By Mike Finn, W.I.N. Editor

Tom Brands wasn’t worried after seeing his 141-pounder, Dan LeClere, get pinned by Michigan’s Kellen Russell during the semifinals of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.

            Even though Russell’s fall came with LeClere leading and cut Iowa’s lead to 8-6 against the Wolverines, Brands wasn’t nervous because he knew his next man up, 149-pound Brent Metcalf, wasn’t worried.

            “For him, that’s like water off a duck’s back because he’s trained his whole life and the only thing he can control is himself,” said Brands. “He’s been through a lot worse than seeing Dan LeClere getting pinned before him. His brother (former Michigan wrestler Chase Metcalf, Sept. 8, 2005) died in a fiery car crash and Brent had to go on. Ten minutes after Brent found out, he was in class. That’s a tribute to how he was raised and a tribute to his mentality.”

            Metcalf went on to beat 2007 national finalist Josh Churella, 4-2. That decision not only propelled the Hawkeyes to beat the Wolverines, 23-13, but ignited a run that saw Iowa win 13 of its final 17 matches. That also included winning 8 of 10 bouts in Iowa’s 24-6 victory over Nebraska in the National Duals championship, Jan. 13, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Overall, the Hawkeyes won 32 of 40 matches in the UNI-Dome.

            Among those victories, Iowa fans saw:

            • 125-pound Charlie Falck defeat Nebraska’s defending national champion Paul Donahoe;

            • 165-pound Mark Perry defeat the three wrestlers — Michigan’s Eric Tannenbaum, Missouri’s Nick Marable and Cornell’s Mack Lewnes — who were ranked ahead of the Iowa defending national champ, who was unable to compete against the Huskers because of a knee injury;

            • 174-pound Jay Borschell defeat Michigan’s No. 2-ranked Steve Luke.

            The National Duals effort — which included team victories over Cornell, 32-3, and Missouri, 27-9 — was in sharp contrast to Iowa’s Jan. 5 home dual meet against Oklahoma State, which won 19-14 in front of 14,332 fans.

            Did Iowa need to lose to Oklahoma State before entering the duals, an event the Hawkeye program had not won since 1996?

            “I’m not a subscriber to that theory,” Brands said. “I don’t think you have to lose something to win something later. I think we talked about a lot of things that needed to be talked about. Maybe if we won, we wouldn’t have talked about them.”

            Metcalf said not a lot changed in the Iowa wrestling room after losing to the Cowboys.

            “We just got kicked in the butt and got ready to go for this,” Metcalf said. “We have all the talent on the team and guys with good attitudes. Guys just got refocused and made sure they were ready for every single match.”

            Other than Perry and heavyweight Matt Fields, who also went undefeated during the Duals, most of the other Hawkeyes are underclassmen. Was the Duals success an example of them maturing?

             “Yeah, we are a young team, but that doesn’t make any difference to me,” Metcalf said. “I expect our guys to win every time they step on the mat.”

            So does Brands, the former Hawkeye national champion who is now in his second year at Iowa after coaching at Virginia Tech for two years.

            “These guys have bought into a system, and they’ve done a good job. That’s why,” Brands said. “They are believers and (are) affecting the rest of the team. People don’t want to be lonely. Joe Slaton (whose only loss in Cedar Falls was Mike Grey in the opener) was pretty lonely in that Cornell dual.”

            Metcalf eventually earned Outstanding Wrestler honors for the Div. I tournament and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country.

            His best offense may be his best defense as he did not allow a takedown from a position where his arms are in front of his knees and he simply slides side-to-side like a basketball player.

            “It’s a change that has been made over the past two years,” said Metcalf, who redshirted at Virginia Tech in 2006 and was ineligible as a transfer last year when he competed in freestyle. “I was always an aggressive wrestler, but I had to make changes. You can’t just come straight in on a guy. You’ve got to create angles. I’ve learned that wrestling guys at an even higher level of competition over the past two years.”

            Metcalf, a native of Davison, Mich., wasn’t at Iowa the last time the Hawkeyes captured the NCAA championship in 2000. But he has heard the comments that Iowa is back.

            “We’re still working towards that,” Metcalf said. “This was a good representation but we will wait until the end of March before making that statement.” 

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