No.9 Iowa Beats Aggie Wrestlers 26-9; Bear Upends No.2 Bradley To Highight UC Davis
A record crowd of 5,150 sees storied Hawkeye program battle UC Davis; Aggies earn three wins
Jan. 9, 2005
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis won three of the final four matches against powerful Iowa on Sunday night – including an exciting 6-5 win by Brandon Bear against second-ranked Paul Bradley at 184 pounds – but the ninth-ranked Hawkeyes won the remaining seven on their way to a 26-9 nonconference wrestling win over host UC Davis before a record 5,150 fans at The Pavilion.
UC Davis dropped to 3-2 with the defeat while Iowa improved to 5-1. The Hawkeyes, who beat Fresno State 30-7 earlier on Sunday in Fresno before traveling north to Davis, are 5-1. Iowa is coached by Jim Zalesky, brother of Aggie coach Lennie Zalesky. The Hawkeyes featured six nationally ranked wrestlers in their lineup.
UC Davis trailed Iowa 22-0 before picking up exciting wins by Ronnie Silva at 174, Bear at 184 and Reed Shelger at 197 which closed the gap to 22-9. Bear had the biggest win of the three, scoring a takedown with 12 seconds left to upend Bradley, 6-5. Bradley entered the match the consensus No.2-ranked wrestler at 184 and lost for just the second time this season against overall 14 wins.
Bear trailed Bradley 4-2 after Bradley earned a pair of takedowns in the first period. The wrestlers exchanged escapes as Bradley took a 5-3 lead early in the third. However, Bear picked up a point when Bradley was penalized for stalling, then scored the stirring win when he grabbed a takedown with just 12 seconds remaining.
“That’s the biggest upset we’ve had at UC Davis, “Zalesky said. “To win like that was huge.”
Silva got the Aggies on the scoreboard after Iowa rolled to wins in the first six matches. Silva trailed 4-2 midway through the second period of his 174-pound match but tied it with a takedown at the end of the period. An escape to start the third, a takedown with 27 seconds left and a three-point near fall as the clock expired catapulted Silva to the win.
“(This win) is up there, “said Silva, who lept in the air following his win. “To beat an Iowa wrestler in front of our crowd was great. I couldn’t hold the feeling in.”
Shelger concluded UC Davis’ three straight wins with a 3-2 victory over Adam Fellers at 197, taking advantage of an escape and a takedown in the second period to score his three points. After Iowa won the first six bouts, Lennie Zalesky was happy to see his team rebound.
“Three wins against Iowa; that’s good, “said Zalesky.
UC Davis had a chance to get a win earlier as Derek Moore – along with Bear an NCAA qualifier for the Aggies last season – led Mario Galanakis 4-1 at 133 pounds entering the final period. However, Galanakis picked up an escape 14 seconds into the period and then got the winning points on a takedown with just 36 seconds left.
That victory gave the Hawkeyes a 7-0 lead after they opened the night with a 13-5 major decision win by Charlie Falck of Pancho Manriquez. Iowa earned its third straight win of the match when No.7 Alex Tsirtsis rolled to an 18-6 win over the Aggies’ Omar Gaitan at 141. Sixth-ranked Ty Eustice never trailed against Daniel Murphree at 149, winning 10-6, while No.8 Joe Johnston led just 6-2 over Cooper Fouch after two periods of their match at 157, but turned three late takedowns, a near fall and an escape into a 17-4 win.
The four straight wins to start the match gave Iowa an 18-0 lead, an advantage it stretched to 22-0 after No.4 Mark Perry won a 9-1 major decision over the Aggies’ Frank Richmond at 165. Following a brief intermission, UC Davis made its rally in the final five bouts.
The 5,150 fans are the most to ever see a UC Davis home wrestling match
UC Davis returns to action on Jan. 21 at Cal State Bakersfield.
IOWA 26, UC DAVIS 9
125 – Charlie Falck (I) major dec. Pancho Manriquez (UCD), 13-5
(Iowa 4-0)
133 – Mario Galanakis (I) dec. Derek Moore (UCD), 5-4
(Iowa 7-0)
141 – #7 Alex Tsirtsis (I) major dec. Omar Gaitan (UCD), 18-6
(Iowa 11-0)
149 – #6 Ty Eustice (I) dec. Daniel Murphree (UCD), 10-6
(Iowa 14-0)
157 – #8 Joe Johnston (I) major dec. Cooper Fouch (UCD), 17-4
(Iowa 18-0)
165 – #4 Mark Perry (I) major dec. Frank Richmond (UCD), 9-1
(Iowa 22-0)
174 – Ronnie Silva (UCD) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 11-4
(Iowa 22-3)
184 – Brandon Bear (UCD) dec. #2 Paul Bradley (I), 6-5
(Iowa 22-6)
197 – Reed Shelger (UCD) dec. Adam Fellers (I), 3-2
(Iowa 22-9)
285 – – #6 Matt Fields (UCD) major dec. Broc Maffia (UCD), 15-6 (Iowa 26-9)
Wrestling Gear
