Iowa's Great Success This Year

Iowa has really had a great season of wrestling. Brent Metcalf at 159 pounds and Mark Perry at 165 pounds each won their weight class. Those two pushed the team to a 38.5 victory margin. This championship is their first as a team in eight years. Brent Metcalf says, “the program is building, and its working toward dominance,” speaking of the current Iowa team. Metcalf will be a junior next year and will play an important role in their success. Metcalf beat Bubba Jenkins of Penn State for the championship at a score of 14-8. He trailed early, but came back for the win.

NCAA Tournament Individual Results

The Big Ten also did very well in the individual championships.

125: #1 Angel Escobedo, Indiana – W, 8-3 dec.
#2 Jayson Ness, Minnesota
133: #3 Coleman Scott, Oklahoma State – WBF (0:49)
#4 Joey Slaton, Iowa
141: #6 J Jaggers, Ohio State – W, 5-2 dec.
#1 Chad Mendes, Cal Poly
149: #1 Brent Metcalf, Iowa – W, 14-8 dec.
#6 Bubba Jenkins, Penn State
157: #8 Jordan Leen, Cornell – W, 5-4 dec.
#2 Mike Poeta, Illinois
165: #2 Mark Perry, Iowa – W, 5-2 dec.
#1 Eric Tannenbaum, Michigan
174: #1 Keith Gavin, Pittsburgh – W, 4-2
#2 Steve Luke, Michigan
184: #2 Mike Pucillo, Ohio State – W, 3-3 dec. (tb; rt)
#1 Jake Varner, Iowa State
197: #2 Phil Davis, Penn State – W, 7-2 dec.
#4 Wynn Michalak, Central Michigan
HWT:#1 Dustin Fox, Northwestern – W, 4-2 (sv) dec.
#2 J.D. Bergman, Ohio State

Seven of the ten champions were Big Ten wrestlers. Northwestern, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana all had champion wreslters. Any match that didn't have a Big Ten wrestler winning, had one losing. Every championship match was represented by either a winner, loser, or both from the Big Ten. That is awesome.

NCAA Tournament team results

The NCAA championship was held in St. Louis on March 20, 21, 22. The final team results are as follows:
NCAA TEAM STANDINGS - TOP 10 TEAMS
Place Team Points Finalists
1. Iowa 109.5 3
2. Nebraska 74 0
3. Iowa State 72 1
4. Ohio State 71 3
Penn State 71 2
6. Central Michigan 69 1
Michigan 69 2
8. Oklahoma State 66 1
9. Cornell 63 1
10. Minnesota 61.5 1

As you can clearly see, Iowa went on to win the NCAA championship right after their Big Ten victory. You can also notice how many Big Ten teams are up there; Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Minnesota. That’s the top half of the Big Ten.

Responce to the New Weight Method

I thought the test was very effective. They found a faster, more accurate and, more comfortable method for weighing and determining wrestler's lowest wrestling weight. The tests they ran on the college wrestlers were done right and were very effective. The NCAA should start using it some time soon. A more accurate method ensures the safety of the wrestlers. Dropping below a certain percent body fat is not safe, and can have negative effects on the body. Keeping people safe and making their lives easier; thats just a good test.

Results of the Big Ten Tournament

The Big Ten tournament was held on March 8 and 9 in Minnesota. Iowa wins by a landslide with a final team score of 127. The Minnesota Gophers wound up in second with a score of 112.5. Michigan claimed the third spot with 97.5 team points. Illinois ended with 94, good enough for fourth. The Buckeyes 92.5 points earned them fifth place. Wisconsin scored 85.5 and ended in sixth. The Nittany Lions took seventh with 84.5. Indiana scored 80 points for an eighth place finish. Northwestern finished with 80 points as well for a ninth place finish. Purdue scored 51.5 points putting them ahead of only the Spartans, who rounded out the scoring with 34.
The championship matches went as follows.

125 - #3 Angel Escobedo (IND) defeated #1 Jayson Ness (MINN), 4-2
The first round went scoreless. Escobedo scored two points for a reversal in the second. Ness scored a reversal in the third period to tie it. Escobedo got an escape and the riding time point to win the match

133 - #3 Franklin Gomez (MSU) defeated #1 James Kennedy (ILL), 3-1
In the first, Gomez scored two points for a takedown, and had an escape in the second. Kennedy’s only point came from an escape in the third period.

141 - #1 Kellen Russell (MICH) defeated #6 Manuel Rivera (MINN), 3-2
Russel scored a takedown and Rivera escaped in the first round. Russel got an escape in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Rivera’s efforts in the final round came up short with just an escape.

149 - #1 Brent Metcalf (IOWA) defeated #2 Dustin Schlatter (MINN), 5-3
The first round favored Schlatter with a takedown while Metcalf only had an escape. Metcalf tied it up with another escape in the second. Schlatter got an escape early in the third to take the lead, but Metcalf retaliated with a takedown and got a stalling point to pull out the win.

