Unbeaten and still champions
 |
A lot of people around the collegiate wrestling world cringed when Tom Brands and the Iowa Hawkeyes reasserted themselves as the team to beat after winning the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA titles.
Throughout the 2009 season, the Iowa grapplers took their opponents’ best shot along the way. Seemingly with ease, the Hawkeyes rolled to an unblemished 24-0 record in dual meets, 8-0 in the Big Ten.
It appeared the Hawkeyes were going to steamroller their away to another national title after cruising through the Big Ten Tournament.
But behind former Iowa All-American Tom Ryan, upstart Ohio State made a miraculous push to the top of the team race on the second day of the NCAA meet, putting three Buckeyes in the championship finals to the Hawkeyes’ one — 149-pounder Brent Metcalf.
Iowa fans sat stunned inside the Scottrade Center in St. Louis when Metcalf was upset in the 149-pound national championship match by North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell, 11-6.
However, behind four gutsy performances during the wrestleback rounds, Metcalf’s loss went for nothing as the Hawkeyes seized their 22nd NCAA title in 34 years.
“We had a couple letdowns early in the tournament; some unexpected things happened in the tournament,” Iowa junior Ryan Morningstar said after battling back to take third at 165. “That’s one thing this team has done a good job of — picking ourselves up and getting stronger as the tournament goes on.”
Even with the entire crowd at the Scottrade Center applauding at every slip and groaning at every triumph, the Hawkeyes refused to back down.
Trailing the Buckeyes heading into the final day of competition, Brands kept his message to the team simple.
“ ‘The team title is going to be won this morning. Let’s give Metcalf some help,’ ” Brands said he told his team before the final day of competition. “We took care of that.”
Aside from the conference and national championships, the Hawkeyes also added to the NCAA books by setting the record for highest attendance at a dual meet when 15,955 fans turned out on Dec. 6 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena to see Iowa down Iowa State, 20-15.
The Hawkeyes also seized their second-consecutive NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals title in January by defeating Cornell in the championships finals, 23-13.
With only two wrestlers — Charlie Falck (125) and Alex Tsirtsis (141) — departing from the starting lineup, the Hawkeyes should come out in November as the favorites to repeat once again.
2009 NCAA tournament final standings
Iowa — 96.5
Ohio State — 92
Iowa State — 84.5
Nebraska — 78.5
Cornell — 73.5
Edinboro — 72
Missouri — 70
Illinois — 55
Wisconsin — 53
Maryland — 47.5
Iowa’s 2009 All-Americans
133 — Daniel Dennis, 7th
149 — Brent Metcalf, 2nd
165 — Ryan Morningstar, 3rd
184 — Phil Keddy, 4th
Hwt. — Dan Erekson, 4th
Big Ten Tournament Champions (31) — 1958, 1962, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009
NCAA Tournament Champions (22) — 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009
comments powered by Disqus
