Match Notes: #1 Iowa hosts EAS/NWCA National Duals

Feb. 18, 2015

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Match Notes

ON THE MAT
The University of Iowa hosts the final rounds of the EAS/NWCA National Duals this weekend at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Top-ranked Iowa (15-0) faces eighth-seeded Chattanooga (12-5) on Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT) in the quarterfinal round. Minnesota and Cornell will meet in the 4/5 dual and face the winner of Iowa/UT-Chattanooga in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Missouri earned the No. 2 seed and will face seventh-seeded Illinois (13-4). Ohio State is the three-seed and will face sixth-seeded Lehigh (13-4). The four quarterfinals are Saturday at 12 p.m., with the semifinals to follow at 3 p.m. The championship and third-place duals are Sunday at 11:30 a.m. BTN will televise the semifinals and the finals.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $10 for Saturday and $20 for Sunday. Prices are for all ages. Contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office or visit hawkeyesports.com for ticket information. Doors open 60 minutes prior to the start of competition each day.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
First Round Matches (Feb. 14-15)
#11 Lehigh 27, George Mason 9
#2 Missouri 34, American 3
#3 Ohio State 30, #15 Edinboro 7
#6 Cornell 35, Drexel 6
#1 Iowa 30, #13 Virginia 6
#12 Illinois 38, Kent State 0
Chattanooga, 19, Oklahoma 16
#4 Minnesota 26, #23 North Dakota State, 9

IOWA AT THE NATIONAL DUALS
The Hawkeyes have competed at the NWCA National Duals tournament 19 times and own a 70-13-3 all-time record. Iowa has won the title six times (1992, 1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010), placed second three times (1994, 1997, 1998), third seven times (1990, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2012), fourth one time (2013), fifth once (2007) and sixth once (2006).

HAWKEYES VS. THE FIELD
Iowa owns a 191-59-1 all-time record against the tournament field. The Hawkeyes have met three of the seven competing schools already once this season. Iowa won at Ohio State (18-14) and at Minnesota (23-12), and defeated Illinois (25-12) at home.

#1 IOWA vs. #2 MISSOURI
Iowa leads, 4-1
At Iowa City: 2-0
Streak: Missouri, 1
Last Meeting: Missouri, 18-16 (2/23/13)
Note: Missouri won its only meeting in the series, 18-16, at the 2013 NWCA National Duals in Minneapolis.

#1 IOWA vs. #3 OHIO STATE
Iowa leads series, 38-3
At Iowa City: 14-1
Streak: Iowa, 2
Last Meeting: Iowa, 18-14 (1/4/15)
Note: Ohio State won the first meeting in the series, 17-13, in Iowa City in 1929. Iowa has won 14 straight at home since.

#1 IOWA vs. #4 MINNESOTA
Iowa leads, 71-28-1
At Iowa City: 34-16
Streak: Iowa, 1
Last Meeting: Iowa, 23-12 (1/30/15)
Note: Iowa has faced Minnesota 100 times, more than any other school.

#1 IOWA vs. #5 CORNELL
Iowa leads, 3-1
At Iowa City: 0-1
Streak: Iowa, 3
Last Meeting: Iowa, 21-16 (2/22/13)
Note: Cornell is making its first trip to Iowa City since defeating the Hawkeyes, 24-6, in 1965.

#1 IOWA vs. #11 LEHIGH
Iowa leads, 24-0
At Iowa City: 14-0
Streak: Iowa, 24
Last Meeting: Iowa, 31-6 (2/14/14)
Note: Iowa and Lehigh met every year between 1972 and 1992, alternating home-and-home duals.

#1 IOWA vs. #12 ILLINOIS
Iowa leads, 49-26-1
At Iowa City: 22-9-1
Streak: Iowa, 5
Last Meeting: Iowa, 25-12 (1/16/15)
Note: Illinios’ last win in the series was Feb. 10, 2006 (24-13), one year before Tom Brands become Iowa’s head coach. Brands is 6-0 against the Illini.

#1 IOWA vs. CHATTANOOGA
Iowa leads, 2-0
At Iowa City: 1-0
Streak: Iowa, 2
Last Meeting: Iowa, 37-6 (11/16/12)
Note: Terry Brands was the head coach at Chattanooga from 2002-05, winning Southern Conference title in 2005 with two All-Americans.

DUALS TOURNAMENT IS A STACKED DECK
Fifty-seven wrestlers from eight participating schools are rated in this week’s Intermat rankings, including six of the nation’s top-rated wrestlers — Jesse Delgado, 125; Chris Dardanes, 133; Logan Stieber, 141; Dylan Ness, 149; Gabe Dean, 184; J’den Cox, 197. Of the 10 weight classes, none have more ranked competitors than 133 and 157. Both weight classes feature seven ranked wrestlers. There are six ranked wrestlers at 125 (including four of the top five), 141, 174, 184, and 197. Five ranked wrestlers are in the field at 165, and four of the heavyweights are ranked, none higher than Iowa’s Bobby Telford (4).

BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
Iowa won the Big Ten regular season dual title with a 22-9 win over Michigan on Feb. 13. The Hawkeyes finished the Big Ten season 9-0, one dual ahead of Nebraska (8-1) and Ohio State (8-1). The Hawkeyes have won or shared seven of the last eight Big Ten dual championships, and have won or shared the regular season title eight times since the conference started recognizing a dual meet champion in 1999. Iowa won the title outright in 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2015, and shared the title in 2003 and 2014.

