Next chapter in Iowa/ISU wrestling starts today

The next chapter will be written today in the long-standing Iowa vs. Iowa State rivalry.

When the top-ranked Hawkeyes face the No. 2 Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum it will mark Kevin Jackson's return to college wrestling's top contest. Action begins at 6 p.m.

Jackson was a national runner-up for Iowa State's national title team in 1987. After a successful international career and a stint as a coach for USA Wrestling, Jackson was named as the Cyclones head coach in May, replacing Cael Sanderson, who left to take the head coaching job at Penn State. Jackson may not have directly participated but he said he's always been involved.

“Actually, I never left the rivalry at heart,” Jackson said. “I just cheered from a distance.

“I really believe that the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry is the best in the sport, so it's an honor and a privilege to play a role in that.”

Iowa Coach Tom Brands has already outlasted one Iowa State counterpart. He has noticed Jackson's impact on the rivalry.

“He's already added to it,” Brands said. “He's excited and the team has responded well to him.”

What promises to be a highly contested dual takes wrestling's center stage, carrying national implications. Regular season duals don't get any bigger.

“It's going to have a lot of attention on it,” Brands said. “There would be anyway. It's important to a lot of people - fans, families, programs.”

The Hawkeyes are going for their fifth straight win over the Cyclones, owning a 56-16-2 series advantage. A win will set a new school record with 32 consecutive road dual victories. The Hawkeyes will attempt to extend their school record 45-dual win streak.

Match-ups and streaks don't factor in to the preparing for a tough battle.

“They're about finding the toughest challenge,” Brands said. “It's a great group of guys. It doesn't mean it's going to happen automatically. You have to go out and put people down hard.”

Half of the meet could be legitimate swing matches, including possibly eight matches between ranked wrestlers.

“It's about 10 weight classes that are being contested,” Brands said. “When our guys get ready to go we like our chances.”

Some of the top contests include the Hawkeyes' No. 4 Ryan Morningstar and No. 5 Jon Reader at 165. Morningstar holds a 3-0 advantage but has won by a total of five points.

No. 4 Dan Dennis of Iowa and No. 5 Nick Fanthorpe at 133 is a key matchup.

Dan LeClere, ranked seventh, takes on No. 2 Nick Gallick. LeClere won two matches against Gallick two seasons ago. As of Friday, Jackson was undecided as to whether Fanthorpe and Gallick would wrestle because of injury and a wrestle-off at 157 was being held later that day to decide if Nate Carr Jr. or Andrew Sorenson would fill the 157-spot. Iowa still had questions at 157 and Blake Rasing recently won the heavyweight spot in a wrestle-off against former starter Jordan Johnson. 

“It's going to be a tough dual,” Iowa's Matt McDonough said. “There aren't any givens at any weight.”

Especially at 125 where McDonough faces fellow red-shirt freshman Andrew Long in a pivotal bout. If the dual starts here, the winner could set the tone for the meet.

“I know he's a tough competitor. I'm a tough competitor. I don't think he's going to give anything away to me,” McDonough said. “If I stick to what I've been doing in (practice) and using my offense to my advantage I think things will work out.”