Coe wrestling to benefit from facility renovations

CEDAR RAPIDS - Coe Coach John Oostendorp is energized by what is happening with the Kohawks' wrestling program.

The enthusiasm limited to Coe's 2-0 dual record, top-10 ranking in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll or upcoming competition in Las Vegas. As he focuses on the current happenings, it is hard not to turn an eye to the future.

The Kohawks will be impacted by proposed facility enhancements, including renovation and expansion of Eby Fieldhouse, Coe's gymnasium that was built in 1929. School officials announced in October the plans for a $20 million project that would include a new competition arena, fitness center and weight room and wrestling facilities.

'It's exciting for Coe athletics,” Oostendorp said. 'It's extremely exciting for Coe wrestling, too.

'It's exciting for our current and future athletes.”

Oostendorp said the new wrestling room will be big enough for more than three mats with a state-of-the-art video system to record practices. A locker room, recovery room and coaches room will be centrally located in the new arena.

'It is more convenient,” Oostendorp said. 'I think it makes for a much closer team and better training environment,” Oostendorp said. 'We're going to have much more room in our wrestling room for our guys to fly around and wrestle the way we like them to be able to wrestle.

'The new one will be substantially larger.”

Currently, locker rooms are on a different floor and changes based on the other overlapping sports. Teams likely won't have to share space with others after the improvements. Oostendorp said he expects 'first-class” upgrades for everyone.

'It's going to benefit every athletic program at Coe,” Oostendorp said. 'All sports will have their own locker room.”

Coe is led by top-ranked Farai Sewera (165) and second-ranked 174-pounder Ryan Harrington, who was named Iowa Conference Male Athlete of the Week. Harrington went 4-0 at the Luther Hill Invitational on Saturday, outscoring his opponents, 39-5, and improving to 9-1 this season.

The Kohawks will head to Las Vegas for Wartburg's Desert Duals on Dec. 21, facing No. 6 Alma (Mich.), 14th-ranked Johnson & Wales (R.I.) and No. 16 Baldwin Wallace (Ohio). Competition will begin to heat up when they return.

'We're really trying to train and prepare,” Oostendorp said. 'We basically get back after Christmas and we have a week of training for the National Duals. That is one of the competitions that we'll want to peak for this year.

'Once you get to January you really want to be progressing in each competition and be building for the national tournament.”

Cooper, Stoll crack rankings

Iowa is represented in the national rankings at two more weights. Edwin Cooper (157) and heavyweight Sam Stoll cracked the latest polls after wins against ranked foes in the second-ranked Hawkeyes' 29-6 win over then-No. 11 Rutgers last Thursday.

Stoll (7-1) moved into three separate sets of rankings, earning the No. 10 spot from InterMat. Stoll beat Rutgers' No. 6 Billy Smith, 3-1, in sudden-victory overtime.

Cooper (4-3) is ranked 16th by InterMat after a 6-4 victory over Richie Lewis, who was ranked 17th at the time. Iowa (8-0, 2-0 Big Ten) has eight ranked wrestlers, including second-ranked Thomas Gilman (125), Cory Clark (133) and 149-pounder Brandon Sorensen.

The Hawkeyes are idle until the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 29-30.

PERFECT PEACOCKS

Upper Iowa remained perfect in dual competition. The Peacocks opened the Northern Sun schedule with a 35-9 victory over University of Mary (N.D.) on Friday and followed it by beating Minot State (N.D.), 39-9, Saturday. Upper Iowa is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

The Peacocks will travel to Indianapolis, Ind., for the Midwest Classic for a two-day event, beginning Saturday.

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