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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