Iowa men’s wrestler Jacob Warner snapped his two-match losing skid in the No. 2 Hawkeyes’ 33-8 victory over the No. 9 Michigan Wolverines on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

The 11th-ranked 197-pounder started fast and defeated Michigan’s unranked Brendin Yatooma via tech fall, 16-1, in 2:26. The victory moved Warner to 12-4 on the season, with Iowa improving to 14-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten.

“Warner was good, awesome,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said after the dual. “Anytime you score 16 points in the first period, good job.”

Warner lost to Penn State’s then-No. 4 Max Dean, 2-0, on Jan. 27 in front of a sold-out Bryce Jordan Center in Happy Valley. Then on Feb. 3, Warner fell to Minnesota’s then-No. 28 Michial Foy, 2-1, on a buzzer-beating takedown at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis.

The two defeats marked the first time in Warner’s career that he’s suffered back-to-back losses. But instead of fleeing from adversity, Brands said Warner took the losses as motivation and a learning opportunity. 

“I think [Warner] wanted to make a point, and he did. Good job,” Brands said. “And probably more importantly than scoring 16 points in the first period is getting a takedown in the first period.”

Warner hadn’t scored a point in the first period since Jan. 8, when he defeated Purdue’s Hayden Filipovich by major decision, 16-4, in the Hawkeyes’ dominating 37-6 victory over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette. 

Brands mentioned that for Warner, 133-pounder Brody Teske, 149-pounder Max Murin, and 174-pounder Nelson Brands, starting fast and scoring in the first period has been a major point of emphasis.

In Friday’s dual, Warner, Teske, and Murin each set the tone in their respective matches and scored at least a takedown in the first period. Teske went on to defeat Michigan’s Wilfried Tanefeu via tech fall, 19-3, in 4:09, while Murin prevailed over Chance Lamer, 10-4. Nelson Brands scored his first points in the second period and beat Wolverine Joseph Walker, 5-0, with 1:44 of total riding time.

“It’s important for those guys in particular, because they haven’t done it much,” Tom Brands said. “But they’re very capable and have good scoring ability.”

The Hawkeyes mustered 21 takedowns and eight near falls in Friday’s dual meet, but Tom Brands said Iowa can not be too complacent with their victory — Michigan did not wrestle their full lineup.

The Wolverines’ 12th-ranked 133-pounder Dylan Ragusin and sixth-ranked 165-pounder Cameron Amine were absent from the lineup. 

As the regular season winds down, the toughest tasks of the season lie right around the corner — the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. In order for the Hawkeyes to be successful in March, being aggressive from the first whistle is a must, Tom Brands said. Iowa closes out its regular season slate against No. 10 Oklahoma State on Feb. 19 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

“Michigan was without some guys, that has to be said,” Brands said. “We’ve got Oklahoma State coming to town a week from Sunday, and we have to get ready for the postseason — we’re right there. We just have to control what we can control and do what we do best.”