The University of Iowa won the team title Friday night at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships before a single finals match had been wrestled.
It was the 23rd team crown for Hawkeyes, and their third straight.
At the end of Session IV Friday night, Iowa had accumulated 120.5 points. Cornell was a distant second, with 75 points. In third place is Iowa State, with 67 points.
The Hawkeyes could well extend the distance between first and the rest of the field. Iowa had five wrestlers qualify for the finals, the most for the team since 1997, when the black and gold had six finalists in Dan Gable‘s last NCAAs as head coach.
Only one 2009 NCAA champ will be defending his title Saturday: Jake Varner, Iowa State‘s 197 pounder. The other titlewinner from last year’s nationals to make it to the semifinals, 165-pound champ Jarrod King of Edinboro, was knocked out of title contention Friday evening.
Semifinals results:
125 pounds:
No. 5 Andrew Long (Iowa State) dec. No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana), 7-4
No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. unseeded Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 14-3
Finals matchup: Long vs. McDonough
133 pounds:
No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), 2-0
No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State), 5-3 SV
Finals matchup: Ness vs. Dennis
141 pounds:
No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 3-2
No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Tyler Nauman (Pitt), 7-6
Finals matchup: Dake vs. Marion
149 pounds:
No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Frank Molinaro (Penn State), 2-0
No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Kyle Terry (Oklahoma), 6-2
Finals matchup: Palmer vs. Metcalf
157 pounds:
No. 1 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) dec. No. 5 Steve Fittery (American), 14-2
No. 7 Chase Pami (Cal Poly) dec. unseeded Justin Lister (Binghamton), 13-5
Finals matchup: O’Connor vs. Pami
165 pounds:
No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. unseeded Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma), 4-1
No. 6 Dan Vallimont (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Jarrod King (Edinboro), 3-1 OT
Finals matchup: Howe vs Vallimont
174 pounds:
No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska), 3-2
No. 2 Jay Borshel (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Chris Henrich (Virginia), 11-9
Finals matchup: Lewnes vs. Borschel
184 pounds:
No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) dec. No. 4 Mike Cannon (American), 11-2
No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) dec. No. 7 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), 9-7 OT
Finals matchup: Smith vs. Askren
197 pounds:
No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec.. No. 4 Cam Simaz (Cornell), 6-0
No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) dec. No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 1-0
Finals matchup: Varner vs. Brester
Heavyweight:
No. 1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) dec. No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 6-5
No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Zach Rey (Lehigh), 4-0
Finals matchup: Zabriskie vs. Rosholt
The finals take place Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Central, and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Standings – top ten teams:
1. Iowa, 120.5 points
2. Cornell, 75
3. Iowa State, 67
4. Wisconsin, 62
5. Oklahoma State, 60.5
6. Oklahoma, 58
7. Ohio State, 56.5
8. Minnesota, 55
9. Penn State, 47
10. Missouri, 44
Resources
College Wrestling Examiner: March Matness — Your guide to the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (including Mat Bracketology series)
TheMat.com Special Coverage Section
TheOpenMat.com: Special Coverage Section
InterMat: Day Two recap… 2010 NCAA photos by Morgan Hennessy
2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: Official website… List of seeds/qualifiers by weight… Brackets
TheMat.com: College postseason tournament schedule and scores
College Wrestling 101: Links to articles answering basic questions about wrestling, including rules, scoring, uniforms, more
Follow College Wrestling Examiner Mark Palmer on Twitter
