Even though an Iowa veteran is back in the lineup, no decisions have been made
By Courtney Baumann
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Brody Grothus went into the Pat Flanagan Open on Jan. 9 hoping to get a few matches — and wins — under his belt before he made his 2016 début for the Hawkeyes.
Earlier in 2015, the senior had surgery to fix an issue with his shoulder. Finally healthy enough to wrestle again, Grothus traveled to Loras College in Dubuque, anxious to be back on the mat.
However, Grothus won only one of his matches and ended up taking sixth out of 10 wrestlers in the 141-weight class.
He left frustrated.
“[I was thinking,] ‘Is this really worth it? What the heck am I doing?’ ” Grothus said. “You have to flip the switch and put it behind you. You don’t lose sight of what you’re after.”
When he returned to Iowa City, Grothus’ father greeted him outside of Carver and simply said, “Let’s go get a workout in.”
Grothus went back to basics for his workout, doing bike sprints, ropes, hammer tires, and pullups, while his dad ran on the treadmill.
Looking back, Grothus blamed the tournament disappointment on “stupid things” he had not done since high school such as standing up straight, giving up numerous reversals, and letting the tired get to him.
He was not going to let those same mistakes be a downfall when he made his appearance in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
As he walked out to Eminem’s “Without Me,” the lyrics “Guess who’s back,” blaring through the loudspeakers, Grothus was greeted by a very warm welcome from the home crowd.
He said he continued to use that support from the fans to finish up his match, which he won 6-0 over Danny Sabatello.
“It’s an improvement,” Grothus said after his match. “It’s a step in the right direction. I’ve come a long ways from where I was two weeks ago, and that’s just a testament to myself and my state of mind.”
Head coach Tom Brands was impressed with the maturity Grothus showed not only in his match, but also during the time he spent trying to get back onto the mat.
Brands chose Topher Carton to go when the team traveled to Illinois, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. Grothus did not like it, and Brands was glad he didn’t
“I think patience equals maturity a lot,” Brands said. “Two weeks ago he didn’t have what he wanted. He didn’t put his head down and suck his thumb, it was more about getting better and owning it.
“When you can move forward through the adversity and still be patient and know your time’s coming, that’s why he can do what he did.”
Grothus has made it clear he wants a gold medal at the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA finals, but he is not the only one who is eyeing a national title. Carton, who has been filling the 141 spot for much of the season, wants the same thing.
The junior has been in the lineup for five Big Ten dual meets, going 3-2, while having a 10-5 record overall.
Although Grothus wrestled Jan. 22, Carton suited up on Sunday at Nebraska. He lost a 7-6 decision to Anthony Abidin.
Carton blamed it largely on the last 40 seconds of the match, which he said he rushed trying to get a takedown and wasted 20 seconds, rather than being patient and setting up a good shot.
Iowa’s next dual meet is set to take place at home on Friday against Minnesota, but fans will likely not know who will fill the 141 spot until that day.
Brands has been vague about who will be the one to take the spot come postseason, saying that the most important thing is for all 10 weight classes to be filled with the wrestlers who will most benefit the team.
Iowa will need to squeeze every point possible out of the wrestlers to win any sort of championship this season and making the right choice at the weight could have a long-lasting impact.