Match Notes: NCAA Championships

March 17, 2015

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Match Notes

ON THE MAT
The University of Iowa wrestling team travels to St. Louis to compete at the 2015 NCAA Championships on March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center. The three-day tournament begins Thursday with Session I starting at 11 a.m. and Session II at 6 p.m. Sessions III (quarterfinals) and IV (semifinals) begin Friday at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The medal round starts Saturday at 10 a.m., and the championship finals begin Saturday at 7 p.m. All times are central.

ESPN COVERAGE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
ESPN will televise the semifinals and finals. ESPNU will stream the first and second sessions, and the quarterfinals and medal round. Digitally, ESPN3 will carry individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament.

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE
hawkeyesports.com, the official website of the Iowa Hawkeyes, will have exclusive video highlights for all sessions of the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS OUTSTANDING WRESTLERS
Ten different Hawkeyes have been named the NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler. They include Chuck Yagla (1976), Bruce Kinseth (1979), Jim Zalesky (1984), Barry Davis (1985), Mary Kistler (1986), Tom Brands (1992), Terry Steiner (1993), Lincoln McIlravy (1997), Joe Williams (1998) and Brent Metcalf (2008).

ALL-AMERICAN STREAK
The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American every year since 1972, a span of 43 seasons. Iowa has totaled 261 All-America honors during that stretch. The Hawkeyes have four All-Americans on this year’s squad. Mike Evans placed sixth in 2013 and 2014. Bobby Telford placed fifth as a freshman in 2012 and fourth last season. Nathan Burak (8th) earned his first All-America honor in 2014, as did Cory Clark, who placed fifth at 125 last season.

10 QUALIFIERS
Iowa has sent at least eight athletes to the NCAA Championships in each of head coach Tom Brands’ nine seasons. This year marks the 19th time since 1968 that Iowa has sent its entire 10-man lineup to the national tournament. Iowa has won the NCAA team crown 14 times when sending its entire 10-man lineup.

NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have six wrestlers with previous NCAA experience, and four wrestlers making their national tournament debut. The 2015 Iowa lineup has a combined six All-America honors. ? FIRST TIMERS: Thomas Gilman (So., 125), Brandon Sorensen (R-Fr., 149), Michael Kelly (Sr., 157), Sammy Brooks (So. 184).
? BACK FOR SECONDS: Cory Clark (So., 133), Josh Dziewa (Sr. 141).
? THIRD TIME AROUND: Nick Moore (Sr., 165), Nathan Burak (Jr., 197).
? FOURTH AND FINAL: Mike Evans (Jr., 174), Bobby Telford (Jr., 285).

41 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), Penn State (4), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), Arizona State (1) and Oklahoma (1).

SENIOR MOMENTS
Iowa is taking five seniors — Dziewa, Kelly, Moore, Evans, Telford — to the national tournament, the most since qualifying seven seniors for the 2010 NCAA Championships in Omaha. In 2010, six of seven seniors earned All-America honors, including national champions Brent Metcalf and Jay Borschel, and current Iowa assistant coach Ryan Morningstar (7th). That senior class led Iowa to the NCAA team title, the 23rd team title in program history.

40 YEARS SINCE NO. 1
Iowa celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first national championship on Jan. 23. Gary Kurdelmeier led Iowa to its first NCAA Championship in 1975, and in the 40 years since, the Hawkeyes have accumulated 23 team titles, more than any other school — Oklahoma State (7), Penn State (4), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), and Arizona State (1).

HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 958-225-31 (.799) in 104 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 23 national titles and 35 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 53 NCAA Champions have won a total of 81 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 16 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 109 Big Ten champions have combined for 195 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time, and 29 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa’s 150 All-Americans have earned All-America status 307 times, including 18 four-time, 32 three-time and 39 two-time honorees.

Thomas Gilman, 125 POUNDS
? Gilman placed second at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 6 seed.
? Making his first career NCAA tournament appearance.
? 17-6 career record against tournament field.
? The only Hawkeye to go 9-0 in conference duals.
? Leads Iowa with five technical falls and nine major decisions.
? Led Iowa with 62 points in dual meets.
? 2013 Midlands champion.

Cory Clark, 133 POUNDS
? Clark placed third at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 3 seed.
? Making his second NCAA tournament appearance, but his first at 133 pounds.
? He placed fourth at 125 pounds in 2014.
? 18-6 career record against tournament field.
? Ranks second on the team with nine falls.
? 2014 Midlands champion.

Josh Dziewa, 141 POUNDS
? Dziewa placed second at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 5 seed.
? Making his second NCAA tournament appearance. He did not place in 2014.
? 13-9 career record against tournament field.
? 82 career wins ranks third among active Hawkeyes.

