Iowa’s Michael Kemerer made most of redshirt season

Twenty-four hours, 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds.

Any way Michael Kemerer measures his day, the University of Iowa freshman knows how important it is to make the most of each moment.

'Don't waste a day,' Kemerer said of one of the lessons he learned during his redshirt season last year. 'It's your redshirt year, so maybe you don't compete as much. It's not a year to just waste. Take advantage of every day (and) all the opportunities in this room.'

Kemerer will demonstrate the other gains he made during that first year on campus when he takes the mat for his first official action as a Hawkeye. Iowa will compete at the Luther Open on Saturday in Decorah. Kemerer is ranked eighth at 157 pounds by trackwrestling.com.

Kemerer posted a 24-2 mark wrestling unattached at 149 last year, placing fifth at Northwestern's Midlands Championships. He followed that with a United World Wrestling Junior Freestyle national title in April and placed third at University Freestyle Nationals in June. Kemerer utilized his first year to grow in various ways.

'Physically, getting stronger and improving my wrestling on my feet, on the mat,' Kemerer said. 'Also, just mentally, being ready to go every time when I wrestle. Every time I compete, step on the mat and being ready to go. Just getting better every day, really, in all aspects.'

High expectations have accompanied Kemerer from the first day he arrived in Iowa City. Actually, Kemerer put his talents on display for Eastern Iowa fans earlier, competing in all-star meets as a senior at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pa., where he won a state title and was a four-time state finalist. He also earned three All-American finishes at Fargo, N.D.

'He's been tough all the time,' Iowa Coach Tom Brands said during the team's annual media day. 'He's growing up more. I think the way he talks to himself in frustrated situations, he took some good steps this spring or last June, I guess, at the University Nationals. And there is a lot of good there. We knew he could wrestle. He was always a high-level wrestler. We didn't recruit him as a wild card. We recruited him to do a job, and he embraces that as well.'

Iowa's Brandon Sorensen is a two-time All-American at 149, making the NCAA finals in March. The Hawkeyes needed to make room for both of them in the starting lineup. Kemerer said there wasn't a discussion about who was going to be at which weight. He was focused on getting better and gained size in the process.

'I just focused on getting better (and) stronger,' Kemerer said. 'Just treating it the same as far as improving my wrestling every day. Start to step on the scale and weigh a little more and start to realize this might be the better option for me.'

'It was kind of a gradual thing. Once I made the decision, I made the decision. I'm all in with it now.'

Brands said it was never about the two of them going the same way and they aren't concerned with dropping weight or building mass.

'So how that worked itself out, I don't need to know,' Brands said. 'That's just something where it ended up that way, and the two of them seem to have worked it out pretty good, and they scrap in the room.'

Kemerer said those scraps are 'always good.' Having a high-caliber practice partner is a good gauge of the progress he has made. It also prepares him for competition.

'He's a guy who has done well on the national level ...

a great partner to have every day,' Kemerer said about wrestling Sorensen in practice. 'It makes me a lot better. It shows me where I'm at and it's always fun.'

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