Iowa has several options heading into second season with Brands

BY MATT PFIFFNER
Publisher, The Predicament

One of the big differences in the University of Iowa wrestling room in the second year under Head Coach Tom Brands is the added competition and depth.

Last year, in Brands' first year back in Iowa City, there were few, if any, contested weight classes. The Hawkeyes can't boast 10 weights that are up for grabs this season, but they are getting closer to that goal.

"That makes it easy. That's what you want. I love it. The cream will come out," Brands said of deep weight classes. "What's hard is when you have one option and he's not coming around and you're getting voodoo dolls and dangling them and trying to do things at home behind closed doors that no one else knows about to try and get him to come around. That's hard. Easy is letting the best guy go out there and whip some tail.

"The difference between last year and this year is I don't worry about up and down the lineup."

One reason for the added depth are the wrestlers who came to Iowa with Brands from Virginia Tech. After sitting out last season, they are all ready to go this winter and several should make an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes.

"We have a lot of young guys who add depth. Young guys are pushing veterans. I'm not sure that's happened recently. Or even in the last five to seven years," Brands said. "We have a lot of depth with the Virginia Tech transfers. They can help us a lot.

"We have a clean slate right now. They're all eligible. They all add depth, at the very least. (Brent) Metcalf leads the group because of the media blitz. But that doesn't mean that these other guys aren't right there with him. We count on that mentality. We count on those expectations."

Metcalf was undefeated in his Michigan high school career and is slated to be the 149-pounder this season. Daniel LeClere, a four-time State champion from North Linn, is expected to be the man at 141 for Iowa if Alex Tsirtsis redshirts. Joey Slaton, a four-time State finalist from Cedar Rapids Kennedy, is battling for the spot at 133. And Jay Borschel, a four-time State champ from Linn-Mar, could be in the lineup at 174.

"I'm really excited. I just want to get going because it's been a while since I wrestled a real match with a prize at the end of the road like a National Championship," Borschel said. "We have a lot of depth and competition in the room. We beat on each other every day."

Metcalf may be the most talked-about wrestler at Iowa before stepping onto the mat since Steve Mocco. He has just as big expectations as the fans.

"Sitting back and having to watch was tough. It's been building up in me," Metcalf said. "My expectation for myself is to win in a dominating fashion. Every time, every match. Win a National title and a team National title."

With only three seniors on the team - Tsirtsis, returning 165-pound NCAA champion Mark Perry and heavyweight Matt Fields - the Hawkeyes appear ready to contend for titles for years to come.

"We are better and we're going to be better for a long time. It's not just a quick fix-type thing. It's feeling good about the direction and the future of the program," Brands said. "We need to be competing for titles across the weight class spectrum. Then we'll be competing for a title as a team."

Perry, who upset two-time NCAA champ Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State for the crown last March, said the attitude and competition in the room is better than in his previous four seasons at Iowa.

"There's not a comparison. Just the level of competition in the room. I can't think of another room that would be higher in depth that we have. Every day you can find someone who is going to push you hard in the practice room," he said. "And I think that's why we have so many guys believing that they're going to win Nationals, because we have great workout partners to work out with day in and day out.

"This is the first team that I've been on at the University of Iowa that has nine, 10, 11, 12 guys who honestly believe they're going to win a National Championship this year."

Brands said Perry's title run last season was a big shot in the arm to the program.

"The whole idea of the program is individual championships and having fun doing it. That's what it's all about," he said. "Perry's brought a lot of credibility to what's going on here, because he bought in. And that's important."

One Hawkeye who expects to benefit from the increased intensity and competition in the practice room is sophomore Ryan Morningstar, a three-time State champ from Lisbon. Morningstar had an up and down season at 157 last year. He defeated the number one ranked wrestler in the nation during the season, but failed to earn All-American honors at the NCAA's.

"I didn't have my top performance all the time and that's what it's going to take to compete at this level. You can't have those up and down performances," he said. "And it's not just up and down on the mat. It's up and down in practice. You can't have that if you want to be the best. You have to keep improving all the time. Hold yourself to a high enough standard where even if you do have a down day, it's still a good day. It wasn't like that last year and we did a lot to change that in the offseason.

"It's being ready to go all the time. You walk in the doors at Carver Hawkeye Arena you know you're going to go through some hard work. Embrace it and know why you're putting in the hard work and that it's all going to pay off."

Morningstar said the Hawkeyes expect big things this season.

"We have the toughness and we definitely have the talent. That's a good combination to have," he said.

As is the case every year, the Hawkeyes are preparing for one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In addition to the always-tough Big 10 matche, Midlands Championships and National Duals, the Hawkeyes also have early-season battles with in-state rivals Iowa State and Northern Iowa and will take on powerhouse Oklahoma State in a non-conference dual after Christmas.

Brands said the Hawkeyes are ready to take on all-comers, no matter where they come from.

"The challenge is the same every year. The battle is in-state. The battle is the Big 10 Conference. The battle is national. The battle is planet Earth. And if they find life out there, then the battle will be universal," he said.