Hawkeyes crown one champ, claim Midlands title

EVANSTON, Ill. - Not enough exclamation marks - period.

University of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands wants his wrestlers to punctuate their wins, and the top-ranked Hawkeyes didn't produce many last night.

Iowa won just one of five finals matches, but still tallied 152 to easily claim the team title at the 49th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hawkeyes finished 46 1/2 more than host Wildcats.

Matt McDonough provided a perfect example to open the finals, but none of the other Iowa finalists could separate themselves, losing two in overtime and another by two.

We need more of that,” Brands said of McDonough. “We had a guy show us the way and that was the end instead of showing us the way and continuing a good thing.”

McDonough decked Virginia Tech red-shirt Jarrod Garnett in 4 minutes, 2 seconds for his second 125-pound Midlands crown after a runner-up finish last year. He started slow, surrendering the first takedown, but raised the intensity, building a 7-4 lead with three of his own in the first.

Garnett chose down and McDonough applied the pressure.

Both McDonough and Brands said the second-ranked junior may have been his at best in the finals this season.

“I was constantly trying to improve my lead, and stay within my element,” McDonough said. “You look for the openings, you create the openings and that's how you put your exclamation point on the matches by taking advantage of a chance like that and getting the pin.”

It was good to be back on top of the prestigious tournament, showcasing his talents on a national stage.

“I ended up where I want to be,” McDonough said. “You can't ever be totally satisfied, but it's a lot more gratifying than going home with a loss.”

Top-seeded Tony Ramos (133) and Montell Marion (141) followed with runner-up finishes. Ramos surrendered a takedown with 18 seconds to go in overtime, losing 6-4 to Virginia Tech's Devin Carter. Marion fell in a 3-0 hole to Oklahoma's Kendric Maple before dropping a 5-3 decision. Maple was named Outstanding Wrestler and Champion of Champions for his performance.

Ethen Lofthouse (174) and heavyweight Bobby Telford finished second for Iowa. Northwestern's Lee Munster beat Lofthouse 7-3 and Telford was called for locked hands and was ridden out for 30 seconds in the second tiebreaker, losing to Jarrod Trice, a red-shirt from Central Michigan.

Not taking advantage of scoring opportunities and dictating the pace and tone of the matches, keeping wrestlers in the match late hurt the Hawkeyes.

“We're in tough, knockdown, drag-out situations (and) we're not winning,” Brands said. “We may not be getting our block knocked off either but we're not winning those situations.”

The Hawkeyes only other win Friday night came from Michael Kelly, who could be the piece to the 149 puzzle for Iowa. He made his debut as the starter and finished fifth, capping the tournament with a 3-2 win over Utah Valley's Josh Wilson. He wanted this chance, but wanted a better showing.

“Fifth place isn't what I want,” Kelly said. “I had the opportunity and I didn't capitalize on it.

“It was a great experience and everything but I have to work on getting better. I got a lot of getting better to do before the end of the season rolls around.”

Iowa distanced itself from the field with an impressive third session Friday. Iowa went 6-2 in the first round of consolation and then followed it with a perfect record in five semifinals. Nine Hawkeyes wrestled to their seeds or higher with only one seeded wrestler not earning a medal.

Brands said the team needs to eliminate what holds them back and continue the good things.

“You look at that, and that's a good formula, especially when there's a lot of high seeds in your lineup,” Brands said before the finals.

“In the evaluation, there's more to it than wrestling up to your potential. You wrestle up to your potential you're not necessarily going to be the champion.

“These guys want to be the champion and that's what we're about in this program. We have to continue to get these guys to iron out the things that are going to be the difference.”

Iowa State didn't have a finalist, but had four wrestlers in the top six of their weights, including third-place heavyweight Matt Gibson. Andrew Sorenson (165) and Tanner Weatherman (174), who competed unattached, were fifth. Luke Goettl was sixth at 141, beating two seeded foes day one to reach the semifinals.

Gibson won seven straight consolation matches for the short-handed Cyclones, which finiished eighth with 62 1/2 points.

“We did have some breakthrough with Luke Goettl,” Iowa State Coach Kevin Jackson said. “Tanner Weatherman is showing signs to make an impact for our team. Matt Gibson is showing what he is capable of.”

University of Northern Iowa placed two wrestlers on the awards stand. Ryan Loder, ranked sixth nationally by InterMat, entered as No. 2 seed and placed third after finishing fifth last year. Joe Colon was seventh at 133 for the Panthers, who tied for 16th with 41 1/2.

Wartburg's Byron Tate finished sixth at 197, while former Knights teammate and assistant coach John Helgerson, a North Fayette prep, was fifth at heavyweight. Both have won medals here the last two years.