Senior Zach Glazier puts in time, finally gets chance as 197-pound starter for Iowa men’s wrestling

IOWA CITY — Zach Glazier kept his eye on the vision he formed as a youth.

He wanted to be an Iowa wrestler for many years. His dream became a reality after he won two Minnesota state titles at Albert Lea High School.

For four years, Glazier has toiled in the Hawkeye practice room, wrestling behind former NCAA finalist and five-time All-American Jacob Warner. He has finally earned his shot to man the 197-pound spot, which included his chance to seal Sunday’s dual victory over rival Iowa State.

“I’ve waited since I was a little boy,” Glazier said. “I wanted to get in the Hawkeye singlet and win big matches like that. As far as staying motivated, I’ve been motivated to do that for a really long time.”

Glazier has reaped the rewards of his dedication and loyalty, biding his time to be a regular starter for No. 4 Iowa, which travels to The Palestra in Philadelphia to face the University of Pennsylvania Friday in a college men’s wrestling dual.

Glazier is 7-0 overall, including a 3-0 mark in duals with consecutive wins over ranked foes. He owned a 1-3 mark in duals before this season and has a career best in wins, excluding his 20-2 redshirt year.

“I don’t know if waiting is the right word but I’ve been waiting to have that opportunity for a handful of years now,” Glazier said. “I’ve always felt the more consistently I could get in the lineup and get those matches I’m going to get better every single match and I feel that’s happening, so I’m excited, grateful to have the opportunity and got to keep getting better.”

Iowa Coach Tom Brands said Glazier has been steady, building leads and wrestling intelligently. His wrestling acumen has been evident, which is a welcome sight.

“His best wrestling is showing up and that is because of his efforts,” Brands said. “It is because of his mindset, attitude and approach, but there are so some other things, too, that he was dealing with some things that aren’t fun to deal with when you’re a competitor.

“He’s healthy. We have to keep him healthy. We have to keep him humming and hammering. He’s humming and hammering. Let’s keep improving.”

The Iowa State dual hinged on Glazier’s match with Julien Broderson. Win and the Hawkeyes continue their dominance in the series. Falter and the Cyclones avoid a 19th straight Cy-Hawk loss.

Glazier knew his performance could make a difference but tucked that in the back of his mind. He watched a couple matches, went to the locker room to relax, eat and hydrate. Glazier was locked in when it came time to warm up. He tallied takedowns in the first two periods and capped the scoring with an escape for a 7-3 decision.

“I was just focused on my match and then afterward when it hit me like, ‘Oh, I did seal the deal.’” Glazier said. “Then I was like ‘Alright, that’s cool.’ It feels really good.”

The person he has sat behind stood next to him during that dual. Warner provided guidance during the dual and was a mentor in the practice room during his career.

“Warner is awesome,” Glazier said. “Particularly in that dual, he was right there with me, leading up to that match (and) after that match. Everything I needed. In my ear, telling me all the right things, so he’s been awesome.

“In the room, same thing. I’m very grateful to have him still be around.”

Glazier has two major decisions, two technical falls and two pins, scoring bonus points in two duals. He has surpassed double-digit points in four of five matches that weren’t pins. A product of getting to his offensive attacks.

“I feel like I still haven’t fully shown everybody what I can do,” Glazier said. “Just a couple different things I’m getting past, but I’m getting there.

“I have a lot of attacks. I can switch it up and I can get to a lot of different things. When I do that, and I’m just attacking, it’s usually good for me, scoring a lot of points.”

Glazier could have been a starter for numerous NCAA Division I teams. With the transfer portal, he could have easily opted to wrestle for another program. He didn’t want to go anywhere else and only want to be a Hawkeye.

“At the end of the day, I want to do it in a Hawkeye singlet,” Glazier said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. Just staying the course.”

Brands said it is good to see wrestlers have success, regardless of grade and past results.

“He’s given an opportunity and he’s making the most of it,” Brands said. “He’s not looking back and we love it.”

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