Match Notes: Iowa vs. Rutgers

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ON THE MAT
The fourth-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team hosts No. 20 Rutgers on Friday at 8:03 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for youth 18-years-old and younger, and free for UI students and children under the age of five. 

WHERE TO WATCH
Friday’s dual is televised by BTN. Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons, and Shane Sparks will call the action.

IOWA VS. RUTGERS
Iowa and Rutgers are meeting for the fifth time in series history.
    The Hawkeyes have won all four meetings in the series. Iowa is 3-0 against the Scarlett Knights since Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference (W, 27-9 in 2014-15; W, 29-6 in 2015-16; W, 23-15 in 2017-18).
    Rutgers is making its second trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won the only previous meeting in Iowa City, 29-6, on Jan. 2, 2015.

SPENCER LEE, 125, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Spencer Lee is ranked No. 2 in the country. He is 10-1 overall with eight bonus-point victories. He leads the Hawkeyes with six technical falls. 
    Lee is scheduled to face Shane Metzler on Friday. It is the first career meeting between the two. Metzler is unranked. Lee is 7-0 this year against unranked opponents, and has scored bonus points in each of those matches (one major decision, five technical falls, and one pin).
    Lee defeated Rutgers’ Nick Suriano, 5-1, in the 125-pound NCAA finals in 2018.

AUSTIN DESANTO, 133, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Austin DeSanto is ranked No. 8 in the country with an overall record of 11-1. He has scored bonus points in seven matches this season and is riding a seven-match winning streak.
    DeSanto is scheduled to face No. 3 Nick Suriano on Friday. It is the first career meeting between the two. Suriano lost to Iowa’s Spencer Lee, 5-1, in the 125-pound finals of the 2018 NCAA Championships. He has been defeated three times in his career, including a 3-2 loss last week against Daton Fix, and a 3-2 loss to Thomas Gilman at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 20, 2017. 
    DeSanto is 4-1 this year against ranked opponents. He defeated No. 6 Ethan Lizak, a 2017 NCAA finalist, 6-1 last week at Minnesota. 

MAX MURIN, 141, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Max Murin was the Midlands runner-up at 141. He is 9-3 overall, coming off consecutive losses to top 10 opponents: No. 9 Josh Alber (UNI), 5-2, in the Midlands finals; No. 6 Mitch McKee (MINN), 5-3, Jan. 13 at Minnesota. 
    Murin is ranked No. 15 in the country and is scheduled to face Michael Van Brill or Peter Lipari. He has never faced either wrestler. Murin is 8-1 this season against unranked wrestlers, with three pins and three major decisions. 

PAT LUGO, 149, JUNIOR
Junior Pat Lugo enters the weekend ranked No. 12 with an 8-5 record. He is scheduled to face No. 2 Anthony Ashnault. It is the first career meeting between the two. The match is Lugo’s sixth this season against a ranked opponent (2-3). He has twice dropped decisions to top-ranked Matthew Kolodzik. In his last time out, Lugo recorded a 14-0 major decision against No. 20 Tommy Thorne of Minnesota. 

KALEB YOUNG, 157, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Kaleb Young opened the season ranked 15th in the country by Intermat and has climbed to No. 5 entering Friday’s dual. 
    Young faces No. 14 John Van Brill on Friday. It is his third straight match against a ranked opponent. He defeated Minnesota’s Steve Bleise on Jan. 13, 7-1, to improve to 4-1 this season against ranked opponents. He has wins over No. 14 Griffin Parriott (Pin 3:37), No. 15 Josh Humphreys (4-1), No. 16 Luke Weiland (15-0), and No. 9 Steve Bleise (7-1). He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week following his win over Parriott.  
    Young is 12-1 with three pins, three technical falls, and a major decision.

ALEX MARINELLI, 165, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Alex Marinelli made his collegiate debut when Iowa visited Rutgers last season. Marinelli used a takedown in sudden victory to defeat No. 9 Richie Lewis, 6-4. It was Marinelli’s first career win, and his first Big Ten dual win. He has since improved to 10-0 in his career in Big Ten duals. 
    Marinelli will face Stephan Glasgow on Friday. It is the first career meeting between the two. 
    Marinelli has climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings following his Midlands Championship on Dec. 30. Marinelli defeated Evan Wick, 4-3, in the 165-pound Midlands finals. It was his second straight Midlands title. He was 5-0 in the tournament with wins over Wick, No. 5 Joshua Shields (4-1), and No. 19 Jonathan Viruet (8-6 SV1). The No. 2 ranking matches his career best. He was ranked No. 2 the final two weeks of the 2018 regular season. 

MITCH BOWMAN, 174, SENIOR
Senior Mitch Bowman is scheduled to make his second dual appearance at 174. Bowman, a national qualifier at 184 last season, has wrestled at 197 (2-0) and 174 (2-3) this season. Bowman is scheduled to face either Joseph Grello or Willis Scott on Friday. In his only previous meeting with either wrestlers, Bowman lost to Scott, 6-4, at Midlands less than one month ago. Bowman defeated Rutgers’ 184-pounder Nick Gravina, 6-4, at the 2018 Big Ten Championships (both wrestled at 184). The win secured Bowman’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. 

CASH WILCKE, 184, JUNIOR
Junior Cash Wilcke is 11-2 this season and ranked No. 13 in the country. He is scheduled to face No. 17 Nick Gravina. It is the first career meeting between the two. Wilcke is 0-1 this year against ranked opponents. He fell to No. 7 Drew Foster, 3-2, in the 184-pound finals of the Midlands Championships.

JACOB WARNER, 197, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Jacob Warner won his Big Ten debut his last time out, defeating Minnesota’s Dylan Anderson, 9-4, on Jan. 13. 
    Warner has climbed to No. 5 in the country following a 7-2 start to the season. He opened the year ranked No. 13 by Intermat, but is ranked No. 5 heading into Friday’s match. He is scheduled to face Matthew Correnti. It is their first career meeting. 

AARON COSTELLO, 285, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Aaron Costello is 6-4 overall. He is scheduled to face Christian Colucci on Friday. It is the first career meeting between the two. Costello is making his second Big Ten dual appearance. 

HAWKEYES AND CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
The Hawkeyes are 252-25 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since moving from the UI Field House in 1983. The Hawkeyes have recorded 20 undefeated seasons in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the most recent in 2012-13 (9-0). 
    Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted two United States Olympic Team Trials, four Big Ten Championships (1983, 1994, 2005, 2016), 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. 
    In 2018, the University of Iowa hosted the UWW World Cup, an international dual tournament featuring eight of the top countries in the world.