Hawkeye wrestling leans on ‘next man up’ mentality ahead of Maryland dual
Austin DeSanto is suspended for Iowa’s dual against Maryland on Friday, likely putting Paul Glynn into the lineup.
Minnesota’s 133-pound Mitch McKee competes against Iowa’s Paul Glynn during the NCAA wrestling match between Iowa and Minnesota at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018.
February 8, 2019
After losing his third team point in a dual meet this season, 133-pounder Austin DeSanto was suspended from wrestling in Iowa’s matchup with Maryland at Carver-Hawkeye tonight.
The Hawkeyes are always ready to put the next man in, and tonight, Paul Glynn will likely take DeSanto’s spot.
Although he’s DeSanto’s backup, Glynn helps mentor Iowa’s go-to 133-pounder.
“To have a guy who’s sitting behind a guy and is that purely motivated, I’m very impressed with his growth,” head coach Tom Brands said. “It’s something that we work hard on in this program, and it’s something he can be proud of when he leaves here.”
Glynn has a 8-4 record, with two wins over No. 17 Dylan Duncan — one on a medical forfeit at Midlands and the other when the Hawkeyes took on Illinois on Jan. 5.
“The most important thing is that [Glynn] is ready to go,” Brands said. “He’s a heartbeat away from presidency, and he’s ready to go. And he’s been ready to go. He’s made every trip. He’s made weight every week.”
Iowa’s Austin DeSantos wrestles Rutgers’ Nick Suriano at 133 during the Iowa/Rutgers wrestling meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, January 18, 2019.
All-American Alex Marinelli has also been ready to go, made every trip, and made weight every week.
The 165-pounder has never lost a Big Ten dual, sporting a 14-0 all-time record. Marinelli is one of three Hawkeyes undefeated at Carver-Hawkeye — along with Spencer Lee and Jacob Warner — and he will try to continue his streak tonight.
Like Glynn, Marinelli — who has plenty of experience winning big matches — has worked with DeSanto to control his post-match actions.
“I just told [DeSanto] yesterday, he should be a national champion, so when he beats those guys, it shouldn’t be a big deal that he beats them,” Marinelli said. “You’ve got to compose yourself. Sometimes you’ve got to shut them down and just be humble in victory and defeat.”
While DeSanto sits this meet out, No. 15 Max Murin and 174-pounder Mitch Bowman are likely to be back in the lineup after missing last week’s contest against No. 9 Nebraska.
“I need to score early, often, and keep scoring, just like everyone on this team,” Murin said. “I need to stay healthy, keep feeling good, trusting the coaches and conditioning, and wrestling my heart out.”
If heavyweight Sam Stoll gets on the mat for the fourth weekend in a row, the 285-pound matchup will be one to watch. Seventh-ranked Stoll could potentially take on No. 9 Youssif Hemida.
No matter who is wrestling, though, the Hawkeyes have a chance to continue their undefeated season with a win over the Terrapins. It will begin at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye.
“It’s the next dual meet,” Brands said. “It’s the next competition; we’ve got to be ready to go. You look at [Maryland’s] lineup, there are some individuals who stand out, 149 and heavyweight, but there’s really 10 individuals who stand out. Without speaking for our team, we’re excited to be competing again after Sunday’s dual at Nebraska.”
