Iowa grapplers add 4 recruits
By Andy Hamilton
Iowa City Press-Citizen
A consequence of having his entire starting lineup returning next season, Jim Zalesky didn’t have a lot to offer prospective recruits this spring in terms of scholarship money.
Instead, the Iowa wrestling program offered its trademark style, training partners and tradition to land four recruits.
The Hawkeyes signed Junior College national champion Eric Luedke, Utah state champion Phil Keddy, Idaho champ Dan Erekson and Senior National place-winner Rick Loera to a class that already included Iowa standouts Ryan Morningstar and Chad Beatty.
“We got quite a bit accomplished, “Zalesky said. “One thing, we’ve got some guys coming in who will add good attitude and depth to our room.”
Depth was an area Zalesky wanted to address. His primary target was adding strength to Iowa’s upper-weights. That mission was accomplished with the latest Hawkeye signings.
“We know we’re thin (at the upper-weights), “Zalesky said. “We really didn’t have a lot of options last year. (All-American 184-pounder Paul) Bradley and (197-pounder Adam) Fellers are going to be seniors next year. Our main target was 174 through 197. We wanted to get some other guys, too, but those were the main weights we were looking at.
“The one thing we wanted to develop was to have a lot of options. Last year, we didn’t have many options and we had to wrestle a lot of young guys. (Next) year, we’ve got some options.”
“¢ ERIC LUEDKE: Luedke, a 165-pounder, won a pair of Junior College titles in his hometown for Colby (Kan.) Community College.
“I could’ve went Division I (out of high school), but not where I wanted to go, and I didn’t have the scholarship I wanted, “Luedke said. “The (top) goal I’m trying to achieve is to become a Division I national champion, so I decided I’d go to junior college and go on and try to accomplish my goal.”
He picked the Hawkeyes over Virginia Tech, Nebraska and American University.
“(Iowa assistant) Troy (Steiner) was watching Junior College nationals and liked the way he wrestled, “Zalesky said. “It’s nothing fancy, but he wrestles the whole match. He’s a hard-nosed kid.”
Luedke said workout partners played a key part in his decision to sign with Iowa. He’ll join a room where NCAA finalists Joe Johnston (157) and Mark Perry Jr. (165) will likely be frequent sparring partners.
“I’m hoping they’ll bring me up to their level right away, “Luedke said.
The addition of Luedke could solidify Iowa’s decision to move Perry up to 174 next season. The Hawkeyes also have Cole Pape, a 2004 NCAA qualifier at 165, coming back next season.
“¢ PHIL KEDDY: Keddy, a two-time state champion at Uintah High School in Vernal, Utah, comes from the same high school program that produced two-time NCAA finalist Ryan Lewis of Minnesota.
Keddy went 45-1 as a senior and compiled a 138-25 career record. Projected to wrestle at 174 or 184 in college, he picked Iowa over Oklahoma, Minnesota and Nebraska.
“(The Hawkeyes are) hard-nosed and aggressive and I think that fits with my style better than the other schools, “Keddy said.
Prior to his senior season, Keddy was not listed among the top 340 recruits in the country by InterMat. But college coaches picked up their interest after he won the prestigious Ironman tournament in Ohio and then reached the finals of the Senior Nationals by thumping four-time Iowa state champion and Virginia Tech recruit Jay Borschel 9-4.
“I like the way he wrestles, “Zalesky said. “He’s pretty tough. He’s explosive. We watched him on tape last year and then watched him this year at Senior Nationals and he’s got a lot of pop to him.”
Keddy said he may have earned some points with Iowa fans with his performance against the Linn-Mar senior, a match in which the future Hawkeye scored four takedowns.
“When I went on my visit, they knew that I (beat Borschel) and they seemed to be happy I did since he’s going somewhere else, “Keddy said.
“¢ RICK LOERA: Loera was drawn by Iowa’s tradition. His father, George, joined the Hawkeyes as a walk on and was a reserve in 1975 when Iowa won its first of 20 NCAA titles.
“It’s a dream come true, to tell you the truth, “Rick Loera said. “Ever since I started wrestling I wanted to be a Hawkeye. I’m really excited about the opportunity.”
Loera went 40-4 as a senior at Maine South High School in suburban Chicago. He entered the Illinois state meet ranked second, but lost to the top-ranked 171-pounder in the quarterfinals and didn’t place.
His list of accomplishments includes a sixth-place finish at Senior Nationals this spring and a fourth-place finish at Fila Cadet Nationals last year.
“I always seem to do better at national tournaments than I ever have at state, “he said.
Loera picked Iowa over Northern Illinois.
“We like the way he wrestles, “Zalesky said. “We’re trying to get some guys who are real aggressive on the mat. They don’t have to be the best wrestlers yet, but they (need to) have that hard-nosed type of wrestling.”
“¢ DAN EREKSON: Erekson, a projected 197-pounder, was dominant during his senior season at Eagle High School. The closest match during his 39-0 season was an 11-2 major decision. During the Idaho state tournament, he pinned his first two opponents in a collective 32 seconds, won by an 18-2 technical fall in the semifinals and won by fall in the finals.
Erekson said he also considered West Virginia, Boise State, Minnesota and Cal-Poly.
“It just seems like (Iowa was) a lot more intense and focused on winning a championship, “Erekson said. “They strive to do that and I was really impressed by that. It just seems like they can make me a lot better, too.”
Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or [email protected]
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