No. 1 Hawkeyes win Big Ten title; Palmer knocks off Metcalf
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Ohio State's Lance Palmer celebrates his win over Iowa's Brent Metcalf. Photo by Darren Miller.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes did the expected this weekend.
The Hawkeyes rolled to their third straight Big Ten tournament title and 34th overall.
Ohio State's Lance Palmer did the unexpected.
Palmer knocked off Iowa's best wrestler, 2008 Hodge Trophy winner and two-time Big Ten champion Brent Metcalf, in a stunning 9-3 finals win at 149 pounds.
Palmer's dramatic win, where he drove Metcalf to his back in a late-match scramble, was the biggest storyline on a wild Sunday afternoon at the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena
"I didn't feel like an underdog out there. I feel like I should beat him when we wrestle," said Palmer, who was 0-4 against Metcalf before Sunday. "I know he's going to wrestle hard for seven minutes and I've picked up my conditioning this year where I can stay with him.
"It feels good to beat him. It's not really about me and him. It's about winning a national title. That's the bigger picture I look at. It's cool to be a Big Ten champ, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't win a national title."
Iowa won the team title with 156.5 points and two champions. The Hawkeyes' point total was the most scored in a Big Ten tournament since Minnesota scored 174 points in 2002. Iowa's point total was its highest since it scored 185 points in 1995.
Even with all the points, the Hawkeyes struggled to a 2-4 mark in the finals.
"We're going to find out how tough we are," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. "We're going to find out if we are sucking our thumb or if we're getting tough. When you get knocked down you have to get up."
No. 5 Minnesota was a distant second with 119.5 points. Wisconsin was third with 109 points, followed by No. 4 Ohio State with 102.5 and Penn State with 91.
Metcalf scored the opening takedown of the finals match, but Palmer built more than one minute of riding time in the second period as he stayed within striking distance.
Metcalf was on top in the third period, and was called for locking hands as Palmer tried to spin free near the edge of the mat. Palmer then escaped to tie the match 3-3.
Metcalf shot in on a high-crotch attempt late in the match and nearly finished for a takedown. But the burly Palmer countered and won the scramble, catching Metcalf on his back for a two-point takedown with 20 seconds left. He held him on his back for the remainder of the match, earning a three-point near fall.
Palmer has wrestled a number of close matches against Metcalf, including a 3-1 loss in the team's dual last month in Iowa City. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
It was just the third loss of Metcalf's college career in 106 matches. It was his first setback since he was upset by North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell in the 2009 NCAA finals. Metcalf is 31-1 this season.
"I got the first takedown, and I felt like I had control of the match," said Metcalf, a two-time Big Ten champion. "I can't let him slow the pace of the match down. I need to keep attacking for the whole seven minutes."
Palmer was asked about silencing the Iowa fans who booed him after his semifinal win on Saturday.
"It felt good," Palmer said. "It will feel even better when I beat him in the finals in two weeks."
Iowa crowned champions in seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (285). The Hawkeyes qualified all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, set for March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb.
But Sunday's performance obviously was not what they were looking for heading into the most important weekend of the season.
"It's not like a train wreck or a ship that's sinking," Brands said. "It was one day of wrestling."
Erekson repeated as Big Ten champion with a 9-6 finals win over No. 1 seed Nathan Everhart of Indiana. Erekson took Everhart down and cradled him to his back to take charge early in the match.
Borschel continued his unbeaten season with a dominating 8-1 win over Minnesota's Scott Glasser in the finals.
A rough day for Iowa became even worse when returning NCAA third-place finisher Ryan Morningstar suffered a right knee injury in his third-place match Sunday at 165. The injury appeared to be serious as Morningstar had to be helped out of the main arena floor by Iowa trainers.
Morningstar later had a large black brace on his leg and was on crutches when Iowa received the trophy for winning the team title.
The Big Ten has secured at least 56 qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. An additional 46 overall at-large qualifiers, among all Division I teams, will be named March 10.
Indiana's Angel Escobedo (125) won third Big Ten title. Escobedo earned a 6-4 win over Iowa freshman phenom Matt McDonough in the finals. McDonough suffered his first college loss after winning his first 32 career matches for the Hawkeyes.
