This past Saturday night, two marquee Big Ten dual meets were held back-to-back. It was a memorable and magical night for the sport.
Ohio State wrestled at Penn State in front of a sellout crowd of nearly 16,000 fans in State College.
The Iowa-Minnesota dual followed before a huge crowd of more than 12,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Both duals featured huge crowds and electric atmospheres. Not only that, both matches were televised live on the Big Ten Network.
No doubt, the sport received plenty of exposure that night. There were a lot of people watching.
With perennial powers Iowa and Oklahoma State set to meet this weekend, let's take a look at some of the best rivalries in college wrestling. Here is the list we came up with and it's in no particular order:
Spencer Lee gets in on a shot against Oklahoma State's Nick Piccininni (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Iowa vs. Oklahoma State
The Hawkeyes and Cowboys are the two winningest, by far, programs in college wrestling history. Oklahoma State has won 34 national titles and Iowa 23. The most recent meeting between the teams saw the Cowboys beat the visiting Hawkeyes last year before 13,000-plus fans in Stillwater. OSU's Nick Piccininni pinned national champion Spencer Lee in the marquee match of the dual. Piccininni and Lee are expected to meet again this weekend at 125 pounds. Top-ranked Iowa is heavily favored to win this year's dual with OSU, but it's always compelling when these power programs battle.
Former Augsburg coach Jeff Swenson holds up the Swens/Milboy Belt in 2019 (Photo/David Peterson)Wartburg vs. Augsburg
These schools don't offer athletic scholarships and compete at the NCAA Division III level, but no collegiate rivalry is better than the Battle of the Burgs. The teams have won every DIII national team title over the past quarter-century and both programs are still elite. Top-ranked Wartburg edged No. 2 Augsburg earlier this month before a boisterous sellout crowd in Waverly, Iowa. This rivalry continues to deliver with outstanding battles between the powerhouse small-college programs.
Cornell vs. Lehigh
This has been one of the best rivalries for more than half a century between Eastern programs with long and storied histories. Lehigh initially was the bigger power on the national stage, but Cornell has been a consistent title contender over the past decade with star wrestlers like Kyle Dake, Gabe Dean and Yianni Diakomihalis. The Cornell-Lehigh dual remains one of the very best with large crowds gathering each year when these two perennial powers meet. Cornell has dominated the series in recent years, but Lehigh has won the last two duals in the series. The Mountain Hawks prevailed 19-14 this season when Lehigh heavyweight Jordan Wood won the final match of the dual.
Penn State vs. Iowa
This has developed into a must-see match when these two teams meet. The Nittany Lions have developed a dynasty in the past decade by winning eight national titles. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 1 this year, and won a close home dual over Penn State this year. The 165 battle between two-time national champion Vincenzo Joseph of PSU and two-time All-American Alex Marinelli of Iowa was worth the price of admission. Joseph prevailed after falling to Marinelli the previous two seasons. This year's Penn State-Iowa dual came down to heavyweight where Iowa's Tony Cassioppi prevailed as the Hawkeyes rallied for a 19-17 victory. Huge crowds and edge-of-your-seat drama have become the norm when these two super powers meet. Both teams have loaded rosters and this rivalry will continue to thrive over the next decade and beyond.
Army vs. Navy
This likely can apply for just about any sport when Army faces Navy, but it's always a fierce battle when the two service academies meet on the wrestling mat. The level of competition is typically high and it will be again when these teams meet this weekend in Annapolis. It should be another entertaining match to watch between these long-time athletic rivals.
Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina State
The Atlantic Coast Conference has become much more relevant in wrestling and these two programs are a big reason why. Both schools have won trophies with top-four finishes at the NCAA tournament. And they've had some excellent battles in dual meets, including this year. North Carolina State edged Virginia Tech 21-18 on Valentine's Day in Raleigh, N.C. Second-ranked Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech topped No. 3 Trent Hidlay 3-1 in the featured bout at 184 pounds.
