Seniors cap careers with NCAA bid for third straight title

IOWA CITY - This is the end of the road for the University of Iowa seniors.

The class, along with head coach Tom Brands, placed the Hawkeye wrestling program back atop its perch in the college wrestling.

Their one last event in black-and-gold will be a chance for a third consecutive title when the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships begin Thursday at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.

Seniors dominate the Hawkeye lineup that qualified all 10 wrestlers including seven seniors. Dan Dennis (18-3 at 133), Brent Metcalf (31-1 at 149) and 174-pounder Jay Borschel (32-0) lead the way as No. 2 seeds, with fellow seniors fifth-seeded heavyweight Dan Erekson (12-0), 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar (26-6), a seventh seed, and No. 9-seeds Phil Keddy (23-7 at 184) and Chad Beatty (14-3 at 197).

“This team has shown that it can get ready,” Brands said. “This team has shown it's got a lot of firepower and the way they wrestle is the way you want a team to wrestle - aggressive - and being able to come back from a little bit of adversity here and there.”

This group has the chance to go unblemished - winning every dual, the Midlands Championships, NWCA National Duals, the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships - a second straight year. They already hold Iowa records for most consecutive dual wins (61) and road dual victories (41). A third straight NCAA crown, which would be Iowa's 23rd, can cement this class' place in Iowa history. The Hawkeyes want to finish strong.

“We want to look back at this and not be disappointed,” Erekson said. “We just want to be proud of what we did, so that definitely is important to us. That we all finish through to the best of our abilities.”

Red-shirt freshman Matt McDonough (32-1) is the third seed at 125 and Montell Marion (23-5) is sixth at 141. Jake Kerr qualified at 157.

The seniors' impact will be felt beyond their graduation. McDonough said he's learned from them, including the intricacies of being a starter.

“There's a lot of things you don't see when you're on the sidelines and you're a red-shirt or a backup,” McDonough said. “The thrill of battle and getting tough in tough situations in hostile environments against tough opponents and just being a hard-nosed wrestler and wrestling the Iowa way.”

This team can match the program's third-longest NCAA title streak. Coincidentally, a championship would tie the teams from 1991-93, which included Brands and his twin brother, Terry, a current Hawkeye assistant. Iowa won nine straight from 1978-86 and six from 1995-2000.

Winning the individual battles will help Iowa win the war.

“I'm not really looking at the huge big team race. because I'm worried about a national title myself,” Dennis said. “That's ultimately the best thing I can do for the team.”

Competition begins Thursday at 11 a.m. with the first of six sessions. The finals are set for 7 p.m. Saturday.