Joe SlatonAfter months of legal wrangling and spending an entire season (2006-07) not being able to compete for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Joe Slaton has covered considerable ground.
In his first official season wearing the black and gold, Joe has been ranked in the top five at 133 pounds for most of the season, having compiled a 20-2 record, claiming individual championships at the Kaufman-Brand Open and the Midlands, and winning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors in December.
Getting started in Cedar Rapids
When asked how he got started in wrestling, Joe Slaton replies, "My parents wanted me to get into an activity. I was four, going on five, and wrestling was the only thing I could get into that young."
"I got involved in the Jefferson Bad Boys Club. We practiced at Jefferson High in Cedar Rapids … I started going to tournaments, then competing in AAU."
"When I was 10, I joined the Hawkeye Kids wrestling program. That's when I met up with guys like (Mitch) Mueller, (Ryan) Morningstar, (Kyle) Anson … I was going to 4-5 practices a week, with tournaments once a week."
Joe SlatonAt Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, Joe Slaton's wrestling career continued its ascent. "It was a great program," says Joe. "Brent Paulson became head coach my junior and senior year. I got to work out with Brent, Lance and Zack Paulson -- great workout partners."
While in high school, Joe Slaton crafted an incredible wrestling resume. At Kennedy, he was 165-11, with 75 pins. He was a four-time Iowa state finalist, winning the state title his junior and senior years. In fact, he was undefeated his senior year (with a 43-0 record), and was named the school's Most Outstanding Athlete. He graduated having set school records for career takedowns (437), career near-falls (179), career escapes, and career wins.
"I had a great experience in high school -- coaches who pushed me every day, helping me get to the next level."
Joe's desire to take his mat skills even further didn't stop when the traditional high school wrestling season ended. In the summer, Joe worked out with Iowa wrestling great Mark Ironside and guys that would eventually become college teammates at Iowa, including Dan LeClere, Ryan Morningstar, and Jay Borschel.
Joe Slaton's prep honors -- and reputation -- extended far beyond eastern Iowa. In 2003, he was a runner-up at the FILA Cadet Freestyle Nationals; the year before, he placed sixth. Joe was a NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up, a 2005 USA Wrestling and Asics honorable mention All-American, and a Wrestling USA Scholastic All-American.
Off to Virginia Tech
Here's how Joe Slaton described his college selection process: "I went on four recruiting trips -- Iowa State, Iowa, Northern Iowa and Virginia Tech. I didn't know where I was going to school ‘til I went to Virginia Tech."
"I knew Tom Brands could take me to the next level."
"It was tough being more than a thousand miles from my parents," says Joe about being at Virginia Tech. "It made me tougher … the coaches took good care of us."
"I made a family with my teammates Borschel, LeClere, (Brent) Metcalf, and (T.H.) Leet."
When asked if there had been a pact between him and these Iowans to become Hokies, Joe replied, "We wanted to stick together but we really didn't talk about it. Each of us was looking out for ourselves."
The first year at Virginia Tech, Joe Slaton and the other Iowa high school stars took a redshirt. Joe wrestled in open tournaments, with his dad making the trip to see his son in action whenever possible.
Black days at Blacksburg
Then seismic changes in the wrestling world emanating from Iowa reverberated across the country, shaking the Virginia Tech wrestling program to the core … arguably with the biggest impact on Joe Slaton and his native Iowa teammates. At the end of the 2006 wrestling season, it was announced that Jim Zalesky would no longer be head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Joe Slaton"Sitting in the (Virginia Tech) AD's (Athletic Director's) office on my recruiting trip, we asked if we ever got homesick or if Brands left, could we leave and he said, 'No problem,'" according to Joe.
"We each had interviews with Faculty Court (at Virginia Tech) and the AD didn't remember us ever being in his office."
"Right after Brands left, the Virginia Tech wrestling team had a meeting with the assistant AD and the AD. Half the team said they'd transfer out."
"It went to court. I let my dad take are of things," continues Joe. "T.H. Leet's dad was a lawyer."
After months of legal proceedings, in the end, it was decided that Joe Slaton and the other Hokies from Iowa could transfer out … but they had to sit out from official competition for the entire next season, per NCAA transfer rules. The Cedar Rapids native says, "It hurt us as wrestlers, but Virginia Tech didn't really gain anything, either."
"I basically got another redshirt year out of it. Stayed in shape, got stronger."
