Thomas Gilman ready to make big impact for Iowa Hawkeyes
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Junior World bronze medalist Thomas Gilman is ranked No. 4 nationally and is off to an unbeaten start for Iowa at 125 pounds this season. Darren Miller photos.
IOWA CITY – Thomas Gilman is his own worst critic.
That’s why the Iowa Hawkeye sophomore continues to evolve and improve on the wrestling mat.
Gilman is off to an unbeaten start and is ranked No. 4 nationally at 125 pounds, but he was far from satisfied after his 6-1 win over Iowa State’s Kyle Larson on Saturday night.
Gilman’s victory was the first of eight Hawkeye wins in No. 1 Iowa’s 28-8 triumph over the No. 11 Cyclones before 11,882 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“We’re not doing our job,” Gilman said during intermission on Saturday night. “They’re trying to keep it close, and we have to put more pressure on their guys to open them up. We need to pick up the pace.”
Gilman enters this season firmly entrenched as Iowa’s starter at 125 after splitting time in the lineup with classmate Cory Clark during the 2013-14 season.
Gilman arrived in Iowa City with sparkling credentials. He was a four-time state champion for Omaha Skutt Catholic High School and captured USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior Nationals titles in freestyle. He also made a U.S. Cadet World Team.
He made the 2013 U.S. Junior World Team after a strong redshirt season for Iowa.
Gilman started last season as a backup at Iowa after losing to Clark in an early season tournament. Gilman then earned the starting spot at 125 after winning the Midlands Championships.
Gilman upset Jesse Delgado of Illinois en route to winning the Midlands title. Delgado went on to win his second NCAA title last season.
Gilman remained the starter before suffering a late-season upset loss to Minnesota’s Sam Brancale at home. Clark was put back into the lineup and ended up finishing fifth at the 2014 NCAA tournament.
Gilman, who finished 16-3 for the Hawkeyes last season, had to look on as a spectator as Clark competed in the postseason.
“I wouldn’t change anything about last year,” Gilman said prior to this season. “It was good for my development as a person and mentality-wise. But there’s definitely a little less pressure. I can focus on what I need to focus on.”
Iowa coach Tom Brands credited Gilman for how he handled the situation.
"You talk about a guy like Thomas Gilman, he beats the national champion, he was the Midlands champion, he wasn't even in the lineup last year when we made the call between him and Clark, but how he handled that will help him," Brands said. "There wasn't drama, there wasn't bitterness. Of course he was disappointed, but it wasn't an issue where the coaching staff was favoring Cory Clark over me and where I'm the victim here.
"I think he understood why, and then especially after some dialogue, and then especially after how he trained, you know he understood maybe why, whether he agreed with it or not. It made him better because of how he marched after that adversity."
Clark’s move up to 133 this season also means a better training situation for both of them. Clark was a USA Wrestling Junior Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
“Clark’s one of the best practice partners I have,” Gilman said. “He and I can go together without the underlying pressure. That’s off, but that said, last year was good for both of us.”
Gilman was asked during Iowa’s media day how he and Clark compare as a lightweight combination to past Hawkeye standouts Matt McDonough and Tony Ramos.
McDonough and Ramos combined for three NCAA titles and six All-American finishes for the Hawkeyes.
“I don’t think that’s a good comparison,” Gilman said. “Comparing me and Cory Clark to Tony Ramos and Matt McDonough, I think we’re better than those two. You know, I’m putting that out there and we’ll see what we can do.”
Even though he lost his starting spot last season at Iowa, Gilman came storming back to make his second straight U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle. He then earned a bronze medal for the U.S. at the Junior World Championships this past summer in Croatia.
“I obviously wanted a gold medal, and that’s what I went over there for,” Gilman said. “I expected to win, but I still brought home a bronze medal and it was a good experience for me. I got great training in that will help me during this college season at Iowa and when I wrestle freestyle after the season.”
Wrestling overseas on the World stage in a high-level international event for the third time offered plenty of benefits for Gilman.
“I learned a lot at Junior Worlds,” Gilman said. “I learned you can’t let things rattle you and you need to control what you can control. It was an awesome experience at Junior Worlds.
“I’ve developed a lot in the last year, not just in my wrestling but in my personal life and my spiritual life. My maturity has skyrocketed. I understand I have a huge support system. When I step on the mat, I have hundreds of people supporting me. I’m a different wrestler now and a different person now.”
Gilman’s performance at Junior Worlds impressed U.S. Assistant National Coach Brandon Slay, an Olympic gold medalist.
“Thomas kept his composure,” Slay said. “He showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight with the way he came back and with the way he wrestled. He represented his country well and had a real strong performance. He’s a tough competitor with a bright future ahead of him.”
The ultra-confident Gilman also delivered another message after winning a Junior World medal.
“The Senior-level guys better be ready,” he said. “We’ve got some good young guys coming up who are ready to battle them.”
For now, Gilman is focused on the battle on the college mats as perennial power Iowa seeks its first NCAA team title since 2010.
“We have a good team with a lot of depth,” Gilman said. “We have 10 guys that can be successful and 10 guys that can get on the podium at NCAAs. We’re going to be tough at all 10 weight classes. We have to go out there and be ready to fight and be ready to battle.”
Gilman continues to evolve and improve on the mat.
“The next time I step on the mat I’ll be a better wrestler than the time before,” he said. “I’m always building off every competition and every match. I have learned from my losses and I’ve gotten better from them. I study video, get input from the coaches, and then make adjustments and improvements. That’s what you have to do if you’re going to reach your goals.”
