Matt McDonough has won the first 27 matches of his college career. Photo by Darren Miller, University of Iowa.
Matt McDonough won't dazzle you with silky-smooth technique.
He won't blow by you with blazing speed. Or overpower you with brute strength.
But watch McDonough over the course of a seven-minute wrestling match, and he will take your breath away.
Not to mention his opponent's.
Relentless, aggressive and in-your-face for all 420 seconds of a bout, McDonough is the breath of fresh air college wrestling has needed this season.
"I just go out there and wrestle as hard as I can," McDonough said. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"
A baby-faced, redshirt freshman who grew up just the road from Iowa City, McDonough has become one of the top wrestlers on a senior-laden Iowa team looking to capture its third straight NCAA team title.
He's 27-0 and ranked No. 4 in the country at 125 pounds for the top-ranked Hawkeyes. He's scored bonus points in 20 of 27 matches, collecting nine major decisions, three technical falls and eight pins.
"McDonough's surprised a lot people, but it doesn't surprise us at all with the success he's having," Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "He's come a long way, but he's worked very hard. He hustles his ass off."
McDonough has a chance to become just the second freshman in Iowa's rich and storied history to finish a season unbeaten. He hopes to join Joe Scarpello, who won an NCAA title for Iowa in 1947 after finishing his freshman season 12-0.
McDonough could become the first college freshman to finish a season unbeaten since Iowa State's Cael Sanderson completed the first of his four unbeaten seasons in 1999.
He's yet to face 2008 NCAA champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana or 2009 NCAA champion Troy Nickerson of Cornell, but McDonough has stamped himself as a legitimate national title contender at 125.
"I'm aware there are some tough guys I haven't faced yet," he said. "I know I will have to battle to get the prize, but it's something I'm ready for."
McDonough's scrappy, hard-charging style has been evident all season. He's fallen behind in all three matches with another stud freshman, Iowa State's Andrew Long. But McDonough rallied to win all three bouts against the fifth-ranked Long.
In their most recent match at the National Duals, McDonough gave up the opening takedown. He then appeared to be in serious danger when Long locked him in a near-side cradle in the second period. Long gained a three-point near fall, but McDonough eventually worked his way free. He escaped and then fired in for a takedown late in the period.
The score was deadlocked 7-7 in the third period when Long twice nearly slipped behind McDonough for a takedown. But McDonough somehow scrambled out of trouble and scooted behind Long for a takedown with a minute left in the match.
Long escaped in the closing seconds, but McDonough emerged with an exciting 9-8 win. He raised both arms in the air as the pro-Iowa crowd roared in approval.
"McDonough's the kind of kid who could be down by 14 points and still think he can come back and win," Brands said. "That's a pretty good philosophy."
You won't see any 2-1 or 3-2 decisions when the lanky, 5-foot-7 McDonough steps on the mat. His most recent match was a 13-2 dismantling of Minnesota's Zach Sanders, who placed sixth in the country last year.
"I'm always looking to put points on the board - no matter what the score is," McDonough said. "You don't want to give up points and fall behind obviously, but if you keep wrestling hard the score will take care of itself."
An excellent student, McDonough was a top recruit coming out of Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa. He won three state titles.
He excelled in USA Wrestling events, winning Cadet Nationals in freestyle in 2006 and placing third in Junior Nationals in 2008.
He grew up wearing a black-and-gold singlet and his father, Mike, wrestled for Iowa, but Matt McDonough almost ended up wearing purple in college.
McDonough took campus visits to Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin as a prep senior. He went to bed one night convinced he was headed to Northwestern, but woke up the next day and decided to become a Hawkeye.
"My dad was good friends and old teammates with the coach (Tim Cysewski) at Northwestern, and I really liked what they had to offer there," McDonough said. "It was a really tough decision for me, and I was very close to going to Northwestern. After I slept on it, I changed my mind. I didn't want to leave Iowa. I knew I could get a great education and wrestle for a great program there."
Brands said he was surprised by McDonough's sudden reversal.
"The feedback we were getting was he was leaning toward Northwestern, and it was a done deal in his head," Brands said. "You don't ever give up on a guy, but you get feelings. We thought he was going to Northwestern."
