Arguably the most anticipated dual meet of the season may well be the biggest upset of the year, as No. 11 Iowa wrestling stunned top-ranked Penn State, 22-13, in front of a sold-out crowd at Rec Hall in State College, Pa. Sunday afternoon.
The Hawkeyes won six of the ten bouts, scoring bonus points right from the start at 125 with 2010 NCAA Division I champ Matt McDonough pinning Nathan Morgan... and at 197, with Luke Lofthouse getting a major decision over Justin Ortega.
In addition, Iowa scored a couple key upsets in a row. Tenth-ranked Tony Ramos got a 3-2 decision over No. 5 Andrew Long at 133 pounds, and, at 141, unranked Montell Marion defeated No. 5 Andrew Alton, 11-9.
The Nittany Lions put bonus points on the board with David Taylor's major decision win at 157 pounds.
With the win, Iowa hands Penn State its first loss of the season, with Cael Sanderson's crew now 13-1 for the year, and possibly knocked out of first place when the latest rankings are revealed early next week. The Hawkeyes extend their unbeaten streak to 73, with a 11-0-1 record this season.
NOTE: The Iowa-Penn State dual meet will air on the Big Ten Network in a same-day tape delay at 9:30 p.m. EST and again on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. EST.
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Comments
hawkeyes baby
Mark - Marion is unranked because he's been suspended for a good portion of this season, not because he's unproven. Alton's an outstanding freshman, but Marion is a known commodity who has simply happened to be out of the lineup and therefore, short on the ranking list. Thanks for not calling the meet an upset. Iowa's not chopped liver.
You have to hand it to the Hawks. They got a couple of key wins and it turned the match. That's how it works.
Chris -- Thanks for your post. I did not mean to mislead any readers into thinking Montell Marion is an upstart -- after all, he was a 2010 NCAA finalist. That said, I think his win can be categorized as being surprising to some that he beat a wrestler who, while new to college, has been labeled a phenom... and that Marion had been away from actual competition because of being off the team for disciplinary reasons. Mark, College Wrestling Examiner.
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