Escobedo, the 2008 NCAA champion, countered a late shot attempt by McDonough to put the match away. McDonough was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Minnesota's Jayson Ness (133) captured his second Big Ten title after downing Iowa's Daniel Dennis 9-3. Ness scored the first takedown and rode Dennis out in the first period to seize control.
Ness was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
Wisconsin sophomore Andrew Howe (165) repeated as Big Ten champion with a 4-2 win over Ohio State's Colt Sponseller in the finals. Howe placed second at the 2009 NCAA meet.
Gopher Mike Thorn won the title at 141, downing top seed Reece Humphrey of Ohio State 3-1 in the finals.
Top seed John Dergo of Illinois scored a late takedown to clinch a 5-3 finals win over Iowa's Phil Keddy at 184.
Penn State's Cyler Sanderson won a battle of high school teammates in the finals at 157. Sanderson downed Purdue's Colton Salazar 8-4 in the title bout. They were high school teammates at Wasatch in Utah.
Second seed Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin earned a 3-1 win over No. 5 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota in the 197 finals.
SUNDAY'S FINALS RESULTS
125 pounds
No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) dec. No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa), 6-4
133 Pounds
No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa), 9-3
141 Pounds
No. 2 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 3-1
149 Pounds
No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) dec. No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa), 9-3
157 Pounds
No. 2 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) dec. No. 1 Colton Salazar (Purdue), 8-4
165 Pounds
No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State), 4-2
174 Pounds
No. 1 Jay Borschel (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Scott Glasser (Minnesota), 8-1
184 Pounds
No. 1 John Dergo (Illinois) dec. No. 3 Phil Keddy (Iowa), 5-3
197 Pounds
No. 2 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) dec. No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 3-1
285 Pounds
No. 2 Dan Erekson (Iowa) dec. No. 1 Nathan Everhart (Indiana), 9-6
Video interview with Iowa's Tom Brands
Video interview with Minnesota's Jayson Ness
Video interview with Minnesota's Mike Thorn
Video interview with Ohio State's Lance Palmer
Video interview with Penn State's Cyler Sanderson
Video interview with Wisconsin's Andrew Howe
Video interview with Iowa's Jay Borschel
Video interview with Illinois' John Dergo
Video interview with Wisconsin's Trevor Brandvold
Video interview with Iowa's Dan Erekson
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes did the expected this weekend.
The Hawkeyes rolled to their third straight Big Ten tournament title and 34th overall.
Ohio State's Lance Palmer did the unexpected.
Palmer knocked off Iowa's best wrestler, 2008 Hodge Trophy winner and two-time Big Ten champion Brent Metcalf, in a stunning 9-3 finals win at 149 pounds.
Palmer's dramatic win, where he drove Metcalf to his back in a late-match scramble, was the biggest storyline on a wild Sunday afternoon at the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena
"I didn't feel like an underdog out there. I feel like I should beat him when we wrestle," said Palmer, who was 0-4 against Metcalf before Sunday. "I know he's going to wrestle hard for seven minutes and I've picked up my conditioning this year where I can stay with him.
"It feels good to beat him. It's not really about me and him. It's about winning a national title. That's the bigger picture I look at. It's cool to be a Big Ten champ, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't win a national title."
Iowa won the team title with 156.5 points and two champions. The Hawkeyes' point total was the most scored in a Big Ten tournament since Minnesota scored 174 points in 2002. Iowa's point total was its highest since it scored 185 points in 1995.
Even with all the points, the Hawkeyes struggled to a 2-4 mark in the finals.
"We're going to find out how tough we are," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. "We're going to find out if we are sucking our thumb or if we're getting tough. When you get knocked down you have to get up."
No. 5 Minnesota was a distant second with 119.5 points. Wisconsin was third with 109 points, followed by No. 4 Ohio State with 102.5 and Penn State with 91.
Metcalf scored the opening takedown of the finals match, but Palmer built more than one minute of riding time in the second period as he stayed within striking distance.
Metcalf was on top in the third period, and was called for locking hands as Palmer tried to spin free near the edge of the mat. Palmer then escaped to tie the match 3-3.
Metcalf shot in on a high-crotch attempt late in the match and nearly finished for a takedown. But the burly Palmer countered and won the scramble, catching Metcalf on his back for a two-point takedown with 20 seconds left. He held him on his back for the remainder of the match, earning a three-point near fall.
