Seniors one last chance to leave mark

IOWA CITY - The goal was to become Hawkeyes and continue the University of Iowa's wrestling tradition.

They wanted to join the list of champions they saw posted on the wall of the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex where they trained as youths.

Now, a group of seniors is donning the black and gold singlets for one final season, with the hopes of reaching for individual goals in addition to leading the Hawkeyes to a third straight NCAA team title.

Chad Beatty, Jay Borschel, Daniel LeClere, Ryan Morningstar and Joey Slaton were members of the Hawkeye Kids Club, admiring the wrestlers who battled for legendary coach Dan Gable.

“Certain individuals we wanted to be like. We wanted to win titles,” senior Dan LeClere said. “Now we're in the position to do that. It means a lot.”

Morningstar said he's reminisced about the time he trained, competed and traveled with members of the youth club, and to an extent, it's played out like he had envisioned.

“For me it has,” Morningstar said. “I was envisioning a couple more national titles under my belt at that age.”

Iowa Coach Tom Brands said he remembers the wrestlers when they were little, growing up within a 30-minute drive to Iowa City.

“They looked like the most innocent kids in America,” Brands said. “Then I found out they were pretty doggone ornery, in a good way.”

Those traits propelled them to be one of the top classes in Iowa history.

When Brands became the coach at Virginia Tech, Borschel, LeClere and Slaton followed. They, as well as senior Brent Metcalf, did the same when he returned to take over the Hawkeyes program for 2006-07.

“I always wanted to be here,” said Borschel, a 2009 All-American but didn't place last year. “I found a way to make it happen.

“(I) wanted to wrestle for Gable and that philosophy and attitude. He retired and the next best thing is Brands.”

Transferring cost them a year of eligibility, and their loyalty struck a chord with Brands.

“It's their senior year,” Brands said. “They paid a steep price and that's not lost on me.”

Each has reached the national stage with Borschel, Morningstar and Slaton, a 133-pound national finalist in 2009, becoming All-Americans and even though they've claimed team gold like their idols none has an individual title.

“They're not all where they want to be,” Brands said. “I think you can really put an exclamation mark on their career and how they feel leaving the program. That's important to me.”

Equally as important to the team is soothing the sting from last year's national meet, where they won but did not crown a single individual champ. They edged Ohio State by 4½ points.

“I don't think anyone felt like we won anything last year,” LeClere said. “You would not have been able to tell after that tournament was over that we won anything.”

The Hawkeyes posted a 24-0 dual record, sweeping the Midlands, Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals and the Big Ten and National Championships, but it didn't conclude in the dominant fashion they demand.

“From a team point of view, we won everything, but we certainly are geared and gearing to widen the gap” Brands said. “That's not a prediction. I don't make predictions. That's how we're training.”

Top-ranked Iowa returns plenty of firepower, including seven All-Americans and nine return with national tournament experience. Phil Keddy, fourth at 184, and heavyweight Dan Erekson, who will miss the first half of the season do to surgery on an injured pectoral muscle, round out the top returners, who helped the team win 38 straight duals, which ranks second all-time.