 9-2 in duals, and 7-3 against ranked opponents.
? Telford has seven wins over ranked opponents, including: No. 12 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State), No. 13 Adam Fager (Utah Valley), No. 6 J.T. Felix (Boise State), No. 9 Mike McClure (Michigan State), No. 15 Austin Mardsen (Indiana), No. 7 Adam Chalfant (Indiana), and No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota).
? He has five pins this season, matching his total from a year ago and raising his career total to 19.

BROOKS MORE THAN A FILL-IN
Freshman Sammy Brooks has made 10 dual starts this season, six at 184 and four at 197. He is 7-3 in those duals with three wins over ranked opponents, including: No. 16 Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State), No. 11 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska), No. 16 Domenic Abounader (Michigan).
? Brooks has won five of his last six, including three decisions over ranked opponents. In his two bouts against unranked opponents, he has won by major decision and technical fall. His only during that stretch is an 8-6 loss to Minnesota’s No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus.
? Brooks is 18-7 overall, and 16-5 competing at 184 pounds.
? Two of Brooks’ losses were to the No. 3 ranked 197-pounder in the country (Gadson, Sheptock).
? Brooks has a team-best three overtime wins.

HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 940-224-31 (.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).

THE ATTENDANCE GAME
A school record 67,556 fans attended University of Iowa wrestling meets inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2013-14. It marked the second consecutive year Iowa set a single-season record for total home attendance. A then-record 66,904 fans attended Iowa home meets in 2012-13. Iowa averaged 8,835 fans in seven home dates (the Iowa City Duals are not included in national attendance records) — the second highest average in NCAA history entering the season. The all-time NCAA attendance average was set by Iowa in 2011-12 (9,014). This year marks the sixth consecutive season the Hawkeyes averaged at least 8,000 fans. Entering this year, Iowa has led the nation in attendance in each of the last seven seasons.