Franklin & Marshall regained the Rupp Cup this year (Photo/Franklin & Marshall Athletics)Franklin & Marshall vs. Millersville
This is a matchup not as many people know about, but the battle for the Rupp Cup is definitely a good one when these teams meet. Franklin & Marshall regained the Rupp Cup on its senior night after earning a 23-10 win over Millersville this past Thursday in Lancaster, Pa. The teams meet annually for the battle of the Rupp Cup in honor of Lancaster County wrestling patriarch Ted Rupp, a Franklin & Marshall alum who maintained strong ties to both his alma mater and Millersville University. In 1948-49, Rupp coached both Millersville and F&M, finishing with a 20-2 combined record.
There is no love lost between Iowa and Iowa State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Iowa vs. Iowa State
Growing up as a wrestling fan in Iowa in the 1970s and 1980s, the Iowa-Iowa State dual was something you didn't want to miss. They used to dual each other twice a year and there were some epic battles. The big win by Iowa's Jim Zalesky after ISU's Nate Carr bumped up a weight class stands out as one of the most memorable. Zalesky and Carr each won three NCAA titles, but Carr's move up to face Zalesky at 158 didn't go well. Zalesky overpowered Carr by a 20-5 score in the 1982 dual at Hilton Coliseum. One of the more memorable wins for ISU came in 1981 when the No. 3 Cyclones upset No. 1 Iowa at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State led 19-14 heading into the heavyweight bout. Iowa's Lou Banach needed to win by fall and was leading 9-0 when he tried to cradle Dave Osenbaugh to his back. But Osenbaugh countered and caught Banach on his back for a dramatic fall. Cyclone fans stormed the mat after the landmark win for Iowa State.
Ohio vs. Kent State
They call it the Grudge Match and it has lived up to its billing over the years. The Ohio-Kent State matches have been compelling and hard-fought, including the most recent dual this season. For the second straight time, Ohio claimed Grudge Match bragging rights this season after earning a 26-17 triumph over rival Kent State. You can't help but love rivalries like this. Especially ones with a cool name like they have.
Penn State vs. Ohio State
These Big Ten rivals have had many outstanding matchups over the past decade. The Buckeyes are the only other program to win NCAAs besides Penn State since 2011. The teams had another hard-fought battle last weekend with Penn State winning 20-16 before a crowd of 15,995 fans at home. Second-ranked Nick Lee of PSU rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 1 Luke Pletcher 8-4 in the featured bout at 141 pounds. It was another entertaining dual to watch. National champion Mark Hall of Penn State showed off his explosive capability by recording an impressive early fall.
North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State
This rivalry goes back many years to when they battled in Division II as North Central Conference rivals. The 2001 DII nationals came down to the final match at heavyweight when the Bison and Jackrabbits met in the last match of the tournament to determine the team champion. NDSU prevailed to win the title. The teams now compete in Division I and both programs have enjoyed success at the top level. SDSU's Seth Gross won a DI national title in 2018 and the Jackrabbits have had a strong season during the 2019-20 campaign. The long-time border rivals are scheduled to meet again Friday night in Brookings, S.D.
Iowa vs. Minnesota
When Iowa assistant coach J Robinson left to take over as the head coach at Minnesota, it wasn't long before the Gophers became relevant on the national level. And it wasn't long before they developed a rivalry with the powerhouse program just to the south of them. Iowa and Minnesota have had many epic battles on the mat. The most memorable performance for Minnesota came at the 2001 NCAA tournament. The Gophers had a record 10 All-Americans while edging Iowa to win the national team title at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. In the most recent meeting, No. 1 Iowa rolled past Minnesota 35-6 before 12,608 fans on Saturday night in Iowa City.
Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma
This long-standing dual meet between traditional Big Eight/Big 12 rivals is known as Bedlam. These proud and powerful programs have had many epic battles over the years featuring standouts John and Pat Smith at Oklahoma State and Dave and Mark Schultz at Oklahoma. When you think of college wrestling, the state of Oklahoma is always one of the first areas of the country that comes to mind. This dual is always one that is worth the price of admission. It's one of the best rivalries in the sport.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now