The wrestling team held its annual media day today, and Head Coach Tom Brands had a lot of to say about training so far and the upcoming season. After finishing fourth last year at the NCAA national tournament Brands has heard a lot people asking what needs to be done in order to get back to the top of the pack. Chief among the things he said the Hawks needed to improve upon was consistency, in the wrestling room and out on the mat.

Brands said, “What you’re talking about [is] what needs to be done in the room or does it help to have more to do with the competition arena, both. Both, because one impacts the other, and it’s easier to go forward when you have success when it’s in front of everybody and the lights are on. It’s easy to go forward the next day in that wrestling room, and then when you do it in the wrestling room, it’s easier to duplicate that in your competition”

Another key to talk about is the leadership dynamics of the team. With every passing year students graduate and new leaders have to step up. A lot of new leaders stepping up on the team and they are not all the same in the way they act or lead, but according to Brands, “they still have the same common themes in their head, and that is to produce results on the mat and in the classroom.”

As far as specific individual leaders go Brands answered, “I’d say the natural guy being a heavyweight is Bobby Telford; he’s a two time All American.” Telford, a two-time NCAA placewinner, talked a bit about his own leadership role afterwards in the wrestling room saying, “The kids on our team they are not kids who struggled in high school or who haven’t had success on the big stage. The kids that are in this lineup they know what they are doing. They’ve won big matches. They are big time wrestlers and they are here for a reason.”

When asked about his expectations for march Telford said, “That’s my favorite month of the year. That’s my favorite tournament of the year, but I’m not looking at that right now. I’m looking at the whole season. I’m looking at the Luther Open comimg up, and Iowa State’s coming to town. Those are the two big checkmarks on my list right now.”

Mike Evans, another two-time NCAA placewinning senior, added, “We’ve got a lot of motivated guys that wanted to bring the title home when we were freshman. Now we’re down to our last year to do it… It’s going to take ten guys firing on all cylinders to do it.”

The Hawkeye wrestling season kicksoff Saturday, November 15 when the Hawks travel to Decorah, IA to compete in the Luther Open.

The post Hawkeye Wrestling Has High Preseason Expectations appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Weight Classes:

125
NCAA Qualifiers: 6
1. #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa)
2. #2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota)
3. #8 Nico Megaludis (Penn State)
4. #6 Jesse Delgado (Illinois)
5. #10 Levi Mele (Northwestern)
6. #17 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State)
7. Camden Eppert (Purdue)
8. Brenan Lyon (Michigan State)

Tournament Seeds:
Favorite: McDonough (Iowa)
Sleeper: Delgado (Illinois)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: All ranked wrestlers listed
The 125 weight class is McDonough’s to lose in this tournament. He boasts a 27-1 record, with his only loss coming to Illinois’ Delgado in early December. McDonough consistently wrestles Sanders (Minnesota) very well and he should be the favorite to win this weight class. Beyond that, Sanders (Minnesota) should be the favorite to get 2nd, as he wrestled very well against the other top opponents over the year. He should have a 3rd shot this year at McDonough in the finals on Sunday.

133
NCAA Qualifiers: 7
1. #2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State)
2. #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa)
3. #4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois)
4. #7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota)
5. #8 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue)
6. #14 Zac Stevens (Michigan)
7. #18 Ridge Kiley (Nebraska
8. Frank Martelotti (Penn State)

Favorite: Stieber (OSU)
Sleeper: Dardanes (Minnesota)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: All previously mentioned ranked wrestlers
At 133 the top 3 spots should be the most competitive for a B1G title with Futrell, Ramos, and Stieber. Stieber defeated Ramos convincingly in the dual where Ohio State dominated the Hawkeyes, but Ramos has been very hot winning his last 7 matches over quality opponents and will look to capture a Big Ten title for himself. Dardanes has come on strong at this weight class toward the end of the year and the redshirt freshman could make an appearance a lot higher on the podium than expected.

141
NCAA Qualifiers: 5
1. #1 Kellen Russell (Michigan)
2. #4 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State)
3. #5 Montell Marion (Iowa)
4. #8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota)
5. #9 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska)
6. Daryl Thomas (Illinois)
7. Matt Ortega (Indiana)
8. Bryan Pearsall (Penn State)

Favorite: Russell (Michigan)
Sleeper: Marion (Iowa)
Probably NCAA Qualifiers: All previously mentioned ranked wrestlers
Russell boasts a 25-1 record, his only loss coming on a 5-6 decision to Stieber early in the season. The only real downfall for Russell is that he has not wrestled a lot of close matches down the stretch, so his conditioning and ability to score in close matches could be tested, but he still remains the favorite because of he is able to dismantle opponents. This weight class could be interesting because Marion and Russell did not wrestling during the regular season, so the grappler from Des Moines could make some noise in this bracket as he will probably get the #3 seed and will face Russell early on in the tournament.

