Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — March 2017 | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch: Sammy Brooks | 2017 Brackets
| 2017 NCAA WRESTLING | MARCH 16-18 | ST. LOUIS | ||
| March 16 | 11 a.m. | First Round | ESPNU | WatchESPN |
| March 16 | 6 p.m. | Second Round | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| March 17 | 10 a.m. | Quarterfinals | ESPNU | WatchESPN |
| March 17 | 7 p.m. | Semifinals | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| March 18 | 10 a.m. | Medal Round | ESPNU | WatchESPN |
| March 18 | 7 p.m. | Championships | ESPN | WatchESPN |
ON THE MAT
The University of Iowa wrestling team travels to St. Louis to compete at the 2017 NCAA Championships on March 16-18 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 provide primetime coverage of the three-day tournament for the first time in NCAA history. ESPN will televise the second round (March 16), semifinals (March 17), and finals (March 18) in prime time and ESPNU will televise the first round (March 16), quarterfinals (March 17) and medal round (March 18).
ESPN3 will carry individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament allowing fans to choose which wrestlers and/or schools to follow at any time. Eight mats will be used for the first, second and quarterfinals, before the competition is reduced to six mats for the semifinals, three mats for the medal round and one mat for the finals.
LIVE RESULTS
Live results will be available on the Iowa wrestling schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
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
Iowa has five 2016 All-Americans in its lineup — Thomas Gilman (125), Cory Clark (133), Brandon Sorensen (149), Alex Meyer (174), and Sammy Brooks (184).
The Hawkeyes had a tournament-high six All-Americans in 2016. Clark and Nathan Burak were named an All-American for the third time. Gilman and Sorensen earned their second All-America honors, and Meyer and Brooks became first time All-Americans.
The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American 45 consecutive seasons, a stretch dating back to 1972. Iowa has totaled 273 All-America honors during that stretch.
9 QUALIFIERS
Iowa has sent at least eight athletes to the NCAA Championships in each of head coach Tom Brands’ 10 seasons. The Hawkeyes won national titles with a nine-man lineup in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, Iowa had seven All-Americans and two NCAA champions. In 2009, Iowa won the team crown with five All-Americans but no champions.
Seven of Iowa’s nine qualifiers earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament at the Big Ten Championships. Joey Gunther and Cash Wilcke received at-large invitations.
NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have five wrestlers with previous NCAA experience, and four wrestlers making their national tournament debuts The 2017 Iowa lineup has a combined nine All-America honors.
• FIRST TIMERS: Topher Carton (Sr., 141), Michael Kemerer (R-Fr., 157), Joey Gunther (R-Fr.., 165), Cash Wilcke (R-Fr., 197).
• BACK FOR SECONDS: All-American Alex Meyer (Sr., 174)
• THIRD TIME AROUND: All-American Sammy Brooks (Sr., 184) and two-time All-Americans Thomas Gilman (Sr., 125) and Brandon Sorensen (Jr., 149).
• FOURTH AND FINAL: Three-time All-American Cory Clark (Sr., 133).
HAWKEYES IN THE FINALS
Juniors Cory Clark and Thomas Gilman, and sophomore Brandon Sorensen advanced to the NCAA finals in 2016 to extend Iowa’s streak of NCAA finals appearances to 27 consecutive years.
Iowa has had at least one wrestler in the national finals every year since 1990, and in 41 of the last 42 seasons dating back to 1975.
FRESHMEN QUALIFIERS
Iowa has three freshmen in the NCAA championships — Michael Kemerer (157), Joey Gunther (165), and Cash Wilcke (197) — for the second time in the Tom Brands era. In 2011, freshmen Tony Ramos (133), Derek St. John (157), and Ethen Lofthouse (174) qualified for national tournament in Philadelphia, Pa. St. John finished fourth to earn his first of four All-America honors.
Since 2007, Brands first NCAA championships as Iowa’s head coach, 15 freshmen have qualified for the NCAA tournament and five have gone on to win All-America honors (Matt McDonough 2010; St. John, 2011; Bobby Telford, 2012; Cory Clark, 2014; Brandon Sorensen, 2015). McDonough won the national title in 2010 at 125 pounds.
DOMINANT SINCE NO. 1
Gary Kurdelmeier led Iowa to its first NCAA Championship in 1975, and in the 42 years since, the Hawkeyes have accumulated 23 team titles, more than any other school — Oklahoma State (7), Penn State (5), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), Ohio State (1) and Arizona State (1).
125 POUNDS — THOMAS GILMAN, SENIOR
Senior Thomas Gilman is the reigning Big Ten champion and top seed at 125 pounds. He is 27-0 and has scored bonus points in 23 matches. The 27 match win streak is a career best. Gilman has set a career high and leads the team with seven technical falls. His 10 falls also lead the team and tie a career best (2016).
