Minnesota, Feb. 1
The Iowa wrestlers didn’t spend a lot of time studying history — at least not their own — but it was clear against Minnesota that the Hawkeyes had a few past events in mind.
Iowa reversed previous outcomes at four weights and that led the top-ranked Hawkeyes to a turnaround in the Border Brawl.
Iowa won six matches and sophomores Joey Slaton, Dan LeClere, Jay Borschel and Phil Keddy avenged losses, fueling a 20-13 victory against the defending NCAA champions at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
The Gophers had won the previous two meetings in the series, claiming their two most lopsided wins over the Hawkeyes in more than 60 years. They limited Iowa to just three takedowns last year in a 29-13 win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“There was a lot of payback for us,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “There’s a lot of turnaround there.”
The first showdown between the Big Ten powers wasn’t quite everything it was supposed to be. Neither team had its NCAA champion in the line-up. Mark Perry Jr. watched from the sideline after undergoing knee surgery, while Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter stood behind the Gophers’ bench, resting his injured hamstring.
The second-ranked junior would’ve faced No. 1 Brent Metcalf at 149 in the first collegiate match between the longtime rivals.
— Andy Hamilton