By Pete Ruden
After losing two-straight duals, the Iowa wrestling team will have a chance to get back on track when it takes on No. 4 Ohio State in Carver-Hawkeye tonight.
In the past 12 days, the No. 3 Hawkeyes have gone to battle with No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 2 Penn State; now, they have the task of the No. 4 Buckeyes.
“There are some degrees of success, even though we’ve lost two dual meets in the last two weekends, so you can still move forward,” head coach Tom Brands said. “Then you move forward with not success also, because that’s what you do when you’re a human being with the right mindset. You go forward.”
Ohio State wrestling hasn’t come out of Iowa City with a victory since 1929, so the Hawkeyes will try to keep that streak intact. But with plenty of ranked opponents on the docket, that will be no easy task.
But luckily for Iowa, Kyle Snyder won’t compete; the No. 1 heavyweight is in Russia.
Senior 133-pounder Cory Clark still has quite the match on his hands. Ranked No. 4 at his weight, he faces No. 1 Nathan Tomasello this week. Two years ago, Tomasello was the NCAA champion at 125.
While Clark hasn’t had the opportunity to wrestle Tomasello, he has had the opportunity to watch and learn from teammate Thomas Gilman, who has battled the junior from Parma, Ohio.
Clark’s match will have a big effect on the outcome of the dual, and with both teams trying to climb the rankings, a win is crucial.
“It’s a big deal, just because we’re trying to be first, and they’re trying to be first,” Clark said. “I feel like maybe the top four, top five teams really think they can win, and the other teams are just doing the best they can do. We’re really trying to win here, so I got to do my job, and everyone else has to do his job.”
While Clark has had his fair share of good, intense matches, so has 149-pounder Brandon Sorensen. For the third dual in a row, he will wrestle an undefeated, top-five opponent at the weight.
Both of Sorensen’s past two matches, against No. 2 Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State and No. 1 Zain Retherford of Penn State, have taken two tiebreaker periods to determine a winner, with Sorensen coming up just short both times.
With No. 5 Micah Jordan now on Sorensen’s radar, wrestling fans should be in for yet another good match from the junior.
“Another undefeated guy, third week in a row,” Brands said. “If you saw him going forward, you know we’ve never doubted him. He’s going to have another test, and I’d say he’s up for it.”
Senior Alex Meyer at 174 has a substantial challenge this week as well. After a big win by taking down Junior World champion Mark Hall of Penn State last week, Meyer will have the chance to take on the No. 1 wrestler at 174-pounds, Bo Jordan.
After earning All-American honors last season, a win over Jordan would be a big confidence boost for Meyer, who is now ranked No. 11 at 174 pounds.
“He wrestles. He’s a pretty good wrestler. That’s why he’s had the accomplishments that he has,” Meyer said. “I think that’s what I do well, too, is I wrestle. When I’m wrestling, I’m really hard to beat, and I think that’s what it’ll take.”