The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team has a full slate of competition this weekend. First Iowa will host the six-team Iowa City Duals Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in its first home event of the season. Then the Hawkeyes will send competitors to the annual Kaufman-Brand Open, Saturday, in Omaha, NE. Senior Daniel Dennis will wrap up the weekend, Sunday, at the NWCA All-Star Dual in Fullerton, CA.
IOWA CITY DUALS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
10:30 a.m. - 3 mats
Iowa vs. Coe College
Cornell College vs. North Carolina-Pembroke
Iowa Lakes Community College vs. Southern Illinois Edwardsville
Noon - 3 mats
Iowa vs. Cornell College
Southern Illinois Edwardsville vs. Coe College
Iowa Lakes Community College vs. North Carolina-Pembroke
1:30 p.m. - 3 mats
Iowa vs. Iowa Lakes Community College
North Carolina-Pembroke vs. Coe College
Cornell College vs. Southern Illinois Edwardsville
3 p.m. - 2 mats
Iowa vs. North Carolina-Pembroke
Cornell College vs. Iowa Lakes Community College
5 p.m. - 1 mat
Iowa vs. Southern Illinois Edwardsville
IOWA CITY DUALS TICKET INFORMATION
The event is part of the wrestling season ticket package, which is $60 for the general public and $48 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the door. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for the event.
Hawkeye men's basketball and football fans can also take advantage of special ticket prices for the Iowa City Duals and the Iowa basketball game vs. Bowling Green State, which is set for 8:05 p.m. Friday. Fans can show their Bowling Green State men's basketball ticket or their Iowa vs. Minnesota football ticket at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Athletic Ticket Office and pay only $5 to the Iowa City Duals.
IOWA WRESTLING ON THE AIR
Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the Iowa City Duals action live on AM-800, KXIC.
Video Internet Streaming - Hawkeye wrestling fans can watch Iowa's matches from the Iowa City Duals live using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year)on www.hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also watch Iowa senior 133-pounder Daniel Dennis compete at the NWCA All-Star Classic Sunday at www.livesportsvideo.com. A $9.99 access fee will be charged for the webcast with 80% of the revenue will be donated to the Help Save Cal State Fullerton fund. Scott Casber of TakeDown Radio will announce the event.
WWW.HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live scoring for home meets, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Live Results link. Results will be updated after each bout during the dual. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com.
LIVE BLOGGING FROM IOWA CITY DUALS
A member of the University of Iowa Sports Information staff will offer interactive content live from the Iowa City Duals via www.hawkeyesports.com. This feature gives diehard Hawkeye fans the opportunity to voice their opinion by submitting questions and comments, while receiving up-to-the-minute play-by-play, notes and stats about the Hawkeyes. The live blog will begin at approximately 10:15 a.m. (CT) and run throughout Iowa's five duals.
CONSTRUCTION ZONE
Construction has officially begun on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Renovation Project, which will result in some changes regarding parking and entrance to the arena for wrestling matches.
The North entrance will no longer be accessible from the outside of the facility. Fans can enter, and purchase tickets, at the West and South entrances. The East entrance will serve as the event pass gate. Fans can still purchase tickets to future events from the North ticket windows, but will only be able to access that location from inside the arena.
Media parking for all meets, except the Iowa City Duals, will be in Lot 40, which is located across Elliott Drive from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, on the building's southeast side. For the Iowa City Duals, media members must request parking for Lot 46 (which is located at the top of Carver-Hawkeye Arena), from Assistant Sports Information Director Traci Wagner, by Nov. 19.
For the Iowa City Duals, a continuous free shuttle service will be available to transport fans between Hancher Auditorium and the Hawkeye Commuter lots and Carver-Hawkeye Arena. A limited number of parking spaces in the Finkbine Commuter lot will also be open to the public at a cost of $5 per vehicle.
Throughout the season, fans are encouraged to use free parking at Hancher Auditorium, the Hawkeye Commuter lot (which is located west of the UI Athletics Hall of Fame, Grant Field, UI Soccer Field and the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex), and the hard surfaced lots at the UI softball and outdoor track complexes. Parking is also available at the regular hourly parking rate in the Clock Tower (#3) and Field House (#4) ramps.