Thomas Gilman, 125 POUNDS
? Gilman is 23-1 overall and 14-0 in duals.
? The only Hawkeye to go 9-0 in conference duals.
? Leads Iowa with five technical falls and eight major decisions.
? Led Iowa with 59 points in dual meets.
? He has won nine straight.
? 4-1 record against ranked opponents.

? 2013 Midlands Champion.

Cory Clark, 133 POUNDS
? Clark is 19-4 overall and 10-4 in duals.
? 5-4 record against ranked opponents.
? Three of his four losses have been to tournament participants, including then-No. 9 Johnny DiJulius (OSU), then-No. 5 Zain Richards (ILL), and then-No. 1 Chris Dardanes (MINN). He lost those matches by a combined five points.
? Ranks second on the team with eight falls.
? 2014 Midlands Champion

Josh Dziewa, 141 POUNDS
? Dziewa is 22-5 overall and 11-3 in duals.
? 6-3 record against ranked opponents.
? Won four of his last five against ranked opponents.
? Scored 45 dual points, the fifth most on the team.
? Has 77 career dual wins, third among active Hawkeyes.

Brandon Sorensen, 149 POUNDS
? Sorensen is 29-2 overall and 11-0 in duals.
? 7-2 record against ranked opponents, including seven straight wins.
? 29 wins are a team high.
? 12 match winning streak is longest active win streak among Hawkeyes.
? 8-0 in Big Ten duals.
? Tied for third on the team with six falls, ranks second with seven major decisions.
? Only wrestler in the country with wins over two reigning NCAA finalists.
? Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 13 and Jan. 27.
? Only losses have been to teammate Brody Grothus (3-2) at the Luther Open, and current No. 1 David Habat (3-2) at the Midlands Championships.

Michael Kelly, 157 POUNDS
? Kelly is 19-6 overall and 9-5 in duals.
? 2-5 record against ranked opponents.
? 24-8 career record wrestling attached at 157 pounds.
? Has started 14 of 15 duals, including the last 10.
? 54 career wins tie for fifth, and 46 career duals starts rank fourth among active Hawkeyes.

Nick Moore, 165 POUNDS
? Moore is 18-6 overall and 9-5 in duals.
? 2-5 record against ranked opponents.
? 23-6 all-time record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? Six falls ranks third on the team.
? 57 career dual starts rank third, and 71 career dual points rank fourth among active Hawkeyes.

Mike Evans, 174 POUNDS
? Evans is 21-1 and 12-1 in duals.
? 6-1 record against ranked opponents.
? 30-2 all-time record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? Won his first 20 matches of the season before a 2-0 loss to then-No. 3 Matt Brown.
? Has 98 career dual wins, and 66 career dual starts, more than any active Hawkeye.
? Three wins this year against tournament field (Illinois, Ohio State, Minnesota).
? 2014 Midlands champion.

Sammy Brooks, 184 POUNDS
? Brooks is 22-3 overall and 13-2 in duals.
? 8-3 record against ranked opponents.
? He is the only Hawkeye to start all 15 duals this year (13-2).
? 56 points scored in dual meets ranks second on the team.
? 36-8 all-time wrestling a 184 pounds.
? 15 of his 22 wins have been by bonus points.
? Ranks third on the team with six major decisions.
? Ranks fourth on the team with three technical falls.
? Ties for third on the team with six falls.

Nathan Burak, 197 POUNDS
? Burak is 15-2 overall and 6-2 in duals.
? 5-2 record against ranked opponents.
? Last five matches have been against ranked opponents (3-2).
? Ranks fifth with 37 career dual starts and ties for fifth with 54 career wins among active Hawkeyes.
? 2014 Midlands champion.

Bobby Telford, 285 POUNDS
? Telford is 21-2 and 12-2 in duals.
? 9-2 record against ranked opponents.
? Has three wins over top five opponents.
? Both losses this year have been in overtime.
? Ten of his last 11 opponents, including five straight, have been ranked.
? Leads team with nine falls.
? 63 career dual starts and 96 career wins rank second among active Hawkeyes.
? 2014 Midlands Champion.

WIRE TO WIRE
Iowa debuted at the top spot on Nov. 11 when the USA Today/NWCA preseason poll was released 15 weeks ago. The Hawkeyes have maintained the top spot all season and enter the weekend as the unanimous No. 1, claiming all 12 first-place votes.

CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
The Hawkeyes are 9-0 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and have a 222-21 all-time record at home since Carver started hosting wrestling duals in 1983. The Hawkeyes have recorded 20 undefeated season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the most recent in 2012-13 (9-0). Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted three Big Ten Championships (1983, 1994, 2005) and four NCAA Championships (1986, 1991, 1995, 2001). The Hawkeyes have won five tournament titles on their home mat, including the 1983 and 1994 Big Ten Championships, and the 1986, 1991 and 1995 NCAA Championships. Carver-Hawkeye Arena is hosting the National Duals for the third time (1998, 1999).

BATTLE TESTED
The top-ranked Hawkeyes finished their road schedule with a 6-0 record, including five wins against ranked opponents and four wins against top 10 opponents. Iowa traveled 5,226 miles since opening the dual schedule at Rutgers on Jan. 2. That includes 3,370 miles in the air — Rutgers, Ohio State, Maryland, Penn State — and 1,856 miles on the road to Stillwater, Okla., and Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes also won the Midlands Championships on Dec. 30, a 460 mile roundtrip trip to Evanston, Illinois. Iowa defeated Ohio State 18-14 in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 4. The Hawkeyes return to St. John Arena March 7-8 for the Big Ten Championships.