McDonough redshirted during the 2008-09 season at Iowa. He wrestled at 133 pounds and went 22-8 in open tournaments.
He made much of his gains while taking his share of poundings in the Iowa practice room at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"The coaches here challenge you to do things other people wouldn't do," McDonough said. "It's about grabbing the best guy in the room and truly believing you are going to beat him. My redshirt year, I learned a lot wrestling a guy like (All-American) Alex Tsirtsis. He was in his fifth year and had 10 pounds on me. Plus, I wrestled a lot with (NCAA runner-up) Joey Slaton, and (All-Americans) Daniel Dennis and Charlie Falck.
"You get thrown into the fire real quick against guys like that. You might get your butt kicked, but you learn real quickly where you need to build and improve."
He placed third in freestyle at the 2009 Junior World Team Trials at 60 kg/132 lbs.
The 19-year-old McDonough has kept his high level of success from this college season in proper perspective.
"You are not going to forget you are undefeated," he said. "I just go out there each match like my record is zero and zero. The other matches are in the past. I just need to stay focused on each match. I need to build leads and widen gaps and outwork the guy I'm wrestling."
The end result is an undefeated record and an entertaining style of wrestling.
"He does a great job creating action," Brands said. "He has the ability to score in all positions. He starts strong and he finishes strong."
Earlier this week, McDonough stopped by his coach's house for a home-cooked meal prepared by Tom Brands' wife, Jeni. He said he has developed a close bond with Tom Brands and his twin brother, top Hawkeye assistant coach Terry Brands.
"Those guys are amazing," McDonough said. "Tom and Terry Brands obviously know what it takes to build a champion. They've won NCAA titles, and World and Olympic titles. The advice they give me has been extremely helpful."
McDonough fits the hard-nosed mold of past Hawkeye champions.
"He's the total package," Tom Brands said. "He's very competitive. It starts with his work ethic. He walks into the room every day to get better. He embraces that, and he's gotten better because of the environment he's in. His effort and attitude, those are big reasons why he's been so successful.
Matt McDonough won't dazzle you with silky-smooth technique.
He won't blow by you with blazing speed. Or overpower you with brute strength.
But watch McDonough over the course of a seven-minute wrestling match, and he will take your breath away.
Not to mention his opponent's.
Relentless, aggressive and in-your-face for all 420 seconds of a bout, McDonough is the breath of fresh air college wrestling has needed this season.
"I just go out there and wrestle as hard as I can," McDonough said. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"
A baby-faced, redshirt freshman who grew up just the road from Iowa City, McDonough has become one of the top wrestlers on a senior-laden Iowa team looking to capture its third straight NCAA team title.
He's 27-0 and ranked No. 4 in the country at 125 pounds for the top-ranked Hawkeyes. He's scored bonus points in 20 of 27 matches, collecting nine major decisions, three technical falls and eight pins.
"McDonough's surprised a lot people, but it doesn't surprise us at all with the success he's having," Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "He's come a long way, but he's worked very hard. He hustles his ass off."
McDonough has a chance to become just the second freshman in Iowa's rich and storied history to finish a season unbeaten. He hopes to join Joe Scarpello, who won an NCAA title for Iowa in 1947 after finishing his freshman season 12-0.
McDonough could become the first college freshman to finish a season unbeaten since Iowa State's Cael Sanderson completed the first of his four unbeaten seasons in 1999.
He's yet to face 2008 NCAA champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana or 2009 NCAA champion Troy Nickerson of Cornell, but McDonough has stamped himself as a legitimate national title contender at 125.
"I'm aware there are some tough guys I haven't faced yet," he said. "I know I will have to battle to get the prize, but it's something I'm ready for."
McDonough's scrappy, hard-charging style has been evident all season. He's fallen behind in all three matches with another stud freshman, Iowa State's Andrew Long. But McDonough rallied to win all three bouts against the fifth-ranked Long.
