The dual started at 125 with a highly anticipated match between #1 Jayson Ness of Minnesota and #3 Charlie Falck of Iowa. Ness entered the dual with a 26-0 record and on a 27-match winning streak, while Falck brought an undefeated 15-0 dual mark and his own 12-match winning streak to the mat. Falck scored the first takedown of the match, but Ness scored 14 unanswered points to post a 14-2 major decision and snap Falck's streak and perfect dual record. Ness is now 4-0 against Falck in collegiate competition.
Iowa responded with wins at the next three weights to build an 11-4 lead. Sophomore Joe Slaton posted a 8-3 win over senior and Gilbertville, IA, native Mack Reiter at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere, who is ranked ninth or 10th in the nation depending on the poll, scored a takedown in the first sudden victory period to upset #3 Manuel Rivera, 9-7 at 141. Sophomore Brent Metcalf was supposed to be part of another big match as he and Minnesota junior Dustin Schlatter are ranked first or second in the nation at 149, depending on the poll. Metcalf instead faced freshman Luke Mellmer, who has filled in for Schlatter since late December due to injury. The Hawkeye sophomore scored a 20-5 match-ending technical fall in 6:17, collecting his 20th season and career win, and extending his winning streak to 17 matches.
Minnesota scored decisions at 157 and 165 to tighten the team score at 11-10, but an 8-3 win by sophomore Jay Borschel at 174 and sophomore Phillip Keddy's 6-2 upset over #5 Roger Kish at 184 gave Iowa a 17-10 lead. Keddy, who is ranked eighth in the nation, scored his 30th career win in the match. Minnesota scored a decision at 197 to keep the team win within reach, but Hawkeye senior Matt Fields shut down the Golden Gophers with a 7-3 win over Ben Berhow at heavyweight.
The Hawkeyes will round out the Big Ten weekend roadtrip Sunday when they face #13/#15 Wisconsin (11-2-1, 2-1 Big Ten) at 1 p.m. at the UW Field House in Madison. Wisconsin beat Michigan State (26-12) earlier tonight in Madison.
Iowa edges Wisconsin
The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team used bonus points to defeat #13/#15 Wisconsin, 22-20, Sunday afternoon at Madison, WI. Each team won five matches, but the Hawkeyes used pins from sophomores Brent Metcalf (149) and Phillip Keddy (184) and a major decision by sophomore Jay Borschel (174) to win their ninth-straight dual. Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th win at Iowa and his 10th win in the Big Ten, as Iowa improved to 16-1, 5-0 Big Ten. Wisconsin fell to 11-3-1, 2-2.
"This showed some weakness - it's good to see this," said Brands. "We can do better, that's for sure. Those five wins were big ones for us, and bonus points won us the dual. (Iowa's five winners) did what they were supposed to do."
Iowa opened the dual with back-to-back decisions from junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomore Joe Slaton (133). Wisconsin put its first points on the board at 141 when #7 Kyle Ruschell scored seven points in the third period to beat Hawkeye sophomore Dan LeClere, 8-0. Metcalf extended Iowa's lead to 12-4 with his 4:02 pin of Trevor Bowers at 149. Wisconsin fought back within one (12-11) on Craig Henning's 2-1 win over Ryan Morningstar at 157 and Jake Donar's 13-1 major decision over redshirt freshman Aaron Janssen at 165. Borschel and Keddy's bonus point wins gave the Hawkeyes a 22-11 lead, but the Badgers weren't finished. Wisconsin scored a pin of its own at 197 and junior heavyweight Kyle Massey upset Hawkeye senior Matt Fields, 6-5, in the afternoon's final bout.
Slaton, Metcalf and Borschel remain undefeated at 5-0 in Big Ten duals, while Slaton and Borschel picked up their 20th season and career victories. Metcalf extended his winning streak to 18 matches and picked up his seventh pin of the year.
Iowa will return to the road next week with a non-conference road trip out west. The Hawkeyes will face Arizona State (9-5, 3-4 Pac 10) Feb. 8 at Copper Canyon High School in Glendale, AZ, at 8:30 p.m. (CT). Iowa will then face Boise State (8-1, 7-1 Pac 10) Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. (CT) at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID.
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