Ryan Morningstar and Dan Erekson earned seventh-place finishes, while Phil Keddy finished eighth.

Morningstar toughed out a 3-2 win over Old Dominion’s Chris Brown. The Lisbon native revealed after his match he suffered a torn PCL and torn MCL in his bout with Penn State’s Dan Vallimont at the Big Ten championships that forced him to default from the match.

Keddy suffered a 9-5 loss to third-seeded Dustin Kilgore of Kent State. Keddy said he was disappointed with his finish, but knows he isn’t done wrestling, and that helps to absorb the defeat.

“It’s not even close to where I wanted to finish,” Keddy said. “The All-American thing is important, and it could have been a lot worse, but the way I envisioned it, it wouldn’t have even been an option. I’m just going to look to getting healthy and keep wrestling.”

Erekson beat Central Michigan’s Jarod Trice, 8-2, in his seventh-place match. Erekson wasn’t satisfied with his finish either, but said it was good to end his Iowa career with a win.

“It’s not where we wanted to be, the three of us, but you have to go out there, wrestle hard and wrestle for pride,” Erekson said. “Wrestle for yourself, the fans and the coaches. So, I had to go out there and get the win.”

Iowa has five wrestlers in the finals, which will start at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

— by J.T. Bugos

Team Standings:
1. Iowa: 122.5
2. Cornell: 86
3. Oklahoma: 69
4. Iowa State: 67
5. Wisconsin: 66.5
6. Oklahoma State: 65
7. Ohio State: 62
8. Minnesota: 59
9. Penn State: 49
10. Missouri: 44

Seventh Place Matches:
165 – No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Chris Brown (Old Dominion), 3-2
184 – No. 3 Dustin Kilgore (Kent St.) dec. No. 9 Phil Keddy (I), 9-5
HWT – No. 5 Dan Erekson (I) dec. No. 7 Jarod Trice (Central Mich.), 8-2

Click to view photo slideshow (21 photos)
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Brands didn’t go as far to say his squad dominated on Friday, but Gable won’t be taking any swings at the fourth year Iowa coach any time soon.

Iowa sent five wrestlers to the finals — Matt McDonough, Daniel Dennis, Montell Marion, Brent Metcalf, and Jay Borschel – the most since 1997 when six grapplers were finalists under Gable.

The Hawkeyes also have a commanding 45.5 point lead in the team standings and could break the NCAA record for largest margin of victory between first- and second-place.

“Last year, we didn’t win any titles. This year, we have five chances to win titles,” Brands said. “When you’re five-for-five in the semifinal. Might as well be five-for-five in the final. I’m not making a prediction there. I’m just saying that’s the philosophy and the marching orders.”

Borschel needed a massive rally to get into the title match. The 174-pounder fell behind 5-0 to Virginia’s Christopher Henrich after a takedown and three near fall points early in the first period.

Behind 9-3 at the start of the second period, Borschel put together a flurry of points, scoring an escape to start the third, then a simultaneous takedown. A stall call tied up the match at nine.

Borschel rode out Henrich and scored the deciding point via riding time, winning 10-9.

The senior said he could feel when he broke Henrich, and even added an unusual display of emotion after the match.

“I thought maybe I might have killed half of [the Iowa fans] with a heart attack,” Borschel said. “But they were pretty loud. I usually don’t celebrate after a match, but I just couldn’t help it. Quite a feeling to come back from that and pull it off.”

McDonough continued to tear through his opponents with a 14-3 major decision victory over Cashé Quiroga of Purdue.

The redshirt freshman accumulated six near-fall points in his bout with the Boilermaker, and the win sets up a fourth match with Iowa State’s Andrew Long. McDonough has won all three previous meetings.

“I feel I’m wrestling my style. I’m forcing my offense on opponents and not giving them much space,” the 125-pounder said. “I feel I’m doing a good job wrestling for seven minutes. But you can always improve, and there’s one more match to improve on.”

Iowa 133-pounder Daniel Dennis will also face a familiar opponent in the finals – Minnesota’s Jayson Ness, who has two victories over the Hawkeye this season. But to get there, Dennis needed to knock off defending national champion Franklin Gomez.

Dennis previously beat Gomez twice this season – once in dual meet competition and once in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships – and added a third Friday night.

The Ingleside, Ill., native won a 5-3 sudden victory decision to force a third meeting with the Golden Gopher.

“Our coaches preach the best thing you can do for the team is win a national title. It’s the best thing I can do for the team,” Dennis said. “I’m not going to worry about the team because we have a lot of tough guys. The team points and the team race will fall into place.”

The team race fell into place before Day Two concluded. The Hawkeyes clinched their third straight national title.

But Iowa is still focused on emerging from competition with individual titles.

