By Ryan Young
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu
David Scrivner/The Daily Iowan Iowa 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar wrestles West Virginia's Donald Jones during the first round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. on Thursday, March 18, 2010.
OMAHA, Neb. — Prior to Thursday morning, Ryan Morningstar didn’t know what to expect from his banged-up knee.
Neither did anybody else inside the Qwest Center.
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Iowa head coach Tom Brands added to the mystery, ducking and dodging Morningstar’s injury status as though he were Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder avoiding a Cliff Lee bean ball.
But a 4-2 overtime win answered the question, and the senior is using the postseason success of one recently departed Hawkeye as motivation.
“Mark Perry won a national title on a bad knee,” he said referring to his former teammate who managed a second straight NCAA championship two years ago after re-injuring his right knee in the 165-pound finals.
“Different injury, but I mean, anything can happen,” he added. “You’ve just got to give yourself a chance.”
Morningstar left nothing to chance after his first-round matchup with West Virginia redshirt junior Donnie Jones went into sudden victory overtime.
Depsite being warned for stalling early in the extra period, Morningstar shot in on Jones’ leg and quickly turned the offensive endeavor into a win-clinching takedown.
But the victory didn’t come without overcoming preliminary apprehensions, which showed in a scoreless first period. Morningstar said he saw limited mat time in practice over the past 10 days leading up to the NCAA championships and admitted to being a little timid initially.
He also acknowledge feeling some slight pain during a first-period scramble. Although, his adrenaline served as a quick pain killer.
Practically his only hindrance, he said, is the bulky black knee brace enveloping his right leg.
“It’s hard to move sometimes,” Morningstar said. “That’s the only thing I really notice when I am out there wrestling.”
Later tonight, the Lisbon, Iowa native is scheduled to face No. 10 seed Alex Meade of Oklahoma State, who beat Morningstar, 5-3, during the Hawkeyes’ dual meet with the Cowboys in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 16.
And while the All-American grappler holds a 27-6 overall record heading into the second session, he also carries a reputation for winning close matches.
Brands said Morningstar’s latest win is a testament to the seasoned Hawkeye, and it should help him mentally as he advances further into the tournament.
“I think it just reinforces what he’s about and what he believes he is about,” the fourth-year Iowa head coach said. “He learned he is pretty tough in duress … But you know, let’s save the praise for now because that’s not what he’s about — winning one match.”
