Click to view photo slideshow (36 photos)

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OMAHA, Neb. — Two Iowa seniors shared the spotlight with an up-and-coming freshman Saturday night.

Brent Metcalf, Jay Borschel, and Matt McDonough each won an individual NCAA title to help the Hawkeyes to their third-straight national championship and 23rd overall.

As a team, Iowa amassed 134.5 points — 44.5 more than second-place Cornell. Iowa State finished third with two champions and 75 points.

McDonough edged Iowa State true freshman Andrew Long, 3-1, in the 125-pound title bout, effectively capture his first national championship on a takedown midway through the second period.

In the 149-pound finals, Metcalf avenged his 9-3 Big Ten championship loss to Ohio State senior Lance Palmer, besting the Buckeye, 3-2, thanks in large to a riding time advantage he generated on an early first-period takedown.

Borschel, meanwhile, left nothing to chance in his 174-pound matchup against No. 1 seed Mack Lewnes of Cornell. After taking a 2-0 lead on a first-period takedown, the undefeated senior rolled to a 6-2 win.

Senior 133-pounder Daniel Dennis and sophomore 141-pounder Montell Marion couldn’t follow suit, however.

Dennis held a 4-2 lead over Minnesota senior Jayson Ness heading into the final minute. But with under 15 seconds remaining in the match, Ness lifted and planted the Hawkeye on his back for a takedown and two-point near-fall for the 6-4 go ahead win.

Marion, though, never lead in his match with Cornell freshman Kyle Dake and fell, 7-3.

Be sure to read Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan for more coverage of the 2010 NCAA wrestling championships, including a complete photo slide show.

— by Ryan Young

By Ryan Young
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu

OMAHA, Neb. — Even without two crucial knee ligaments, Ryan Morningstar is a Division-I All-American.

The 165-pound senior proved that much Saturday afternoon inside the Qwest Center, finishing to his No. 7 seed without the use of his medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right leg at the NCAA championships.

Yet even though he took pride in overcoming an agonizing obstacle moments after his last collegiate match, Morningstar said he still should be vying for a national championship.

The only thing that prevented him from advancing to the semifinals Friday morning was the pain shooting through his knee during his bout with Edinboro No. 2-seed Jarrod King Friday morning.

“I know if I am on, I am pretty tough to beat,” Morningstar said. “I just didn’t have any drive off it in the quarters, so I think made a difference there. It’s pretty tough to swallow — especially in the match, knowing it was because of my injury.”

Morningstar managed to overcome the discomfort later in the day in the consolation bracket. He scored a late reversal in a tie-break period against Cornell’s Justin Kerber to clinch All-American status for the second straight season before losing in the wrestleback quarterfinals.

“I don’t know how many guys could have gone out there like Morningstar did,” Iowa heavyweight Dan Erekson said. “Few guys could accomplish that.”

Iowa head coach Tom Brands labeled the endeavor as “very gutsy.” But over the past three days he had asserted that Morningstar’s mind was in the right place.

“You’re dealt those cards, and you’re in that situation, you make the best of it,” Brands said. “And he made the best of the best of it. It’s a tribute to him and his head strength and his faith.”

As of now, however, Morningstar is unsure when he will undergo surgery to repair his appendage. He said he put off scheduling an operation over the last two weeks to focus on winning a NCAA title instead.

He is also unsure of his recovery time.

In the mean time, he is just glad he managed to avoid increased injury. In the future, he hopes to continue competing internationally.

“Without two ligaments, I mean definitely if it got hit right, I could have blown everything out,” Morningstar said. “I’m grateful that it didn’t happen like that.”

By Ryan Young
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu

OMAHA, Neb. — Lance Palmer is used to it by now.

Even before he could score a takedown inside the Qwest Center, the Ohio State senior had to fend off outside shots regarding his media-fueled rivalry with Brent Metcalf.

He did so again Friday night moments after clinching a spot in the NCAA finals on a 2-0 decision.

But is there really a rivalry between the nations two top 149-pounders?

If there is, Palmer said he considers it a friendly feud.

“I don’t have any type of hate towards him,” the four-time All-American said. “It’s not like that by any means. We go out there, and I enjoy wrestling him. He’s the only one, I think, who can give me the best match that I’ve ever wrestled.”

For Metcalf, though, the rivalry is undeniable. And it encompasses a lot more than the Big Ten finals match that ended his undefeated streak 13 days ago.

Aside from the clear inter-conference connotations, the former-national champion said his competitive relationship with Palmer embodies the boarder war between their home states of Michigan and Ohio.

It also extends back to the pair’s childhood when the two budding grapplers attended the same wrestling camps as tykes.

But regardless of the long-standing ties, Saturday night’s title bout stands as a significant shot at redemption for the battle-hardened Hawkeye.

“It’s an opportunity to correct a wrong,” Metcalf said. “Been waiting the past two weeks to get to this point, and we both had to do our jobs. And we have. It’s time to go out and compete and work it out.”