“[The team score] shows you’re in control and you’ve wrestled well as a team,” Brands said. “I don’t think it lessens the urgency of winning five titles and three sevenths, but it’s flexing your muscles.”

— by J.T. Bugos

Team Standings:
1. Iowa: 120.5
2. Cornell: 75
3. Iowa State: 67
4. Wisconsin: 62
5. Oklahoma State: 60.5
6. Oklahoma: 58
7. Ohio State 56.5
8. Minnesota: 55
9. Penn State: 47
10. Missouri: 44

Wrestlebacks Fourth Round:
165 – No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Justin Kerber (Cornell), 3-2 TB
184 – No. 9 Phil Keddy (I) major dec. Andrew Saunders (UNC Greensboro), 14-5
197 – No. 5 Trevor Brandvold (Wisc.) dec. No. 9 Chad Beatty (I), 7-4
HWT – No. 5 Dan Erekson (I) dec. No. 6 Nathan Everhart (Ind.), 4-1

Wrestlebacks Quarterfinals:
165 – Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) dec. No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-0
184 – No. 5 Clayton Foster (Ok. St.) dec. No. 9 Phil Keddy (I), 5-3
HWT – No. 9 Mark Ellis (Missouri) dec. No. 5 Dan Erekson (I), 3-1 SV

Championship Semifinals:
125 – No. 3 Matt McDonough (I) major dec. Cashé Quiroga (Purdue), 14-3
133 – No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. No. 3 Franklin Gomez (MSU), 5-3 SV
141 – No. 6 Montell Marion (I) dec. No. 10 Tyler Nauman (Pitt.), 7-6
149 – No. 2 Brent Metcalf (I) dec. No. 3 Kyle Terry (Okla.), 6-2
174 – No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) dec. No. 3 Christopher Henrich (Virginia), 10-9

David Scrivner/The Daily Iowan Iowa 133-pounder Daniel Dennis wrestles Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe during their quarterfinals match in the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. on Friday, March 19, 2010. Dennis won, 4-3.

OMAHA, Neb. – Iowa’s Daniel Dennis was tied with Iowa State’s Nick Fanthorpe, and less than 30 seconds remained in their quarterfinal match.

But with 16 clicks to go, Dennis struck and scored a takedown to secure his 4-3 win.

Ideally, Dennis said he wanted to lock up the match with a flurry of points in the first and second periods. Ultimately, he wanted to avoid overtime.

“It was being aware in my head that now is  the time, I have to go,” the 133-pounder said. “There’s a sense of urgency there, and I was looking to be more aggressive.”

Although the match was closer than he wanted it to be, Dennis said he wasn’t down on his victory.

“First and foremost, you want to keep progressing in the right direction in the tournament. It’s good getting my hand raised,” the Ingleside, Ill., native said. “Could it have been a wider gap in my mind? Yeah. In his mind? Probably not. In his mind he probably should have won.

“But I’m going to be selfish right now and say it could have been a bigger gap.”

Dennis’ confidence in his scoring ability allowed him to gain separation at the end of the bout. The senior said he knew he could get the takedown if he had to, and he went out and did just that.

Dennis will need to keep his self-belief heading into his semifinals match. He will face defending NCAA champion Franklin Gomez of Michigan State.

The Hawkeye has bested the Spartan twice this season, but both matches were separated by just one point.

The first win came in dual meet competition, where Dennis and Gomez went into the first tiebreak period tied at 2. Dennis scored an escape, then rode Gomez out to take a 3-2 decision.

Dennis’ second victory came in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships. He  scored a takedown with 14 seconds left, giving him a 4-2 lead. But Gomez reversed the Hawkeye to knot up the score as the clock neared zero.

A locked hands call on Gomez would give Dennis a thrilling 5-4 win.

Dennis said he isn’t afraid the third time with Gomez will flip the score.

“I’m worried about getting ready to wrestle. It doesn’t matter who I have,” he said. “If I go out and wrestle Gomez, and I’m ready to wrestle, I like my chances. If go out and wrestle Ness, and I’m ready to wrestle, I like my chances.

“Really, it’s not being more confident in my opponent, it’s establishing that confidence in yourself.”

— by J.T. Bugos

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.”

David Scrivner/The Daily Iowan Iowa 197-pounder Chat Beatty wrestles Oklahoma State's Alan Gelogaev during the first round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. on Thursday, March 18, 2010.

OMAHA, Neb. – The Iowa wrestling team won nine of its first 10 matches during the first session of the NCAA championships to seize a 5.5 point team lead.

The Hawkeyes are in first with 21.5 points, while Oklahoma State sits in second with 16. Central Michigan, Lehigh, and Wisconsin are all tied for third with 15 points.

Iowa head coach Tom Brands said it’s premature to talk about the victories because the Hawkeyes are about more than just winning one match.

