The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Hawkeyes head West

Sammy+Brooks+scored+12-4+in+a+major+decision+against+Boilermaker+Tanner+Lynde.+The+Hawkeyes+are+ranked+%232+in+the+league.+%28Daily+Iowan%2FKarley+Finkel%29
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Sammy Brooks scored 12-4 in a major decision against Boilermaker Tanner Lynde. The Hawkeyes are ranked #2 in the league. (Daily Iowan/Karley Finkel)

By Courtney Baumann
[email protected]

The Iowa wrestling team is teetering between regular season and postseason.

With only one dual left of the regular season before National Duals, the Big Ten Championships, and the NCAA Championships, the Hawkeyes are gearing up for their favorite time of the year.

Iowa will make a trip to Montana State-Northern for the first time in school history. The only other time the two teams have wrestled each other was in 1996, when they met up in Great Falls, Montana.

Associate head coach Terry Brands was the connection to Montana State-Northern; he served as an assistant coach there from 2001-02.

“We look to get out and promote, and we haven’t been out West,” head coach Tom Brands said. “Terry coached [Northern coach] Tyson Thivierge at Montana State-Northern, and it just comes together.”

Hawkeyes who have never been to Montana, such as Brandon Sorensen and Sammy Brooks, see it is a great opportunity to travel and get ready for the postseason.

“It’s one more place we get to go and whup some tail,” Brooks said.

Sorensen said, “It should be fun,” and he “would go anywhere to wrestle.”

Changes in National Duals format

This year’s National Duals will take place at eight Big Ten schools on Feb. 22, Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Rutgers, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Indiana.

Seven teams outside the Big Ten — each the dual-season champion of seven conferences — will face off against one of the host teams, along with a wild card. The teams will be selected after the last regular-season matchups take place this weekend.

“I think the way to get the best-billed matchup would be to have a championship that pits the two best teams,” Brands said. “Is there a better way to do it? I think we’ll give this thing a chance and then evaluate.”

As Brands suggested, the new format does not allow for the Hawkeyes to see competition from fellow powerhouse Penn State until the Big Ten Championships.

“I think it kind of sucks that we can’t dual everybody. It’s not really a dual tournament, but if it works out, it works out,” Brooks said.

Rankings updates

Four Iowa wrestlers sit atop the Intermat rankings. Nathan Burak is No. 4 at 197 pounds, and Cory Clark is ranked No. 3 at 133. Both Thomas Gilman and Sorensen hold No. 2 spots in their weight classes of 125 and 149.

Two more wrestlers, Alex Meyer and Sam Stoll, are in the top 10 of their weights, Meyer at 10 and Stoll at 7.

Two more, making eight total, are in the top 20: Edwin Cooper Jr. (18) and Sammy Brooks (12).

The team remains ranked No. 2 in the most recent coaches’ poll, where it has been for just about the entire season. Penn State remains at the top spot.

Follow @cbomb12 on Twitter for Iowa wrestling news, analysis, and updates.

Note: An earlier version of this story said the National Duals will take place Feb. 21, but has been updated to say they will take place Feb. 22. The DI regrets the error.

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About the Contributor
@, Editor in Chief
Email: [email protected] Twitter: gagemisky Gage Miskimen is the current Editor in Chief at The Daily Iowan. He has worked at the DI all four years of his college career, starting out as a news reporter covering city council and Johnson County supervisors. He founded DI Films his sophomore year, bringing back the DI's video section with a documentary approach. During his junior year, he served as the creative director.