The Iowa wrestling team captured their third straight Big Ten title on Sunday at the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Hawkeyes finished with 156.5 team points, throttling second place Minnesota, who ended with 119.5. Wisconsin finished third with 109 points.

The Hawkeyes had six grapplers in the finals, but only two – 174-pounder Jay Borschel and heavyweight Dan Erekson – won titles.

Matt McDonough (125), Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149), and Phillip Keddy (184) all finished second, while Montell Marion (141) took third place. Jake Kerr (157) and Ryan Morningstar (165) finished fourth, and Chad Beatty (197) placed fifth.

- By J.T. Bugos

For more coverage of Big Ten Wrestling Championships, check out Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan.

Click to view photo slideshow (22 photos)
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Iowa’s 34th Big Ten championship is still in the works after the second session inside Crisler Arena.

Despite the Hawkeyes possessing 32.5-point lead with six wrestlers in the hunt for an individual title, Minnesota, sitting in second place with 104.5 team points, remains in contention.

And after a Saturday night that saw four seeded grapplers fall out of championships contention and into the consolation bracket, Iowa head coach Tom Brands knows much more needs to be done on Sunday.

“There were certain things that happened out there that cannot happen, ever,” Brands said, specifically citing a lack in hustle. “Those are things your iron out throughout the year, and when you’re doing it at this point of the year, we’re going to have conversations.”

The coach saved his most heated conversation for first-year Penn State head coach Cale Sanderson Saturday night — a pointed argument midway through the third period of the semifinal heavyweight bout.

Following an escape by third-seeded Nittany Lion Cameron Wade, referees called a timeout to allow Iowa 285-pounder Dan Erekson to secure his headgear, which had gotten knocked off during a scramble.

But Wade, apparently unaware of the stoppage, shot low on Erekson’s legs, and Brands ferociously stormed center mat, suspecting Wade had attempted to injure his wrestler.

After exchanging choice words with the officials, the fourth-year Hawkeye headman directed his dispute at Sanderson.

Meanwhile, Erekson waited for the match to resume and evenutaly clinched his second straight Big Ten finals appearance on a 5-2 decision.

He said he gave Wade “the benefit of the doubt,” but noted he wasn’t surprised to see Brands take action.

“He gets into it,” Erekson said. “One thing about our coaches is they believe in us, almost so much that they believe in us more than we believe in ourselves, so they have our back, and they’re behind us. They wants us to succeed. You know, they don’t want us to get hurt.”

Brands and the Iowa coaching staff also got a bit animated towards the end of the 133-pound semifinal between second-seeded Daniel Dennis and defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Franklin Gomez.

But the outcome was also a bit more favorable for the Hawkeyes.

Following a third-period takedown on the edge of the mat that gave Dennis 4-2 advantage, Gomez managed a reversal after a restart to tie the match.

As time expired, referees awarded Dennis a point on a locked-hands call, and the second-seeded senior scored a reversal of his own to seemingly secure the win. The points, however, remained absent on the scoreboard until after the officials conferred.

Dennis said he could have done without the last-second thrills.

“It was good to come out on top of it,” he said. “But preventing that scramble would have been better, and it would have been ideal, and if I could go back, that scramble would never happened.”

He’ll have the chance to rectify his mistake Sunday afternoon when he faces top-seeded 133-pounder Jayson Ness of Minnesota.

Dennis and Erekson, as well as Matt McDonough (125), defending Big Ten champion Brent Metcalf (149), Jay Borschel (174), and Phillip Keddy (184) all could come away with individual titles.

“We can’t be yawning when we should be hammering,” Brands said. “We’ve got to be awake, and we’ve got to be full throttle.

— by Ryan Young

Semifinal Results:
125 — No. 2 Matt McDonough (I) major dec. No. 3 Zach Sanders (Minn), 8-0
133 — No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. No. 3 Franklin Gomez (MSU), 5-4
141 — No. 2 Mike Thorn (Minn) major dec. No. 3 Montell Marion (I), 12-3
149 — No. 1 Brent Metcalf (I) major dec. No. 4 Frank Molinaro (PSU), 12-3
157 — No. 1 Colton Salazar (Pur) dec. No. 4 Jake Kerr (I), 6-2
165 — No. 3 Colt Sponseller (OSU), dec. No. 2 Ryan Morningstar (I), 3-1
174 — No. 1 Jay Borschel (I) dec. No. 5 Jordan Blanton (Ill), 6-0
184 — No. 3 Phillip Keddy (I) dec. No. 2 Dave Erwin (PSU), 4-1
197 — No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minn) dec. No. 1 Chad Beatty (I), 7-6 TB
HWT —No. 2 Dan Erekson (I) dec. No. 3 Cameron Wade (PSU), 5-2

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Big Ten Wrestling Championships: More dramatic than The Notebook.
More dramatic than that time you broke up with your girlfriend for the fourth time, and she didn’t want to let you go.

