Gilman sparks Iowa to romp of Minnesota

IOWA CITY — The thought Thomas Gilman is shy might be hard to believe.

The University of Iowa 125-pounder insisted he has tried to let his passion show more.

Gilman's fire helped ignite the Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd and spark the second-ranked Hawkeyes to a 34-6 victory over No. 23 Minnesota Friday night in Big Ten Conference competition.

Second-ranked Gilman sent Iowa fans in a frenzy when he pinned Skyler Petry in 1:19.

'It feels good to come home and have this many fans and get them fired up like that,' said Gilman, who improved to 18-0 with his seventh pin of the season. 'This year I've been more emotional after my matches, even during and before. The fans love it and I love it. We feed off each other.'

The Hawkeyes (14-0, 8-0) tend to feed off him as well. The role is one he takes seriously. He considers it a full-time job, which led to Iowa claiming eight of 10 matches.

'I've talked about it all year,' Gilman said. 'That's my job. I love getting the fans fired up. I love getting my teammates fired up. It just sets the tone. I love being that guy.'

He has developed into a leader off the mat to match the performance on it.

'I think he's a natural to look to,' Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. 'Generally, he's going to be the first guy out there.

'He runs that locker room. If there are things out of line, he'll let you know it, and that's what coaches and programs need. He's not afraid of making a five-minute enemy because of something he says. What he says is a true evaluation and is dead on. He's a pretty thoughtful guy.'

Gilman wasted little time, building a 4-2 lead in a little more than a minute. He turned Petry over, recording the fall in just 1:19.

'It was a little unorthodox, especially for me,' Gilman said. 'Guys really don't get to my legs very often. The guy got to my leg and I pinned him off it.'

It may have caught Gilman off guard, but 133-pounder Cory Clark wasn't expecting it. He stood in the tunnel, preparing for his match, when he had to cut his routine short.

'I was right there watching it,' Clark said. 'It surprised me a little bit, because I was anticipating a full match. I'm in a hurry to get my stuff off and Tom is right there saying, 'Take your time. Take your time.''

Clark followed suit with another dominant win that gave Iowa a commanding 12-0 lead. Clark tallied three first-period takedowns, adding another in the second, for a 9-2, edge before decking Sam Brancale in 4:59.

Clark sucked Brancale back for nearfall points late in the second. He adjusted and pressed for the pin, ending it with one tick left in the second. The second-ranked junior and NCAA runner-up felt Brancale let up and capitalized.

'He relaxed and I felt him relax a little bit,' Clark said. 'I just hustled to it. Once I got to the pinning position and hustled for the fall.'

Clark's attacks appeared crisper than recent outings. He has resorted to a different approach in the practice room, drilling with a purpose and focusing on his specific offense.

'I really figured out what shots I've got to in matches and I really tuned it down to those shots. I drilled those shots over and over. It helped me sharpen things up.'

The pace slowed a bit. Brandon Sorensen produced bookend takedowns for the a 6-2 decision over No. 13 Jake Short at 149. Edwin Cooper scored a takedown with 33 seconds remaining in the sudden-victory period for a 4-2 win over Brandon Kingsley, giving Iowa an 18-3 lead after the break.

Patrick Rhoads (165) and 184-pounder Sammy Brooks exploded for points in the second-half of the meet. Rhoads tallied nine takedowns, a two-point nearfall and 2:41 of riding time to throttle Dylan Urbach. Brooks needed just three minutes to secure an 18-2 technical fall over Chris Pfarr. Brooks scored 12 nearfall points and three takedowns.

The dual ended in two battles of ranked foes. At 197, Minnesota's fourth-ranked Brett Pfarr edged No. 3 Nathan Burak, 6-5, when a late takedown attempt wasn't awarded points, which officials confirmed via video review.

Iowa heavyweight seventh-ranked Sam Stoll sealed the win with a 7-3 victory over No. 9 Michael Kroells. Stoll, a two-time Minnesota state champion for Kasson-Mantorville High School, scored three takedowns in the final two periods.

Minnesota fell to 7-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten.

AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA

Iowa 34, Minnesota 6

125 — Thomas Gilman (I) pinned Skyler Petry, 1:19

133 — Cory Clark (I) pinned Sam Brancale, 4:59

141 — Tommy Thorn (M) dec. Brody Grothus, 6-4

149 — Brandon Sorensen (I) dec. Jake Short, 6-2

157 — Edwin Cooper, Jr. (I) dec. Brandon Kingsley, 4-2

165 — Patrick Rhoads (I) dec. Dylan Urbach, 21-7

174 — Alex Meyer (I) major dec. Nick Wanzek, 10-1

184 — Sammy Brooks (I) tech. fall Chris Pfarr, 18-2

197 — Brett Pfarr (M) dec. Nathan Burak, 6-5

285 — Sam Stoll (I) dec. Michael Kroells, 7-3

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com