Morningstar shooting for longtime goal

IOWA CITY - Ryan Morningstar remembered camping in a tent pitched in his family's yard as a youth.

His mother, Jacque, managed to equip the dwelling with a television so the 10-year-old could watch University of Iowa head coach Tom Brands win a freestyle gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Even then he knew he wanted to achieve the same goal.

"It's a dream," Morningstar said. "Even as a little kid I told people I was going to be an Olympic champ. Whether they believed it or not didn't matter that was the goal."

Morningstar will try to take a step closer to accomplishing his international aspirations during the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships Saturday in Cleveland. Competition began Thursday with qualifying tournaments for the Open fields Friday for some freestyle weight classes. 

Morningstar a two-time All-American for the Hawkeyes and a three-time prep state champion for Lisbon, is competing at 163 pounds. He has experienced some success, placing second at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February and the New York Athletic Club International Open last November. Morningstar is satisfied with silver, and the focus is on winning these high-caliber of events, which includes this weekend.

"I'm happy with the way training is going," said Morningstar, comparing his two to three workouts a day to his training schedule in college.  "I'm happy with the situation I'm in right now as far as training in the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. I couldn't be in a better place to train.

"I'm not where I need to be as far as results, yet."

Morningstar is set on climbing that ladder to reach the top. First is making the 2011 U.S. World Team, then the World Championship in Turkey this September and then 2012 Olympics in London. He said the key is to apply the style he has learned from Brands, Iowa assistant Terry Brands and Hawkeye assistant and 2010 U.S. World Team member Mike Zadick, who is seeded second at 132 pounds.

"I need to do what I've been training my whole life to do," Morningstar said. "Just go out and put points on the board and not protect a lead going after guys."

The top seven placewinners at each weight in men's and women's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman advance to the U.S. World Team Trials in June in Oklahoma City. Morningstar is seeded second behind former University of Minnesota wrestler Dustin Schlatter, but it doesn't matter where you start it's about where you finish.

"Everyone's got something, especially at this level," Morningstar said. "They're doing this for a reason. They're good. It's going out and preparing yourself in front of  (and) against those people."

Morningstar and Zadick are two of many wrestlers with Iowa ties who have earned seeds. Former Hawkeyes Brent Metcalf, Daniel Dennis (fifth at 121), Joe Johnston (third at 145.5), Dan Erekson (seventh at 211.5) and Steve Mocco (fifth at 264.5) are in the field. Lloyd Rogers of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club is seeded fifth at 163.

Metcalf, a 2010 U.S. World Team member is the top seed at 145.5 and is attempting to compete in his second straight World Championships after a Hawkeye career that resulted in three NCAA finals appearances and two national championships.

Anamosa native and former University of Northern Iowa two-time All-American Moza Fay, who has been training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., is seeded sixth at 163. Tervel Dlagnev, a two-time NCAA Division II champion from University of Nebraska-Kearney who trains in Cedar Falls, is seeded second at 264.5.

Former Iowa State teammates Jake Varner and David Zabriskie, who won 2010 NCAA titles for the Cyclones at 197 and heavyweight, respectively, are seeded first and third at 211.5. Former Cyclone Nick Fanthorpe is seventh at 132.