The black and gold nabbed their 23rd NCAA team title Friday night -- their third in a row -- on the strength of all five of their semifinalists qualifying for the finals Saturday night. It the most Iowa wrestlers to find themselves in the finals since 1997, when six Hawkeyes vied for individual crowns in Dan Gable’s last NCAAs as head coach.
At the end of Session IV Friday night, the Hawkeyes had accumulated 120.5 points. Cornell was a distant second, with 75 points, and two finalists. In third place is Iowa State, with 67 points, and three wrestlers in the finals.
When asked about Iowa winning the team crown before a single match of the finals was wrestled, the Hawkeyes’ head coach Tom Brands said, "It shows that you're in control, that you've wrestled well as a team. I don't think it lessens the urgency, going back to that word again, of winning five titles and three sevenths. It's flexing your muscles."
Brands contrasted this year to last, when Iowa didn’t know the team title was theirs until well into the 2009 finals ... and won it by just four-and-a-half points over Ohio State: "Last year, we didn't win any titles. This year, we have five chances to win titles. When you're 5-for-5 in the semifinals, you might as well be 5-for-5 in the finals. I'm not making any predictions there, I'm just saying that's the philosophy, the marching orders, how we go forward."
Incredibly, only one 2009 NCAA champ will be defending his title Saturday: Jake Varner of Iowa State, 197-pound titlist. Varner owns the rare distinction of being a four-time national finalist, having lost as a freshman and sophomore. The other champ from last year’s NCAAs to still be in the title hunt as of Friday evening, 165-pounder Jarrod King of Edinboro, fell in the semifinals.
125 pounds:
No. 5 Andrew Long (Iowa State) dec. No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana), 7-4
No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. unseeded Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 14-3
The finals will be a battle of Iowa rivals -- two redshirt freshmen who have made names for themselves already. Long brings a 27-5 record to the title match; McDonough is 36-1. The two have wrestled each other three times this season -- at a regular-season dual meet, the Midlands, and National Duals -- and McDonough came out the winner each time.
When asked about the finals, Long said, "It’s going to be a big match. We always have close matches that are always entertaining, so it’s going to be fun going out there knowing that we’ve wrestled before and I kind of know what to expect from that aspect."
McDonough said of finding himself in the finals, "Well you take one match at a time, don’t worry as much about who you’re wrestling, but how you’re wrestling and battling for seven minutes every match. I came into the tournament with a lot of confidence. I just kept working my skill and it paid off."
133 pounds:
No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), 2-0
No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State), 5-3 SV
The 133 finals will feature two redshirt seniors, both from the Big Ten. Ness is 32-0 this year, while Dennis is 22-3.
Weighing in on his finals rival, Ness said, "He's a battler. This will be our third time wrestling this year. He'll come out and want to get the win just as bad as I do." (The Gopher has defeated Dennis twice, most recently in the Big Ten finals, 9-3. However, last year, the Hawkeye was 2-0 over Ness.)
Dennis talked about the honor of making it to the championship match: "This is what my college career has culminated in, and even going further back to when my parents allowed me to participate in wrestling. It's been a long time coming for this opportunity."
141 pounds:
No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 3-2
No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Tyler Nauman (Pitt), 7-6
Dake brings a 33-2 record as a freshman to the finals, while Marion is a redshirt sophomore with a 27 wins, 5 losses this season.
The first-year Cornell matman has wrestled with an impressive amount of poise through most of the season. "At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t as confident as I should have been," said Dake after winning his semifinals match. "I have great coaching, great wrestling partners, and having those every day, I should be confident in my skills and my ability to win. So just learn how to deal with the pressure, and have fun -- basically have fun."
Making the finals is the realization of a dream for Marion: "It feels great. I’ve been dreaming about this for a very long time. It keeps me up at night. I’m just happy to be in the final. I’m ready to go tomorrow, staying on my offense and finishing all the way through."
149 pounds:
No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Frank Molinaro (Penn State), 2-0
No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Kyle Terry (Oklahoma), 6-2
This could well be THE match of the tournament. These two Big Ten contenders have wrestled each other five times in their collegiate careers ... with Metcalf taking the first four. Then, two weeks ago, Palmer stunned Metcalf – and the college wrestling world – with a decisive 9-3 win over the Hawkeye to win the conference championship.
Naturally, both men were asked about the prospect of facing each other again, this time for a national title.
Palmer, a junior with a 31-2 record, said, "It’s going to be fun. I love wrestling Brent. He’s a great wrestler. It’s not fun because people make him out to be the person he is, it’s great because he is a great wrestler and it gives us a chance to see who the best in the country is."
Metcalf, a redshirt senior who brings a 35-1 record, has a bit different attitude about Saturday night’s match: "I’m excited. It’s an opportunity to correct a wrong. I’ve been waiting the past two weeks maybe to get to this point and we both had to do our job, and we have. It’s time to go out and compete and work it out."
157 pounds:
No. 1 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) dec. No. 5 Steve Fittery (American), 14-2
No. 7 Chase Pami (Cal Poly) dec. unseeded Justin Lister (Binghamton), 13-5
A finals with wrestlers representing schools from opposite ends of the country. O’Connor is a senior with a perfect 34-0 record ... while Pami, a redshirt senior, has a 29-6 won-loss record.
In their individual press conferences after winning their semifinals matches, both wrestlers mentioned their previous meetings on the mat.
"We definitely have a history," said Pami. "I knocked him out of the All-American round last year. I'm going out there with the intent of whatever it takes to win the match, with that focus and that intensity. I just have to go out there and go to my offense, my turns, my shots."
