O-GLORY DAZE
Without title, fourth-place Iowa looks for answers
By Andy Hamilton
Iowa City Press-Citizen
They weren’t making excuses Sunday. The Iowa wrestlers really didn’t have any.
They couldn’t say they were too young as they watched three freshmen win individual Big Ten titles.
They couldn’t say they weren’t prepared after claiming their previous two weeks of training were exceptional.
All the Hawkeyes could do was reflect on two days that went awry and wonder what left Iowa with its worst Big Ten meet performance in 38 years and without an individual champion for the first time since 1969.
“We couldn’t have had a worse weekend, “said freshman Mark Perry Jr., who lost in Iowa’s only title bout inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes finished fourth with 94,½ points, 35,½ behind tournament champion Illinois.
“We got what we deserved, “Iowa coach Jim Zalesky said. “We didn’t wrestle well enough to score more points.”
And now the Hawkeyes are left with one more tournament to smooth out some of the bumps in a season filled with potholes. Iowa qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA tournament, which begins March 17 in St. Louis.
“We’ve got a bigger tournament in two weeks, “Zalesky said. “That’s the one you’ve really got to be ready for. … We’ve got to wrestle better than what we did here.”
Iowa put itself in rugged postseason terrain by coming up on the wrong end of a series of individual losses during January and February. The problem persisted throughout the weekend.
The Hawkeyes finished the tournament with 22 victories in 40 matches, losing nine matches decided by a takedown or less.
The theme continued Sunday. Perry dropped a 6-5 decision to Michigan’s Ryan Churella in the 165-pound final, scoring the tying takedown eight seconds too late to erase a riding-time point.
Perry said he thought there was more time left in the match when he scrambled for a takedown with 11 seconds remaining.
“He was pushing, he was on the attack and he made it close, and I had to scramble as much as I could through all those positions, “said Churella, who won a 7-5 decision in their previous meeting this season. “I knew I had riding time, but I didn’t know how much time was left, so I just tried to scramble as long as I could (before) I gave up the takedown.”
It wasn’t the end that upset Perry the most. He fell behind 4-0 midway through the second period, giving up a takedown and a reversal before scoring two takedowns in the third period.
“I was kind of in a lackadaisical daze those first two periods, “Perry said. “I just don’t think I should lose to him, and I’ve lost to him twice now. I don’t know how he beats me.
“I started off OK and then slipped into his game. When I started wrestling, I was taking him down pretty easily. I should’ve been doing it from the beginning.”
The rest of the Hawkeyes were left analyzing what went wrong in their losses.
“Our coaching staff is doing a good job of helping guys along with things they’re having trouble with, but obviously there were some things that didn’t get worked on enough, “said Joe Johnston, who placed third at 157. “But it’s got to be the athletes’ effort. I know I haven’t put in all the effort I could to do some of the things I do wrong.”
Ty Eustice placed third at 149, and Paul Bradley finished fourth at 184. Mario Galanakis (133), Alex Tsirtsis (141) and heavyweight Matt Fields each finished fifth.
“No one’s head and shoulders above any of our guys, that’s for sure, “Eustice said.
But with Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan towering above Iowa in the final team standings, the Hawkeyes were searching for answers. Eustice said the solutions have to come from within.
“Once the regular season got over, you’ve got to look inward and worry about yourself, “he said. “When I’m out wrestling, nobody came and helped me in the semifinals. Jim Zalesky couldn’t come and do the right technique on the guy to take him down.
“It’s not up to the coaches and your teammates, you’ve got to do it yourself. You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror when things don’t go right. and hopefully everyone does that.”
Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or [email protected]
Wrestling Gear