Brandon Sorensen, 149 POUNDS
? Sorensen placed second at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 4 seed.
? He is making his first NCAA Championships appearance.
? 12-4 career record against tournament field.
? 34 wins are a team high.
? 8-0 in Big Ten duals.
? Ranks second on team with seven major decisions.
? Only wrestler in the country with wins over two reigning NCAA finalists (Tsirtsis, Kindig).
? Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 13 and Jan. 27.
? Most wins by a Hawkeye freshman since Matt McDonough won 37 matches in 2010.

Michael Kelly, 157 POUNDS
? Kelly is making his first career NCAA Championships appearance. He is unseeded.
? Kelly earned an at-large berth in the tournament field.
? Entered postseason ranked No. 5 in RPI and No. 15 in coaches’ poll.
? 8-16 career record against tournament field.

Nick Moore, 165 POUNDS
? Moore is making his third NCAA Championships appearance. He did not place in 2013 or 2014. He is unseeded.
? Moore earned an at-large berth in the tournament field.
? Entered postseason ranked 10th in RPI and 11th in coaches poll.
? 13-10 career record against tournament field.
? Six falls ties for fourth on the team.

Mike Evans, 174 POUNDS
? Evans placed third at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 3 seed.
? Making his fourth NCAA Championships appearance. He did not place at 165 in 2012, and placed sixth at 174 in 2013 and 2014.
? 29-12 career record against tournament field.
? His only losses this year have been to Penn State’s Matt Brown.
? Has 104 career wins, more than any active Hawkeye.
? Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 24.
? 2014 Midlands champion.

Sammy Brooks, 184 POUNDS
? Brooks placed third at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 national tournament. He is the No. 9 seed.
? Making his first career appearance at NCAA Championships.
? 18-7 career record against tournament field.
? 18 of his 27 wins have been by bonus points.
? Ties for second on the team with seven major decisions.
? Third on the team with seven falls.

Nathan Burak, 197 POUNDS
? Burak placed fourth at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 6 seed.
? Making his third NCAA Championships appearance. He did not place in 2013 and placed eighth in 2014.
? 20-17 career record against tournament field.
? 2014 Midlands champion.

Bobby Telford, 285 POUNDS
? Telford placed second at the 2015 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA tournament. He is the No. 3 seed.
? Making his fourth NCAA Championships appearance. He placed fifth in 2012 and fourth in 2014. He injury defaulted from the tournament in 2013.
? 23-9 career record against tournament field.
? Has four wins over top five opponents.
? Leads team with 11 falls, a career high.
? Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 31 and Feb. 10.
? 2014 Midlands Champion.

BIG TEN DUAL 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.

100-WIN CLUB
Senior Bobby Telford pinned Indiana’s Garrett Goldman in the opening round of the 2014 Big Ten tournament to record his 100th career win. He enters the national tournament with a 102-25 career record. His 102 wins tie Phil Keddy and Lenny Zalesky for 38th in program history. Senior Mike Evans also collected win No. 100 this season. Evans has a career record of 104-24. His 104 wins rank No. 37 in school history. Telford and Evans are among 42 Hawkeyes in program history to amass 100 or more career wins.

THE ATTENDANCE GAME
The University of Iowa wrestling program led the nation in attendance for the ninth consecutive season. Iowa averaged 8,358 fans in six duals and led the country in total attendance with 55,390 fans attending seven home dates (including Iowa CIty Duals). The Hawkeyes averaged at least 8,000 fans for the seventh consecutive season. Iowa was involved in the three highest attended duals this year, including at Penn State (15,967), at Minnesota (13,620) and at home against Iowa State (11,882).

BRANDS PASSES BRANDS
Head Coach Tom Brands moved into second place in all-time dual victories when Iowa defeated Virginia, 30-6, on Feb. 15. Brands has 163 dual wins since taking over the Iowa program in 2006, one more than Dave McCuskey had from 1953-72. He trails Dan Gable on the all-time dual wins list in program history. Gable had a record of 355-21-5 from 1977-97. Brands owns a 163-16-1 (.908) as Iowa’s head coach. He now has more victories as coach than he did as student-athlete. Brands was 158-7-2 (.952) from 1989-92. His 158 wins rank second in school history (Barry Davis, 162). He won three NCAA Championships as a wrestler (1990, 1991, 1992) and has won three NCAA Championships as head coach (2008, 2009, 2010).

B1G WEEKLY HONORS
The Hawkeyes received five Big Ten weekly honors this season, more than any other conference school. Redshirt freshman Brandon Sorensen earned the honor on two occasions, first on Jan. 13 and again on Jan. 27. Senior Bobby Telford was been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 31 and Feb. 10, and senior Mike Evans won the final award of the season on Feb. 24.