Born to wrestle, Zach Glazier is having his best season as a Hawkeye

IOWA CITY — Zach Glazier was destined to be a wrestler.

The sport is in his blood with a father who wrestled in college and was a high school coach when Glazier was born. His mother was an avid wrestling fan and supporter.

Glazier’s first Minnesota state tournament appearance occurred earlier than just about anybody.

“I was actually a couple days old when my parents first brought me to the state tournament,” said Glazier, whose dad coached at Albert Lea High School. “It was something that he loved. Naturally, it’s something I wanted to join him in and follow. My mom loved it, too. Just a passion that naturally happened. I absolutely have to thank my parents for that.”

Glazier parlayed that passion into patience to stay the course until he stepped in as the full-time 197-pound starter for Iowa this season. He has produced his best season, but faces his toughest task in Penn State’s top-ranked and three-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks when No. 3 Iowa hosts the No. 1 Nittany Lions Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 8 p.m. (BTN).

“It’s the next match,” Glazier said. “It’s what the coaches preach. One’s not necessarily more important than another but obviously there is added significance to this one still. I’m looking to go out there, have fun and enjoy what I do.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a bigger test than I’ve had all season but these are the type of matches that you want, that you look forward to.”

Wrestling has been a major part of Glazier’s life. His dad, Dan, wrestled at St. Cloud State, an NCAA Division II power in Minnesota, before coaching. He had a huge influence on his son and his wrestling approach, serving as his coach through high school and offering occasional advice.

“From a young age of ‘Hey, let’s get up in the morning and go for a run and get better when everyone else is sleeping,’ things like that to in high school,” Glazier said. “Maybe I dropped a match and that night we’re working on what happened, how we’re going to fix it and how we’re going to win next time.”

The strong bonds forged through wrestling yielded success. Glazier was a two-time state champion, three-time state finalist and four-time state medalist for Albert Lea. He set the school record with 220 career victories. Glazier was also a two-time Junior National All-American in Fargo, N.D.

There were early-morning workouts, practices and extra training. None of that includes the likely wrestling conversations on the side or at home.

“We spent a lot of hours together, working on stuff, whether it was technical, mental or just everything,” Glazier said. “Massive impact and grateful for it.”

The Hawkeye senior is also thankful for the ongoing support from his parents. They attend every meet and are expected to be in the crowd Friday. Dan and his wife, Ann, have gone to great lengths to watch Glazier and his younger brother, Cole, who is a freshman 174-pounder for St. Cloud State.

Two weeks ago, Dan and Ann traveled to Iowa’s dual at Illinois on Jan. 26. Dan flew back to St. Cloud for the redshirt to be officially removed and saw Cole’s major decision win against Southwest Minnesota State on Jan. 27. He returned to join Ann for the Hawkeyes’ shutout of Northwestern the next day.

“The support means everything,” Glazier said. “It’s awesome to have.”

Glazier owns a 19-0 record and is the Hawkeyes’ lone unbeaten full-time starter. He has more than doubled his win total from the last three seasons, filling in occasionally for NCAA finalist Jacob Warner during that time. Glazier is tied with 165-pound teammate Michael Caliendo for the team lead with 13 bonus-point victories. They each have seven technical falls, which is second on the team to 125-pounder Drake Ayala’s nine.

“I’ve seen consistency,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “I think there is a lot of thinking that goes into this sport that can get in your own way. I think that he’s eliminated a lot of that.”

Brands said that Glazier complicated his mental approach by filling his mind with questions after a loss. He has witnessed a change, focusing on the basics — controlling the controllables, focusing on the present instead of the past and competing to his potential.

“I think he’s done that,” Brands said. “I think he’s done that at a high level. He’s gotten better and he has an opportunity against not only a great college wrestler but a great international wrestler as well.”

Brooks is a challenge that Glazier embraces. He welcomes the bout against one of the nation’s top pound-for-pound wrestlers, according to Flowrestling.com. Regardless of the outcome, the result will be a good gauge of how far Glazier has come and what needs to be improved in the season’s final six weeks.

“He’s not a guy that’s going to sit back and hold points,” Glazier said. “He wants to go out there and score points. That’s why he’s been successful. That’s why he’s a fan favorite to a lot of people.

“I like that. That’s a guy I want to wrestle. I don’t particularly want to wrestle a guy that’s going to hang back, try to keep a close match with you and win a tight one. I want to wrestle a guy that’s going to try to score points because that’s what I want to do. That’s the matchup I’m looking for.”

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