Iowa State’s Gadson brings home NCAA title

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Kyven Gadson completed a questionnaire that asked what his hometown of Waterloo was known for more than anything else.

One thing came to mind - NCAA Champs.

The Cyclone senior added to that storied history when he pinned Ohio State's Kyle Snyder in 4:24, capturing the 197-pound title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships last night at the Scottrade Center. He became the 13th NCAA D-I champion in the storied history of Waterloo and first since Mike Van Arsdale won the 167-pound title for Iowa State in 1988.

'I planned on becoming the next one,” Gadson said. 'That came through, came through.”

He came through in impressive fashion. After a scoreless first, Snyder escaped for a 1-0 lead and then attacked. Gadson and then countered with a big time throw.

He hooked up and over-and-under with his arms, snaked his leg around Snyder's and tossed him to his back. Gadson plans to make it his signature move.

'There wasn't a lot of offense going around and I didn't really commit to anything until I felt that move show up,” Gadson said. 'Coach Jackson calls it ‘The Gadson.' You don't see nobody hitting it. He said you have to hit it on a big stage for it to really stick. I think it's going to stick.”

Jackson saw the move develop and anticipated it. He said it was open a little earlier but knew he Gadson would get the fall.

'The opportunity presented itself,” Jackson said. 'We had seen that Snyder doesn't mind taking that underhook position and hang there.”

Jackson insisted during the three-time All-American's career that he could compete at this level. Gadson (30-1) had to open up and look to score, which he did in one explosive and effective move.

'He knew what he was doing,” Jackson said. 'His confidence is off the charts. He just knew he was going to win. He knew he was the better wrestler and all he had to do was look to score points.”

Excitement ran high after the win. Gadson embraced Iowa State Coach Kevin Jackson in a hallway. Jackson was visibly emotional. It was a culmination of a trying five years that included multiple shoulder injuries, the death of his father, Willie Gadson, and a notion to quit last summer.

'No, I can't. I can't describe,” Jackson said. 'He's been through a lot. Five years. I don't know a kid who has been through more.”

Willie Gadson was a two-time All-American for the Iowa State in 1975-76 and a Cyclones assistant from 1979-82. He coached his son to two state titles for Waterloo East.

The younger Gadson recalled a message from his late father, Willie. At the end of a video from his first youth practice, Willie Gadson said his son had a long way to go but we will get there. Last night, Gadson arrived.

'I think my dad would be proud of me,” Gadson said. 'He would be real happy. ‘You did it, Boo.' That's what he would say.”

the University of Iowa was represented in the finals by 133-pounder Cory Clark. The Hawkeye sophomore had to settle for second place, falling to Oklahoma's Cody Brewer, 11-8, in the final.

Brewer controlled the match on his feet, scoring a third takedown early in the second period. Clark finished 30-6 and posted his second straight All-American finish, helping Iowa to a runner-up finish with 84 points.

'He reverted back,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. 'We had guys revert back to old habits, and he reverted back to not setting guys up. That's not where he's best.

'When you set things up more, even if you give up that first takedown, the way you come off the bottom, get back in it with your good stuff, but he has a lot of wrestling in front of him, too.”

Clark echoed his coach's comments.

'You've just got to keep wrestling the way you've been wrestling,” Clark said. 'You can't change the way you wrestle. I felt ready to go, but he got to my legs and I didn't capitalize and he kept getting to my legs. Once he gets there once I just have to realize that he's coming and I've got to be way more ready to go than I was. I've got to make an adjustment during the match.”

Clark has wrestled well the final month of the season, placing third at the conference tournament and wrestling above his seed here.

'He came on in the end and he's definitely done his best wrestling toward the end of the year and that's what you want,” Brands said. 'Let's pick up where we left off and then build from there next year. Then we'll be where we want to be here. Not that easy, but when you can continue a good thing let's continue it.”

The Hawkeyes appeared to on their way to make a run at the team lead early Saturday when Thomas Gilman opened the consolation semifinals with a pin over Cornell's second-seeded Nahshon Garrett at 125. Freshman Brandon Sorensen (149) followed with a win as well. Both placed fourth in their first NCAA tournament.

'There's a lot of work to do,” Gilman said. 'That's about it, a lot of work to do. I need to keep scoring points.”

Sorensen battled back from a quarterfinal upset to compete for third. He was not satisfied with just reaching the awards stand.

'It's not very high right now,” said Sorensen, noting he made strides finishing shots this season, but has to get better in getting to opponents' legs. 'It stinks. Just coming off a loss, getting beat early in the rounds, it's not what I wanted. I came here to win and that's what I wanted to do.”

Iowa didn't have another win until Nathan Burak topped Michigan's Max Huntley for seventh, earning his second straight All-American finish and heavyweight Bobby Telford beat Penn State's Jimmy Lawson, 6-0, for fifth. Mike Evans placed sixth at 174.

'Highs and lows,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said in describing Saturday morning's session. 'It started off pretty good and then we had a little bit of lull. Telford and Burak finished with two straight (wins), so that's good.”

Brands said the Hawkeyes 'under wrestled” in the tournament, failing to score enough match and team points, while Ohio State earned it.

'They did a lot of work to anchor it,” Brands said. 'We were within striking distance. When you're in that situation, you have to win matches. Really anything makes you want to win matches, but we just kind of stalled there a little bit.”

Even though the senior class never earned a team or individual title, Brands said Telford and Evans still finished with strong achievements. Telford placed fifth or better in all but one of his four national tournaments, getting sidelined by a knee injury a win away from the feat as a sophomore. Evans was a four-time qualifier, getting sixth the last three years.

'We had two seniors that were three-time All-Americans, capping off their career,” Brands said. 'Whether they want to be in that position or not, it is an accolade and it's an accomplishment.”

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