149
NCAA Qualifiers: 9
1. #1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State)
2. #7 Eric Grajales (Michigan)
3. #9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota)
4. #12 Ivan Lopuchanski (Purdue)
5. #16 Cam Tessari (Ohio State)
6. #18 Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
7. #19 Eric Terrazas (Illinois)
8. Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern)
9. Dan Osterman (Michigan State)
10. Mike Kelly (Iowa)
11. Skylar Galloway (Nebraska)
12. Frank Baer (Wisconsin)

Favorite: Molinaro (PSU)
SleeperL Grajales (Michigan)
Probable NCAA Qualfifiers: Molinaro, Grajales, Ness, Lopuchanski, Tessari, Walsh, Terrazas, Friedley (Northwestern) Osterman (Michigan State)
Molinaro should win this bracket and punch his ticket to St. Louis easily. He is 25-0 and has been about as dominant as any wrestler at thier weight class this season. He has a great ability to score bonus points and Penn State will need those bonus points in the team score. Beyond Molinaro, there is a nice cluster of talented guys that could make a push for an NCAA tournament bid. The 149 weight class will qualify 9 wrestlers for nationals and that should take some pressure off a lot of these guys, but there will be a fight in wrestle-backs to try and get in, as well as score bonus points for the team score.

157
NCAA Qualifiers: 6
1. #2 Jason Welch (Northwestern)
2. #5 Dylan Alton (Penn State)
3. #8 James Green (Nebraska)
4. #9 Anthony Jones (Michigan State)
5. #18 Josh Demas (Ohio State)
6. #20 Derek St John (Iowa)
7. Tommy Churchard (Purdue)
8. Jackson Morse (Illinois)

Favorite: Welch (Northwestern)
Sleeper: Jones (MSU)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: All the ranked wrestlers previously mentioned
Welch has not lost this year and has been elite at this weight class over all opponents. The undefeated Junior should not have a problem winning this tournament and getting some much needed points for Northwestern, but a solid sleeper pick at this weight is Anthony Jones because he wrestled Welch extremely tough the first time they faced each other. If Jones can get an upset early, we could see these two face off in the championship bout for a B1G title. Another interesting storyline is Derek St John who battled injury for a good chunk of the season, but is back and has been wrestling very well for the Hawkeyes. He will need to score some big time points as the Hawkeyes look to get ahead in the team scores. Keep an eye on Alton as well. He wrestled Kyle Dake from Cornell (#1) very well, only losing 3-0.

165
NCAA Qualifiers: 8
1. #1 David Taylor (Penn State)
2. #6 Mike Evans (Iowa)
3. #7 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska)
4. #11 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin)
5. #12 Conrad Polz (Illinois)
6. #13 Dan Yates (Michigan)
7. #14 Cody Yohn (Minnesota)
8. Derek Garcia (Ohio State)

Favorite: David Taylor (PSU)
Sleeper: Mike Evans (Iowa)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: Taylor, Evans, Jordan, Kokesh, Polz, Yates, Yohn, Derek Garcia (Ohio State
This weight class will showcase some great match-ups for qualifying spots. Evans should have the #2 seed which opens up a great opportunity for him to run through the first couple rounds as Jordan from Wisconsin will probably be the #4 seed and Evans has beaten the Badger twice this year already. Harger from Northwestern has been wrestling very well down the stretch and should be able to compete strongly for the final NCAA berth.

174
NCAA Qualifiers: 9
Ranked Wrestlers:
1. #2 Ed Ruth (Penn State)
2. #6 Logan Storley (Minnesota)
3. #5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa)
4. #8 Justin Zeerip (Michigan)
5. #10 Nick Heflin (Ohio State)
6. #18 Curran Jacobs (Michigan State)
7. #17 Tyler Koehn (Nebraska)
8. #9 Nick Blanton (Illinois)
9. #14 Lee Munster (Northwestern)

Favorite: Ed Ruth (PSU)
Sleeper: Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: All previously mentioned ranked wrestlers
This bracket will be fun to watch because these wrestlers, with the exception of Ruth really beat up on each other this year. Ruth will be the favorite, after plowing through the competition en route to an undefeated regular season, picking up bonus points for Coach Sanderson and his team. The Nittany Lions will need Ruth to get a lot of extra points over the course of the weekend for the team score. This could be a huge bracket for team score, with the top teams, all having very competitive wrestlers in the upper echelon of the weight class.