O’Connor said, "I got him earlier this year in Las Vegas, so I settled that score (from last year) a little bit. I give him a lot of credit. He's a great athlete, a really tough competitor. I wrestled him three times last year, and unfortunately he beat me when it counted. He's a big reason why I'm this fired up, and striving to win a national title. I took that loss to heart. It's something I think about to this day, and that's something that won't change whether or not I win a national title."
165 pounds:
No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. unseeded Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma), 4-1
No. 6 Dan Vallimont (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Jarrod King (Edinboro), 3-1 OT
Yet another finals featuring two Big Ten wrestlers. Howe is a sophomore with a flawless 36-0 record; he was a finalist last year, losing to King ... who won’t be defending his title, thanks to Vallimont, a redshirt senior with a 31-7 record.
"I’ve wrestled him twice this year so far," said the second-year Badger of Vallimont, who won both matches against the Nittany Lion. "He’s tough. He’s a smart wrestler. I just want to stay on him, get a couple take-downs and seal the match."
When asked what he anticipates for the finals, Vallimont responded, "It’s going to be similar to tonight’s match. Just get out there and finish my shots as quick as I can ... I feel like I’ve been wrestling better than I ever have in my career, and I think it’s a great way to finish it out tomorrow with a championship. I felt great wrestling in the semifinals and I’m hoping to be able to wrestle even better tomorrow."
174 pounds:
No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska), 3-2
No. 2 Jay Borshel (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Chris Henrich (Virginia), 11-9
A matchup between the top two seeds in this weight class ... and two undefeated wrestlers. Lewnes, a junior, has a 40-0 record ... while the redshirt junior Borschel is 36-0 this season. Both wrestlers had challenging semifinals bouts ... which both men addressed in their separate post-match press conferences.
When asked about his close matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Lewnes responded, "I believe confidence allows me to go into a wrestling match knowing I can be dominant and go after most guys, but some guys are good at keeping it close. I think winning those tight matches comes from experience. Last year, the year before, even in high school, one of the biggest turning points was actually winning those close matches instead of losing those 3-1, 3-2 matches. I think it comes from experience there. I’m able to keep my composure and relax. It doesn’t matter if my shots aren’t working, I’ll set something else up and try and go for another shot."
"Sometimes I get in trouble with my laid-back style and approach, and sometimes come out slow," said Borshel. "It’s our mentality as a team that when you go deeper and deeper into the tournament you get stronger. Coach Brands says every session our best wrestling is now and everything else is behind us. I just stayed calm and tried to take them one at a time to get those points."
184 pounds:
No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) dec. No. 4 Mike Cannon (American), 11-2
No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) dec. No. 7 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), 9-7 OT
Kirk Smith, a junior, brings a blemish-free 29-0 record to the 184 finals ... while Max Askren is a senior with 19 wins, 2 losses.
Both wrestlers were rather philosophical and serious-minded when looking forward to Saturday night’s finals.
"I know he's a competitor, that he wrestles hard," said the Missouri wrestler, younger brother of two-time NCAA champ for the Tigers – and emerging MMA star – Ben Askren. "He's going to make it a match, he's not going to stop. I know him off the mat a little bit, and he's a good person. We'll both go out and hopefully put on a show."
Smith said of his journey to the finals, "I figure it's not worth it to win an NCAA title without the hardest road. Mentally, all year, I've been preparing myself to take that road, to go against those top seeds in each round. And then, to follow that to the finals. I think that's helped me a lot, that mental preparation."
197 pounds:
No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec.. No. 4 Cam Simaz (Cornell), 6-0
No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) dec. No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 1-0
Now, an all Big 12 final between two rivals who have wrestled each other a zillion times ... or so it seems. Varner and Brester faced each other in the 197 pound finals at the 2009 NCAAs ... and, two weeks ago in the title match at the Big 12 conference championships. Varner won both of those matches.
Varner has a perfect 30-0 record in his senior season ... while Brester, a redshirt senior, has the same number of wins this year, and two losses – both to the Cyclone he’s facing Saturday night.
Both men reflected on what will be the last time they face each other as college wrestlers.
"It’s just another match," said Varner. "Obviously, it’s the national finals. We’ve wrestled a few times this year. It’s the same game plan. I’m going to go out there and wrestle my match, wrestle to win. Stick to my gameplan and have fun. Whatever happens happens, but I’m not going to go down without a fight and I’m going to battle to win my second title."
Brester portrayed himself as the underdog: "I’ve got nothing to lose going out there. He’s expected to win. He’s been there. He’s done this. He’s made a name for himself and I’m just me. I’m just going to go out there and take down the giant, and I’m just going to have a fun time trying to do it."
When asked what would be the perfect final, the Husker wrestler said, "Get my hand raised. I don’t care how it happens. I’ve dreamt. You see takedowns. You see back points and stuff like that, but any way it happens, if I get my hand raised, I’m going to be a happy man."
Heavyweight:
No. 1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) dec. No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 6-5
No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Zach Rey (Lehigh), 4-0
Yet another finals featuring two Big 12 big men. Zabriskie is a senior, with 25 wins, 2 losses; Rosholt is a redshirt senior, 34-2 this year.
When asked about facing Zabriskie yet again, the Cowboy answered, "It's perfect. He and I have a pretty good rivalry going. I lost to him in the championship match of the Big 12's two weeks ago. We should meet again to decide who is the national champion."
"He's a tough competitor," the Cyclone acknowledged. "I've faced him a few times and I know it's going to be a battle."
Standings (Top 10):
1. Iowa, 120.5 points
2. Cornell, 75
3. Iowa State, 67
4. Wisconsin, 62
5. Oklahoma State, 60.5
6. Oklahoma, 58
7. Ohio State, 56.5
8. Minnesota, 55
9. Penn State, 47
10. Missouri, 44
The finals take place Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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