Hawkeyes fall to Minnesota, 16-15, in Semifinals of National Duals

By Roger Moore, correspondent

STILLWATER, Okla. – In the Jan. 29 meeting between Iowa and Minnesota, Mike Evans' third-period pin at 165 pounds proved to be big.

In Sunday's semifinals of the NWCA's Mat Mayhem, nine of the 10 matches provided the same outcome as meeting No. 1. The exception? Gopher junior Cody Yohn beat Evans in overtime, helping Minnesota edge Iowa, 16-15.

Iowa still led 15-13 entering the dual's final bout, but Tony Nelson knocked off Hawkeye rookie Bobby Telford, 2-0, at 285 pounds.

The Hawkeyes (14-4) bounced back to beat Illinois in the third-place match, 28-6. The Gophers followed up the victory over Iowa with an 18-13 win over top-seeded Oklahoma State.

“We have tough matches every week and this weekend was no exception to that.” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands, whose squad returns to the mat March 3-4 at the Big Ten Championships. “We go 5 and 5 with matches against Minnesota with bonus points being the difference. From where I sit we have to win individual matchups. If we are winning matches that means we aren't worrying about giving up bonus points.

“Right now we have to get more selfish. I don't think we are selfish enough right now. You win matches by scoring takedowns and we didn't have nearly enough (Sunday).”

The new National Duals format started with 24 teams in four regionals. Iowa advanced to the second weekend by beating Oregon State in Ames last weekend.

Against the Gophers (14-3) on Sunday, Matt McDonough (27-1), Tony Ramos (26-2) and Montell Marion (24-2) picked up victories to give the Hawks a quick 9-0 lead, the Ramos and Marion wins coming in overtime. Derek St. John battled through 157 and Iowa had won four of the first five and led 12-4 – Gopher freshman Dylan Ness earned a major decision at 149 which proved to be important down the road.

Minnesota led 15-7 after the two split matches at 165 and 174, including Yohn's win.

“That's a 9-point swing from the last time,” said Minnesota coach J Robinson. “That's the beauty of this type of competition, it was a team effort. It was a big day for (Yohn) and it's a good story. Everybody contributes in this team format. It's a true dual champion.”

The Gophers strung together three straight to rally from the 8-point deficit – Kevin Steinhaus beating Grant Gambrall at 184; Sonny Yohn beating Vinnie Wagner at 197, and Nelson's decision to push UM into the finals.

“McDonough got a little bit of revenge (against Illinois) and that's good for him. Ramos had a tough match with Futrell,” said Brands. “It's about getting up for individual matchups, no matter who or when you wrestle.”

Iowa beat Illinois, 20-13, in Iowa City on Dec. 2. In that match UI freshman Jesse Delgado gave McDonough his lone loss this season. On Sunday, McDonough, the 2010 NCAA champion beat the Illini rookie, 6-3. Ramos beat Futrell, 5-2, in a battle of top-5 133-pounders.

Iowa won 8 of 10 against Illinois, dropping bouts at 149 and 197. St. John moved to 14-2 with a pin at 157 pounds and Gambrall (8-8) bounced back with a 10-2 major decision at 184 pounds. It was Gambrall's first action at 184 this season.

Top-ranked Oklahoma State dodged a bullet in the semifinals, getting by Illinois, 19-15. Cowboy true freshman Austin Marsden, filling in for an injured Alan Gelogaev, beat Pat Walker with a late takedown to secure the victory.

The loss of Gelogaev proved too much against the Gophers. The hosts led 13-12 with two bouts remaining but Sonny Yohn beat Blake Rosholt, 3-1, at 197 and Nelson beat Marsden, 8-1.

“I don't know about the timing of it,” said Brands of the new format for the National Duals. “If it becomes endorsed by the NCAA then there will be a qualification process and we will go where and when they want you to go.

“Right now it's more of an invitational. We will see what happens.”

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