184
NCAA Qualfiers: 7
1. #6 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)
2. #2. Quentin Wright (Penn State)
3. #7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska)
4. #11 Grant Gambrall (Iowa)
5. #9 C.J. Magrum (Ohio State)
6. #20 Braden Atwood (Purdue)
7. Tony Dallago (Illinois)
8. Ian Hamilton (Michigan State)

Favorite: Wright (PSU)
Sleeper: Gambrall (Iowa)
Probable NCAA Tournament Qualifiers: Wright, Steinhaus, Ihnen, Magrum, Gambrall, Atwood, Lucas Sheridon (Indiana)
This weight class is interesting because after a disappointing season for Gambrall plagued with injuries and struggles on the mat he is in a good position to get a low seed, upset some wrestlers and get some momentum going. Gambrall faced off against Steinhaus in the dual and it was a huge match, which Grant ultimately lost. Wright is the favorite in this bracket, but Steinhaus gave the Nittany Lion one of his two losses, and will be chomping at the bit to get at him again.

197
NCAA Qualifiers: 7
1. #7 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota)
2. #3 Matt Powless (Indiana)
3. #12 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State)
4. #14 Max Huntley (Michigan)
5. #18 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois)
6. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State
7. James Nakashima (Nebraska)
8. A.J. Kissel (Purdue)

Favorite: Powless (IN)
Sleeper: Huntley (PSU)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: Yohn, Powless, McIntosh, Huntley, Gonzalez, Campolattano, Kissel
The 197 weight class at the top is very balanced between Yohn, Powless, McIntosh, and Huntley. These guys have beaten up on each other. Yohn beat Powless this year so he grabbed the #1 seed, but he will need to prove his worth in this tournament.

HWT
NCAA Qualifiers: 10
1. #3 Tony Nelson (Minnesota)
2. #5 Cameron Wade (Penn State)
3. #11 Ben Apland (Michigan)
4. #8 Tucker Lane (Nebraska)
5. #12 Mike McMullan (Northwestern)
6. #13 Bobby Telford (Iowa)
7. Adam Chalfant (Indiana)
8. Roger Vukobratovich (Purdue)
9. Peter Capone (Ohio State)
10. Steve Andrus (Michigan state)
11. Pat Walker (Illinois)
12. Cole Tobin (Wisconsin)

Favorite: Nelson (Minnesota)
Sleeper: Capone (Ohio State)
Probable NCAA Qualifiers: Nelson, Wade, Apland, Lane, McMullan, Telford, Chalfant, Vukobratovich, Capone, Andrus
The big boys should be a fun bracket to watch because there is a lot of chance for upsets. Capone from Ohio State was the closest in the Big Ten to beating Nelson, but at the same time, Capone went 12-13 on the season. This should be a fun one to watch, especially since it will qualify 10 of the 12 competitors for the NCAA’s

Team
Seed, National Rank (Number of Ranked Wrestlers)
1. #1 Penn State Nittany Lions (8)
2. #2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (9)
3. #3 Iowa Hawkeyes (8)
4. #6 Michigan Wolverines (7)
5. #T-8 Ohio State Buckeyes (7)
6. #14 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7)
7. #16 Illinois Fighting Illini (6)
8. #T19 Northwestern Wildcats (4)
9. #31 Indiana Hoosiers (2)
10.#35 Purdue Boiler Makers (3)
11.#T-42 Michigan State Spartans (2)
12.#T-45 Wisconsin Badgers (1)

The Big Ten is the strongest conference in the College Wrestling world and that plays a large part in the 74 automatic qualifiers for the NCAA tournament, with a good chance of getting another few in with at-large bids. The team title will be interesting. #1 Penn State won last season because of a lot of bonus points by underdogs, like Quentin Wright, who ended up winning the tournament after coming in as the #8 seed and unranked on Intermat. Cael Sanderson said in his post tournament interview that he was extremely proud of his guys for scoring extra points when they needed to. One of the biggest stressed for the Hawkeyes and Gophers, in order to overthrow the Nittany Lions, is to score when they should score and get bonus points when possible. The top spots in nearly all weight classes will belong to Penn State, Iowa, or Minnesota, and that will supply each team with a good number of points to build a nice foundation for a good score on. The key is in the wrestle-backs and in the late-round, NCAA qualifying matches. The winners of those matches will end up giving their team the points to be in the hunt at the end.

All 4 sessions of the tournament will be covered on The Big Ten Network. ALL sessions will be streaming live Here  Live Television coverage will begin 3PM Eastern on Saturday on BTN and online as well.

