My name is Julie Koehn and I grew up in small town Iowa where wrestling was THE sport to follow. Wrestlers were the most dedicated athletes, the stands were always full, the coaches were entertaining and everybody skipped school to attend State Wrestling at the Barn.
So naturally, when I came to Iowa the same year Tom Brands took over the head wrestling position, replacing the legendary Dan Gable, I was hooked.
It's undeniable that Iowa has the number one wrestling program - with a main line-up that is dominated by juniors and includes an NCAA Champion, a handful of all-Americans and several who have experienced competing in both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships - not to mention many whom have already redshirted, giving a new perspective from the outside.
Through this blog I will keep readers up-to-date as the Brands brothers guide the team towards another Big Ten and NCAA Championship season, on and off the mat. When the season comes to an end, we'll look at recruiting and what wrestlers do during the off season.
The most recent line-up includes:
125 - senior Charlie Falck
133 - junior Daniel Dennis
141 - senior Alex Tsirtsis
149 - junior Brent Metcalf
157 - sophomore Matt Ballweg
165 - junior Ryan Morningstar
174 - junior Jay Borschel
184 - junior Phillip Keddy
197 - junior Chad Beatty
Hwt. - junior Dan Erekson
Weekend Wind Up
It was a big weekend for the No. 1 ranked Hawkeyes as they hosted Wisconsin on Friday night and Illinois on Sunday - posting their 30 and 31st straight wins.
With a 24-12 win against Wisconsin and a 32-4 victory over Illinois, Iowa dominated at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
But what really grasped the attention of just under 7,000 fans who were in attendance as the No. 15 Badgers battled with the Hawkeyes...was the battle between the coaches.
I'm not gonna lie, I missed it live myself. But from the looks and sounds of things, there was a heated debate after the 165-pound match between Iowa's Ryan Morningstar and Wisconsin's Andrew Howe, which ended in a 4-3 victory for Howe, following double overtime.
Personally, I would never find myself in even a remotely neutral argument against that particular set of twin brothers. I've seen intensity build up as the two eye a match. Their gestures begin with a slow, but steady rock in their chairs. Depending on what's happening on the mat, a variety of actions begin to unfold...let's just say in unison, both are intense.
I'm not exactly sure what was going through Barry Davis' mind when he repeatedly made his way up to the score table, and when the argument began with the brothers. I'm not sure he knew what was going through his own mind - especially when Gable joined the bout. According to Davis, there was no argument.
"I said here's the deal -- we won the match. Bottom line, we won the match. We had riding time, we won the match. It's that simple. I don't know what they were talking about," Davis told the Press-Citizen.
If I were him, I would have turned around with my tail between my legs as soon as the three had approached.
Needless to say, Tom Brands was doggone mad.
To read for yourself, check out:
Wrestlers Skunk Badgers in Heated Match
Rage on the Wrestling Match
Coaches Get Steamed, Hawks Top Wisconsin
Hawks Roll Over Badgers
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(Needless to say) I covered the meet, and the Iowa team that steamrolled Illinois on Sunday was not the same one from two days before.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Brands' chewed his guys out after the Wisconsin dual, but there was some kind of flame flickering under every guys' rear.
I know none of the coaches or wrestlers would appreciate me using the word "automatic" to describe their winning ways, but I hope the team is getting to that point.
Bucknell on Friday probably won't be the best indicator, though.