By Blake Dowson
Throughout the other three class previews, athletes who might fly under the radar a bit were highlighted. For the final preview, the senior class, things are switched up a bit. These are five athletes who are paramount to their team’s success, and their teams will lean heavily on them.
Greg Mabin, football
Yes, Desmond King is a better cornerback than Mabin. But, not-so-bold prediction here, the stats this year will favor Mabin. King will all but block off half the field on each snap, which means opposing quarterbacks will target Mabin over, and over, and over.
If he steps up and has a big year, it leaves just the middle of the field for quarterbacks to target. Try to find one quarterback who prefers to throw over the middle constantly— it’s difficult to do.
It’s not like Mabin will have to have a revelation in order to be an effective player this year, either. He moved to corner from receiver in 2013, and he brings wideout length and athleticism to the position — he’s 6-2 with long arms that helped to break up eight passes and pick two off in 2015.
Five or six interceptions aren’t out of the question for Mabin because of the sheer number of balls that will be thrown his way.
Emma Sougstad, women’s swimming
Sougstad is arguably the best women’s swimmer in school history, so she obviously belongs on this list. But it’s for a different reason from what most people think.
Sure, she will qualify for the NCAA Championships in three or four events and contend for top-five finishes in numerous events at the Big Ten Championships.
She’ll score the most points at both of those events for the Hawkeyes. But more importantly, she is the face of the program. She will serve as an example for head coach Marc Long when he recruits swimmers to say that’s what you can become at Iowa.
The Iowa program isn’t there yet on a national stage and not really on the Big Ten stage, either, but if other swimmers can see themselves in Sougstad and the success she has obtained, the program can gain some momentum.
Cory Clark, wrestling
Iowa hasn’t had an individual national champion since 2013. For Iowa wrestling, that’s a long drought. Clark has as good a chance as any wrestler on the Hawkeye team to end that.
He’s lost in the national championship match the past two years and finished fifth during his freshman campaign. He won the Big Ten Championships as a junior, and he was ranked No. 1 in the country at 133 pounds last year. So the résumé is there to end the drought, it’s just a matter of putting it together.
Alexa Kastanek, women’s basketball
Ally Disterhoft is the best player on the team, but Kastanek will be just as important as Disterhoft to start the year.
Kastanek has noted during Game Time action how young the team is and even more so how guard-heavy the team will be. Kastanek can help out in both departments. As one of the most experienced guards on the team, she will more than likely be asked to take the freshman guards under her wing. She did it with Tania Davis last year.
And, oh by the way, there’s a good chance she begins the year in the starting lineup as well, because there is a guard spot up for grabs with the transfer of Whitney Jennings.
Mason McCoy, baseball
With the loss of Joel Booker, Tyler Peyton, and Nick Roscetti to the MLB Draft, there will no doubt be trying times ahead for the Iowa baseball team.
McCoy will return to campus for his senior year as the best player on the team, and he will carry much of the load for Iowa at the plate and will also shift over to fill Roscetti’s spot at shortstop.
The Hawkeyes won’t be an NCAA Tournament team next season, but it’s up to McCoy to carry the team throughout the year to keep the Hawks relevant in the conference until head coach Rick Heller’s recruiting classes come of age.