In Palmer’s mind, working it out means proving that his 9-3 victory in the conference championship wasn’t the result of fortunate serendipity. Yet despite being the top-seeded 149-pounder with a 31-2 overall record, he still sees himself as the underdog in the finals.

“I guess I would still consider myself the underdog no matter what because there are people out there who say our match was a fluke before, and he won the first four, and I just got lucky in that one,” Palmer said. “If that’s the case, though, I hope I get lucky again.”

Luck may not become a factor in Saturday’s title outcome, however. Since Metcalf’s 11-6 loss to Darrion Caldwell a year ago, Iowa head coach Tom Brands said he has been covertly molding his prized pupil over the course of the season.

“There are things that we’ve done, and I talked about it at the beginning of the year, unbeknownst to him that will help him for a situation like this,” Brands said on Thursday.

Metcalf acknowledged his postseason routine has slightly changed, noting he has followed a warm-up formula similar to when he first won a national championship as a sophomore in 2008.

But whether that will have any impact on Saturday, Metcalf has no idea.

“I’m going to do the best I can,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that my body and my mind are ready to go, and, talking strategy, wrestle the same way I have. I’m not going to change everything just because I lost the last match with 40 second to go on my own offense.”

By Ryan Young
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu

David Scrivner/The Daily Iowan Iowa 149-pounder Brent Metcalf wrestles Iowa State's Mitch Mueller during their quarterfinals match in the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. on Friday, March 19, 2010. Metcalf won, 16-4, by major decision.

OMAHA, Neb. — Tom Brands wants to let his wrestlers do their talking on the mat Friday night.

So far, they’ve been doing a lot of that.

Five Hawkeyes moved on to the championship semifinals — two more than second-place Cornell and third-place Iowa State, which boast three apiece. Iowa is also tied with the Big Red for the most contenders in the consolation bracket at four.

And despite leading the team title race by 19 points, Brands sees the room for error if his team suddenly becomes complacent.

“We can do better in a lot of places, but we’ve done well in a lot of places, so keep it going,” the four-year Iowa coach said. “We have one guy out and nine alive.”

Matt McDonough (125), Daniel Dennis (133), Montell Marion (141), Brent Metcalf (149), and Jay Borschel (174) all advanced to Friday night’s semifinal round and secured All-American status in the process.

Meanwhile, Ryan Morningstar (165), Phillip Keddy (184), and Dan Erekson (HWT) fell to the consolation bracket. Still viable for third place, each can still earn All-American honors with a wrestleback win Friday night.

In the consolation rounds, unseeded 157-pounder Jake Kerr became the first Iowa grappler eliminated from the tournament, losing to No. 9-seed Matt Moley of Bloomsburg, 5-1, after edging No. 11-seed Robert Erisman of Oklahoma State, 6-5.

In the 197-pound consolation bracket, Chad Beatty remained in contention for bronze with back-to-back one-point triumphs — his first match on Thursday ending in sudden victory.

But narrow wins weren’t exclusive to the Hawkeyes’ wrestleback bouts.

Marion needed 14 seconds of overtime to continue his title run. The sophomore captured a 7-5 quarterfinals triumph in sudden victory against Ohio junior Germane Lindsey after previously allowing Lindsey to knot the score on a last-second shot in the third period.

“That’s what it’s about — winning close matches,” Brands said. “Don’t make them close, but if they’re close, win them.”

McDonough and Metcalf didn’t let their matches come to that, though.

McDonough opened Iowa’s early roll with a 9-0 major decision over unseeded Virginia Tech sophomore Jarrod Garnett. The redshirt freshman scored a takedown and a two-point near-fall in the first period before tallying two more two-point near-falls in the second to effectively clinch the victory.

He is slated to face unseeded 125-pounder Cashé Quiroga of Purdue and could meet either Iowa State freshman Andrew Long or two-time Big Ten champion and top-seeded Angel Escobedo in Saturday night’s finale.

McDonough downed Long, 13-7, during the Hawkeyes’ dual meet in Ames last December and fell to Escobedo, 6-4, in the conference title match two weeks ago.

Another Big Ten championship rematch could come to fruition on Saturday.

Metcalf notched a 16-7 major decision over Iowa State’s Mitch Mueller and will match up with third-seeded 149-pounder Kyle Terry of Oklahoma in the semifinals.

Ohio State senior Lance Palmer, on the other hand, will wrestle Penn State’s No. 5 seed Frank Molinaro. Palmer managed a 5-3 decision against Molinaro during the teams’ dual meet in January.

