This is part one of a two-part series taking a look at how Iowa athletics match up against Big Ten newcomers Rutgers and Maryland. The Daily Iowan will break down Maryland Wednesday.
July 1 marks the beginning of yet another new era in the Big Ten: Rutgers and Maryland are officially part of the now-14-school league. Rutgers has nine men’s sports and 13 women’s sports.
Football — 6-7 in 2013
The Scarlet Knights had an interesting season, to say the least. After five games, Rutgers had put up a whopping 194 points with a 4-1 record. Beginning with a 24-10 conference loss at Louisville, the Scarlet Knights went 2-6, only putting 149 points on the board.
There is some uncertainty for the Scarlet Knights at quarterback. Gary Nova and Chris Laviano are battling it out for the starting job, but at the Rutgers spring game in April, head coach Kyle Flood told reporters Nova would be the starter if the season started on that date.
Defensively, All-American Steve Longa leads the way at middle linebacker. He recorded 123 tackles last season.
Rutgers is not on Iowa’s schedule.
Wrestling — 11-5 in 2013-14
Anthony Perrotti, a 157-pounder, made his way through the backside of the NCAA Tournament to take eighth and earn All-American status. Ken Theobald and Billy Smith also made the tournament at 149-pounds and heavyweight, respectively.
Iowa and Rutgers are set to clash on Jan. 2, 2015.
Men’s Basketball — 12-21 in 2013-14
With only five conference wins, the Scarlet Knights may be in for a rough welcome in one of the toughest, if not the toughest basketball conference is in the country. Rutgers shot below 43 percent from the field, good for 260th in Division-I.
Louisville ended the Scarlet Knights’ season in the AAC quarterfinal with a 92-31 beat-down.
Women’s Basketball — 28-9 in 2013-14
Former Iowa head coach Vivian Stringer led Rutgers to the women’s NIT championship title last season. It wasn’t the same success the women’s basketball powerhouse is used to — the Scarlet Knights only beat one ranked team, a 61-58 win over then-No. 16 Georgia.
Stringer and Company suffered losses to No. 15 Louisiana State, two to top-5 Louisville, and defeats from No. 1 Connecticut.
Baseball — 30-25 in 2014
Iowa and Rutgers baseball have a lot in common. Rick Heller and Joe Litterio both inherited pedestrian — at best — programs and turned them into 30-win teams.
Rutgers finished 30-25, good for the No. 7 spot in the AAC. Iowa finished eighth in the regular season in the Big Ten and lost to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
Track and Field
The men’s track and field team sent seven student-athletes to the NCAA East Regional, with only one advancing to the NCAA meet. Corey Crawford finished seventh in the long jump with a leap of 24 feet, 6¼ inches.
On the women’s side, six Scarlet Knights went to NCAA regional. The 4×100-meter relay team finished 14th, while the 4×400 squad finished 13th. Gabrielle Farqharson and Asha Ruth took 20th and 24th in the long jump.
Other Sports
Softball — 28-19 in 2014. Rutgers and Iowa are not scheduled to compete in the regular season.
Women’s Cross-Country — Finished 16th at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Men’s Golf — Finished 10th at AAC championships.
Women’s Golf — Finished seventh at AAC championships.
Field Hockey — 9-9 in 2013. Iowa is scheduled to travel to Rutgers on Sept. 21.
Women’s Gymnastics — Finished sixth at the NCAA regional.
Soccer — 14-5-5 in 2013. Iowa will host Rutgers on Sept. 28.
Swimming and Diving — Two athletes competed at the NCAA championships.
Women’s Tennis — 21-4 in 2014, lost in the semifinals of the AAC championship.
Volleyball — 5-27 in 2013. Iowa will travel to Rutgers on Nov. 1.