“I think any time you’re winning this time of year it’s good. We want to separate ourselves,” Brands said. “I think one thing as a team we’re worrying too much about what the other guy is doing a little bit. We have to do what we’re good at — hitting holes and not look for the other guy. There are a lot of pluses and positives, and we just have to keep those going.”

The Hawkeyes’ lone loss came at 197 pounds. Chad Beatty fell to Oklahoma State’s Alan Gelogaev, 4-2, in the first tiebreak period.

Beatty and Gelogaev entered overtime tied at 1, and after a scoreless sudden victory period, Gelogaev started down in the tiebreak. The Cowboy escaped before getting a takedown in the waning seconds of the first tiebreak period to take a 4-1 lead.

Beatty managed an escape in the second tiebreak period, but couldn’t score a takedown to knot up the score.

Beatty wasn’t the only Hawkeye to go into overtime, though. Iowa 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar beat West Virginia’s Donald Jones, 4-2, in sudden victory.

Morningstar’s first two points came from escapes, but the Lisbon, Iowa native struck first in overtime to secure the win.

With a smile, Brands said Morningstar is doing what he does best: winning close matches.

Jake Kerr didn’t need extra time to provide a thrilling finish, though.

The 157-pounder faced Arizona State’s Tejovan Edwards and found himself in a 7-4 hole early in the second period. Kerr gained two points on escapes before scoring a takedown with 1:02 left in the match to snatch an 8-7 lead he didn’t relinquish.

“Just coming into this tournament is really motivating and gets you pumped up,” Kerr said. “That win felt awesome getting it, but it wasn’t the way I wanted to win it. I had to get the jitters out of me. But I pulled it out, and now I can start working on the next match.”

Brands was happy with Kerr’s performance, but now expects his grappler to improve in subsequent matches.

“It’s topsy-turvy with him, and as long as he’s hustling, he can still hit holds,” the fourth-year head coach said. “Bottom line is, you get the win, but you have to build on it. You don’t get the win and continue to squeak by and hang out and do it all over again. Separate yourself and that’s what he’s doing. Every win is a situation where you can grow.”

Session II begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

- By J.T. Bugos

First Round Matches

125 – No. 3 Matt McDonough (I) tech. fall Jason Lara (Oregon St.), 16-0

133 – No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Kevin Smith (Buffalo), 6-2

141 – No. 6 Montell Marion (I) dec. Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), 11-8

149 – No. 2 Brent Metcalf (I) major dec. Trenton Washington (UNI), 15-6

157 – Jake Kerr (I) dec. Tejovan Edwards (Ariz. St.), 8-7

165 – No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Donald Jones (WV), 4-2 SV

174 – No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) dec. Scott Giffin (Penn), 7-1

184 – No. 9 Phil Keddy (I) major dec. Michael Salopek (Virginia), 11-3

197 – Alan Gelogaev (Ok. St.) dec. No. 9 Chad Beatty (I), 4-2 TB

HWT – No. 5 Dan Erekson (I) dec. Clayton Jack (Oregon St.), 11-6

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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Rachel Jessen/The Daily Iowan Hawkeye 149-pounder Brent Metcalf wrestles Penn State's Frank Molinaro during their semifinal match at The Big Ten wrestling championships in Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010. The No. 1-seeded Metcalf defeated the No. 4-seeded Molinaro, 12-3.

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.

Rachel Jessen/The Daily Iowan Iowa head coach Tom Brands points and yells at Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson after what Brands believed to be a cheap shot made by Penn State's Cameron Wade on Iowa's Dan Erekson during the heavyweight semifinal match at The Big Ten wrestling championships in Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010.

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.

Rachel Jessen/The Daily Iowan Hawkeye hwt. Dan Erekson wrestles Penn State's Cameron Wade during their semifinal match at The Big Ten wrestling championships in Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010. The No. 2-seeded Erekson defeated the No. 3-seeded Wade, 5-2.

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.

Rachel Jessen/The Daily Iowan Hawkeye 174-pounder Jay Borschel wrestles Illinois' Jordan Blanton during their semifinal match at The Big Ten wrestling championships in Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010. The No. 1-seeded Borschel defeated the No. 5-seeded Blanton, 6-0.

— 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

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) ---------

Rachel Jessen/The Daily Iowan - Hawkeye 197-pounder Chad Beatty wrestles Ohio State's Cody Magrum during a quarter-final match at the Big Ten wrestling championship in Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010. No. 1 Beatty defeated No. 8 Magrum, 6-0.

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.

Rachel Jessen/The Daily Iowan - Hawkeye 157-pounder Jake Kerr wrestles Ohio State's Sean Nemec during the quarter-finals of Big Ten wrestling championships. No. 4 Kerr defeated No. 5 Nemec, 5-3.

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

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