IOWA CITY – The third-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team got four bonus-point wins from four seniors and saw another Hawkeye win for the first time in front of the home crowd in Friday night’s 33-8 win over No. 16 Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Sammy Brooks won by fall in 4:54 and fellow classmates Thomas Gilman, Topher Carton, and Alex Meyer won by major decision. Junior Phillip Laux, an Iowa City West High School graduate who found himself in the lineup for the fourth time this season at 133 pounds, won 6-2 to win for the first time in his career at Carver-Hawkeye Arena while earning his first dual win of the season.
“A win is a win, it’s good, but it’s not the way I wanted to win,” Laux said. “I have got to score takedowns. I have to score leg attacks. There is a lot to improve upon, but it is a step moving forward.”
Laux’s win gave Iowa a 16-5 lead at intermission. The Hawkeyes won four matches before the break, including Brooks’ pin to lead off a dual that started at 184 pounds. Brooks scored three takedowns in the first period and opened the second on top, locking up a cradle and nearly getting a fall in the opening minute. He went back to the cradle seconds later, this time finishing for his fifth pin of the season.
“You’re not there until the ref slaps the mat,” Brooks said, “and that’s what I was looking for.”
Brooks’ fall was followed by a 3-1 decision from Cash Wilcke at 197 and a 21-8 major decision from Thomas Gilman at 125.
“Brooks started off good,” said UI head coach Tom Brands. “That’s what we wanted. Give our guys some credit. They wrestled. There were some bonus points and we needed bonus points.”
Carton extended Iowa’s lead to 20-5 with a 9-1 major decision against 16th-ranked Cole Martin at 141. He scored a takedown in the opening minute, added a second takedown in the closing seconds of the second period, and tacked on two nearfall and 3:10 of riding time to earn his third win over a ranked opponent and his career-high sixth major decision of the season
“It’s always nice to get that bonus points, that is the style that we wrestle,” Carton said. “Always trying to push the pace. Terry (Brands) was yelling ‘push your body, push your body.’ When I am wrestling like that I feed off of myself a little bit.”
Iowa closed the dual with three wins in the final four matches. Brandon Sorensen won by decision, 9-5, at 149. Michael Kemerer recorded a fall in 55 seconds at 157, his third and fastest fall of the season, and Alex Meyer used four takedowns and 3:03 of riding time to win by major decision, 11-3, a 174.
Wisconsin won by technical fall at 285, and the Badgers third-ranked Isaac Jordan defeated Joey Gunther, 3-1, in sudden victory at 165.
Iowa returns to the mat Sunday at Minnesota. The Hawkeyes and 16th-ranked Gophers meet at 11 a.m. at the Sports Pavilion. The dual is televised live on BTN.
NOTES: Attendance was 8,431… Laux earned his first career dual win, and his first win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena… Brantley was making his Hawkeye debut… Wilcke snapped a three-match losing skid… Carton has a career high six major decisions.
#3 Iowa 33, #16 Wisconsin 8
184 — #5 Sammy Brooks (IA) pinned Hunter Ritter (W), 4:54; 6-0
197 — Cash Wilcke (IA) dec. Mason Reinhard (W), 3-1; 9-0
285 — #2 Connor Medbery (W) tech. fall Faraan Brantley (IA), 16-1; 9-5
125 — #1 Thomas Gilman (IA) major dec. Jens Lantz (W), 21-8; 13-5
133 — Phillip Laux (IA) dec. Eli Stickley (W), 6-2; 16-5
141 — #17 Topher Carton (IA) major dec. #16 Cole Martin (W), 9-1; 20-5
149 — #4 Brandon Sorensen (IA) dec. Andrew Cone (W), 9-5; 23-5
157 — #2 Michael Kemerer (IA) pinned Jared Scharenbrock (W), 0:55; 29-5
165 — #3 Isaac Jordan (W) dec. Joey Gunther (IA), 3-1 SV1; 29-8
174 — #11 Alex Meyer (IA) maj. Dec. Ryan Christensen (W), 11-3; 33-8
Team Records:
Iowa: 9-2, 5-1
Wisconsin: 1-4, 3-5
