First NCAA bout an eye-opener for Dennis
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ST. LOUIS — For most of his first-round match-up here at the NCAA Championships, Daniel Dennis seemed to be wrestling faster than the speed of sound.
Having failed to reach the national tournament twice before redshirting last season, he admitted his first NCAA appearance against Oklahoma State junior Christopher Notte left him a bit stunned.
As one of seven Iowa wrestlers still in the hunt for an individual championship, Dennis understands he’s going to have to do better than a 5-4 decision if he wants to continue his forward march to the top of the 133-pound podium.
“You know, I think it was just a little bit of shell shock,” Dennis said moments after running laps in one the back hallways of the Scottrade Center. “I’m going to do my best not to let it happen again. I don’t think it will. I feel prepared. I feel like I’ve been training for a long time for this.”
His ample training appeared to be absent, though, as the Hawkeye junior frenetically swiped and clawed at his Cowboy opponent for the first 90 seconds of the bout before ultimately securing a takedown for a 2-0 advantage.
But the early lead eventually evaporated once Notte knotted the score, 4-4, following an intentional release by Dennis at the beginning of the third period that left the Hawkeye junior scrambling for points.
He effectively got the most crucial one nearly 30 seconds before the final buzzer as Notte was penalized for fleeing the mat as Dennis worked toward securing the winning takedown.
“Dennis pretty much controlled the whole match even though it was too tight,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “I don’t know if he’s ever satisfied, so that’s a good thing. But you have to open up and give yourself opportunities. We’re wrestling a little tight, I will say that.”
Tight matches certainly seem to be the norm between Dennis and Notte, however. During the Hawkeyes road dual with Oklahoma State in January, the two grappled a nail-bitter that ended in Dennis’ favor, 3-2
“If I could figure that out, it wouldn’t be close,” Dennis said of his close contests with Notte. “But I’m going to do my best not to make it close.
“He’s a tough competitor. He came out there ready to wrestle. He came out their ready to fight, and he did just that.”
But while an arduous opening bout helps stimulate his wrestling senses, he said, he’ll be trying a little self-pacification before tonight’s second-round match-up with Northern Illinois’s Tristen DeShazer.
Seeking his first NCAA title, Dennis isn’t about to fall victim to any enemy strategies. He got enough of it at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago after losing to Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey, 5-2, in the conference semifinals.
“I’m not going to end up where I want if I keep performing like that,” Dennis said of his one-point win over Notte. “I have to get better, and I’m confident I will.”
