Iowa’s Thomas Gilman and Cory Clark face last shot at NCAA titles

IOWA CITY — Iowa Coach Tom Brands shared a message that he said would adorn the wrestling gear of senior Thomas Gilman.

'Stay clear while machine is in use' was his tip to anyone that crosses the NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American, including practice partners, his competition or, heck, even innocent bystanders.

Gilman seemed to approve.

'It makes a lot of sense to me,' Gilman said. 'I'm a machine, so stay out of my way when I'm working. Otherwise, if you're not going to stay out of the way I'm going to put you out of the way and people aren't going to like that.'

Gilman and Cory Clark have been the lightweight spark plugs in the Hawkeyes lineup and both return for a final shot at an NCAA title after reaching the finals last season. They are among five All-Americans back for third-ranked Iowa, which finished with a 16-1 dual mark, placed second at the Big Ten Championships and fifth at the national tournament.

Gilman and Clark opened their careers at 125 pounds before Clark moved up to earn national runner-up honors the last two years at 133. Gilman has become the outspoken leader for the Hawkeyes, looking for their first national team title since 2010.

'We love Gilman,' Brands said during the team's media day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 'Gilman is the leader of this team. He does things right from a practice point of view, lifestyle point of view, the way he competes, the way he represents the team. The locker room is his. And that's a full partnership in what we're doing.'

Gilman's style on the mat and in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex is similar. He has an in-your-face, unapologetic attitude. Brands said the Hawkeyes need more leadership with that demeanor.

'Gilman is more of a militant type guy that if you don't pick up your towel when you leave the locker room and it's laying there, you're going to hear about it and you're going to pick up your towel,' Brands said. 'And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing.'

Gilman and Clark were both highly-ranked recruits that chose the Hawkeyes despite battling each other for the 125-pound spot as freshmen. Now, they provide a punch at the start of the Iowa lineup that includes 149-pound NCAA runner-up Brandon Sorensen and Alex Meyer and Sammy Brooks, who placed eighth at the national tournament at 174 and 184, respectively. Iowa also will have NCAA qualifier Sam Stoll at heavyweight after he returns from a knee injury. High expectations accompany 157-pound redshirt freshman Michael Kemerer, who was 24-2 and placed fifth at the Midlands Championships last season at 149.

The smaller duo have different mentalities but their results are similar.

'Cory Clark is a veteran,' Brands said. 'He's our best credential guy, and he's a full partner as well.

They're (Clark and Gilman) just different. They're different in approach. They're different in how they march on a daily basis.'

Gilman finished fourth as a sophomore and then opened up more as a junior, producing plenty of bonus points that the Hawkeyes have desperately needed. He scored bonus points in 25 of 28 victories, including 10 pins and six technical falls. The 'machine' was determined to put on a show for fans, dominating and tallying points.

'It's not just about winning matches here,' Gilman said. 'It's about winning by a large margin and getting the fans excited.

'I don't know how excited I got the fans my freshman and sophomore year but my last year I think they were pretty excited. I have to think outside the box a little bit. Think (unselfishly). Think about the fans. Think about what they want.'

Gilman improved his finish, but still fell one spot shy of the ultimate prize. Gilman, who has wins over two of the last three NCAA champions, didn't dwell on his finals loss to Penn State's Nico Megaludis. He went right back to work.

'I don't know how much I think about it on a day-to-day basis,' Gilman said. 'Obviously, there is some hurt and sting there. I'm a guy that puts that behind me fairly quickly and moves on. As far as looking forward to this NCAA tournament, obviously it's in my sights and I'm looking forward to it but I have to take care of day-to-day stuff, like getting better every day. If I take care of that then March will take care of itself.'

Clark, a three-time All-American who was fifth as a freshman, reached Saturday night of the NCAA tournament for a second straight year and had to settle for silver again.

'My goal since I've been here is to be a national champ,' Clark said. 'Now, I'm down to the last string. It's time to get the job done, but I don't dwell on it because I've learned from it and I'm a better wrestler.'

The biggest lesson for Clark is that he can't ease into anything. He has to be ready to work from the start of practice, matches and the entire season to fulfill his ultimate college goal.

'You've got to start as soon as possible,' Clark said. 'Start right away. You can't really work your way into the season.'

Clark added, 'In the room I felt pretty good about how I was wrestling and sometimes in matches I wouldn't necessarily execute the way I wanted to right off the initial whistle. Focus on that early.'

Iowa has not crowned an individual champion the last two seasons. It is the longest individual title drought since 2005-06.

'It's definitely an elephant in the room,' Gilman said. 'Yeah, we talk about it, but more importantly we talk about individual titles because that is what is going to help us win a national team title.'

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