157 - #1 Michael Poeta (ILL) defeated #2 Dan Vallimont (PSU), 8-2
The first period went scoreless. Poeta scored three in the second with an escape and a takedown. The third period was filled with scoring. Poeta had two takedowns and earned the riding point. Vallimont escaped twice for two points.

165 - #2 Eric Tannenbaum (MICH) defeated #1 Mark Perry (IOWA), 3-2
Tennenbaum scored a takedown, but was penalized for locked hands shortly after putting the score at 2-1. A Perry escape tied it up for the second. The second and third periods went scoreless, and Tennenbaum won with riding time.

174 - #1 Steve Luke (MICH) defeated #3 Gabriel Dretsch (MINN), 5-3
Luke scored two takedowns and Dretsch escaped twice in the first. Dretsch scored one escape in the second. In the third, Luke escaped and earned the riding time.

184 - #1 Mike Pucillo (OSU) defeated #2 Tyrel Todd (MICH), 4-3
The first period went scoreless. Pucillo scored an escape followed by a Todd takedown in the second. Todd followed up with an escape in the third, but lost a violation point. Pucillo scored a takedown to finish out the match.
197 - #2 Phil Davis (PSU) defeated #1 Mike Tamillow (NU), 3-2
The first went scoreless. Davis scored an escape and a takedown in the second. Tamillow earned an escape in the second. Tamillow escaped in the third and David ended with riding time.
Hwt - #2 Dustin Fox (NU) defeated #1 J.D. Bergman (OSU), 2-0
The first period went scoreless. Fox scored an escape in the second. No scoring in the third, and Fox earned the riding time point.

New Method for Weight Management

Unhealthy weight loss leads to unsafe participation in matches. A minimum wrestling weight is determined at the beginning of the wrestling season by body weight, body composition, and specific gravity of urine. The weight is determined by finding the wrestler’s mass without any fat plus five percent for fat. Five percent body fat is the lowest healthy percent, so when cutting weight for a match, the wrestler will not be able to go below five percent and still wrestle. Currently, the NCAA uses hydrostatic weighing together with skin folds for determining the lowest wrestling weight. These methods are not always very accurate. New methods have been developed such as air displacement plethysmography. Air displacement plethysmography is a densitometric method that relies on measurement of mass and volume to calculate body density. Densitometry is the measurement of density by measuring the time a projected wave takes to go out and return to a sensor. Advantages of air displacement plethysmography are it requires less technical expertise, it is more efficient and comfortable than hydrostatic weighing. Testing showed that air displacement plethysmography had very similar results to hydrostatic weighing, but some major variations cause questions. The study evaluated the accuracy of air displacement plethysmography for measuring body density compared to the current method. The study included 66 division 1 collegiate wrestlers, some from each weight class. In a hydrated and dehydrated state, air displacement plethysmography and current tests were similar.



Utter, Alan C., Fredric L. Goss, and Pamela D. Swan. "Evaluation of Air Displacement for Assessing Body Composition of Collegiate Wrestlers." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 35.3 (2003): 500-5.

Brent Metcalf

Today, I’ll let you inside the headgear of the number one ranked wrestler in the nation at 149 pounds; Brent Metcalf, a sophomore at Iowa.

Brent was born on July 14, 1986 in Davison Michigan to Tom and Lynn Metcalf. Davison is a small town of about 5,000 people in eastern Michigan. He attended the public high school of 1,500 students. Brent had a successful wrestling career with the Davison Cardinals. He went 228-0 during his four years. He won four individual state championships and led his teammates to four team state championships. To go four straight years without losing is simply amazing. It takes total commitment and determination which includes endless hours of practice and working out to accomplish such a feat.

He picked up wrestling around the age of eight. He didn’t start because his dad made him, or because he loved Hulk Hogan. He started wrestling because he found a paper at his school with the mascot wearing a singlet (the spandex uniforms they wear during a match) and thought it was cool. His involvement got the whole family interested. His father started attending his matches and his older brother dropped basketball and picked up the intense sport. His whole family was hooked.

He and his brother loved wrestling because it took their fighting around the house, and made it into a real competition. His brother is one of the reasons that he is so successful today. He would always push Brent to the edge. He would make him stay after practice to work out and help him improve his technique. They had a very strong connection that really helped him become the best wrestler he could become. Since then, his brother passed away, and Brent seems to honor him through his great wrestling career and hard working attitude.

Before his high school career began, Brent would go and watch his brother, so he fell right into the groove once he entered high school. His high school coach, Roy Hall, influenced his career greatly. Roy Hall instilled in Brent the mindset that has made him the successful collegiate wrestler that he is today. Brent says that he goes into every match expecting to win. This mindset has done Brent well in the collegiate level as well. He is currently a sophomore and is ranked number one in the nation with a record of 30-1.

Check out this website if you want to see some interviews with him. FloWrestling