@High Time Here's your re-cap as promised. (Disclaimer: I am not a journalist, nor a technical expert on wrestling)
All Time Attendance Record set as Iowa Slips by Wisconsin
5,056 fans packed the Field House at the Univ of Wisconsin to watch Iowa, led by a Spencer Lee pin, capture a narrow win earned by a criteria point after the match left both teams tied. The record setting crowd, was by estimation 40% Iowa fans, and the Wisconsin Athletic Director made note of the large Iowa support as he opened the meet.
Here are my impressions:
1. The Field House is chaotic, and quite different feeling then Carver Hawkeye Arena. The crowd and stands are very close to the mat, and you can walk right by the wrestlers and staff separated only by a thin rope. Tom Brands kept walking along his team's chairs and pulling those chairs with headgear and personal items out of the line, to prevent someone walking along and snatching something. The music was loud, and fun, and the crowd was very loud during big moments, it was a fun environment. They kept the lights pretty low. We sat near the Iowa bench, and it was interesting to watch up close the coaching interactions, and how the wrestlers interacted.
125 - Lee/Barnett: Scary near fall in the second, and the Wisconsin wrestler showed more intensity, but Lee was composed and in-control.
133 - Teske/Lamont: First two periods both wrestlers seemed to have commitment issues, although Teske was much more inspired in the 3rd.
141 - Woods/Zargo: Woods should have been awarded back points in the first period. Very scrappy fight by both.
149 - Murin/Gomez: Murin's double legs were started way out, and that lead to his inabilty to score on them. He also should have been caled on stalling a couple times, referees let it go.
157 - Siebrecht/Model - Great last second takedown secured it for Siebrecht. Ref let alot of hand fighting go, lots of hands to the face by both.
Intermission: Wierd sock toss fundraiser event. Packages of sock being hurrled on to the mat from all over the Field House, Tom Brands had to keep dodging them. Of note, Tom Brands took a lot of pictures and signed items for mostly Wisconsin fans that lined up near him. He was more patient with them then I assumed he'd be.
165 - Kennedy/Hamiti: Close match. Hamiti was more lanky which prevented Kennedy from finishing a lot of moves as his ankles were quickly grabbed to force a the loss of momentum.
174 - Rhodes/Otto: Questionable takedown awarded to Otto in the 2nd. Rhodes needs to speed up his defensive reactions.
184 - Assad/Dow: No comment.
197 - Franklin/Amos: Franklin appeared to have pretty poor footwork during this match, wrestled on his heels or not on the attack so to speak. He did save himself from the fall to not put put Cassioppi needing a big score.
285 - Cassioppi/Hillger: Cassioppi was in control. Only thing notable was Brands nailing the wrestlers with the challenge block when he threw it.
Refs: They let both teams wrestle very physically, and didn't call many stalls, nor allow stalemates to go to long.
The teams shook hands at the end, breaking the non-hand shaking streak. I enjoyed the meet, wish the score didn't come down to criteria, but Iowa win.
All Time Attendance Record set as Iowa Slips by Wisconsin
5,056 fans packed the Field House at the Univ of Wisconsin to watch Iowa, led by a Spencer Lee pin, capture a narrow win earned by a criteria point after the match left both teams tied. The record setting crowd, was by estimation 40% Iowa fans, and the Wisconsin Athletic Director made note of the large Iowa support as he opened the meet.
Here are my impressions:
1. The Field House is chaotic, and quite different feeling then Carver Hawkeye Arena. The crowd and stands are very close to the mat, and you can walk right by the wrestlers and staff separated only by a thin rope. Tom Brands kept walking along his team's chairs and pulling those chairs with headgear and personal items out of the line, to prevent someone walking along and snatching something. The music was loud, and fun, and the crowd was very loud during big moments, it was a fun environment. They kept the lights pretty low. We sat near the Iowa bench, and it was interesting to watch up close the coaching interactions, and how the wrestlers interacted.
125 - Lee/Barnett: Scary near fall in the second, and the Wisconsin wrestler showed more intensity, but Lee was composed and in-control.
133 - Teske/Lamont: First two periods both wrestlers seemed to have commitment issues, although Teske was much more inspired in the 3rd.
141 - Woods/Zargo: Woods should have been awarded back points in the first period. Very scrappy fight by both.
149 - Murin/Gomez: Murin's double legs were started way out, and that lead to his inabilty to score on them. He also should have been caled on stalling a couple times, referees let it go.
157 - Siebrecht/Model - Great last second takedown secured it for Siebrecht. Ref let alot of hand fighting go, lots of hands to the face by both.
Intermission: Wierd sock toss fundraiser event. Packages of sock being hurrled on to the mat from all over the Field House, Tom Brands had to keep dodging them. Of note, Tom Brands took a lot of pictures and signed items for mostly Wisconsin fans that lined up near him. He was more patient with them then I assumed he'd be.
165 - Kennedy/Hamiti: Close match. Hamiti was more lanky which prevented Kennedy from finishing a lot of moves as his ankles were quickly grabbed to force a the loss of momentum.
174 - Rhodes/Otto: Questionable takedown awarded to Otto in the 2nd. Rhodes needs to speed up his defensive reactions.
184 - Assad/Dow: No comment.
197 - Franklin/Amos: Franklin appeared to have pretty poor footwork during this match, wrestled on his heels or not on the attack so to speak. He did save himself from the fall to not put put Cassioppi needing a big score.
285 - Cassioppi/Hillger: Cassioppi was in control. Only thing notable was Brands nailing the wrestlers with the challenge block when he threw it.
Refs: They let both teams wrestle very physically, and didn't call many stalls, nor allow stalemates to go to long.
The teams shook hands at the end, breaking the non-hand shaking streak. I enjoyed the meet, wish the score didn't come down to criteria, but Iowa win.
