Iowa wrestlers hope to break NCAA attendance mark
By DAN McCOOL
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Tim Hartung is trying to put the Iowa wrestling program on top of the record book once again.
The Hawkeyes have designated their Jan. 7 meet against defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State as an attempt to break the NCAA record for dual meet attendance. To break the record, Iowa would have to overflow its listed capacity of 15,500 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
All tickets are $10, with no group rates, Hartung said.
There is no better date on Iowa’s schedule to try to break the record than the meet with Oklahoma State, which has won an unparalleled 33 NCAA wrestling championships.
Hartung, an assistant at Iowa, said the key is bringing new faces into the arena.
“It’s getting people that normally don’t come to wrestling to experience one of wrestling’s biggest rivalries and one of its most exciting dual meets, “Hartung said. “In Minneapolis, our focus really was to get the new fan involved. We had to go after people who hadn’t been to a college dual before, or if they had but are not regulars, re-introduce them to an atmosphere they are not used to getting involved in.
“You’re going to see (Oklahoma State’s) program, but you’re also going to see Iowa’s program trying to get back on top. Hopefully we’re going to be undefeated still, and they’re probably going to be undefeated, so it’s going to be two of the top three or four teams in the country.”
Hartung has experience in breaking a record.
Hartung was in charge of marketing and promotions for the University of Minnesota’s wrestling program when the current record of 15,646 was set. That was Feb. 1, 2002, when then-No. 1 Minnesota beat then-No. 2 Iowa, 22-15, in the “Border Brawl “meet at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Prior to that meet, the NCAA record was 15,291 for the Iowa-Iowa State meet, Feb. 22, 1992, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Hartung said there might not be the same level of flash and dash such as fireworks and concert-like lighting that the Minnesota meets had, but an elevated stage for the mat is being considered. Hartung said the crowd could require seats to be set up on the arena floor, which would require the elevated stage. Hartung said he wants to get as many of the state’s high school teams to attend.
The Iowa-Oklahoma State meet is scheduled to be televised live by Iowa Public Television. Hartung said Iowa coach Jim Zalesky is trying to have the meet televised on a tape-delay basis that night.
“You try to push the whole being part of an historic event, “Hartung said. “Hopefully it’s not a live event on TV, because that’s going to make it even harder.”
New venture: Jeff Harrison said something was missing when he read about wrestling matches on Internet sites: there was no video to show the wild scramble or the great throw that fans were chatting about.
Harrison, a three-time state champion at Westwood of Sloan and a two-time NCAA qualifier at Northern Iowa, hopes to change that.
Harrison and partner J.D. Oliva , who wrestled collegiately at Northern Illinois, are starting an Internet site that will show those moves. The cost? Free. Oliva said they hope to have the first show on illinoismatmen.com this week – perhaps by Friday – and then move to their site – www.thewrestlingrecap.com – with plans for an ESPN-like, quick-hit show every Thursday.
Oliva is well-versed in the video business. He wrote and directed the recent independent wrestling movie “Seven Minutes.”
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