Iowa's Thomas Gilman is 20-0 and ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)No. 10 Minnesota hosts No. 3 Iowa on Super Bowl Sunday at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. The dual meet is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
It will mark the 102nd meeting between the two Big Ten wrestling powers. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 72-28-1, and have won the last two meetings.
Below are five matchups to watch in the dual meet.
125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) vs. No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa)
Gilman improved to 20-0 this season after picking up a 21-8 major decision victory over Wisconsin's Jens Lantz on Friday night. The top-ranked Hawkeye senior has earned bonus points in 18 of his 20 wins. He topped No. 2 Nick Suriano 3-2 on Jan. 20, giving the Penn State true freshman phenom his only loss. Lizak, a 2015 NCAA qualifier who redshirted last season, was suspended from official competition until January. He made his return to the Gopher lineup for the Southern Scuffle, and claimed the title in dominant fashion. He comes into the dual meet with a 20-3 record, with two of his losses coming to Nebraska's Tim Lambert and the other to Suriano.
No. 17 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) vs. No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa)
Clark, a two-time NCAA runner-up, was listed as Iowa's probable starter this weekend, but did not get the start on Friday night against Wisconsin, so it remains to be seen if he will wrestle against Minnesota. He last competed on Jan. 20 against Penn State when he won by technical fall over George Carpenter. He is currently 10-1 this season, with his lone loss coming to Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock, 7-6, on Jan. 15. McKee, a six-time Fargo champion, was one of the nation's top recruits last year. He stepped right into the Gopher lineup and has put together a productive true freshman campaign. McKee placed fifth at the Southern Scuffle, and has gone 3-2 in Big Ten matches since. He was blanked 4-0 in his last match by Purdue's Luke Welch.
141: No. 12 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) vs. Topher Carton (Iowa)
Thorn, like Lizak, was suspended until January, so he didn't make his debut in the Gopher lineup until January at the Southern Scuffle. At the Scuffle, Thorn, a returning NCAA qualifier, lost narrowly to NCAA champion Dean Heil of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals, 3-2, and wound up finishing in seventh place. Since the Scuffle, he has won 3 of 5 matches, with losses coming to Penn State's Jimmy Gulibon and Nebraska's Colton McCrystal. Carton has had a successful senior season. He enters the match with a record of 18-5. He snapped a three-match losing streak on Friday night by hammering No. 16 Cole Martin of Wisconsin 9-1.
157: No. 9 Jake Short (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
Kemerer has been one of the nation's freshmen this season. He became the first Hawkeye freshman since Matt McDonough in 2009-10 to win his first 19 matches. Kemerer enters the match with a 21-1 record this season. His lone loss came to top-ranked Jason Nolf of Penn State, 9-4, on Jan. 20. He was a Midlands champion in late December. Kemerer has earned bonus points in 14 of his 21 wins this season. Short, a returning NCAA qualifier, has had an up-and-down season. He won a title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and placed fifth at the Southern Scuffle. However, he has gone 5-5 over his last 10 matches, with two of those losses coming to lower ranked wrestlers.
165: No. 15 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) vs. Joey Gunther (Iowa)
Wanzek, a returning NCAA qualifier, started the season at 174 pounds. He placed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and compiled a 12-4 mark over the first half of the season at 174 pounds. In January, Wanzek made the move down to 165 pounds and competed there at the Southern Scuffle where he placed fourth, losing twice to Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert. He comes into the match riding a three-match winning streak. Gunther has been a pleasant surprise for the Hawkeyes. He comes in with a record of 12-5. While he has dropped four of his last five matches, three of those losses have come against wrestlers ranked in the top five at 165 pounds. In his most recent match on Friday night, Gunther took returning NCAA finalist Isaac Jordan to sudden victory before losing 3-1.
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