Michigan, Feb. 17
Chad Beatty was holding the weight of the Iowa wrestling team on his shoulders one moment.
He was holding the Big Ten championship trophy in his hands the next.
Beatty’s last-second takedown rescued the Hawkeyes from defeat and turned the undersized sophomore into an instant hero to fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena after top-ranked Iowa secured a 20-16 victory against No. 10 Michigan.
Everybody wanted hugs and handshakes from Beatty after his 2-1 win against 15th-ranked Anthony Biondo in the 197-pound match.
“It was a lot of fun, but we’re supposed to do that,” said Beatty, who started the season at 174 pounds and has been trying to pack on weight since January to help the Hawkeyes fill what was the biggest void in a powerful line-up. “We're supposed to win — maybe not that close of a match. I’m glad I can win for them and for myself.”
The victory pushed the Hawkeyes to the 20-win plateau for the third time in school history.
Iowa was on the brink of defeat after dropping four matches by a takedown. Michigan assembled a four-match winning streak to take a 16-12 lead going into the final two matches. All the Wolverines needed was for Biondo to beat Beatty like he did in January when the Michigan freshman won an 8-0 major decision.
Heavyweight Matt Fields won a 20-5 technical fall against Chad Bleski to wrap up the victory that sealed the Big Ten dual title for the Hawkeyes.
“It’s not how you want to go out and perform in your last home dual, but it sure was exciting,” Iowa 125-pounder Charlie Falck said. “I haven’t gotten that excited in a long time.”
Falck, Joey Slaton and Brent Metcalf picked up bonus points for the Hawkeyes before Michigan got wins from Jeff Marsh, Eric Tannenbaum, Steve Luke and Tyrel Todd. Freshman Kellen Russell notched the other victory for the Wolverines with a win against Dan LeClere at 141. That put the Hawkeyes in a bind in their final home showing of their championship season.
“I was thinking, ‘You're coming on, you’re doing all these great things, everything’s looking bright and then you lose your last dual meet?’” Falck said. “That would’ve put a big damper on the season.”
But Beatty came through for the Hawkeyes — and not a second too late.
— Andy Hamilton