HAWKEYES HEAD TO KAUFMAN-BRAND OPEN
The University of Nebraska-Omaha will host the nation's largest collegiate wrestling meet Saturday with its annual Kaufman-Brand Open. The single-day event attracts between 500-700 wrestlers from approximately 35 teams in 12 stats to UNO's Sapp Fieldhouse. Tickets - $12 for adults and $7 for students - are available from the UNO Athletic Ticket Office at 402/5546287.
DENNIS TO COMPETE AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Hawkeye senior Daniel Dennis is scheduled to compete at the 44th annual NWCA All-Star Classic Sunday in Fullerton, CA. The event will be held in Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym and is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. (CT).
Dennis is scheduled to face fourth-ranked Steve Bell of Maryland in the 133-pound match. Bell won the pair's only meeting - a 4-3 decision in sudden victory - at the 2008 Journeyman Duals in Binghamton, NY. It is the first time Dennis will compete in the event.
Tickets can be purchased through TicketLeap: http://savefullertonwrestling.ticketleap.com. Prices are $12, $15 and $20 if purchased in advance, and $15, $18 and $25 if purchased at the door. The event will serve as a major fundraiser for the Cal State Fullerton wrestling program, which must fund itself. The Titans must raise $200,000 in funds by April 2010 and another $200,000 in pledges by August 2010 to survive.
In the 44-year history of the event, Iowa has had the second-most participants with 74. Oklahoma State has had the most with 81, while Iowa State ranks third with 69.
Following is the scheduled lineup. The individual rankings are based on each wrestler's performance at the 2009 NCAA meet.
2009 NWCA All-Star Dual Match-Ups
125 - #2 Anthony Robles (Arizona St.) vs. #4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota)
133 - #4 Steve Bell (Maryland) vs. #5 Daniel Dennis (Iowa)
141 - #2 Nick Gallick (Iowa St.) vs. #3 Alex Krom (Maryland)
149 - #2 Lance Palmer (Ohio St.) vs. #5 Kyle Borshoff (American)
157 - #1 Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) vs. #2 Matt Moley (Bloomsburg)
165 - #4 Jon Reader (Iowa St.) vs. #6 Andrew Rendos (Bucknell)
174 - Chris Henrich (Virginia) vs. #7 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska)
184 - #4 Max Askren (Missouri) vs. #5 Josh Patterson (Binghamton)
197 - #1 Jake Varner (Iowa St.) vs. #2 Craig Brester (Nebraska)
285 - #1 Mark Ellis (Missouri) vs. #5 David Zabriskie (Iowa St.)
WELCOME BACK
The head coaches of four of the five teams coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa City Duals have ties to the Iowa wrestling program. John Oostendorp (Coe), Mike Duroe (Cornell), Ty Eustice (Iowa Lakes) and David Ray (Southern Illinois Edwardsville) will all be making a return to Iowa City.
Oostendorp (1990-93) was a two-time Hawkeye all-American at heavyweight, winning the 1992 Big Ten title. He and Hawkeye coaches Tom and Terry Brands were part of Iowa teams that won three NCAA and Big Ten titles, and posted a 55-1-2 dual mark. Duroe served as head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Club from 2003-05. Eustice (2003-06) was a two-time all-American, placing second at the 2006 NCAA Championships at 149 pounds. Ray lettered for the Hawkeyes in 1984.
IOWA CITY DUALS COMPETITION
Coe College Kohawks - Coe is ranked third in the nation in NCAA Division III by the NWCA, returning five all-Americans and six NCAA qualifiers from the 2008-09 squad that went 15-5. Senior Tyler Burkle (184) and junior Clayton Rush (125) are each ranked third in the nation. Burkle, the 2008 national champion at 165 pounds, was 27-7 last year, while placing third at the NCAA Championships. He enters the season with an 88-15 career record. Rush is a two-time all-American, who won a conference title last season. His 62-8 career record includes a 26-3 record from 2008-09. Also in the national rankings are seniors Rob Kramer (4th-197) and Mitch Sander (6th-Hwt.), and junior Seth Rehn (8th-174). Former Hawkeye Nick LeClere, who is the younger brother of Iowa's 141-pounder Dan LeClere will be wrestling at 165. Assisting Head Coach John Oostendorp is Dustin Hinschberger, Eric Casey, Marcus Kurtz and Dustin Bliven.
Iowa holds a 2-0 lead in the series, winning 50-0 in 2007 and 51-0 in 2009.
