Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll passed on chance to wrestle for home-state Gophers

Two years ago Iowa wrestling beat out Minnesota, but this victory wasn't on the mat.

The moment came when Hawkeye Coach Tom Brands plucked one of Minnesota's top prep wrestlers from enemy territory and brought him to Iowa City.

Red-shirt freshman heavyweight Sam Stoll finds himself on the Hawkeyes' side of the border battle when second-ranked Iowa hosts Minnesota Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, starting at 8 p.m.

Brands recalled the race for Stoll's services.

'The recruiting battle for him was that he was going to Minnesota and he was coming to Iowa as a token visit and then he left here and he was hook line and sinker,' Brands said. 'His comment would probably be, if you ask him that question, he just couldn't say no to Brands. I love it.'

Stoll has a different view of the process that included visits to four schools, including Iowa and Minnesota.

'Maybe there's a little more to the story than that,' Stoll said with a smile. 'I kind of had an idea I might come here before. I think I did a good job of fooling them. I don't think they knew I was coming here.'

The Hawkeyes landed one of the nation's prized preps. Stoll was a two-time Minnesota state champion with 206 career victories for Kasson-Mantorville High School. He capped his prep career with 99 straight wins and a national-record 63 straight pins.

The 2013 Junior World Greco-Roman medalist was sold on the atmosphere in the Hawkeyes' practice room.

'I came here and there was something about watching the guys in the room, watching everybody compete, getting to hang out with the guys and really understanding the mentality that's in the room,' said Stoll, who was 18-5 last season. 'I think that really got to me and Iowa City is a great place.'

The signing was a coup, considering the run of successful heavyweights the Gophers had produced, including two-time NCAA champions Tony Nelson (2012-13) and Cole Konrad (2006-07) and Brock Lesnar, the UFC champion who won a national title in 2000. He considered that factor.

'That's the Minnesota pitch, right there, the big line of heavyweights,' Stoll said. 'It's something I took into consideration, but the past is the past. I wanted to do what was going to be right for me as an athlete. I felt coming to the University of Iowa was the right thing to do.'

The Hawkeyes were thin in the upper weights and did not have an heir apparent to three-time All-American Bobby Telford, who currently trains with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Stoll was a perfect fit for the lineup and the Iowa mindset.

'He was a good wrestler,' Brands said. 'I don't think he had a whole lot handed to him in his life. He had to earn everything and he has to continue to earn it.'

Former Iowa Big Ten champion and All-American Jamie Heidt made a big impact on Stoll. The 1999 157-pound conference champion was one of his coaches in high school.

'He really taught us how to work hard and how to earn everything you get,' Stoll said. 'I thank him for where I've gotten today. He had a big influence on my life.'

Stoll has a bit of a blue-collar background. His hometown of Kasson has a population of about 6,000 and Mantorville is slightly smaller, according to Stoll. They are located about a mile apart on the same road, similar to Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

He didn't live on a farm, but worked on one owned by Mike Sullivan, who was from Osage. Wrestling, agriculture and his parents, Tere and Paul, instilled a strong work ethic in the heavyweight.

'They taught me to work hard,' Stoll said of his parents. 'It's how I was raised with those values, along with wrestling. I think they all went hand-in-hand.'

Hard work has helped Stoll capture college wrestling's attention. He was unranked to start the season, but has ascended the national rankings. Stoll is ranked seventh by InterMat with a 17-2 record, including seven pins.

He will face No. 9 Michael Kroells, who beat Stoll when they were younger. This is their first college meeting.

Stoll said he wants to score more on his feet and improve the bottom position. He shows great potential, but has work to do.

'His best wrestling is ahead of him, but we like where he's at and what he's doing,' Brands said. 'He represents us very well.'

Minnesota, ranked 23rd, enters the dual at 7-6 and just 3-2 in the Big Ten. The rivalry doesn't have the luster it had in the past but that doesn't matter to the Hawkeyes (13-0, 7-0).

Brands said this dual always seems to produce fireworks and he doesn't expect it to be different.

'We're fired up,' Brands said. 'It is home this year. It's one of our ones we pointed to and it looks like there is going to be a good response from the Hawkeye faithful. It's not lost on us. I don't know if it's any different from an urgency point of view and it's the next time out.'

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