University of Minnesota Athletics
Hawkeyes Visit Williams Arena, Feb. 14
2/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
The Battle For First
At is has been so often in the rivalry, first place in the Big Ten standings in on the line when the Gophers and Hawkeyes meet. Iowa visits Williams Arena on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 6:00 p.m. Always the most anticipated match of the season, a packed house is expected for the No. 1 Hawkeyes and No. 5 Gophers.
The Records
Minnesota enters the contest riding a six-match winning streak and is 11-4 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten. Iowa Counters with a perfect 19-0 record on the season and a 4-0 mark in Big Ten action. The Hawkeyes are tied with Minnesota and Ohio State for first, each with unbeaten records.
The Series
The Gophers and Hawkeyes have met 92 times in the history of the illustrious series. After their last meeting at the National Duals, Iowa holds a 66-25-1 all-time lead in the series. Under J Robinson the Gophers are 10-21 against the Hawkeyes, and since 1998 - when Minnesota beat Iowa at the National Duals, the series is even at 9-9. Last year in conference action, almost a year ago to the day on Feb. 15, Iowa won 25-9 in Iowa City.
Last Match-Up
The two teams last met on Jan. 10 in the semifinals of the National Duals. An injury ridden Minnesota line-up took the mat against the Hawkeyes, and suffered a 28-12 loss. A Mike Thorn pin at 141, tied the match briefly at 6-6, but Iowa claimed wins in the next five bouts before the Gophers got back in the win column at 197 and heavyweight.
Follow Along
Sunday's match will be aired live on Big Ten Network, with the broadcast set to begin right at 6:00 p.m. Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and Dan Gable will be calling the action. For those away from a TV, live point-by-point stats will be available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
Last weekend the Gophers improved to 6-0 in the Big Ten with wins over then No. 21 Illinois and No. 14 Indiana. On Feb. 5 the Gophers beat the Illini 27-13, winning seven of 10 matches. including six straight at one point. On Feb. 6, in a similar match, the Gophers won six matches, including four straight, in their 23-18 win.
Next Up
The Gophers close the regular season next week, with a home dual in Feb. 19. Penn State comes to the Sports Pavilion for a 7:00 p.m. Friday night match. Following the Nittany Lions, the Gophers take a week off to prepare for the Big Ten Championships on Mar. 6 & 7, before the NCAA Championships Mar. 18-20.
Get Score Updates on Your Phone
Fans can get scoring updates from all of Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter page @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive the text updates. If you are not already on Twitter, you will need to create an account.
Twitter
Follow the Golden Gophers on Twitter. Just search @GopherWrestling on Twitter to follow all the news updates.
Scouting Iowa
- Currently 19-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Ten
- Ranked No. 1 in every major wrestling poll including the National Wrestling Coaches Association Top-25, and have been No. 1 all season
- Winner of the 2008 and 2009 Big Ten and NCAA Championships
- Have won 57 consecutive duals, dating back to Jan. 12, 2008
- Led by fourth year head coach Tom Brands who is already a two-time Big Ten coach of the year
- Brands is 78-6 overall at Iowa and 95-26 as a collegiate head coach
- Won the 2010 National Duals, their third straight
- Have won six matches by shutout this season
- Most points allowed to an opponent were 16 to each Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
- Boast a ranked wrestler at eight weight classes, all in the top-12
- Wrestlers ranked in the latest InterMat rankings:
125: #4 Matt McDonough
133: #3 Daniel Dennis
141: #7 Montel Marion
149: #1 Brent Metcalf
165: #4 Ryan Morningstar
174: #2 Jay Borchel
184: #12 Phil Keddy
HWT: #10 Den Erekson
Players Mentioned