Cornell College Rams - Cornell enters the season ranked ninth in the NWCA Division III pre-season poll. The Rams are coming off their second straight top-10 national finish, a feat that hasn't happened at Cornell since the 1950 and 1951 seasons. Cornell returns six starters and all-Americans Nick Nothern (133) and Kevin Donahue (141) from last year's squad that went 14-8. Nothern is ranked first in the nation, while Donahue is ranked third. Junior Ryan Mulnix (149) is ranked 10th. Head Coach Mike Duroe, who has a 51-37-1 record in four seasons at Cornell, is assisted by Shawn Voight, Andrew Knaack and Kyle Burkle.
Cornell is one of only two opponents on Iowa's 2009-10 schedule that holds a lead in the series history. The Rams have a 3-2 advantage, winning the first three meetings in 1930 (17-13), 1932 (15.5-10.5) and 1933 (17-11), but Iowa has won the last two meetings (22-11 in 1970 and 51-0 in 2008).
Iowa Lakes Community College Lakers - Iowa Lakes enters the season ranked eighth in the NJCAA national pre-season polls. Sophomore Tim Thurston is ranked first in the nation at 133, while sophomore Josh Marsh (197) is fourth, freshman Victor DeJesus (149) is sixth, freshman Danial McGillivray (165) is eighth and freshman Matt Catalano (141) is ninth. Head Coach Ty Eustice, in his first season with the Lakers, is assisted by Corey VanGroll. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
University of North Carolina Pembroke Braves - North Carolina Pembroke is 1-0, posting a 38-4 win over Belmont Abbey Nov. 3. The NCAA Division II Braves are led by senior J.J. Davis (174) and junior Russell Weakley (125), who are each ranked fifth in the nation at their respective weight classes. Head Coach Jamie Gibbs, a 2000 Coe College graduate and a former assistant coach for the Kohawks, is in his third season with the Braves. He is assisted by Othello Johnson. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
Southern Illinois Edwardsville Cougars - Southern Illinois returns four national qualifiers from the 2008-09 team that posted a 4-6 mark and placed second in the conference. The Cougars are ranked 16th in the most recent NCWA national coaches poll. Southern Illinois Edwardsville is led by juniors Derek Pousson (149) and Blake Reed (165), and sophomores Dillon Pousson (141) and Steve Ross (157). Head Coach David Ray is in his second season with the Cougars. Iowa holds a 4-0 lead in the series, winning the most recent meeting 45-3 in 1989.
U.S.-RUSSIA FREESTYLE SHOWDOWN SET
A team of top U.S. wrestlers will compete in a freestyle dual meet against a team from Russia in Mount Vernon, IA, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Cornell College's Small Multi-Sports Center. The 700 remaining tickets will be sold prior to the event at the Small Multi-Sports Center. Doors are set to open and tickets sales will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. The local organizing committee is the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
2008 U.S. Olympians Mike Zadick (Solon, Iowa/Gator WC), Doug Schwab (Coralville, Iowa/Gator WC) and Steve Mocco (Coralville, Iowa/New York AC) will be in the U.S. lineup. Schwab and Mocco both won NCAA titles at Iowa, while Zadick was an all-American for the Hawkeyes. Zadick, who will compete at 60 kg/132 lbs., won a World silver medal for the United States in 2006. Schwab will wrestle at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Mocco will compete at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Two of the other U.S. team members train full-time in Iowa City. Paul Donahoe, a past NCAA champion for Nebraska, will compete at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Lloyd Rogers, who starred at Tennessee-Chattanooga, will wrestle at 74 kg/163 lbs. Also in the lineup is Bryce Hasseman (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. Hasseman climbed to the No. 2 position on Freestyle Team USA's chart last season while training in Iowa City under Coach Terry Brands. Competing at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. will be Kyle Cerminara (Edinboro, Pa./New York AC), who was the 2009 U.S. Nationals runner-up at this weight class. Cerminara was an NCAA All-American for the Univ. of Buffalo.
Russia is the defending World Team champions in freestyle wrestling, and has been a long-time U.S. rival for international supremacy. The Russian team is also expected to compete in dual meets in Illinois and New York, as well as wrestle in the New York AC International Open in New York City on Nov. 22.
