By Courtney Baumann
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With the Big Ten regular season coming to an end for the Iowa wrestling team on Friday, the Hawkeyes will make a shift to a postseason mindset.
Only Indiana and Montana State-Northern stand between Iowa and the Big Ten Championships, which lead to the ultimate goal of the NCAA Championships.
Burak bouncing back
Up until Jan. 29, Nathan Burak was undefeated. The senior had posted a 17-0 overall record while going 12-0 in dual meets. However, Minnesota’s Brett Pfarr ended the streak.
Head coach Tom Brands challenged a no-call at the very end of Burak’s match. He believed Burak earned a takedown, which would have put him ahead 7-6. The ref’s ruling was upheld, and the match ended as a 6-5 decision in Pfarr’s favor.
Although Burak was unhappy with the way his undefeated season ended, he has not strayed from his ultimate goal of being a Big Ten and national champion.
“There were six minutes and 45 seconds before the call that I should have been wrestling harder and doing some things differently,” he said.
He cited a quote: “The last 10 percent is what happens to you during the 90 percent and how you respond to it,” and he said he is keeping that in mind as he heads toward the postseason.
Seniors gear up for last Carver meet
Six seniors — Brody Grothus, Jake Kadel, Edwin Cooper Jr., Patrick Rhoads, Kris Klapprodt, and Burak — will be honored Friday on Senior Night, which is also the last regular-season Big Ten dual for the Hawkeyes.
Even though the experience will be bittersweet, Burak said he is excited and ready.
While the season is far from over, Senior Night has younger wrestlers, such as redshirt freshman Sam Stoll, thinking about how the veterans have helped them.
“They’re great examples,” he said. “Last year as a redshirt, it was a great example to see how hard they work in the room … They’re just good overall for the team.”
Hopes for a harder schedule next year
Iowa’s season started out with a challenge when Oklahoma State traveled to Iowa City for Grapple on the Gridiron, but after that, the Hawkeyes did not see a great number of teams that could keep up with them.
Iowa let opposing teams score in double digits in only four duals — Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Illinois, and Nebraska. All of Iowa’s duals, with the exception of the meet against the Cowboys, were won by 10 or more points and most by 20 or more.
This was accomplished without meets against Ohio State or Penn State, two matchups fans would love to see.
“Maybe we have to iron out having nine dual meets when there are 14 Big Ten schools,” Brands said. “That’s something that the coaches have to figure out in the postseason meeting.
“I’m not going to deny that the public hungers for an Iowa-Penn State matchup or an Iowa-Ohio State matchup, and those things should happen.”
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