Gilman is making his third NCAA tournament appearance, having placed fourth in 2015 and second in 2016. He is 8-3 all-time at the NCAA Championships, and 33-2 all-time against the 2017 tournament field.
Gilman is five wins from a national title and becoming the 16th wrestler in program history to finish 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.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 125 pounds (Matt McDonough 2010, 2012).
133- POUNDS — CORY CLARK, SENIOR
Three-time All-American Cory Clark is the No. 4 seed at 133 pounds. Clark is 15-3 overall with four pins and two technical falls.
Clark is making his fourth NCAA tournament appearance. He placed fifth at 125 in 2014, and was runner-up at 133 in 2015 and 2016. He is 13-4 all-time in the tournament, and 20-5 all-time against the 2017 tournament field.
A trip to the medal stand would make Clark the 19th four-time All-American in program history.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won three NCAA titles at 133 pounds (Eric Juergens, 2000, 2001; Tony Ramos, 2014).
141 POUNDS — TOPHER CARTON, SENIOR
Senior Topher Carton is making his first NCAA appearance. Carton earned an automatic qualifying berth by placing ninth at the Big Ten Championships. Carton climbed as high as No. 13 in the national rankings this season. He is 24-8 with a career-high seven major decisions and five pins. Carton is 7-10 all-time against the tournament field.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 141 pounds (Doug Schwab, 1999; Cliff Moore, 141).
149 POUNDS — BRANDON SORENSEN, JUNIOR
Two-time All-American Brandon Sorensen is the No. 5 seed at 149. The junior is 26-4 overall with a team- and career-high 11 major decisions. His six falls tie a career high from 2015. He has scored bonus points in 20-of-26 wins.
Sorensen placed fourth as a freshman in 2015 and was runner-up in 2016. He is 10-3 all-time in the tournament, and 20-6 all-time against the tournament field.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won three NCAA titles at 149 pounds (T.J. Williams, 1999; Brent Metcalf 2008, 2010).
157 POUNDS, MICHAEL KEMERER, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Michael Kemerer is the No. 2 seed at 157. He is 27-2 with 17 wins by bonus points and seven wins over ranked opponents, including five in the top 10. He ranks third on the team with four technical falls and second with nine major decisions. Kemerer is 11-2 against the tournament field. His only two losses of the season have been to top-seeded Jason Nolf (Penn State).
Kemerer opened the season 19-0, becoming the first Hawkeye redshirt freshman to win his first 19 matches since Matt McDonough won 32 in a row to start the 2009-10 season.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 157 pounds (T.J. Williams, 2000; Derek St. John, 2013).
165 POUNDS — JOEY GUNTHER, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Joey Gunther is 18-8 overall and reached as high as No. 15 in the national rankings this season. He was awarded an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships. He is 4-7 against the tournament field.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 165 pounds (Mark Perry 2007, 2008).
174 POUNDS — ALEX MEYER, SENIOR
All-American Alex Meyer is 24-7 with a career-best eight major decisions, which ranks third on the team. Meyer is the No. 11 seed and is appearing in his second NCAA Championships. He placed eighth at 174 in 2016, dropping his opening round match 10-9 before stringing together four straight wins on the backside of the bracket and finishing eighth overall. Meyer is 4-3 all-time in the tournament and 19-11 all-time against the tournament field.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won one NCAA title at 174 pounds (Jay Borschel, 174).
184 POUNDS — SAMMY BROOKS, SENIOR
All-American Sammy Brooks is the reigning 184-pound Big Ten champion and the No. 3 seed at the NCAA tournament. Brooks is 24-2 overall with 18 wins by bonus points. He has won 14 of his last 15, including eight matches against ranked opponents.
Brooks is 5-5 all-time in two NCAA appearances. He was 2-2 in 2015, falling to No. 1 Gabe Dean, 3-2, and No. 3 Blake Stauffer, 7-2. He split six matches in 2016 and placed eighth, earning his first All-America honor.
He is 15-8 all-time against the tournament field.
197 POUNDS — CASH WILCKE, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Cash Wilcke is 16-11 overall with four losses to top 10 opponents. He earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships after placing eighth at the Big Ten tournament. He is 2-10 all-time against the tournament field.
HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa’s overall dual meet record is 986-228-31 (.799) in 107 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’ 112 Big Ten champions have combined for 199 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time, and 30 two-time Big Ten champions from Iowa.
Iowa’s 154 All-Americans have earned All-America status 319 times, including 18 four-time, 36 three-time and 40 two-time honorees.
