By Jordan Hansen
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For the second time this season, the Iowa wrestling team will meet No. 4 North Carolina State on the mat.
The Feb. 22 contest, part of the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals, will be the first dual meet between the two this season. The Wolfpack competed in the Midland Championships earlier this season, finishing fourth.
Five Hawkeye wrestlers faced North Carolina State opponents during the tournament, winning three matches and losing two.
“Their kid beat me at Midlands, so it’s time to step it up and narrow my focus down,” Iowa 157-pounder Edwin Cooper Jr. said. “We’re looking forward to seeing them.”
Cooper dropped a match to No. 4 Tommy Gantt, and Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll lost to No. 1 Nick Gwiadowski. Neither Wolfpack wrestler has lost a match this season.
In fact, Gwiadowski has won 81 matches in a row, including back-to-back national championships. A tall task, for sure, but also a huge opportunity that could give Stoll plenty of momentum heading into the rest of championship season.
Regardless of the results of the heavyweight bout, the entire dual promises to be exciting. The teams combine to have 11 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 of their weight classes and seven of them in the top five.
“We have to be ready to wrestle our matches,” head coach Tom Brands said. “You look at how the matchups look on paper, and we’re excited for all of them.”
Westward-home
Iowa returned on Sunday from a trip to face Montana State-Northern, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school.
The Hawkeyes won 51-0 against the Northern Lights, though the team was in Montana for more than just a meet. It was an opportunity for the Hawks to promote themselves and also gave the team some time to rest.
“We kind of got a chance to do what we wanted, and it was a good bonding experience,” Iowa 149-pounder Brandon Sorensen said. “Had a little down time, and it was just a really good time.”
Rankings updates
Iowa 184-pounder Sammy Brooks was the lone Hawkeye wrestler to make a move in the latest Intermat rankings.
Brooks is up two spots, from No. 12 to No. 10. Iowa now has seven wrestlers in its starting lineup ranked in the top 10.
Thomas Gilman (125) and Sorensen are again ranked No. 2 at their weights. Cory Clark (133) remains at No. 3, while 197-pounder Nathan Burak rounds out the Iowa wrestlers in the top-5 staying at No. 4.
Alex Meyer (174) stays at No. 10, while Stoll came in at No. 7. Cooper also remained in the rankings at No. 18.
North Carolina State is also the Hawkeyes’ final chance to improve their seeding in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. It’s a big deal — better seeds mean an easier path to the championship, and Iowa needs every point it can get in those events.
“It’s absolutely all about positioning yourself to win and to be dominant and successful toward the end of the season,” Cooper said. “This is just another step toward that account.”
Follow @JordyHansen for Iowa wrestling news, updates, and analysis.
