The Grapple on the Gridiron was nothing short of a success for the Iowa wrestling team, which set an NCAA record for attendance at 42,287 spectators.
Oh, and Iowa topped No. 4 ranked Oklahoma State, 18-16.
The team jogged out of the tunnel in typical Hawkeye fashion to “Back in Black,” being greeted by cheers from the crowd and fire being blasted upward all around.
“That fire was hot,” 184-pounder Sammy Brooks said, putting an extra emphasis on the last word. “I tried to soak it all in and stay relaxed and focused on what I needed to do, but it’s hard when there’s 42,000 screaming for you and your teammates. You want to get up there with them and go nuts.”
Thomas Gilman got the action started for the Hawkeyes, defeating No. 7 ranked Eddie Klimara in a major decision to put Iowa up 4-0. The crowd erupted when Gilman raised his hands after the win.
In doing so, Gilman hoped to show the Hawkeye fans that they were appreciated. He wanted to give them something more to cheer about.
“It was an incredible atmosphere, you can’t deny that, and even I can’t deny that, and I’m one that likes to talk about performance,” head coach Tom Brands said. “This was a performance in itself with the event, and the way it was managed, and the way that it was continually upgraded. As we went, it got better.”
It got even louder when 133-pounder Cory Clark beat Gary Wayne Harding and extended Iowa’s lead to 7-0.
Then, however, things got a little tougher for Iowa. After losing the 141 bout, Iowa had just won more victory — a 6-1 victory at 149 by Brandon Sorensen — until the 184-pound match.
Things were looking very dreary for Iowa after it lost the 157, 165, and 174 matches, but Brooks shifted the momentum back into Iowa’s corner with a technical-fall victory.
Brooks likes to think he is not one to get up and celebrate a win, but he flexed his muscles in the south end zone after his 17-2 win.
“There was no stopping myself; it felt like a lightning bolt. There’s no way to describe it,” he said. “My heart was going a thousand miles a minute, and the blood was pumping through my veins. I was on cloud nine … I felt like my muscles were going to pop the roof off of this place.”
Iowa’s Nathan Burak added a decision at 197 that pushed the Hawkeyes match point total to 18 and eventually gave the Hawks the victory.
For Brooks, Burak and the rest of the team, it was the most exciting day of their career.
Each just tried to soak up every minute.
“They say, ‘Live in the moment,’ so I do my best to do that,” Gilman said. “I’m not on my phone a lot, so I wasn’t sitting there taking pictures. I was just sitting there embracing everything that was coming to me.”
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