In their most recent match at the National Duals, McDonough gave up the opening takedown. He then appeared to be in serious danger when Long locked him in a near-side cradle in the second period. Long gained a three-point near fall, but McDonough eventually worked his way free. He escaped and then fired in for a takedown late in the period.
The score was deadlocked 7-7 in the third period when Long twice nearly slipped behind McDonough for a takedown. But McDonough somehow scrambled out of trouble and scooted behind Long for a takedown with a minute left in the match.
Long escaped in the closing seconds, but McDonough emerged with an exciting 9-8 win. He raised both arms in the air as the pro-Iowa crowd roared in approval.
"McDonough's the kind of kid who could be down by 14 points and still think he can come back and win," Brands said. "That's a pretty good philosophy."
You won't see any 2-1 or 3-2 decisions when the lanky, 5-foot-7 McDonough steps on the mat. His most recent match was a 13-2 dismantling of Minnesota's Zach Sanders, who placed sixth in the country last year.
"I'm always looking to put points on the board - no matter what the score is," McDonough said. "You don't want to give up points and fall behind obviously, but if you keep wrestling hard the score will take care of itself."
An excellent student, McDonough was a top recruit coming out of Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa. He won three state titles.
He excelled in USA Wrestling events, winning Cadet Nationals in freestyle in 2006 and placing third in Junior Nationals in 2008.
He grew up wearing a black-and-gold singlet and his father, Mike, wrestled for Iowa, but Matt McDonough almost ended up wearing purple in college.
McDonough took campus visits to Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin as a prep senior. He went to bed one night convinced he was headed to Northwestern, but woke up the next day and decided to become a Hawkeye.
"My dad was good friends and old teammates with the coach (Tim Cysewski) at Northwestern, and I really liked what they had to offer there," McDonough said. "It was a really tough decision for me, and I was very close to going to Northwestern. After I slept on it, I changed my mind. I didn't want to leave Iowa. I knew I could get a great education and wrestle for a great program there."
Brands said he was surprised by McDonough's sudden reversal.
"The feedback we were getting was he was leaning toward Northwestern, and it was a done deal in his head," Brands said. "You don't ever give up on a guy, but you get feelings. We thought he was going to Northwestern."
McDonough redshirted during the 2008-09 season at Iowa. He wrestled at 133 pounds and went 22-8 in open tournaments.
He made much of his gains while taking his share of poundings in the Iowa practice room at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"The coaches here challenge you to do things other people wouldn't do," McDonough said. "It's about grabbing the best guy in the room and truly believing you are going to beat him. My redshirt year, I learned a lot wrestling a guy like (All-American) Alex Tsirtsis. He was in his fifth year and had 10 pounds on me. Plus, I wrestled a lot with (NCAA runner-up) Joey Slaton, and (All-Americans) Daniel Dennis and Charlie Falck.
"You get thrown into the fire real quick against guys like that. You might get your butt kicked, but you learn real quickly where you need to build and improve."
He placed third in freestyle at the 2009 Junior World Team Trials at 60 kg/132 lbs.
The 19-year-old McDonough has kept his high level of success from this college season in proper perspective.
"You are not going to forget you are undefeated," he said. "I just go out there each match like my record is zero and zero. The other matches are in the past. I just need to stay focused on each match. I need to build leads and widen gaps and outwork the guy I'm wrestling."
The end result is an undefeated record and an entertaining style of wrestling.
"He does a great job creating action," Brands said. "He has the ability to score in all positions. He starts strong and he finishes strong."
Earlier this week, McDonough stopped by his coach's house for a home-cooked meal prepared by Tom Brands' wife, Jeni. He said he has developed a close bond with Tom Brands and his twin brother, top Hawkeye assistant coach Terry Brands.
"Those guys are amazing," McDonough said. "Tom and Terry Brands obviously know what it takes to build a champion. They've won NCAA titles, and World and Olympic titles. The advice they give me has been extremely helpful."
McDonough fits the hard-nosed mold of past Hawkeye champions.
"He's the total package," Tom Brands said. "He's very competitive. It starts with his work ethic. He walks into the room every day to get better. He embraces that, and he's gotten better because of the environment he's in. His effort and attitude, those are big reasons why he's been so successful.
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