LOSING CONFIDENCE GAME?
Iowa program suffering worst losses in 30 years
Nearly ten seconds into the final period of a match between Oklahoma State’s Ronnie Delk and Iowa’s Cliff Moore, OSU coach John Smith instructed his wrestler to release the Hawkeye after he was able to erase Moore’s one-minute of riding time advantage.
The natural thought was that if Delk gave up the escape, even trailing 10-4, he still would have still been within striking distance with plenty of time remaining. Moore, noticing the Cowboy’s game plan, did not simply pull away from Delk. Instead, he simply sprung back against his opponent for a two-point reversal, then added three more takedowns in the final 53 seconds of the match for an 18-7 major decision.
Those final two minutes of the final match in the Jan. 11 dual meet in Iowa City, used to be typical of an Iowa wrestler; one who was part of a program that won 20 NCAA team championships over a 26-year period between 1975 and 2000.
Not anymore " at least not this year.
Instead, Moore’s performance was about the only positive thing that came out of the Hawkeyes’ dual with the top-ranked Cowboys, who won seven of ten matches — including three by pins — and handed Iowa its worst loss since the 1972-73 season. It was also the last hint of a Hawkeye program where domination used to be the norm.
The dual meet also solidified the direction of both programs that together have captured over 50 of the all-time NCAA championships. But while the Cow
boys are looking to defend their team championship from a year ago and add a 32nd title in their history, Iowa could have an even worse NCAA finish than last year’s eighth place, a 30-year low.But what’s even more amazing is that the Hawkeyes have apparently lost their swagger or confidence that gave them such an edge.
"It’s hard to imagine," said Moore, who recorded half of the 12 takedowns Iowa scored against Oklahoma State. "It showed out there on these guys. A lot of their heads are down right now."
And catching much of the criticism is Hawkeye head coach Jim Zalesky, who led Iowa to a trio of team championships his first three years after replacing Dan Gable as Iowa’s leader, but has become the fall-guy after the Hawkeyes are producing negative moments that Iowa fans had not seen in numerous decades, including:
• losing to Iowa State for the first time in 30 matches;
• falling to a No. 10 ranking by W.I.N., which rated Iowa No. 1 in late November;
• having just four wrestlers — Luke Eustice, third at 125; Moore, fifth at 141; Joe Johnston, seventh at 157 and Tyler Nixt, fourth at 174 — ranked among the top eight wrestlers at their weight;
• suffering its first 20-point loss since 1973 when Iowa State defeated those Hawkeyes, 29-9;
• finishing fifth at this year’s Midlands tournament, the lowest by an Iowa team since 1986.
What bothers Zalesky the most is a "lack of fight" in some of his wrestlers.
"They are too worried about how they feel out there instead of performing," said Zalesky, a former three-time NCAA champion during Iowa’s glory years. "When the going gets tough, you have to perform in those tough situations.
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