Iowa brings win streak to Oklahoma State

The wrestling rivalry between the University of Iowa and Oklahoma State doesn't need any help to be compelling, but the next chapter comes with a boost.

The 10th-ranked Hawkeyes take their 69-dual meet win streak to Stillwater, Okla., Sunday to face No. 6 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. Iowa will attempt to break a tie with two separate Oklahoma State marks to secure sole possession of second all-time in NCAA Division I and keep the Cowboys' record of 76 straight duals in its sights.

"We got a streak. 69 matches in a row," Hawkeyes Coach Tom Brands said. "It's not the number, it's on the way to the No. 1 record and it's on the way to having second place all by yourself. second place isn't what you strive for in competition, but in this situation we have to get to second place before we get to first place."

The streak started Jan. 12, 2008, with a win over Cornell University. The win came a week after a 19-14 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Brands said the Hawkeyes (8-0) have survived many tests during the winning stretch, overcoming fractured lineups due to injury and showing toughness by winning close duals. Oklahoma State may not be the biggest challenge, but it is the next one.

"We've persevered," Brands said of the streak, which included win last year's Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals title with four starters out. "We used a lot of guys along the way. We had to plug in guys that were going to do a good job, so there was a lot of big wins along the way there."

The focus has never been on the team or continuing the streak. Each individual prepares to perform their best. Claim the battles to win the war, and Sunday is no different.

“We're going to go there and have the same mission,” Iowa's defending 125-pound NCAA champion Matt McDonough said. “It isn't about getting a streak as it is about winning 10 individual matches.”

The programs have similarities as much as their trademark wrestling styles differ. Both programs have a large fan base in state's known for their passion for the sport. The Hawkeyes expect a hostile atmosphere at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The same kind Iowa opponents experience at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"This is what makes the sport fun," Iowa 184-pounder Grant Gambrall said. "We want environments like this. It's good for the sport. I'm all for it."

Oklahoma State (7-2) was as high as second in the rankings, but dropped after placing sixth at last weekend's Cliff Keen/National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, losing to runner-up Virginia Tech and Missouri.

"I think we needed this," Cowboys Coach John Smith said after the duals. "We have not been in these kind of battles up to this point."

After Iowa's 49-0 win over Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville on Jan. 7, Brands said the matchup looked like a mismatch in favor of the Cowboys, who own a 25-18-1 series lead. The gap might have closed, but that isn't changing the Hawkeyes' preparation.

"You can point to some of their struggles, but they're going to be ready," Brands said. "We have to be more ready. That's the bottom line."

The dual promises a number of close matchups. Six of the 10 expected bouts have wrestlers ranked within a handful of spots from each other. Four of those favor the Cowboys, but the margin of error for both teams is minimal.

"At this point the rankings don't mean much," Brands said. "They're going to try to right the ship a little bit and we have to right the ship, too."

Plenty of toss-up matches exist based off InterMat rankings. OSU's No. 13 Josh Kindig and No. 19 Mark Ballweg are listed at 141. Derek St. John is ranked 15th, one spot ahead of the Cowboys' Neil Erisman. Dallas Bailey, a red-shirt freshman, is 13th at 165, while Iowa's Aaron Janssen is 13th.

None at as pivotal than 184 pounds. Gambrall, ranked 16th, is expected to wrestle No. 14 Chris Perry. Gambrall has never beaten Perry, the brother of former Iowa two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American Mark Perry.

"Have to treat it like any other match," Gambrall said. "I can't think about losses I've had in the past to him or anything like that. I just have to go out and wrestle my match."

It's only fitting that the two most prestigious college wrestling programs battle one another as the Hawkeyes try to break Oklahoma State's bearhug on the top spots of the all-time win streaks list.

“I love it,” McDonough said. “That's the way it should be.

“You want to beat that streak. You want to beat that team. You got to go there and do it.”