Team standings:
1. Iowa: 73
2. Cornell: 54
3. Iowa State: 46
- Ohio State: 46
5. Oklahoma: 44
6. Oklahoma State: 43
7. Minnesota: 35
8. Penn State: 33
- Wisconsin: 33
10. Missouri: 30

Championship quarterfinal results:
125 — No. 3 Matt McDonough (I) major dec. Jarrod Garnett (VA Tech), 9-0
133 — No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. No. 10 Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State), 4-3
141 — No. 6 Montell Marion (I) dec. Germane Lindsey (Ohio), 7-5 SV
149 — No. 2 Brent Metcalf (I) major dec. No. 7 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State), 16-4
165 — No. 2 Jarrod King (Edin) dec. No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-1
174 — No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) dec. No. 10 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 3-0
184 — No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) dec. No. 9 Phillip Keddy (I), 6-4
HWT — No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke) dec. No. 5 Dan Erekson (I), 6-2

Consolation second round results:
157 — Jake Kerr (I) dec. No. 11 Robert Erisman (OK State), 6-5
197 — No. 9 Chad Beatty dec. Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh), 2-1 TB

Consolation third round results:
157 — No. 9 Matt Moley (Bloomsburg) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 5-1
197 — No. 9 Chad Beatty dec. Matthew Wips (Pitt), 3-2

Click to view photo slideshow (26 photos)
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By Ryan Young
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu

OMAHA, Neb. — With eight grapplers still in contention for an individual title, Iowa remains ahead in the team race with 34.5 points after the first day of competition at the NCAA championships.

Poised to capture their third straight national title, the Hawkeyes lead second-place Oklahoma State (26 points) and third-place Iowa State (24 points). Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Wisconsin are in a deadlock for fourth with 23 points apiece.

The results are still too premature for Iowa head coach Tom Brands, though.

“I’m going to sound like a broken record here: We have to keep a good thing going,” Brands said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

For half of Iowa’s tournament roster, that involves widening the margin of victory. Five Hawkeyes won by decision Thursday night en route to Friday’s championship quarterfinals, while three others posted bonus-point wins.

Seniors Brent Metcalf (149) and Jay Borschel (174) tallied major decisions in the second round before heavyweight Dan Erekson notched Iowa’s first fall inside the Qwest Center — a first-period pin against 12th-seeded big man Scott Steele of Navy.

As a team, the Hawkeyes won 12 bouts by eight points or fewer on Thursday, including a pair of four-point triumphs by All-American 133-pounder Daniel Dennis.

But even though Iowa’s individual outcomes haven’t been overwhelmingly decisive, Dennis said he and his teammates have been controlling their matches.

Dominating may be the goal, but creeping closer to the championship finals is the top priority, he noted. And increased alertness is key in the pursuit.

“This is nationals,” the senior said. “This is what our whole year comes down to, and you fall off track for one match, chances are you’re going to be vulnerable. The focus is at an all-time high for every match.”

Only junior Jake Kerr fell out of championship contention Thursday night. The Oskaloosa, Iowa native dropped an 8-1 decision to top-seeded 157-pounder J.P. O’Connor of Harvard in the second round and is slated to face No. 11-seed Robert Erisman of Oklahoma State Friday morning in the consolation second round.

At 197, Chad Beatty is still viable for a third-place finish after losing his first-round matchup earlier on Thursday. Beatty managed a late reversal in the third period against North Carolina’s Dennis Drury to win, 5-4.

Team standings:
1. Iowa: 34.5
2. Oklahoma State: 26
3. Iowa State: 24
4. Ohio State: 23
- Oklahoma: 23
- Wisconsin: 23
7. Cornell: 22
8. Minnesota: 20
9. Missouri: 18.5
10. Central Michigan: 17

Championship second-round results:
125 — No. 3 Matt McDonough (I) dec. Anthony Zanetta (Pitt), 10-6
133 — No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Kelly Kubec (Oregon State), 4-0
141 — No. 6 Montell Marion (I) dec. Conor Beebe (Central Mich), 10-5
149 — No. 2 Brent Metcalf (I) major dec. Kyle Borshoff (American), 20-7
157 — No. 1 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 8-1
165 — No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Alex Meade (Ok State), 3-1
174 — No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) major dec. Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers), 10-0
184 — No. 9 Phillip Keddy (I) dec. No. 8 Louis Caputo (Harvard), 6-2
HWT — No. 5 Dan Erekson (I) pinned No. 12 Scott Steele (Navy), 2:36

Wrestle-back second-round results:
197 — No. 9 Chad Beatty dec. Dennis Drury (NC), 5-4

Championship quarterfinal matches:
125 — No. 3 Matt McDonough (I) vs. Jarrod Garnett (VA Tech)
133 — No. 2 Daniel Dennis (I) vs. No. 10 Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State)
141 — No. 6 Montell Marion (I) vs. Germane Lindsey (Ohio)
149 — No. 2 Brent Metcalf (I) vs. No. 7 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State)
165 — No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (I) vs. No. 2 Jarrod King (Edin)
174 — No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) vs. No. 10 Jordan Blanton (Illinois)
184 — No. 9 Phillip Keddy (I) vs. No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State)
HWT — No. 5 Dan Erekson (I) vs. No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke)

Consolation third round matches:
157 — Jake Kerr (I) vs. No. 11 Robert Erisman (OK State)
197 — No. 9 Chad Beatty vs. Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh)