Iowa lost some big names last year:Josh Dwieza,Michael Kelly,Nick Moore,Mike Evans,and Bobby Telford are just a few.There are holes to fill.

While141,157,and165are still up for grabs,two Hawkeyes— Alex Meyer and Sam Stoll— have secured their spotsat174and285.

Meyer’s overall recordduring his freshman and sophomore years is an impressive36-9,but he has been relatively hidden under the radar of Evans during that time.The junior only wrestled in five dual meets,posting a5-1record,4-0in the Big Ten.

Now is the time for Meyer to step into the role that Evans— a three-time NCAA meetsixth-place finisher— left.

“Alex Meyer is a name that makes me smile,” head coach Tom Brands said. “He is everything from a work ethic point of view in everything that he does. He’s grown up tremendously since his first couple months here … He’s a leader in that room from a just put your head down and go to work example.”

His work ethic and leadership are not the only things that make Brands smile.

Meyer is durable.He does not complain.He is a tough guy with a tough-guy mentality— all things Brands looks for in an athlete and a leader.

Those few times that the native of Pleasant Hill did get into the lineup in the past have given Brands a reason to put faith in Meyer.

The wins were not by luck,the coach said;they were earned.

Five of Meyer’s18wins last season were pins,along with a technical fall and two major decisions.In the three tournaments he participated in,he took second,first,and third.

Although he had to work under Evans for half of his career,Meyer is not bitter about anything.Instead,he is more than ready to step into the spotlight.

“I’ve been anxious and ready, but it’s not overdue,” he said. “It’s the right timing and I’m ready to go — not that I wasn’t in the past, but I couldn’t do anything about it then so I just had to wait. Now there’s no more waiting, and it’s my time to go.”

Stoll, on the other hand, does not have much experience as he takes over for four-time national-championship qualifier Telford.

Working with Telford during Stoll’s redshirt season, though, helped Stoll in more ways than one.

Overall, he became more mature, and his transition from high school to college was eased. He has realized that college is a whole different level and things are not as easy as they used to be.

More specifically,his hand fighting and wrestling from top to bottom got better from working with Telford in practice.

When asked,Stoll could not pick out one specific area in which he hasenhanced the most,but he sees a general improvement in the way he wrestles.

“There is a big learning curve, especially at heavyweight,” Stoll said. “Working with Telford … I just think it overall helped my wrestling a lot.”

For now, the 174 and 285 spots are Meyer’s and Stoll’s,but the two know they cannot get complacent.Otherwise, they could end up in a situation much like some of the other weight classes,in which no one is sure of who will be wrestling the next day.

Two,three,even four Hawkeyes are fighting for their chance to squeeze into the lineup at141,157,and167.

“You want someone to emerge and be the world-beater,” Brands said. “We like world-beaters, and we have some ways to go before those guys prove that they’re world-beaters.