Jesse Ybarra’s home debut opens Iowa wrestling’s victory over Army

IOWA CITY — Jesse Ybarra finally received his chance to compete in front of the University of Iowa wrestling crowd.

He prepared for it last week, but was forced to settle for a forfeit. This time, there were no glitches from the opposition and the redshirt freshman experienced his first official match in front of the home fans.

“It was definitely nerve-racking,” said Ybarra, stepping in at 125 pounds for three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee. “I felt the crowd a lot more than I thought I was going to.

“I didn’t get to my offense like I thought (but) that’s going to change the next time I’m out there. It felt good though. Really good.”

Ybarra conjured up just enough offense to come away with a 3-1 decision in sudden victory over Ryan Chauvin, opening the top-ranked Hawkeyes’ 36-7 dual win over Army Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He had one of Iowa’s eight wins, including pins from Jaydin Eierman, Alex Marinelli and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi.

Army was a late fill-in for Oregon State, which faced travel difficulties that prevented it from arriving in Iowa City on time for the dual originally slated for Saturday. The meet was pushed to Sunday, and when Oregon State couldn’t make it, Army agreed to compete. The Black Knights wrestled Iowa State on Saturday in Ames.

“It is not unnoticed and it does not go without saying that we do owe them a lot of gratitude,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “We’re going to make a return trip to Army, so they get to roll out the red carpet for us.”

Ybarra was tight early, but began to loosen as the match progressed. He made some takedown attempts, but didn’t fully commit to many shots during regulation. His best opportunity came as time expired in the third.

Ybarra felt more comfortable with the applause and cheers from the crowd, improving to 5-0 overall.

“I just realized it a little too late that I should have opened up a lot sooner, a lot earlier in the match,” Ybarra said. “But, it felt good.

“I think the crowd getting behind me more (helped). I started hearing claps that I thought was good. I liked that.”

The pair exchanged escapes, entering overtime tied, 1-1. Ybarra hit a double and was able to finish. The call was reviewed but upheld.

“I just remember getting both of his legs and then I remember squeezing as tight as I could,” said Ybarra, a three-time Arizona state champion who started the season with a Luther Open title. “Then, we kind of went over.”

Brands said Ybarra needs to open up and avoid hesitation. He noted Ybarra gave himself some chances to score, but doesn’t have to wait until the end.

“Believe in your offense,” Brands said about Ybarra. “Believe in your attacks. We just have to keep getting better and keep getting sharper.”

Brands said Ybarra has managed his weight well. It maybe wasn’t the case last year when he was cutting down to wrestle freestyle at 57 kilograms.

“He’s done a good job,” Brands said. “We’ve been working hard. He gets the credit.”

Veterans like Marinelli, Eierman, Cassioppi and Nelson Brands, who tallied six takedowns in his major decision at 174, demonstrated Iowa’s aggressive philosophy. Marinelli even talked to Ybarra after the match, emphasizing the need to anticipate moves and trust instincts.

“I told Ybarra that the moment you think about it it’s gone,” Marinelli said. “You have to go before you even think that the takedown is going to be there.

“It gives him more time to reflect on it.”

Last week, Ybarra expected to wrestle Princeton’s second-ranked Pat Glory. Ybarra said he was ready, down to weight and felt good. Glory didn’t make weight, which disappointed Ybarra.

He was unfazed when it came to preparing for Army.

“Same goal, different team,” Ybarra said. “It doesn’t matter who is really on the line with me. Just wrestle, wrestle my match, keep my hands and feet moving, get to my offense as much as I can.

“That’s what I’ve been working on.”

The Hawkeyes (2-0) dominated Army (0-3). After Ybarra’s victory, Austin DeSanto followed with a 21-6 technical fall over Dominic Carone at 133. Eierman (141) built a 12-point lead before snapping Cory Shie into a cradle and getting the pin in 5:54.

Kaleb Young added a decision at 157 to give Iowa a 17-4 lead at the midway point. Marinelli sparked Iowa coming out of intermission with a pin in 6:37 over Christian Hunt. The 165-pound All-American amassed a 12-4 advantage before locking up a whip over to end it.

“Any time you can get a knockout in wrestling, six points for your team, it’s exciting,” Marinelli said. “I’ve been working on it a little bit this past week. I was trying to get it last week and didn’t get it. I finally got it.

“I think that’s a credit to my coaches. We’ve been working on it a lot.”

Brands and Myles Wilson (184) followed with wins. Cassioppi rebounded from last week’s upset for a second-period pin to cap Iowa’s 20th straight dual victory.

“You can tell me how he responded,” Brands replied back to a media question about Cassioppi, “and I loved it.”

Iowa travels to Ames to wrestle Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk series event Sunday at 6 p.m.

AT IOWA CITY

Iowa 36, Army 7

(Individual takedowns in parentheses)

125 pounds - Jesse Ybarra (I) dec. Ryan Chauvin, 3-1 SV1 (1,0); 133 - Austin DeSanto (I) tech. fall Dominic Carone, 21-6 (8,0); 141 - Jaydin Eierman (I) pinned Cory Shie, 5:54 (6,0); 149 - P.J. Ogunsanya (A) major dec. Cobe Siebrecht, 11-3 (3,0); 157 - Kaleb Young (I) dec. Markus Hartman, 4-1 (1,0); 165 - Alex Marinelli (I) pinned Christian Hunt, 6:37 (4,0); 174 - Nelson Brands (I) major dec. Clayton Fielden, 18-5 (6,0); 184 - Myles Wilson (I) dec. Brad Laughlin, 4-1 (1,0); 197 - J.T. Brown (A) dec. Zach Glazier, 4-1 (1,0); Hwt. - Tony Cassioppi (I) pinned Brandon Phillips, 3:54 (4,0)

MEET STATISTICS

Takedowns - Iowa 31, Army 4. Reversals - Iowa 0, Army 0. Escapes - Iowa 12, Army 26. Nearfall points - Iowa 12, Army 4. Penalty points (awarded) - Iowa 4, Army 0. Riding-time points - Iowa 3, Army 2. Total match points - Iowa 93, Army 40. Attendance - 14,905.