A Few Iowa Wrestlers Continue on Path to Greatness
Two-time Big Ten and NCAA wrestling champion Brent Metcalf recently earned a spot on the U.S. World team after winning the 145.5-pound title at the World Team Trials inside the Mid-America Center.
“This is the peak. This is the top,” Metcalf told the Des Moines Register. The title made Metcalf is the youngest member of the U.S. freestyle team.
In addition to his World Championship qualifying, Metcalf, a recent graduate, also recently received a significant academic honors by being named Iowa's male Big Ten Medal of Honor winner.
Metcalf will join former Hawkeye Mike Zadick to compete in the September World Championships in Moscow. It is the third time Zadick has qualified for a U.S. World team.
2010 Tax Day Hawkeye News
Do you have to write a ridiculously large check to the IRS today? You're not alone. Forget the likely fact that your money is about to pay for an AIG executive to go on vacation by reading up on some morning Hawkeye News! Today's edition has a lot of weird items, but also has updates on Iowa's new assistant head coach and spring football.
Andrew Francis Meets with Media [Hawkeye Insider] - Less than a week on his new job, Iowa assistant men's basketball coach Andrew Francis met with the local media for the first time on Tuesday.
Hawks assistant coach Francis aims to 'grow' talent [QC Times] - Andrew Francis looks forward to the day when he will get a chance to catch his breath. But, the first assistant named to new basketball coach Fran McCaffery's staff at Iowa doesn't expect that day to come anytime soon.
Top-125 recruit might sign with Iowa [QC Times] - One of the highest ranked basketball recruits to ever sign with Siena is interested in following coach Fran McCaffery to Iowa.
Iowa assistant has 'whirlwind' start [The Hawkeye] - Andrew Francis said his first few days as an assistant coach with the Iowa basketball team have been "a whirlwind." That's because he's the only assistant on new coach Fran McCaffery's staff heading into today's beginning of the spring signing period.
Brust released from letter of intent [Sun Times] - Mundelein guard Ben Brust has been released from his letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Iowa following the firing of former coach Todd Lickliter last month.
Monday Night Hawkeye News
Top Flight Running Back Visits Iowa [Hawkeye Nation] - Rodney Coe, a running back from Edwardsville, Illinois, visited Iowa yesterday, according to Rob Howe of HawkeyeInsider.com.
Iowa’s Bulaga says illness is behind him as he heads into draft [Kansas City Star] - Early in his junior season last fall, Bulaga was stricken with a viral infection in his thyroid that caused fatigue, a loss of stamina and an increased heart rate.
12 Hawks place at Nationals [Hawk Central] - Iowa sent 19 wrestlers to the freestyle University Nationals this past weekend and 12 left as place-winners.
Marble Speaks with McCaffery, Meeting Soon [Hawkeye Insider] - Roy Marble Jr. spoke with new Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery Sunday afternoon and the two scheduled to meet this coming week. Marble shared information about his conversations with McCaffery, how he feels about his commitment to Iowa and more.
UI and UNI See Faculty Salaries Slide [KCRG] - The UI dropped one spot among Big Ten Conference universities and UNI slid two spots in the Missouri Valley Conference for average faculty pay, according to the 2009-10 salary report by the American Association of University Professors, released today.
Donahue's Foot is a Bona Fide Game-Changer [Hawkeye Sports] - Hawkeyes conclude third week of spring drills with a scrimmage.
James Ferentz, Josh Koeppel battle at center [Center] - Kirk Ferentz says he’s “not stalking City High,” but that Iowa City High School likely will produce the center who starts Sept. 4 against Eastern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium.
Spring Football: The Defense [Hawkeye Nation] - All four are all-Big Ten candidates and Adrian Clayborn is a legitimate all-American. Iowa’s defense allowed only 123 yards a game rushing last year and ranked third in the Big Ten and tenth nationally in total defense, allowing only 276 yards a game.
Saturday Morning Hawkeye News
Reiff Penciled in at Left Tackle [Hawkeye Sports] - Last year at this time, University of Iowa lineman Riley Reiff was an inexperienced football player with loads of potential. Now a 6-feet-6, 300-pound sophomore, Reiff is one of the veterans for the Hawkeyes on the offensive front.
