The Iowa wrestling team went 7-2 in the opening session of the 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Thursday.
Two-time national champion Matt McDonough and second-seeded Tony Ramos each scored bonus points for the Hawkeyes to open the day and Iowa is sitting fourth in the team standings. The Hawkeyes have 10 points after round one. Penn State leads the way with 14.5 points, while Oklahoma State (13), Minnesota (11) and Iowa State (9) are also in the top five.
“We got seven out of nine through, but we’re not scoring enough points,” said head coach Tom Brands. “Bonus points are a premium in this tournament. We need to get into the action and come ready to wrestle.”
McDonough began the championships with a major decision win at 125 pounds before Ramos followed it up with his team-leading 13th fall of the season.
Mark Ballweg, Derek St. John, Mike Evans, Ethen Lofthouse and Bobby Telford all won by decisions to give Iowa seven wins in nine matches. The two losses came from No. 10 Nick Moore at 165 and Nathan Burak at 197.
Telford was injured during his win at heavyweight and Brands did not know if he would be available to wrestle in the championship bracket round tonight. That would be a big blow to Iowa if he is unable to perform due to an injury.
Moore was upset by Iowa State’s Michael Moreno 5-3, while Burak lost to top-seeded Dustin Kilgore of Kent State by major decision.
McDonough, Ramos, St. John and Evans all will face unranked foes in tonight’s late session, while No. 7 Ballweg will face No. 10 Charles Cobb of Penn, No. 12 Lofthouse takes on No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota and No. 6 Telford battles No. 11 J.T. Felix of Boise State. Moore and Burak also face unranked wrestlers in the consolation portion of their weight bracket.
Tonight’s session kicks off at 6:30 p.m. from Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.
“We need to come out tonight and wrestle at a high pace,” added Brands. “Bonus points equals intensity, and we need to come out ready to score some points.”
NCAA TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SESSION I (Top five)
Team – Points
1. Penn State 14.5
2. Oklahoma State 13
3. Minnesota 11
4. IOWA 10
5. Iowa State 9
IOWA’S FIRST ROUND NCAA RESULTS (# indicates tournament seed)
First Round Matches
125 - #3 Matt McDonough (IOWA) maj. Ben Willeford (CLST), 10-2 (3:55 RT)
133 - #2 Tony Ramos (IOWA) pinned Nick Wilcox (BLOOM), 1:56
141 - #7 Mark Ballweg (IOWA) dec. Daniel Neff (LOCKH), 3-0
157 - #2 Derek St. John (IOWA) dec. Matthew Frisch (CIT), 9-3 (2:24 RT)
165 - Michael Moreno (ISU) dec. #10 Nick Moore (IOWA), 5-3 (2:22 RT)
174 - #3 Michael Evans (IOWA) dec. Craig Kelliher (CMICH), 2-0 (1:50 RT)
184 - #12 Ethen Lofthouse (IOWA) dec. Boaz Beard (ISU), 8-2 (2:07 RT)
197 - #1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent St.) maj. Nathan Burak (IOWA), 10-2 (2:40 RT)
285 - #6 Bobby Telford (IOWA) dec. Joe Stolfi (BUCK), 8-1 (1:46 RT)
IOWA’S SECOND ROUND NCAA MATCHUPS (# indicates tournament seed)
125 - #3 Matt McDonough (IOWA) vs. Steve Mitcheff (Kent St.)
133 - #2 Tony Ramos (IOWA) vs. Joseph Ward (UNC)
141 - #7 Mark Ballweg (IOWA) vs. #10 Charles Cobb (PENN)
157 - #2 Derek St. John (IOWA) vs. Joshua Kreimier (AFA)
174 - #3 Michael Evens (IOWA) vs. Phillip Joseph (EMU)
184 - #12 Ethen Lofthouse (IOWA) vs. #5 Kevin Steinhaus(MINN)
285 - #6 Bobby Telford (IOWA) vs. #11 J.T. Felix (Boise St.)
IOWA CONSOLATION ROUND MATCHUPS (# indicates tournament seed)
165 - #10 Nick Moore (IOWA) vs. Caleb Marsh (Kent St.)
197 - Nathan Burak (IOWA) vs. James Fox (HARV)
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