Palmer has wrestled a number of close matches against Metcalf, including a 3-1 loss in the team's dual last month in Iowa City. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
It was just the third loss of Metcalf's college career in 106 matches. It was his first setback since he was upset by North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell in the 2009 NCAA finals. Metcalf is 31-1 this season.
"I got the first takedown, and I felt like I had control of the match," said Metcalf, a two-time Big Ten champion. "I can't let him slow the pace of the match down. I need to keep attacking for the whole seven minutes."
Palmer was asked about silencing the Iowa fans who booed him after his semifinal win on Saturday.
"It felt good," Palmer said. "It will feel even better when I beat him in the finals in two weeks."
Iowa crowned champions in seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (285). The Hawkeyes qualified all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, set for March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb.
But Sunday's performance obviously was not what they were looking for heading into the most important weekend of the season.
"It's not like a train wreck or a ship that's sinking," Brands said. "It was one day of wrestling."
Erekson repeated as Big Ten champion with a 9-6 finals win over No. 1 seed Nathan Everhart of Indiana. Erekson took Everhart down and cradled him to his back to take charge early in the match.
Borschel continued his unbeaten season with a dominating 8-1 win over Minnesota's Scott Glasser in the finals.
A rough day for Iowa became even worse when returning NCAA third-place finisher Ryan Morningstar suffered a right knee injury in his third-place match Sunday at 165. The injury appeared to be serious as Morningstar had to be helped out of the main arena floor by Iowa trainers.
Morningstar later had a large black brace on his leg and was on crutches when Iowa received the trophy for winning the team title.
The Big Ten has secured at least 56 qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. An additional 46 overall at-large qualifiers, among all Division I teams, will be named March 10.
Indiana's Angel Escobedo (125) won third Big Ten title. Escobedo earned a 6-4 win over Iowa freshman phenom Matt McDonough in the finals. McDonough suffered his first college loss after winning his first 32 career matches for the Hawkeyes.
Escobedo, the 2008 NCAA champion, countered a late shot attempt by McDonough to put the match away. McDonough was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Minnesota's Jayson Ness (133) captured his second Big Ten title after downing Iowa's Daniel Dennis 9-3. Ness scored the first takedown and rode Dennis out in the first period to seize control.
Ness was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
Wisconsin sophomore Andrew Howe (165) repeated as Big Ten champion with a 4-2 win over Ohio State's Colt Sponseller in the finals. Howe placed second at the 2009 NCAA meet.
Gopher Mike Thorn won the title at 141, downing top seed Reece Humphrey of Ohio State 3-1 in the finals.
Top seed John Dergo of Illinois scored a late takedown to clinch a 5-3 finals win over Iowa's Phil Keddy at 184.
Penn State's Cyler Sanderson won a battle of high school teammates in the finals at 157. Sanderson downed Purdue's Colton Salazar 8-4 in the title bout. They were high school teammates at Wasatch in Utah.
Second seed Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin earned a 3-1 win over No. 5 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota in the 197 finals.
SUNDAY'S FINALS RESULTS
125 pounds
No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) dec. No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa), 6-4
133 Pounds
No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa), 9-3
141 Pounds
No. 2 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 3-1
149 Pounds
No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) dec. No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa), 9-3
157 Pounds
No. 2 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) dec. No. 1 Colton Salazar (Purdue), 8-4
165 Pounds
No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State), 4-2
174 Pounds
No. 1 Jay Borschel (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Scott Glasser (Minnesota), 8-1
184 Pounds
No. 1 John Dergo (Illinois) dec. No. 3 Phil Keddy (Iowa), 5-3
197 Pounds
No. 2 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) dec. No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 3-1
285 Pounds
No. 2 Dan Erekson (Iowa) dec. No. 1 Nathan Everhart (Indiana), 9-6
Video interview with Iowa's Tom Brands
Video interview with Minnesota's Jayson Ness
Video interview with Minnesota's Mike Thorn
Video interview with Ohio State's Lance Palmer
Video interview with Penn State's Cyler Sanderson
Video interview with Wisconsin's Andrew Howe
Video interview with Iowa's Jay Borschel
Video interview with Illinois' John Dergo
Video interview with Wisconsin's Trevor Brandvold
Video interview with Iowa's Dan Erekson
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