Iowa State's Downey grateful for another chance

NEW YORK — Pat Downey is not your ordinary sophomore.

At 23 years old, the Iowa State 197-pounder is longer in the tooth and has made a few more stops than most in his grade.

Downey has apparently found a himself a home and is focused on making the most of yet another opportunity in wrestling. He won his first two matches and was within a win of an All-American finish at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

'I love it,' Downey said about being a part of the Cyclones' program. 'I'm having so much fun. I'm living the dream.'

Downey's actions off the mat have been a nightmare for his ability to get on the mat. The troubled past that included arrests for assault and robbery as a teenager in Baltimore, Md., cost him a season in high school. After training at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Downey was dismissed from the Nebraska program during his freshman year.

Downey, a 2012 Junior World silver medalist and 2011 national freestyle champion, resurrected his career, winning an NJCAA national title at 197 pounds last year for Iowa Central.

Iowa State Coach Kevin Jackson considered his past struggles and attempted to get to know him better before offering this shot at redemption.

'I sat down with him for hours on end and had some man-to-man conversations with him,' Jackson said. 'I feel like we had a pretty good relationship that he could be honest with me.

'He's told me everything he's done and everything he's trying to become. In his heart and his soul, he's a great young man. He just has to make the right decisions all the time.'

Downey has dedicated himself to a sport that has provided guidance and structure to him. The chance to return to the Division I level materialized and Downey found himself in Ames, working out with postgraduate competitors like NCAA champion Kyven Gadson and Deron Winn.

'When he gave me this opportunity, I not only made a promise to him, myself and my family, but I just really bought in,' Downey said. 'I've been living right, doing everything right.'

Jackson said Downey is a competitor to his core and loves wrestling.

'He has a passion for it,' Jackson said. 'He thrives in training and competition ...

every team needs someone like him on their squad.'

Downey had to pass 19 credits just to become eligible for the Cyclones, joining their lineup in early February, which resulted in just eight matches before the national tournament. In addition to ironing out academics, Downey had to overcome an injury to rib cartilage. He didn't picture this chance a year ago and said it was uncertain even months earlier.

'The adversity has been unreal. It is what makes this that much sweeter,' Downey said. 'Even though I've worked hard for it and in my heart of hearts felt like I deserved this chance to be on the (Division I) scene, you don't really know if you're going to get it. The fact that I got it I plan on taking full advantage of it.'

MIKLUS RETURNS TO PODIUM

Missouri red-shirt sophomore Willie Miklus secured his second straight All-American finish with a 16-6 major decision over Penn's Lorenzo Thomas in Friday's 184-pound quarterfinal. Miklus, a four-time Iowa state tournament finalist for Ballard (2009-10) and Southeast Polk, where he won titles in 2011 and 2012, placed seventh last season.

'I wanted to be an All-American,' Miklus said. 'I've done that already, so on to the next step, I guess.'

Miklus improved to 21-5 before his semifinal against Nebraska's seventh-seeded T.J. Dudley. He suffered through an injury part of the season and overcome a few losses that helped him.

'I think I needed to get my head straightened out,' Miklus said. 'It wasn't like I lost to bad guys.

COLLISION COURSE

Heavyweights Nick Gwiazdowski, of North Carolina State, and Ohio State's Kyle Snyder remained on a collision course for the finals. The top-two seeded and unbeaten wrestlers dominated opponents, leading up to the semifinals.

Gwiazdowski, who is looking for his third NCAA title, opened with a technical fall before two straight major decisions. Snyder, a 2015 World freestyle champion who came out of an Olympic red-shirt after the first of the year and returning NCAA finalist, posted his first college pin in the first round and added a technical fall and major decision in his next two bouts.

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