Penn State, Jan. 20
The line of autograph seekers stretched around Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s north concourse, where hundreds waited for up to an hour to meet the victorious Iowa wrestlers.
Most of those in line were too young to remember the days when the Hawkeyes regularly racked up points against opponents who couldn’t match their breakneck pace or the times when Iowa frequently won close matches with late takedowns.
The top-ranked Hawkeyes reconnected with their glory years, winning seven matches and introducing a young generation of fans to old-school Iowa wrestling during a 27-13 victory against No. 7 Penn State.
Brent Metcalf wore out Bubba Jenkins before pinning the sixth-ranked Nittany Lion at 149, Phil Keddy notched a technical fall at 184 and Dan LeClere scored a late takedown to beat highly-touted freshman Garrett Scott at 141, highlighting the afternoon for the Hawkeyes. Iowa also got a major decision from Joey Slaton and wins from Jay Borschel, Matt Fields and Charlie Falck.
Metcalf spotted Jenkins a 6-1 lead, giving up two takedowns and a two-point near-fall in the first two minutes before a furious rally. The Iowa sophomore scored 16 points in the second period, turning an 8-5 deficit into a 21-12 advantage. By the end of the match, Jenkins, who won a freestyle Junior World title last summer, barely had the energy to get to his feet.
“I really just enjoy pounding a guy, breaking him and making him quit,” Metcalf said. “Then I enjoy having the fans love it. I enjoy putting on a show for people.”
— Andy Hamilton