Hawks Dominate...again

Surprise, surprise. Iowa dominates, yet again. In the third meet hosted at Carver this week, 5,525 fans watched as Iowa stomped Bucknell last night, 40-3. Even though the Hawks have taken victories in the last 32 dual matches (18-0 for the season), surprises surface each time those boys take the mat.

1. With a new haircut, Head Coach Tom Brands took his 70th career win.

2. 149-pound stud, Brent Metcalf, performs his third consecutive pin against Kevin LeValley for his 55th straight win (going 24-0 in the season).

3. 141-pounder Alex Tsirtsis takes the mat for only 1:22 before taking a fall over Adam Healey. Impressive timing, as he had him on his back 15 seconds into the match. But what makes it even more impressive is Tsirtsis has been taking this week easy after having a wisdom tooth pulled on Monday.

4. At 157 pounds, Iowa's Matt Ballweg wins after a 6-match losing streak. It was his 20th career win, which came from Tyler Riccio who he defeated, 8-0.

5. So who put up the three points on the scoreboard for Bucknell? 174-pounder Colby Covington took the place of 4th ranked Jay Borschel in the line-up. Borschel had anthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday night. Borschel plans to continue at practice this week and be back on the mat soon.

Covington lost in a 7-2 decision to Shane Riccio.

And that's a wrap.

Articles for thought:

From the PC - Hawkeye Wrestlers Belt Bucknell

From the DI - Wrestlers Batter Bucknell

From Hawkeyesports.com - Hawkeyes Pound Bucknell

Riding Time Piles Up...

Photo of Head Coach Tom Brands courtesy of Hawkeyesports.com.

Out of the Shadows

What really drives the decision to be appointed Big Ten Wrestler of the Week? Apparently, beating two guys ranked at a higher status, is a place to start.

Iowa junior heavyweight Dan Erekson was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. The 11th ranked Eagle, Ind. native added points to the scoreboard during both meets this weekend as he took victory over Wisconsin's Kyle Massey (7th) and Illinois' John Wise (9th).

With a record of 16-5, Erekson comes out of the shadow of former heavyweight Matt Fields who posted a 32-8 record and placed third at Big Tens and fifth at NCAAs last season.

Erekson redshirted last season after competing at 197 during the previous years. He went 13-9 in 06-07 and 19-19 in 05-06.

I had an interesting conversation with Tom Brands about redshirting at the end of last season. He explained to me that redshirting in wrestling is different than in other sports. He said that its situational depending on the wrestler and the maturity levels differ as each individual progresses from high school to college competition.

"Without a redshirt, I wouldn't have had the growth," Brands said about his own experience as a Hawkeye grappler.

So far it looks like being on the outside looking in last year, Erekson has been able to apply some of what he learned as he continues to improve this season.

Photo courtesy of Hawkeyesports.com.

On and Off the Mat

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