Fran Says Good Morning and Go Hawks! [Official Report] - New coach invites fans to help Iowa be "MAD" again.
Metcalf Dominant in All Phases of Life [Hawkeye Sports] - Two-time NCAA wrestling national champion Brent Metcalf learned his trade from the biggest names in the sport, but a cartoon Martian printed on a piece of garbage gave him his start.
'We like our guys' [Press Citizen] - Despite losing seven starters, Brands sees the Hawks in contention next year.
Hansen: In '80s, Iowa basketball was state's No. 1 show [DMR] - Iowa was always a good place for snowplows, jumper cables and ice melt. But twice a week — from December well into March — everything in the state came to a standstill.
ESPN’s Dick Vitale talks about new Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery [Scott Docterman] - “I think that’s why the change was made. Todd (Lickliter) is a good guy but obviously it just didn’t fit based on what was taking place,” Vitale said. “But Fran will get that going because I think he’s going to recruit athletes that will be able to get up and down the floor and create excitement.”
Q & A with new Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery at the Final Four [Scott Docterman] - "I haven’t hired anybody, I’m getting closer. This is the kind of thing it’s good we have (director of basketball operations) Jerry Strom. He’s there. He’s been very, very helpful in regards to meeting people and helping me manage the first week."
Wednesday Morning Hawkeye News
All eyes on the O-line [Marc Morehouse] - Everybody knows that when Iowa’s got it together on the offensive line, the Hawkeyes are playing for Big Ten championships or New Year’s Day bowls or, as they did in 2009, a BCS berth.
The Search: Westward and Discontentment [Hawkeye Nation] - "As I posted back when we first started this searching process, I called my friend Van Coleman and asked him if he could put together a list of names of uptempo coaches for me."
UNI coach, Lute share hometown [SC Journal] - Drive 45 miles north of Fargo and you're about five miles beyond the midway point of an 80-mile trek to Grand Forks.
Iowa’s last Sweet 16 was bittersweet [Scott Docterman] - Eleven years have passed since Tom Davis took an underrated group of athletes to Iowa’s last Sweet 16 appearance.
Iowa Football Predictions: Breakout [Fight for Iowa] - Whether it's a walk-on earning a scholarship and excelling in his senior year, or a 3-star redshirt freshman earning a starting spot over 5-star seniors...Iowa has breakout performances every season. Now, with spring practice right around the corner, there's no better time to start making prediction for the 2010 season.
Assessing Iowa: Please, not another year of living dangerously [Yahoo] - If I wasn't sort of obligated by the format, I'd want no part of guessing what's going to happen with Iowa. Already the Hawkeyes have emerged from moribund obscurity prior to Kirk Ferentz's arrival to unlikely Big Ten power, quickly sunk back into the mire amid an ugly string of player arrests and mini-scandal, and emerged again just as suddenly as a conference contender and BCS winner in the span of the last decade -- all, seemingly, by the skin of their teeth.
Panthers the best program in Iowa? [Denver Post]
Someone doesn't like that Tom Brokaw does voice-overs for Iowa ads.
Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling wins 2010 NCAA Championship
The Iowa wrestlers won their third-straight NCAA Championship over the weekend, and they did so in a dominate fashion.
Iowa earned eight all-AMerican honors and three individual national championships on the way to the school's 23rd national championship in wrestling.
The Hawkeyes ended up with 134.5 team points. As the IC Press CItizen points out, it was the most points for Iowa squad at the NCAA Tournament since 1997, when they set the all-time record (170).
Matt McDonough became the first Hawkeye to win an NCAA title as a freshman since Lincoln McIlravy in 1993.
McIlravy is arguably one of the best wrestlers in the history of Iowa. Brent Metcalf thinks McDonough could be that good, and spent more time talking about McDonough's match at 125 in the post tournament press conference than his own national championship at 149.
Metcalf avenged his loss in the Big Ten Tournament to Ohio State's Lance Palmer, and finished his Iowa career with a 108-3 record. At one point, it appeared as though Metcalf was about to break Palmer in half.
Senior Jay Borschel finished the season undefeated. He faced an undefeated Mack Lewnes of Cornel, who had not given up an offensive point all season. Borschel won 6-2, and made it look easy.
