Iowa’s 69-Match Win Streak Halted as Hawkeyes, OKlahoma State Wrestle to Tie

STILLWATER, Okla. — The 10th-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team saw its 69-match winning streak come to an end Sunday afternoon, tying sixth-ranked Oklahoma State, 15-15, in Stillwater, OK. The Hawkeyes, who are unbeaten in their last 70 duals, recorded their first tie since an 18-18 result at Penn State on Dec. 4, 1992. It was also the first time that Iowa did not win a dual since losing to Oklahoma State (19-14) on Jan. 5, 2008.

Each team won five bouts and neither scored bonus points in the dual, which was held in front of 4,580 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The teams alternated victories until Oklahoma State (7-2-1, 1-0 Big 12) put together two straight wins at 184 and 197. Hawkeye heavyweight Blake Rasing scored a takedown in sudden victory to give Iowa (8-0-1, 1-0 Big Ten) the tie.

“A tie doesn’t do a lot for anyone. I think we had our opportunities, but didn’t really take advantage of them,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “We had some guys in tough battles that won matches. Some of those young ones out there were just wearing their emotions on their sleeves, and we have to train through that. We have to make sure that we are prepared and mentally ready to push through tough, hard matches.”

Hawkeye sophomore Matt McDonough led things off at 125 with a 7-3 win over redshirt freshman Jon Morrison. Going into the third period with a 3-3 tie, McDonough scored an escape and a takedown, and accumulated 3:50 in riding time to pick up his 50th career victory and remain undefeated in dual competition (9-0).

Iowa junior Tyler Clark made his Hawkeye dual debut against a formidable opponent, facing top-ranked and undefeated Jordan Oliver at 133. Oliver, who recorded the 11-4 decision, jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first period. Clark fought back, scoring two second-period escapes and riding Oliver for the majority of the final period.

Hawkeye sophomore Mark Ballweg picked up a big win for the Hawkeyes at 141, beating true freshman Josh Kindig, 8-3. After a scoreless, but action-packed first period, Kindig scored two nearfall points to get on the scoreboard. Ballweg escaped, then scored a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead. Kindig escaped early in the third period to tie the score at 3-3, but Ballweg scored a takedown, two nearfall points and a point for riding time to seal the win and remain undefeated at 9-0 this season.

Cowboy senior Jamal Parks posted an 8-4 decision over Hawkeye senior Matt Ballweg at 149 to tie the dual at 6-6, but Iowa redshirt freshman Derek St. John scored a takedown with seven seconds remaining in his 157-pound match to beat Oklahoma State senior Neil Erisman, 7-5, and give Iowa a 9-6 lead. St. John remains undefeated in dual competition at 9-0. Oklahoma State tied the score at 9-9 when redshirt freshman Dallas Bailey scored a 6-2 win over Hawkeye senior Aaron Janssen at 165.

Hawkeye redshirt freshman Ethen Lofthouse scored a 4-3 win over Oklahoma State junior Mike Benefiel at 174 to give Iowa a 12-9 edge, but Cowboy redshirt freshman Chris Perry evened the score at 12-12 with his 2-0 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Grant Gambrall at 184. Perry is the younger brother of former Hawkeye Mark Perry, who was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at Iowa.

“We’ve actually been rivals since we were little kids, probably like 12 years old,” Perry said of facing Gambrall. “We would just wrestle a ton. We’ve worked out together before one time when I went to see my brother. We know each other pretty well. It’s just a good little rivalry we’ve had since we were little kids and we just kind of like to battle.”

Oklahoma State senior Clayton Foster, who is ranked third in the nation, broke the see-saw trend and gave the Cowboys their first lead of the afternoon (15-12) with his 5-3 win over Hawkeye senior Luke Lofthouse at 197. Rasing came up big for the Hawkeyes at heavyweight, scoring a takedown in sudden victory to beat redshirt freshman Blake Rosholt, 3-1, to end the dual in a 15-15 tie.

Up next for Iowa is the Big Ten dual meet season. The Hawkeyes will host Ohio State (2-5, 1-1 Big Ten) for a “Gold Rush” dual Saturday at 3 p.m., which will air live on the Big Ten Network. Fans are encouraged to wear gold attire to the meet. A few spots are still available for the annual Iowa Elite Chevy Youth Wrestling Clinic, which will be held from 1-2 p.m. for youth ages 7-13 before the dual. Participants must pre-register for the clinic at http://www.hawkeyesports.com/ot/chevy-wrestl-clinic-2010.html.

#10 Iowa 15, #6 Oklahoma State 15
125 – Matt McDonough (I) dec. Jon Morrison (OSU), 7-3
133 – Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Tyler Clark (I), 11-4
141 – Mark Ballweg (I) dec. Josh Kindig (OSU), 8-3
149 – Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 8-4
157 – Derek St. John (I) dec. Neil Erisman (OSU), 7-5
165 – Dallas Bailey (OSU) dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 6-2
174 – Ethen Lofthouse (I) dec. Mike Benefiel (OSU), 4-3
184 – Chris Perry (OSU) dec. Grant Gambrall (I), 2-0
197 – Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 5-3
HWT – Blake Rasing (I) dec. Blake Rosholt (OSU), 3-1 SV