The drama reached its peak, fittingly, in Iowa’s final match of the day.

Hawkeye heavyweight Dan Erekson was nursing a 2-1 lead over Penn State’s Cameron Wade when the referee blew his whistle, allowing Erekson to replace his fallen headgear. A solid three seconds after the shrill sound echoed through a relatively quiet arena, Wade took a shot to Erekson’s lower leg.

Erekson went down hard. The senior hit the mat in a way that a knee injury would have surprised no one (don’t worry folks, the Danimal is still in tip-top shape).

The Iowa bench, however, did not go down.

Head coach Tom Brands might have set a new NFL Combine record if someone had measured his jump to the center of the mat.

Brands was furious, and rightly so. Wade took a cheap shot and could have seriously injured Erekson.
The presence of Penn State headman Cael Sanderson (always annoying to see in person – I think he might use 8 pounds of dome wax) didn’t help the situation. Sanderson threw some verbal jabs at Brands for his outburst, further enraging the Iowa coach.

After the match, Brands said he wasn’t going to talk about the incident (he almost didn’t talk to the media at all he was so peeved), and I wouldn’t have blamed him.

Brands is a fiery, emotional coach, and speaking about the incident so soon could have only caused problems. Most of those problems, though, would have been for Sanderson if he crossed paths with Brands again.

The fourth-year head coach could have taken down a grizzly bear judging by how amped up he was.
Erekson played the incident off, finishing the match and getting himself into the finals.

But the drama was not limited to the coaches.

Dan Dennis’ match with defending Big Ten champion Franklin Gomez almost put the arena into collective cardiac arrest.

The two 133-pounders were locked in a 2-2 tie late in the third period, but Gomez held riding time advantage. With 20 seconds left, Dennis struck for a two-point takedown, giving him a 4-2 lead and eliminating riding time.

After a restart to the center of the mat, Gomez initiated a mind-boggling scramble that had the Hawkeye and Spartan flipping over each other at warp speed. Gomez ended up on top for a reversal, but Dennis soon was back in control.

The Hawkeyes’ reversal was signaled, but eventually taken away because the match was ruled to have ended. Lost in all the scrapping was a hand-locking call that gave Dennis a 5-4 victory.

The match-ending scramble was nothing I’d ever seen. Dennis and Gomez had an incredible match earlier this year (Dennis won that in the first tiebreak period, 3-2), but this was rapid fire muscles putting on a clinic.

Not to be outdone, 197-pounder Chad Beatty and Minnesota’s Sonny Yohn decided to go extra time.
Beatty trailed the Golden Gopher deep into the third period, but scored a takedown with 15 seconds left to tie up the score, 6-6.

An overtime period yielded no scoring, and a tiebreaker ensued. Yohn started down in the first tiebreak period, but could never escape Beatty’s grasp.

But a locking hands call gave Yohn a 7-6 lead he wouldn’t relinquish in the second half of the tiebreak.
Beatty was upset at the hand-locking call and the fact that Yohn wasn’t called for stalling after repeatedly resisting the action.

The senior from Wilton, Iowa who had come back from a foot injury, battled through two highly contested matches and deserved a trip to the finals.

In the end, though, Iowa sends six wrestlers to the finals, and holds a 32.5-point advantage heading into the final session.

If Saturday’s matches were any indication of things to come, I just might have to bring my defibrillator.

— by J.T. Bugos

Click to view photo slideshow (16 photos) ---------

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — All 10 Iowa wrestlers remain in contention for a conference title after the first session at the Big Ten Championships, scoring 93 team points in the process. Penn State is second with 59 points.

Not only are the Hawkeyes still in the mix, but they dominated the competition with nine out of 15 wins earning the team bonus points.

“We’re in a good spot right now. We have to keep it going,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “We’re 15-for-15 on matches. The next step is 10-for-10.”

Iowa had five wrestlers drawn into pigtail matches, and all five won with extra points.

Hawkeye 125-pounder Matt McDonough and 174-pounder Jay Borschel both won by fall – McDonough in 4:33, and Borschel in 3:53.

The other three victories came by major decision. Montell Marion (141) won, 14-5, over Michigan’s Mark Weber. Iowa 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar beat Jason Martin of Purdue, 8-0, and heavyweight Dan Erekson took down another Boilermaker, David Pisarcik, 9-1.