The Russian team features numerous athletes who have won international medals on the World or Continental levels. Included are some of the top young stars in the Russian program. Russia is currently the reigning World Champion team in freestyle wrestling. Leading the effort is Nariman Israpilov at 55 kg/121 lbs., a 2009 European champion and the 2008 Junior World champion. Two of the team members have won silver medals at the Russian National Freestyle Championships, Arsen Mairov at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Anzor Urishev at 84 kg/185 lbs. Mairov was a Russian National silver medalist in 2009, while Urishev won his Russian National silver medal in 2008. Urishev was also a Junior World silver medalist at 2008.Bronze medalists at the Russian Freestyle Nationals on the tour include Vladimir Vilmov at 60 kg/132 lbs., Magomed Magomedov at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and Valeri Bedoev at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Bedoev won two Russian National bronze medals competing up at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Vilmov won a gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs, CO in 2009.
U.S. vs. Russia Matchups
55 kg/121 lbs. - Paul Donahoe (US) vs. Nariman Israpilov (R)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Mike Zadick (US) vs. Vladimir Vilmov (R)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Doug Schwab (US) vs. Arsen Mairov (R)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Lloyd Rogers (US) vs. Rashid Kurbanov (R)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Bryce Hasseman (US) vs. Anzor Urishev (R)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Kyle Cerminara (US) vs. Magomed Magomedov (R) or Valeriy Bedoev (R)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Steve Mocco (US) vs. Alan Tsarikaev (R)
HEAD COACH Tom Brands
Two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Tom Brands, is in his fourth season as head wrestling coach at Iowa. A 1996 Olympic gold medalist and member of wrestling's Hall of Fame, Brands is only the eighth wrestling coach at Iowa. The former Hawkeye wrestler was a four-time all-American and three-time national champion (1989-92) at Iowa. He has a 59-6 overall and 21-3 Big Ten coaching record at Iowa, and a 76-26 career mark.
In his third season with the Hawkeyes, Brands led Iowa to its second straight NCAA and Big Ten team titles, crowning five all-Americans and two Big Ten champions. The 2009 national title was the school's 22nd, and it was only the second time in school history Iowa won the NCAA title without an individual champion. Brands earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after guiding Iowa to the school's 33rd conference team title. The Hawkeyes ended the 2008-09 season with a 24-0 record, going undefeated for the first time since 1999-2000. The Hawkeyes, who ended the season on a 38-dual match winning streak that dates back to the 2007-08 campaign, clinched the 2009 Big Ten regular season title with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference competition and won the 2008 Midlands team title.
Brands served as head coach at Virginia Tech University for two seasons (2005-06), recording a 17-20 dual mark. Prior to taking the helm at Virginia Tech, Brands was an assistant coach at Iowa for 12 seasons (1993-2004). He helped the Hawkeyes to a 177-27 dual record, seven NCAA and eight Big Ten titles, while crowning 23 NCAA champions, 73 all-Americans and 36 Big Ten champions. He was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.
As a competitor, Brands won the 1996 Olympic freestyle gold medal at 136.5 pounds in Atlanta, GA. He also won a gold medal at the 1993 World Freestyle Championships in Toronto, two World Cup gold medals (1994, 1995) and was the 1995 Pan American Games champion. He won four U.S. National titles (1993-96) and made four straight U.S. World or Olympic teams (1993-96). Along with his twin brother, Terry, Tom was named 1993 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year, the 1993 John Smith Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler and 1993 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year. He was inducted into wrestling's Hall of Fame in 2001.
Brands was a four-time all-American at Iowa (1989-92). During his Hawkeye career, he won three NCAA titles and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 1992 NCAA Championships. Also a three time Big Ten champion, Brands won 95 percent of his matches at Iowa. His career mark of 158-7-2, included an undefeated season in 1991 (45-0).
SLATON, GAMBRALL WIN TITLES AT HAROLD NICHOLS OPEN
University of Iowa senior Joe Slaton (141) and redshirt freshman Grant Gambrall (184) each took home titles from the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open in Ames Saturday. Ten of Iowa's 11 competitors placed fourth or higher at the season-opening tournament.
Slaton, who was competing unattached, won all five of his matches by seven points or more. The #2 seed at 141, Slaton posted two technical falls, a major decision and a decision en route to his 14-7 win over unattached Mario Morgan in the finals.