Eight Hawkeye wrestlers advance to NCAA Quarterfinals
It shouldn't surprise anyone that after the first day of competition, the Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers are in the lead for the 2010 NCAA team title.
The Hawkeyes won 18 of their 20 matches and scored team bonus points in six. They currently have the lead with 34.5 points, and is the only school with all ten wrestlers still alive in the tournament.
"We had a very good round today, and now the key is to keep the intensity up and keep improving with every match," said head coach Tom Brands. "We are favored in five of our eight quarterfinal matches tomorrow, and we need to have another good round to have a good shot at winning this title.
That coming from the man who recently pondered, "there are 10 weight classes. Why shouldn't the goal be to win 10 championships?"
Brands seems to agree, eight out of ten is nothing to shake your head at.
Wednesday Morning Hawkeye News
Rutgers Women's Basketball Faces No. 8 Seed Iowa in 21st NCAA Championship Appearance - Rutgers women’s basketball, seeded ninth, will face No. 8 seed Iowa in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Saturday, March 20, at the Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. Game time is set for 8:16 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Hawkeyes set for Iowa reunion out West [The Hawk Eye] - It didn't take long for the Iowa women's basketball team to find out where it would be in the NCAA tournament.
Iowa women an 8 seed, ISU earns a 4 [WCF Courier] - Iowa is no stranger to its opening-round opponent in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Google Fiber Network Coming to Iowa City Area? [KCRG] - Four Johnson County communities have united to form the Iowa City Area Broadband Coalition (ICABC) in hopes that Google picks this area to be part of its first high-speed broadband network.
U.S. Sen. Grassley: $244,659 to the University of Iowa [Iowa Politics] - Chuck Grassley today said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $244,659 competitive grant to the University of Iowa.
Ravens re-sign Paschal, targeting Moeaki - The Ravens announced that exclusive-rights free agent defensive back Marcus Paschal has signed his tender.
Credibility Gap [Hawkeye Report] - Gary Barta has a problem and it isn't that he's looking for the second men's basketball coach of his relatively short tenure in Iowa City.
Thursday Morning Hawkeye News
Big Ten rankings: Adrian Clayborn, No. 3 [ESPN] - Clayborn became the face of the Iowa program during a dramatic run to a second-place Big Ten finish and an Orange Bowl championship.
Hawks seeks 3-peat at NCAA wrestling tourney [USA Today] - The Iowa wrestling team is busy preparing for next weekend's NCAA tournament in Omaha, Neb.
Four downs with WRs and TEs [Marc Morehouse] - The 2009 season was when Derrell Johnson-Koulianos took another step toward becoming Iowa’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.
Hawkeyes take honors - Three members of the Iowa basketball team were honored in the All-Big Ten selections released Monday.
Tucker to Winona State - Former Iowa guard Anthony Tucker is returning to his home state to resume his college basketball career.
Patriots to Workout Tony Moeaki - Moeaki, along with Rob Gronkowski of Arizona and Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma, are three of the more "complete" tight-ends in the 2010 NFL Draft, something the Patriots are sorely lacking after cutting ties.
Tuesday Morning Hawkeye News
Most talked-about match of the weekend: Palmer defeats Metcalf at Big Tens - In a weekend chock-full of conference championships, the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, and the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships, one match stands out among the hundreds wrestled: Ohio State's Lance Palmer defeating Iowa's Brent Metcalf in the 149 pound finals at the 2010 Big Ten Conference Championships Sunday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Hawkeyes Win 34th Big Ten Title [Hawkeye Sports] University of Iowa seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) wrestled their way to conference titles Sunday afternoon at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, MI.
Kampman joins Aplington-Parkersburg teammate Meester with Jaguars [Mike Hlas] - Former Iowa Hawkeye Aaron Kampman, who has carved out an awfully nice NFL career for himself as a defensive end, has taken his talent to Jacksonville to be a Jaguar.
Four downs with the QBs [Marc Morehouse]
Safety Recruit Tanner Miller Could Make an Impact [The Hawkeye Recruiter] - The 6-foot-2, 200-pound basketball, track and football athlete out of Mid Prairie High School (Wellman, Iowa) was holding on to preferred walk-on offers from Iowa State and Nebraska, an 80-percent scholarship offer from Northern Iowa and full ride offers from South Dakota and South Dakota State.