The quarterfinal matches brought 10 more Iowa wins, starting with McDonough’s 13-5 major decision win over Illinois’ John Deneen. The redshirt freshman remains undefeated on the season.

At 133 pounds, Dan Dennis shut out Ohio State’s Ian Paddock, 4-0. Dennis will face defending Big Ten and national champion Franklin Gomez in his semifinal match. Dennis beat Gomez in their only match this season, 3-2, in the first tiebreak period.

Marion’s quarterfinal win over Purdue’s Juan Archuleta, 7-5, earned him a grudge match with Minnesota’s Mike Thorn. Thorn pinned Marion at the National Duals, but Marion responded with a 15-7 major decision victory over the Golden Gopher in their Big Ten regular-season matchup.

At 149 pounds Brent Metcalf squared off with Purdue’s Nick Bertucci, who earlier in the year had kneed the Hawkeye in the face. Metcalf quickly put the Boilermaker back in his place, winning by pin in 1:08.

After a gut decision by Iowa head coach Tom Brands Friday morning, Jake Kerr took the mat for Iowa at 157 pounds. Kerr rewarded his coach’s decision by beating Ohio State’s Sean Nemec, 5-3. Kerr will face top-seeded Colton Salazar of Purdue later today.

Morningstar followed his early morning victory with a 3-0 win over Minnesota’s Cody Yohn. The senior will battle Ohio State’s Colt Sponseller in his semifinal match. Morningstar managed only an escape in defeating the Buckeye in their regular season matchup.

At 174 pounds, Jay Borschel kept his perfect record intact. Borschel won by decision over Michigan’s Justin Zeerip, 2-0.

“[Borschel] wrestled smart, even though I think he can go more,” Tom Brands said. “He’s got to get more real penetration against a guy like that. So there’s some points left on the mat, but when you win 15 in a row you’re doing something right.”

Phillip Keddy (184) showed the explosiveness he sometimes lacked this season in his victory over Minnesota’s Kaleb Young. Keddy scored six takedowns in his 14-4 win. He will face Penn State’s Dave Erwin, who beat the Hawkeye earlier in this season, 6-4.

Chad Beatty returned to the lineup for the first time since the Midland Championships on Dec. 30, beating Ohio State’s Cody Magrum, 6-0. The 197-pounder had surgery to repair his Lisfranc joint after his victory over Wisconsin’s Trevor Brandvold.

Matside for Beatty’s match, Iowa assistant coach Terry Brands said the wrestler wasn’t bothered by his foot.

“That was a match that was fairly contested and went the whole time,” Terry Brands said. “He scored a takedown early and got his near-fall, and then it was kind of a ride, and he got a good burn. I think he looks good. His shape is good, and he feels good about it.”

Tom Brands said Beatty’s performance was “gutsy and tough,” but noted there is still plenty of wrestling to go. The fourth-year head coach said Beatty might have surprised himself a little bit with his strong performance, but thinks his grappler has more to give.

Dan Erekson also emerged from Session I with his unbeaten record still in place. The heavyweight pinned Michigan State’s Alan O’Donnell in 1:17 in his quarterfinal match.

Session II starts tonight at 6 p.m. Competition will go through the championship semifinals and up to the consolation semifinals.

- By J.T. Bugos

Pigtail Matches

125 – No. 2 Matt McDonough (I) pinned Brenan Lyon (MSU), 4:33

141 – No. 3 Montell Marion (I) major dec. Mark Weber (MICH), 14-5

165 – No. 2 Ryan Morningstar (I) major dec. Jason Martin (PU), 8-0

174 – No. 1 Jay Borschel (I) pinned Nick Avery (IND), 3:53

HWT – No. 2 Dan Erekson (I) major dec. David Pisarcik (PU), 9-1

Quarterfinal Matches

125 – No. 2 Matt McDonough (I) major dec. No. 7 John Deneen (ILL), 13-5

133 – No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. No. 7 Ian Paddock (OSU), 4-0

141 – No. 3 Montell Marion (I) dec. No. 6 Juan Archuleta (PU), 7-5

149 – No. 1 Brent Metcalf (I) pinned No. 8 Nick Bertucci (PU), 1:08

157 – No. 4 Jake Kerr (I) dec. No. 5 Sean Nemec (OSU), 5-3

165 – No. 2 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. No. 7 Cody Yohn (MINN), 3-0

174 – No. 1 Jay Borschel (I) dec. No. 8 Justin Zeerip (MICH), 2-0

184 – No. 3 Phil Keddy (I) major dec. Kaleb Young (MINN), 14-4

197 – No. 1 Chad Beatty (I) dec. No. 8 Cody Magrum (OSU), 6-0

HWT – No. 2 Dan Erekson (I) pinned No. 8 Alan O’Donnell (MSU), 1:17

The road to an undefeated regular season goes through Madison, Wis.

