National Duals, Jan. 12-13
The Hawkeyes entered the National Duals intent on proving the loss to Oklahoma State was a glitch rather than an indication of turbulence ahead.
By the end of the tournament at the UNI-Dome, Iowa left little doubt on the matter.
The Hawkeyes captured their first National Duals title in 12 years and regained the No. 1 spot in the rankings for good after hammering Nebraska 24-6 in the championship meet, using a bullying style reminiscent of the days when Iowa ruled the sport.
“They didn’t want to be on the mat with us,” 133-pounder Joey Slaton said. “We had to drag them back on the mat, and they still didn’t want to be on it. They were crawling off.”
To be fair to the Huskers, nobody at the National Duals seemed enthralled with the idea of tangling with the Hawkeyes.
Iowa tore through the tournament, dominating its four opponents — Cornell, Missouri, Michigan and Nebraska — by a collective 106-31 margin. The Hawkeyes won 32 of 40 individual matches and defeated 12 opponents ranked in the top 10.
“We made a statement,” said sophomore 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, who was named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament. “The Oklahoma State match, I don’t feel like our guys were prepared or ready to go. I think this is a better representation of what this team is all about.”
Among the highlights:
• Mark Perry Jr. regained the No. 1 ranking at 165 after beating No. 3 Mack Lewnes of Cornell, No. 4 Nick Marable of Missouri and No. 1 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in succession. A recurring knee injury flared up in his 4-1 win against Tannenbaum, sidelining Perry in the championship dual.
• Junior Charlie Falck won a 3-2 decision at 125 against defending NCAA champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska.
• Sophomore Jay Borschel beat three opponents in the top 10 at 174, including No. 2 Steve Luke of Michigan and No. 5 Brandon Browne of Nebraska.
• Falck, Metcalf, sophomore 157-pounder Ryan Morningstar, Borschel and senior heavyweight Matt Fields each went 4-0 on the weekend.
— Andy Hamilton