No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Iowa clash at Grapple on the Gridiron on Saturday

2015 NCAA runner-up at 133 lbs. Cory Clark (Iowa). Photo: Tony Rotundo.

Never before have two college wrestling teams competed inside a NCAA Division I football stadium. This trend will change on Saturday morning.


The top-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys make the trek to Iowa City to face the fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in the Grapple on the Gridiron to open the 2015-16 college season.


The dual meet between college wrestling’s two most storied programs will be contested in the south end zone of 70,585 capacity Kinnick Stadium at 12 p.m. (ET) tomorrow prior to the Hawkeye football game against Minnesota.


“Our team is excited and we are excited no matter where we’ve got to go, what we’ve got to do to get the job done,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “This guy right here is excited because it’s now a date on the calendar that is upon us. It’s upon us.”


There are currently over 36,000 tickets sold for the Grapple on the Gridiron, more than double the current NCAA dual meet attendance record of 15,996 held by Penn State (vs. Pitt, 2013).


“It turns out it’s a pretty big event and it’s good for the fans and it’s good for wrestling, but the reason was because Penn State has the record and I think it’s important to our program and our fans,” said Brands.


With the largest crowd wrestling has ever seen in their corner, the hometown Hawkeyes appear poised to give preseason No. 1 a serious run.


Four All-Americans return for the Hawkeyes with the one-two punch of Thomas Gilman and Cory Clark anchoring the bottom two weights for Iowa.


Gilman was the fourth place finisher at last year’s NCAA Championships at 125 pounds while Clark finished as runner-up at 133 pounds. Both men are favorites over their Oklahoma State opponents tomorrow.


Additional All-Americans returning to the Hawkeye lineup are Brandon Sorensen at 149 pounds and Nathan Burak at 197 pounds.


Oklahoma State returns a NCAA leading five All-Americans to its lineup led by two-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer at 165 pounds.


Dieringer is riding a 49-match win streak coming into this season and has proven to be one of the most dominant college wrestlers the last two years. He compiled a 33-0 record last season with 28 of his wins coming by fall, technical fall or major decision.


Kyle Crutchmer is the highest ranked Cowboy next to Dieringer slotting in at No. 3 at 174 pounds. Crutchmer finished in fifth place at the NCAA Championships last year and is the highest returning All-American at the weight.


“To go up there and win is something we’re all excited for. We are going to have to work hard. They’re not just going to lay down for us and we’re not just going to lay down for them, so it’s going to be a battle,” said Crutchmer.

Two-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State). Photo: Tony Rotundo.

Oklahoma State 149-pounder Dean Heil is the third Cowboy that enters the season as the highest returning All-American in his weight class from one year ago. He finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championships in 2015.


Eddie Klimara and Austin Marsden round out the returning All-Americans for Oklahoma State. Klimara finished in seventh place at 125 pounds last year while Marsden finished in eighth place at 285 pounds two years ago at the NCAA Championships.


Six-time World and Olympic champion John Smith is looking forward to beginning his 25th year at the helm of the Oklahoma State program in grand fashion.


“I’ve never experienced anything like it. I have wrestled outdoors before but not in front of that kind of crowd, so I think it’s going to be an experience for every athlete involved and obviously the coaches,” said Smith.


With both squads still in the process of solidifying their lineups, the performance of newcomers on both sides will not only play a key role in the outcome of this dual, but also will factor in to who will get the nod for both teams moving forward this season.


“It’s a chance for a lot of our guys to solidify themselves nationally. So there’s a lot of national implications and certainly local implications in our wrestling room at three weights, four weights maybe,” said Brands.


Three weights in question for the Hawkeyes are 141 pounds, 157 pounds and 165 pounds. It is excepted that Logan Ryan, Edwin Cooper and Burke Paddock will slot into these respective weight classes on Saturday.


“I’ve never even competed in front of Carver, but it’s been a dream my whole life. I can’t imagine what the adrenaline is going to be like. It’s going to be amazing,” said Ryan.


For Oklahoma State the weight to watch is 157 pounds. Four-time Pennsylvania State champion Chance Marsteller is projected to get the nod, but the Cowboys have a plethora of options here including Junior National champion’s Ryan Blees and Joe Smith.


Two individual bouts stand out as the primary swing matches for the dual.


Cowboy Anthony Collica is making the transition down to 149 pounds after competing at 157 pounds last year. Collica will face Sorensen in a battle of top ten foes. The two wrestled at the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio this summer in freestyle with Collica coming out on top 5-3.


After being one of the nation’s top backups the past two years, Hawkeye Alex Meyer enters this season with high expectations. He will face Crutchmer at 174 pounds in the third college meeting between the two. The series is tied at one victory apiece with Meyer winning the last contested bout 4-3.


Should the match come down to heavyweight the advantage would appear to lie with Oklahoma State and its senior All-American Marsden. Although, Iowa freshman Sam Stoll has a proven track record that includes a bronze medal at the 2013 Junior World Championships in Greco-Roman.


Saturday will mark the 50th time the Cowboys and the Hawkeyes have done battle in a dual meet. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 27-20-2. Last year it was Iowa topping Oklahoma State by a decisive 30-7 margin.


The two programs have combined to win 57 NCAA Championships with Oklahoma State boasting 34 and Iowa claiming 23.


Wrestling outside in the middle of November in Iowa has brought about concerns of bad weather. The forecast expects sunshine and a temperature in the mid-50’s for the entirety of the dual meet.


Fans not in attendance can watch the Grapple on the Gridiron live at 12 p.m. (EST) on BTN2Go this Saturday. The Big Ten Network will replay the match on Sunday at 7 p.m. (EST).


BTN2Go requires a television subscription to the Big Ten Network. Contact your local cable or satellite provider for subscription details.


Those interested in purchasing tickets to the Grapple on the Gridiron can do so at hawkeyesports.com. General admission tickets to the event cost $10.

Grapple on the Gridiron: Oklahoma State vs. Iowa

At Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa

12 p.m. (ET)/11 p.m. (CT)


Projected Lineups

125 lbs. – No. 7 Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Thomas Gilman (Iowa)

133 lbs. – Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa)

141 lbs. – No. 5 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs. Logan Ryan (Iowa)

149 lbs. – No. 9 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)

157 lbs. – Chance Marsteller (Oklahoma State) vs. Edwin Cooper (Iowa)

165 lbs. – No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Burke Paddock (Iowa)

174 lbs. – No. 3 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 6 Alex Meyer (Iowa)

184 lbs. – No. 17 Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Sammy Brooks (Iowa)

197 lbs. – Austin Schafer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa)

285 lbs. – No. 4 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) vs. Sam Stoll (Iowa)