Gambrall, who was the #3 seed at 184, recorded a pin, technical fall and major decision on the way to his 6-2 victory over #1 seed Jerome Ward of Iowa State in the finals.
Sophomore J.J. Krutsinger (125) and redshirt freshman Nate Moore (133) also wrestled in the finals of their respective weight classes, each placing second. Krutsinger, who was the top seed at 125, recorded two technical falls and a pin before losing a 10-2 major decision to #2 seed Andrew Long of Iowa State in the finals. Moore, who was seeded second, posted three first-period pins and a major decision before losing a 4-2 decision to #1 seed Cody Garcia of Nebraska-Omaha in the 133-pound finals.
Placing third for the Hawkeyes were junior Luke Lofthouse (197), sophomore Blake Rasing (Hwt.), and true freshmen Derek St. John (157) and Ethen Lofthouse (174). Sophomore Vinnie Wagner (184) and true freshman Nick Trizzino (133) placed fourth.
IOWA EARNS TOP PRE-SEASON RANKINGS
The defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Hawkeyes earned the top spot in the Intermat Top 25 pre-season poll and the W.I.N. Magazine pre-season tournament power index. Hawkeye senior Brent Metcalf (149) is ranked first in the nation at his weight class in pre-season rankings by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN), Intermat and W.I.N. Magazine, while five other Hawkeye are ranked in the top five.
Metcalf is a two-time all-American and NCAA finalist with a 72-2 career record at Iowa. The two-time Big Ten champion is the first wrestler in conference history to earn Outstanding Wrestler honors at the conference meet two straight years.
Senior Phillip Keddy is ranked second by A.W.N. and W.I.N., and third by Intermat at 184. Keddy is a two-time all-American and three-time Big Ten placewinner with a 76-32 career record. He went 34-5 in 2008-09, placing fourth at the NCAA Championships and second at the Big Ten meet.
Senior Jay Borschel is ranked second at 174 by A.W.N., and fourth by Intermat and W.I.N. Borschel has a 61-10 career mark, going 29-5 and placing third at the Big Ten Championships last season. He went 19-1 in dual competition and 6-0 in Big Ten duals in 2008-09. He also earned all-America honors in 2008.
Senior Ryan Morningstar (165) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) are ranked fourth by all three publications. Morningstar posted a 32-6 record in 2008-09, placing second at the Big Ten Championships and third at the NCAA meet to earn his first all-America honor. The three-time Big Ten placewinner has started 65 straight duals for the Hawkeyes. Erekson went 27-8 last season, winning a Big Ten title and earning all-America honors with a fourth-place NCAA finish.
Senior Daniel Dennis is ranked fourth at 133 by Intermat, and fifth by A.W.N. and W.I.N. Dennis went 31-6 last season, including a 20-2 dual mark and an 8-0 Big Ten dual record. He placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships and seventh at NCAA's to earn all-America honors.
HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND STREAKS
Iowa opens the 2009-10 season on a 38-match winning streak. The Hawkeyes have also won their last 14 home duals and their last 29 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), consecutive home dual wins is 55 (1977-83), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). Both the overall and away current streaks both rank second in school history.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Iowa's 11 seniors - Chad Beatty, Jay Borschel, Daniel Dennis, Dan Erekson, Michael Fahrer, Phillip Keddy, Dan LeClere, Rick Loera, Brent Metcalf, Ryan Morningstar, Joe Slaton - bring a wealth of talent and experience to the mat.
The group has a combined career record of 504-197, going 292-105 in duals, 94-48 in Big Ten duals and 91-36 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The group has scored 1,152 team points in dual competition and has started a combined 400 dual matches. Iowa's seniors have won one NCAA individual title, three Big Ten individual titles, nine all-America honors and qualified for the NCAA Championships 16 times.
IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY
Iowa's overall dual meet record is 854-215-30 (.791) in 99 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 22 national titles and 33 Big Ten titles.
Iowa's 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 57 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 101 Big Ten champions have won a total of 184 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 26 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 138 all-Americans have earned all-America status 278 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 35 two-time honorees.
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 169-18 (.904) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 17 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (7-0) occurring in 2008-09. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on December 6, 2008. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet.
HAWKEYE WRESTLING TICKET INFORMATION
Season and single meet tickets for Iowa's seven home events are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. Following are this season's prices.
