Hawkeyes add Luther Open to schedule

The University of Iowa have added a competition date, beginning the season almost a week early.

The Hawkeyes will now compete in the Luther Open on Nov. 16 in Decorah, according to an announcement at the team's annual media day Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa Coach Tom Brands said wrestle-offs will be structured differently this season. Don't expect brackets for each weight. Brands said they will have wrestling room situations, but nothing official. he pointed to the fact that the Hawkeyes' lineup has always been determined by how a wrestler performs in competition. Results from the Luther Open, Midlands and even early-season duals will have a strong influence on who earns a respective spot.

"So big competition in how you evaluate and how they perform is the focus maybe more so than making the team," Brands said. "That is the early theme from my perspective. Not something that we really talk about and drilled home. But it's something they've heard more or less more than once."

Collaboration led to Penn State Dual

The Twitter exchange between Tom Brands and Cael Sanderson received most of the attention for the programs adding a dual on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

The social media efforts appeared to save the annual dual between the top programs that was threatened to be interrupted for the first time since the 1981-82 when they did not appear on each other's Big Ten schedule.

Brands pointed out that it was a collaborative effort at the UI. December graduation was moved and women's basketball sacrificed to lead to the added wrestling event. Brands praised Athletics Director Gary Barta and facilities staff to make it work.

"First of all, our administration, we had to go to them, and they had to go to other people across the river," Brands said. "Lisa Bluder was in that because she gave up a primetime time and graduation got moved. There are a lot of good things going on to get that to happen. That means that wrestling is important. It means it's important to our administration for them to fight and do things. It's a battle because it's another thing on your plate when the plate is already full."

Home sweet home

The Hawkeyes home duals include January meets with third-ranked Oklahoma State and second-ranked Minnesota. The Hawkeyes will wrestle the top three ranked teams at home.

"Kind of added to the pizzazz of the schedule," Iowa Coach Tom Brands said at the team's annual media day Thursday at CHA. "You have a good home schedule anyway, and now you've got Penn State (Dec. 21) in addition to that."

Iowa 157-pound NCAA champion does buy into any advantage with the meets being in Iowa City. It will be a delight for the Iowa fans, though.

"It's nice to have the fan base but really doesn't change anything," St. John said. "You have to be ready to go when you step on the mat. There are some high-powered teams."

Iowa also hosts University of Buffalo (Dec. 12), Michigan State (Jan. 4), Indiana (Jan. 12) and Michigan (Feb. 9). The Iowa City Duals will open the home schedule on Nov. 22.