Back on the mats, back home in Iowa
During the 2006-2007 "transfer sit-out" season, Joe Slaton competed unattached, posting an 18-4 record wrestling at 133 and 141 pounds. Among the high points of that season: winning titles at the Cleveland State, Harold Nichols and Glen Brand Opens, and placing fourth at the Kaufman-Brand and Northern Iowa Opens. Just as significant, Joe wrestled in dominating style, earning four major decisions, two technical falls, and one pin.
In the first half of the 2007-2008 season -- his first official season wrestling for the University of Iowa -- Joe Slaton has compiled an impressive 20-2 record. He opened the season by winning the 133-pound title at the 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open with a powerful statement; of his five matches in the tournament, Joe won two by major decision and two by fall.
In dual-meet competition so far, Joe has racked up a pin, two tech falls, and four major decisions. Arguably one of Joe's more significant victories in a dual was his 6-5 win over Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. The third-ranked Cyclone 133-pounder scored a takedown with 31 seconds left in the second period, but Joe recovered with what the Hawkeye described as "a perfect reversal." Joe held off a last-second takedown attempt and won the match based on 1:03 riding time.
Joe Slaton's win on the Cyclones' home mat helped fuel the Hawkeyes' team victory over their cross-state rival.
When asked in the interview for this story about the significance of Iowa topping then top-ranked Iowa State in their early December dual, Joe Slaton says, "I grew up with the rivalry. It's especially great when you can come in and take away something from the home team."
In a published interview written immediately after the Iowa vs. Iowa State dual, Tom Brands said, "Someone mentioned Joe Slaton and how he was going to hold up. Joe Slaton thrives on this, as do all the newcomers. These guys have been getting ready for big matches their entire careers. We believe in them."
Midlands magic … and beyond
Another achievement for Joe Slaton was claiming the 133-pound crown at the 2007 Midlands, the prestigious tournament held at Northwestern University the week after Christmas. The Cedar Rapids-born sophomore won his first three matches handily, scoring major decisions over Missouri's KC Pescaglia (12-4) and Tennessee-Chattanooga's Steve Hromada (15-5) before getting a decisive 12-6 win over Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Joe Slaton shut out Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois 6-0… then, in the finals, defeated Franklin Gomez of Michigan State 6-2. Joe Slaton's individual championship was one of four for the Hawkeyes, and helped propel Iowa to the 2007 Midlands team title.
As of this writing (immediately after the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals), Joe Slaton has had only two losses this season: an 8-6 loss to top-ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in front of more than 14,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on January 5, 2008 … and, the following weekend, losing to Mike Grey of Cornell University 10-3 at the National Duals at the UNI-Dome at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
In its report on the Hawkeye vs. Cowboy dual, the Oklahoma State wrestling program's official press release described the Slaton vs. Scott bout as "the most intense match of the evening." Coleman Scott had built up a 7-1 lead … but Joe battled back, scoring all but one of his points in the third period.
"As a kid, I grew up wanting to wrestle at Carver-Hawkeye in front of the home crowd," said Joe Slaton. "I knew it was worth it to go through everything we did … Realizing that goal of wearing the black and gold."
Wrestler and coach weigh in on each other
In commenting on the head coach that led him to Virginia Tech -- the coach he then followed the University of Iowa, despite having to sit out an entire season -- Joe Slaton says, "Brands works every day to take you to the next level -- to an NCAA title, to the Olympics. He's a great motivator. Whenever you're down, he picks you up."
Asked about his own relentless, attacking style, Joe says, "I grew up with the Iowa mentality. I learned it directly from Mark Ironside, who was coached by (Dan) Gable and Brands."
In a mid-December profile of Joe Slaton in The Daily Iowan student paper, coach Tom Brands said, "The one thing about Joe Slaton is that he's cleaned up his life a lot. I'm not saying he was off the deep end, but weight control, academics are coming around -- and you are seeing that intangibly on the mat."
"Academically, he seems to get it more," Brands said in the same article. "He's never not been capable, it's just become more of a priority for him. You like to see that. One of the philosophies of the program is that getting stronger in one area makes you stronger in another area. A better student makes a better wrestler."
"He's been very impressive, and we recruited him because we knew he was a gamer and because we know that he's ready when competition counts," says the second-year Iowa head coach in The Daily Iowan profile.
Goal-setting
What's Joe Slaton's top goal? "To be a national champ. I think that's everybody's goal. I have three years to do that."
Joe SlatonAs for a possible career after graduation? The Health and Sports Studies major says, "I'd think about being a coach. I've thought about it a lot. I took a coaching course and enjoyed it."
A coaching career may be a few years in the future. In the meantime, wrestlers in the 133-pound weight class have to wonder whether they can go the distance with Iowa's Joe Slaton.
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