Season Tickets
$60 - General public, $48 UI faculty/staff
Single Meet vs. UNI, Michigan State, Northwestern & Iowa City Duals
Advance Purchase: $10 - Adult, $5 - Youth
Door Purchase: $12 - Adult, $6 - Youth
Free Admission: UI students, Children ages 5 and under
Single Meet vs. Oklahoma State, Penn State and Ohio State
Advance Purchase: $13 - Adult, $7 - Youth, $2 - Age 5 and under
Door Purchase: $15 - Adult, $8 - Youth, $2 - Age 5 and under
Free Admission: UI students
ALL IN THE FAMILY
On the 2009-10 Hawkeye wrestling team, there is one set of brothers, two wrestlers whose fathers also wrestled at Iowa and two uncle-nephew combinations.
Junior Matt Ballweg (157) and redshirt freshman Mark Ballweg (133/141) are brothers who hail from Waverly, IA.
Senior Rick Loera (197), redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125/133) and true freshman Nick Trizzino all had fathers who wrestled for the Hawkeyes. George Loera (1975-76) and Mike McDonough (1974-76) wrestled on the same team, while Mark Trizzino was an all-American (1984) and four-year letterwinner (1981-84) for the Hawkeyes.
Junior Luke Lofthouse (197) is the uncle of Hawkeye true freshman Ethen Lofthouse (174). Nick Trizzino's uncle, Scott Trizzino, was also a three-time all-American (1978-79-81) and four-time letterwinner (1977-79, 1981) for the Hawkeyes.
There have been 10 sets of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye lineup since the 1950s. They are Don and Tom Huff (1961), Mark and Scott Trizzino (1981), Lenny, Larry and Jim Zalesky (1981-82), Ed and Lou Banach (1981-83), Marty and Lindley Kistler (1984-85), Jim and John Heffernan (1987), Tom and Terry Brands (1989-92), Troy and Terry Steiner (1991-93), Ryan and Randy Fulsaas (2001) and Luke and Ty Eustice (2003-04).
There have also been five sets of twins to wrestle at Iowa. They are Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Ben and Brett Stedman, Troy and Terry Steiner, and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas.
SEASON PROMOTIONS
The UI Sports Marketing Office has created a great promotions schedule for the 2009-10 wrestling season.
The Iowa City Duals (Nov. 20) has been designated Poster Day. Posters, schedule cards and magnets will be available at the door. Also, Hawkeye football and basketball fans can present their tickets for the Iowa-Minnesota football game and the Iowa-Bowling Green State men's basketball game at wrestling for a $5 ticket to the all-day event.
The Iowa-Northern Iowa dual on Dec. 10 has been designated the Miracle Meet, in support of the UI Children's Hospital, and food drive. Fans can bring in three non-perishable food items to the UI Sports Marketing table at each entrance and receive an Iowa wrestling decal.
Hawkeye fans can break out their gold apparel for the "Gold Rush" dual when Iowa hosts Oklahoma State on Jan. 16. The Hawkeyes will also host their annual kids clinic that day at 5 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Doors for the clinic will open at 4:30 p.m. Youth, ages eighth grade and under, are eligible to participate in the clinic, and will receive a free ticket to the Iowa-Oklahoma State dual for participating. Participants' family members will be able to purchase tickets for the dual at a group rate price of $5 per ticket.
When Penn State comes to town on Jan. 29 they will be welcomed with a "Blackout", as the Hawkeyes are encouraging all fans to wear black apparel to the dual.
A special single-match Family Four Pack ticket and concession offer will be available for the Iowa-Michigan State dual on Jan. 31. Fans can purchase four tickets, four hot dogs and four cokes at a discounted rate. Please watch www.hawkeyesports.com for more information.
The Iowa-Northwestern dual on Feb. 12 has been designated Autograph and Youth Wrestling Night. After the dual, Iowa wrestlers will sign autographs at tables around the Carver-Hawkeye Arena concourse.
The Hawkeyes will close out the home season Feb. 19 against Ohio State with Fan Appreciation Night. Iowa will also honor its 11 seniors with Senior Night.
WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS
For dates and more information about 2010 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Mike Zadick and Danny Song earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, six NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 13 all-America honors.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR OMAHA
The 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. The NCAA, University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission will co-host the event. Tickets to the event are available at (402) 422-1212 or ticketmaster.com.
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