No. 1 Iowa crushed No. 4 Ohio State, 32-3, on Senior Night in front of an announced crowd of 9,149 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday. The Hawkeyes also extended their dual meet winning streak to 60 and remained undefeated at 22-0 overall (7-0 in the Big Ten).

All six of Iowa’s starting seniors earned wins, including Hawkeye heavyweight Dan Erekson and 174-pounder Jay Borschel, who managed bonus points in their bouts against the Buckeyes.

Meanwhile, Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (165), and Phillip Keddy (184) recorded decisions in their final home matches.

Sophomore Montell Marion tallied Iowa’s lone defeat. Marion never led in his matchup against No. 2 141-pounder Reece Humphrey and eventually fell, 9-5.

The Hawkeyes travel to No. 13 Wisconsin on Feb. 21 in search of their third-straight Big Ten regular-season championship. The dual is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

— by Ryan Young

No. 1 Iowa 32, No. 4 Ohio State 3
133 — Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 3-2
141 — Reece Humphrey (OSU) dec. Montell Marion (I), 9-5
149 — Brent Metcalf (I) dec. Lance Palmer (OSU), 3-1
157 — Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Sean Nemec (OSU), 5-2
165 — Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Colt Sponseller (OSU), 1-0
174 — Jay Borschel (I) major dec. Dave Rella (OSU), 9-0
184 — Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Mike Pucillo (OSU), 3-2
197 — Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. C.J. Magrum (OSU), 6-1
HWT — Dan Erekson (I) pinned Corey Morrison (OSU), 2:52
125 — Matt McDonough (I) major dec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 9-1

Northwestern barely stood a chance against No. 1 Iowa Friday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes tallied five falls and improved their dual meet winning streak to 58 with a 49-0 win over the Wildcats.

Freshman Matt McDonough (125) and senior Jay Borschel (174) both managed a first-period pin. Meanwhile, Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (165), and Dan Erekson (HWT) each secured falls in the second period.

At 184, freshman Grant Gambrall made his season debút in place of senior Phillip Keddy, winning a 9-3 decision against Northwestern junior Aaron Jones.

Iowa head coach Tom Brands said Keddy’s absence was “no big deal.”

“It’s part of the plan,” Brands said. “Periodically, you rest guys, and we’re getting him ready.”

— by Ryan Young

No. 1 Iowa gave Cael Sanderson a rude welcoming Friday night.

With the Iowa City crowd relentlessly harassing the first-year Penn State head coach throughout the meet, the Hawkeyes took eight of 10 bouts from the No. 12 Nittany Lions in a 29-6 thumping

Iowa seniors Daniel Dennis (133) and Jay Borschel (174) posted major decisions over unranked freshman, and two-time defending Big Ten champion Brent Metcalf (149) recorded a pin against No. 5 Penn State sophomore Frank Molinaro in 3:56.

At 157, junior Jake Kerr managed possibly the biggest victory of his collegiate career.

The Oskaloosa, Iowa native downed No. 5 Nittany Lion Cyler Sanderson — younger brother of Cael Sanderson — on a reversal and a two-point near fall early in the third period for the 4-2 upset.

Meanwhile, No. 5-ranked Iowa sophomore Montell Marion fell to Penn State senior Adam Lynch (6-9) in controversial fashion at 141.

Down 4-6 with under a minute remaining in the match, Marion scored a tying takedown at the 18-second mark to bring the bout into overtime. But 20 seconds into sudden victory, officials signaled a Lynch takedown that left the Des Moines native stunned and the Iowa coaches fuming.

Look for more Iowa wrestling coverage in Monday’s edition the Daily Iowan, and be sure to follow DI wrestling reporters Ryan Young and J.T. Bugos on Twitter @rcyou and @jtbugos during the Hawkeyes’ dual meet with Michigan State on Sunday.

— by Ryan Young

Iowa 29, Penn State 6
125 — McDonough (I) dec. Pataky (PSU), 7-2
133 — Dennis (I) major dec. Pearsall (PSU), 17-7
141 — Lynch (PSU) dec. Marion (I), 8-6 SV
149 — Metcalf (I) pin Molinaro (PSU), 3:56
157 — Kerr (I) dec. Sanderson (PSU), 4-2
165 — Morningstar (I) dec. Vallimont (PSU), 2-0
174 — Borschel (I) major dec. Ortega (PSU), 14-2
184 — Erwin (PSU) dec. Keddy (I), 6-4
197 — Lofthouse (I) dec. Steadman (PSU), 5-2
HWT — Erekson (I) dec. Wade (PSU), 6-1

No. 1 Iowa remained undefeated Thursday night, improving to 9-0 after a 48-3 win over Northern Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes opened with four straight falls, beginning with a second-period pin by redshirt freshman Matt McDonough at 125.