Follow me on Twitter: @TX3Hawkman and @KruiSports
Also, Follow our live blog all weekend long right here on KRUI.FM
Be Sure to tune in to B1G talk Monday March 5 from 11am-12am on 89.7 in Iowa City for a full analysis and recap of the tournament

The post B1G Wrestling Preview appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa has been a factory of dominating wrestlers for many years, but who is the best that Iowa has to offer?

Now that the season is over, we’d like to take a chance to give you KRUI’s top ten all-time Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers.

10. T.J. Williams, 149-157 lbs, 1998-2001, 2 NCAA titles, three time all-American, one career loss

T.J. Williams only wrestled three years at Iowa, but in those seasons he fought his way to a 98-1 record, which ranks #1 in school winning percentage.  In the year he didn’t win an individual championship, he earned a 3rd place finish.  He is also one of four Iowa wrestlers who compiled two undefeated seasons.

9. Mark Ironside, 134 lbs, 1994-1998, 2 NCAA titles, four time all-American, 1998 Dan Hodge Trohpy

Now the color commentator for the Iowa Hawkeye broadcasts, Mark Ironside finished his collegiate career on a 67 match winning streak, which spanned three seasons.  He was also the first Hawkeye to earn the Dan Hodge Trophy, which has been awarded since 1995.

8. Brent Metcalf, 149 lbs, 2007-2010, 2 NCAA titles, three time all-American, 2008 Dan Hodge Trophy, 2008 Jesse Owens Big Ten Athlete of the Year

If Metcalf had been granted his appeal to wrestle after transferring from Virginia Tech, it’s very possible he would be in the top five of this list.  If he had defeated Darion Caldwell in the 2009 title match, he beyond a doubt would be.  In his three seasons he finished no worse than 2nd place, and only lost three collegiate matches.  After winning the 2008 title, Metcalf was awarded the 2008 Jesse Owens Big Ten Athlete of the Year, something usually saved for football and basketball players.

7. Joe Scarpello, 175 lbs, 1946-1950, 2 NCAA titles, four time all-American, 1942 National AAU Champion

Iowa’s first two time NCAA Champion and first four time all American, Scarpello had two undefeated seasons well before Iowa a wrestling power house.  He started his career with a 12-0 season, then placed 3rd and 2nd before finishing with an 11-0 campaign.

6. Joe Williams, 158-167 lbs, 1993-1998, 3 NCAA titles, four time all-American

Williams finished his career at Iowa on a 39 match winning streak, which enveloped an Outstanding Wrestler award for the 1998 championships.  His senior year was an undefeated operation, and he only lost once in both his sophomore and junior years.

5. Barry Davis, 118-126 lbs, 1980-1984, 3 NCAA titles, four time all-American, 1984 Olympic Silver Medal, 1985 Jesse Owens Big Ten Athlete of the Year

Now the head coach at Wisconsin, Barry Davis finished 7th in his freshman run, then went on to three NCAA titles.  Davis also won four Big Ten titles, and although he never had an undefeated campaign, he holds the school record for most wins in a career (162) and a single season (46).

4. Jim Zalesky, 158 lbs, 1980-1984, 3 NCAA titles, four time all-American, 89 consecutive wins

Former Iowa and current Oregon State coach, Zalesky finished his career at Iowa better than any other Hawk. He left Iowa on an 89 match win streak, a run that spanned three seasons and is now a school record, 20 more than Tom Brands and Brent Metcalf (69).  Zalesky was also named Outstanding Wrestler of the 1984 Championships.

3.  Tom Brands, 126-134 lbs, 1988-1992, 3 NCAA titles, four time all-American, 1996 Olympic Gold Medal

Now the head Hawkeye, Tom Brands won fourth place his freshman year, then went on to win three consecutive NCAA titles.  His 158 career wins is good enough for 2nd in school history.  In his final year, Brands was undnamed Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Tournament.

2. Lincoln McIlravy, 142-150 lbs, 1992-1997, 3 NCAA titles, four time all-American, 2000 Olympic Bronze

Now an Iowa City area business man, McIlravy had two undefeated seasons at Iowa, and wrestled his way through college to a 96-3 career record, which included two undefeated seasons.  He was in the NCAA championship match four times, his only loss coming in 1995.  His career winning percentage  (97%) is also 3rd best in school history.

1. Ed Banach, 177-190 lbs, 1979-83, 3 NCAA Titiles, four time all-American, 1984 Olympic Gold, 1983 Jesse Owens Big Ten Athlete of the Year

A dominating wrestler, Banach holds the school record for most career pins,and was also in the championship match four times.   Banach was the 1983 Big Ten Athlete of the Year and ranks 2nd in season pins at Iowa.  Add a stellar wrestling career after college, and Ed Banach is our #1 Hawkeye wrestler of all time.

The post Top Ten: Hawkeye Wrestlers appeared first on KRUI Radio.