Hawkeyes advance six to quarterfinals, all eight alive

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -  University of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands wants wins, but doesn't like the way most of the Hawkeyes earned them.

They were a little close for comfort, and not what Brands expressed to his team between rounds of the national tournament.

“They would have responded if we said keep it tight and run when you're ahead in the end, but we didn't,” Brands said. “We didn't say that. We want to build leads. We want bonus points, because that's how you slam the door on these tournaments.

“That's how you lock it up on Friday night, and we're a long ways away from that right now.”

The Hawkeyes are a long way from challenging for a title following the first day of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center. Iowa advanced six to the quarterfinals and stood in fifth with 26 points Thursday night.

Iowa posted a 14-2 mark for the first day, scoring only five bonus points from three matches. They won their first seven matches, losing only one each in the first two sessions. Expect Brands to convey his message again Friday morning .

“We don't want to win that way,” Brands said. “We have to let things fly where we have to open up more.”

Matt McDonough was the brightest star the opening day. McDonough (125) scored a pair of pins, producing four of the Hawkeyes' extra points that are desperately needed in the team race.

McDonugh decked North Dakota State's Trent Sprenkle in 2:56 following a second-period fall over Eastern Michigan's Jared Germaine.

“They're big,” Brands said. “The more you can flex your muscles the better.”

McDonough led 4-1 when he nailed Sprenkle with a  headlock for the winning move.

“It's fun to get,” McDonough said. “It's the first move you learn when you're a little kid wrestling. It's the most basic wrestling moves.

“There's a lot of ways to feel good about pinning someone and score points. That's just one of them.”

McDonough, a two-time NCAA finalist and 2010 125-pound national champion, is trying to reclaim the NCAA title. Despite the dominating performances, he still was not satisfied.

“You want to go out and wrestle the best you can,” McDonough said. “I still haven't had a perfect match yet. I didn't get the first takedown in my first match. This match there were some scrambles I probably shouldn't have been in. You still worry about moving forward and looking ahead and those matches are over. You feel good about them. It's a good starting point, but definitely things to build on.”

Tony Ramos (133) and Montell Marion (141) added victories. Ramos edged Navy's Aaron Kalil, 3-1. Ramos said Kalil backed out most of the match, and those bouts can be a challenge.

“They're tough matches,” Ramos said. “You're going out there fighting and fighting, and they're playing their games, trying to keep it close and get a last second takedown. You have to keep your composure.

“I have to keep going to my offense more. That's one thing I need to do better.”

Marion beat Mitchell Port of Edinboro, 6-1, to reach the national quarterfinals for the third straight year. He even said he needed to be offensive, scoring earlier in his match.

“It's the first day and a good start,” Marion said. “You want to be on the winning side.”

Second-seeded Derek St. John avenged a loss to Oregon State's R.J. Pena, 8-4, and will face Penn State's Dylan Alton in the quarterfinals. St. John beat Alton in overtime of the Big Ten semifinals. St. John won by major decision in the first round for Iowa's only other bonus point.

Ethen Lofthouse (174) and heavyweight Bobby Telford also advanced for the Hawkeyes.

Brands said the Hawkeyes don't have to have tight matches. Not capitalizing on bonus point opportunities and widening the margin against foes affects the team's standing as much as the individual's performance.

“We're not just leaving match points off the board,” Brands said. “We're leaving team points off the board because of it.”

Defending champion Penn State advanced seven to the quarterfinals, going 16-2 overall, and have all nine wrestlers remaining. Minnesota was as impressive with a 16-2 mark, placing eight in the quarterfinals. The Nittany Lions was in first with 38 1/2 points and were powered by 14.5 bonus points, earning them in 10 of their wins. The Golden Gophers were second with 33 and Oklahoma State was fourth with 28 1/2.

University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University each advanced one to the quarterfinals.

The Panthers received opening wins from 133-pounder Joe Colon, David Bonin (157) and Ryan Loder at 184, but Colon was the only one to record a second straight victory. Colon dropped Central Michigan's Zach Horan, 9-2, in the second round.

Colon had score major decisions or better in 16 straight matches and 17 of his last 18, but fell one point short. He dictated the action, but Horan made it tough for Colon to score until he sealed the win by hip-tossing Horan to his back for a late five-point move.

“He never really took a lot of shots,” Colon said. “He never really did anything, other than the one scramble where he got that reversal (in the third)."

Colon will face fourth-seeded B.J. Futrell of Illinois with the winner earning All-American honors. Futrell beat colon at the Midlands Championships in December, but it was Colon's second competition of the season, sitting out until mid-December recovering from a broken jaw. He has awaited a rematch since walking off the mat after the loss.

"Tomorrow is a true test," Colon said.

"I worked my way back up. I won my two matches today, and got that opportunity.

“It's a different Joe. It's an all new Joe. On my feet, on top and on the bottom, it's completely different.”

Sorenson didn't seem thrilled after his second straight win. He hobbled from the training room with his right ankle and foot wrapped in ice. The Cyclones' senior sprained his ankle early in his 4-2 win over Cornell's Marshall Peppelman.

“I feel good,” Sorenson said. “That happened early in the match and slowed my pace down.”

Sorenson, the No. 3 seed, opened with a 9-5 win over Drexel's Joe Booth. He accomplished the day-one goal, which was making the quarterfinals, but three more matches are left to reach his ultimate goal. He will also have to be more offensive.

“I can always get better,” Sorenson said. “I have to get more offense off. I can't let something slow me down. I'm not satisfied. I have to score more points.”

Iowa State's Ryak Finch (125), 141-pounder Luke Goettl and heavyweight Matt Gibson won consolation matches to remain in the tournament.