Iowa City native Nate Moore (133), sophomore Montell Marion (141), and two-time Big Ten champion Brent Metcalf (149) followed suit to give Iowa a 24-0 lead.

However, junior 157-pounder Aaron Janssen ended the Hawkeyes’ streak with a 11-1 major decision against Panther redshirt senior Tyson Reiner.

Seniors Ryan Morningstar (165) and Jay Borschel (174) tallied back-to-back pins to increase Iowa’s already overwhelming score.

A 15-5 major decision by both 184-pounder Phillip Keddy and 197-pounder Chad Beatty put the Hawkeyes ahead, 48-0.

Despite several late shots, Iowa heavyweight Blake Rasing couldn’t keep the Hawkeyes’ shutout hopes alive, dropping a 3-2 decision to UNI’s No. 17 big man Christian Brantley.

— by Ryan Young

Thursday’s dual results:

Iowa 48, Northern Iowa 3
125 — No. 10 Matt McDonough (I) pinned Caleb Flores (UNI), 4:38
133 — Nate Moore (I) pinned Ryan Jauch (UNI), 2:42
141 — Montell Marion (I) pinned Trent Washington (UNI), 3:28
149 — No. 1 Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Trevor Kittleson (UNI), 3:49
157 — Aaron Janssen (I) major dec. Tyson Reiner (UNI), 11-1
165 — No. 5 Ryan Morningstar (I) pinned David Bonin (UNI), 5:32
174 — No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) pinned Jarion Beets (UNI) 4:44
184 — No. 6 Phillip Keddy (I) major dec.  Andy O’Loughlin (UNI), 15-5
197 — No. 10 Chad Beatty (I) major dec. Dustin Bauman (UNI), 15-5
HWT — No. 17 Christian Brantley (UNI) dec. Blake Rasing (I), 3-2

The dominance continues inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

No. 1 Iowa shut down Iowa Lakes Community College, 52-0, during the Hawkeyes’ third meet of the Iowa City Duals on Friday.

Six Iowa grapplers posted pins against the Lakers, with sophomore heavyweight Jordan Johnson capturing his the quickest in 57 seconds.

Iowa redshirt freshman Matt McDonough opened with a first-period (1:06) pin against Tim Francisco at 125 pounds.

Senior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf followed suit two weights later, locking up Iowa Lakes freshman Victor DeJesus for a fall in 1:46.

At 157, Hawkeye junior Jake Kerr seized his second pin of the day, sticking Lakers freshman Austin Lindsay to the mat in the third period (5:35).

Seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) both picked up pins as well. Borschel tallied his third straight in 2:21, while Keddy notched his first early in the second period.

Dan LeClere at 141 managed a technical fall over Matt Catalano.

Meanwhile, seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Ryan Morningstar (165), and Chad Beatty (197) each tallied major decisions.

Check The Daily Iowan throughout the day for more posts from the Iowa City Duals.

Also follow DI wrestling beat writers Ryan Young and J.T. Bugos on Twitter @rcyou and @jtbugos.

— by Ryan Young

The Iowa wrestling team concluded the Iowa City Duals with a 51-0 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Friday night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes went 10-for-10 for the fourth time, recording six pins, a technical fall, a major decision, and a pair of decisions along the way.

The night’s hometown hero, redshirt freshman Matt DcDonough, opened the final dual meet with a first-period pin (1:35) against Cougar freshman Dustin Young. The product of Marion, Iowa finished with two pins, two technical falls, and a major decision.

Senior 141-pounder Dan LeClere also posted his second pin of the day, seizing his with three seconds remaining in the first period against SIUE sophomore Dillon Pousson.

At 149, defending Big Ten champion Brent Metcalf managed his fifth straight fall against freshman Kyle Lowman. The senior registered 992 total seconds of mat time during the six-squad meet.

Senior 174-pounder Jay Borschel spent nearly half that amount during his five-fall pursuit, wrestling for 498 seconds throughout the day. Borschel seized a 13-second fall against sophomore Tim Mahoney.

Ryan Morningstar (165) and Phillip Keddy (184) also tallied pins in their final matches — both coming in the first period.

Iowa 197-pounder Chad Beatty captured the Hawkeyes’ lone technical fall against SIUE, while heavyweight Jordan Johnson and 157-pounder Jake Kerr earned decisions against the Cougars.

— by Ryan Young