March 20, 2014
Photo Gallery | Session 1 Highlights
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OKLAHOMA CITY — The University of Iowa wrestling team went 7-3 in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Championships on Thursday afternoon. The Hawkeyes are in ninth place with 8.5 points.
“We left some points out there,” said UI head coach Tom Brands. “We have to be more ready to go next round. Take downs were hard to come by, and we need to be popping.”
Cory Clark and Brody Grothus won their respective NCAA tournament debuts. Clark, seeded No. 8 at 125 pounds, scored 18 unanswered points to record a technical fall against Edinboro’s Kory Mines, 18-2. Grothus, the No. 13 seed at 149, used 1:20 of riding time to defeat Mike Morales of West Virginia, 4-3.
Tony Ramos (133), Derek St. John (157), Mike Evans (174), Nathan Burak (197), and Bobby Telford (285) also advanced with first round decisions.
Ramos, the No. 3 seed at 133, scored all three points in the final period to move past Pitt’s Shelton Mack. St. John, 3-1. He faces Illinois’ Zane Richards in the second round. The two have never met.
St. John, the defending champion at 157 pounds, used a second-period takedown and 2:07 of riding time to defeat Lehigh’s Joey Napoli, 4-1. He faces Citadel’s Aaron Walker in the second round. It will be the first career meeting between the two.
Mike Evans erased an early 2-0 deficit by reversing CS-Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond and gaining three nearfall to take a 5-2 lead into the second period. Evans added another takedown in the second frame and 1:48 of riding time to win 8-2, advancing to face Bloomsburg’s Mike Dessino.
Burak also drew a Bloomsburg wrestler in the second round. Burak, the No. 11 seed, used three takedowns against Wyoming’s Shane Woods to win 8-2 and advance to face sixth-seeded Richard Perry. Neither Burak nor Evans has ever faced their respective Bloomsburg opponent.
Telford scored takedowns in the first and third periods and used 2:03 of riding time to defeat West Virginia’s Anthony Vizcarrondo, 6-1. Telford, the No. 5 seed, will meet Maryland’s 12th-seeded Spencer Myers in the second round. It is the first meeting between the two.
Josh Dziewa (141), Nick Moore (165), and Ethen Lofthouse (184) lost in the opening round and return to the mat Thursday night in the consolation round. All three wrestlers need to win four-straight matches to advance to the All-America round.
“Each loss hurts,” said Brands. “You want 10 guys to still go for what the prize is, and now you have to redefine the prize. We’ll get them out, move forward and be on the mat tonight. We’ll take it one at a time.”
Session II begins Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT). It will be televised on ESPNU and streamed online at ESPN3.
IOWA’S FIRST ROUND RESULTS (# indicates tournament seed).
125 – #8 Cory Clark (Iowa) tech fall Kory Mines (Edinboro) 18-2
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. Shelton Mack (Pitt) 3-1
141 – #13 Steven Dutton III (Michigan) dec. Josh Dziewa (Iowa) 4-1
149 – #13 Brody Grothus (Iowa) dec. Mike Morales (West Virginia) 4-3
157 – #2 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. Joey Napoli (Lehigh) 4-1
165 – Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) major dec. #5 Nick Moore (Iowa) 15-7
174 – #4 Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. Bryce Hammond (CS-Bakersfield) 8-2
184 – Victor Avery (Edinboro) dec. #5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) 5-3
197 – # 11 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Shane Woods (Wyoming) 8-2
285 – #5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. Anthony Vizcarrondo (West Virginia) 6-1
IOWA’S SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS (# indicates tournament seed).
125 – #8 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. #9 Tyler Cox (Wyoming)
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. #14 Zane Richards (Illinois)
149 – #13 Brody Grothus (Iowa) vs. #4 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma)
157 – #2 Derek St. John (Iowa) vs. Aaron Walker (Citadel)
174 – #4 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. Mike Dessino (Bloomsburg)
197 – #11 Nathan Burak (Iowa) vs. #6 Richard Perry (Bloomsburg)
285 – #5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) vs. #12 Spencer Myers (Maryland)
IOWA’S CONSOLATION MATCHUPS (# indicates tournament seed).
141 – Josh Dziewa (Iowa) vs. Nick Flannery (Buffalo)
165 – #5 Nick Moore (Iowa) vs. Jackson Morse (Illinois)
184 – #5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) vs. Zack Hernandez (Columbia)
TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SESSION I
1. Penn State 16.5
2. Oklahoma St. 13.5
3. Edinboro 11
Minnesota 11
5. Nebraska 9.5
6. Cornell 9
Iowa State 9
Oregon St. 9
9. IOWA 8.5
Wisconsin 8.5