The Iowa wrestling team defeated South Dakota State, but it wasn’t always pretty.
By Courtney Baumann
Some notable things happened in No. 3 Iowa’s 28-15 win over South Dakota State on Dec. 4.
No. 2 ranked Thomas Gilman and No. 11 Sammy Brooks earned their fourth falls this season. Sam Stoll won by disqualification. Logan Ryan lost to former teammate Seth Gross. No. 4 Nathan Burak forfeited his match, and Iowa has yet to get a win against a Division I school in the 141 and 165 weight classes.
While some of these things were positive, the others left some questions for the Hawkeyes.
“If you’re going to grade us on how we opposed their style against our style, we probably don’t get a very good grade,” head coach Tom Brands said. “We have to get ready to go.”
Gilman started the meet off on a high note. The junior from Council Bluffs pinned Kahlen Morris in 1:34.
Because he is often the one to start the meet, Gilman sees it as his duty to fire up his team and the fans by getting bonus points, whether it be from a pin, a technical fall, or a major decision.
No. 2 Brandon Sorensen was the only other Hawkeye to earn bonus points for the team before the break. His major decision over Alex Kocer put Iowa up 13-3. No. 2 Cory Clark also put Iowa on the board with a decision over Brance Simms.
With losses at 141 and 157, though, Iowa left the door open for the Jackrabbits to try and catch up after the break.
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“We have to pick things up and widen that score,” Gilman said after the 157 match. “We have to push the pace. We can’t let the other guys sneak them at the end.”
South Dakota State crept within 4 points of the Hawkeyes when Burke Paddock lost to Luke Zilverberg at 165.
A gritty win from No. 6 Alex Meyer and a fall in just 43 seconds by Brooks quickly secured the win for Iowa.
Over his first seven matches of the season, Brooks has recorded four pins, two technical falls, and a win by forfeit. He has scored 40 points for the Hawkeyes so far, but he is still not satisfied.
“There’s always more you can do,” he said. “There’s definitely more for me to work on. I can pick up the pace of my wrestling, or I can score more points. There are always ways to improve my wrestling.”
Even forfeiting at 197, the Hawkeyes were still up by 7 heading into the last matchup.
Stoll handled Alex Macki efficiently. The redshirt freshman forced five stall calls on his opponent, which resulted in Macki getting disqualified and tacked on 6 more points for the Hawkeyes.
Brands did not have much to say about Burak, who has scored 28 points for the Hawkeyes over six bouts. However, he suggested that the absence was injury-related.
“If Burak isn’t out there, there’s a reason for it. He’s a good student, he does everything right, and if this was a different time of the year, he definitely would have been out there,” Brands said. “We’re being safe. Safe and smart.”
He said Iowa fans will see Burak when the team needs him the most.
Iowa will face Rutgers in Carver-Hawkeye for its next dual meet on Thursday.