IOWA CITY – Thomas Gilman is his own worst critic.
That’s why the Iowa Hawkeye sophomore continues to evolve and improve on the wrestling mat.
Gilman is off to an unbeaten start and is ranked No. 4 nationally at 125 pounds, but he was far from satisfied after his 6-1 win over Iowa State’s Kyle Larson on Saturday night.
Gilman’s victory was the first of eight Hawkeye wins in No. 1 Iowa’s 28-8 triumph over the No. 11 Cyclones before 11,882 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“We’re not doing our job,” Gilman said during intermission on Saturday night. “They’re trying to keep it close, and we have to put more pressure on their guys to open them up. We need to pick up the pace.”
Gilman enters this season firmly entrenched as Iowa’s starter at 125 after splitting time in the lineup with classmate Cory Clark during the 2013-14 season.
Gilman arrived in Iowa City with sparkling credentials. He was a four-time state champion for Omaha Skutt Catholic High School and captured USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior Nationals titles in freestyle. He also made a U.S. Cadet World Team.
He made the 2013 U.S. Junior World Team after a strong redshirt season for Iowa.
Gilman started last season as a backup at Iowa after losing to Clark in an early season tournament. Gilman then earned the starting spot at 125 after winning the Midlands Championships.
Gilman upset Jesse Delgado of Illinois en route to winning the Midlands title. Delgado went on to win his second NCAA title last season.
Gilman remained the starter before suffering a late-season upset loss to Minnesota’s Sam Brancale at home. Clark was put back into the lineup and ended up finishing fifth at the 2014 NCAA tournament.
Gilman, who finished 16-3 for the Hawkeyes last season, had to look on as a spectator as Clark competed in the postseason.
“I wouldn’t change anything about last year,” Gilman said prior to this season. “It was good for my development as a person and mentality-wise. But there’s definitely a little less pressure. I can focus on what I need to focus on.”
Iowa coach Tom Brands credited Gilman for how he handled the situation.
"You talk about a guy like Thomas Gilman, he beats the national champion, he was the Midlands champion, he wasn't even in the lineup last year when we made the call between him and Clark, but how he handled that will help him," Brands said. "There wasn't drama, there wasn't bitterness. Of course he was disappointed, but it wasn't an issue where the coaching staff was favoring Cory Clark over me and where I'm the victim here.
"I think he understood why, and then especially after some dialogue, and then especially after how he trained, you know he understood maybe why, whether he agreed with it or not. It made him better because of how he marched after that adversity."
Clark’s move up to 133 this season also means a better training situation for both of them. Clark was a USA Wrestling Junior Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
“Clark’s one of the best practice partners I have,” Gilman said. “He and I can go together without the underlying pressure. That’s off, but that said, last year was good for both of us.”
Gilman was asked during Iowa’s media day how he and Clark compare as a lightweight combination to past Hawkeye standouts Matt McDonough and Tony Ramos.
McDonough and Ramos combined for three NCAA titles and six All-American finishes for the Hawkeyes.
“I don’t think that’s a good comparison,” Gilman said. “Comparing me and Cory Clark to Tony Ramos and Matt McDonough, I think we’re better than those two. You know, I’m putting that out there and we’ll see what we can do.”
Even though he lost his starting spot last season at Iowa, Gilman came storming back to make his second straight U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle. He then earned a bronze medal for the U.S. at the Junior World Championships this past summer in Croatia.
“I obviously wanted a gold medal, and that’s what I went over there for,” Gilman said. “I expected to win, but I still brought home a bronze medal and it was a good experience for me. I got great training in that will help me during this college season at Iowa and when I wrestle freestyle after the season.”
Wrestling overseas on the World stage in a high-level international event for the third time offered plenty of benefits for Gilman.
“I learned a lot at Junior Worlds,” Gilman said. “I learned you can’t let things rattle you and you need to control what you can control. It was an awesome experience at Junior Worlds.
“I’ve developed a lot in the last year, not just in my wrestling but in my personal life and my spiritual life. My maturity has skyrocketed. I understand I have a huge support system. When I step on the mat, I have hundreds of people supporting me. I’m a different wrestler now and a different person now.”
Gilman’s performance at Junior Worlds impressed U.S. Assistant National Coach Brandon Slay, an Olympic gold medalist.
“Thomas kept his composure,” Slay said. “He showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight with the way he came back and with the way he wrestled. He represented his country well and had a real strong performance. He’s a tough competitor with a bright future ahead of him.”
The ultra-confident Gilman also delivered another message after winning a Junior World medal.
“The Senior-level guys better be ready,” he said. “We’ve got some good young guys coming up who are ready to battle them.”
For now, Gilman is focused on the battle on the college mats as perennial power Iowa seeks its first NCAA team title since 2010.
“We have a good team with a lot of depth,” Gilman said. “We have 10 guys that can be successful and 10 guys that can get on the podium at NCAAs. We’re going to be tough at all 10 weight classes. We have to go out there and be ready to fight and be ready to battle.”
Gilman continues to evolve and improve on the mat.
“The next time I step on the mat I’ll be a better wrestler than the time before,” he said. “I’m always building off every competition and every match. I have learned from my losses and I’ve gotten better from them. I study video, get input from the coaches, and then make adjustments and improvements. That’s what you have to do if you’re going to reach your goals.”
