IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa wrestling team opened and closed its 34-7 dual win against No. 18 Minnesota with falls on Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Senior Brandon Sorensen and redshirt freshman Carter Happel, two Iowa natives at opposite ends of their careers, each flattened Gophers on opposite sides of the dual. Sorensen, batting leadoff for the first time this season, opened the dual with a fall in 3:32 at 149 pounds.
Nine matches later, after the Hawkeyes had already built a 28-7 lead, Happel put on the finishing touches with a fall in 6:58.
Somewhere in between the Hawkeyes won six more bouts, two by major decision and one by technical fall. The Hawkeyes held a 24-8 advantage in takedowns, and recorded three wins over top 10 opponents. It marked their fourth straight win in the series.
Iowa led 19-4 when Sam Stoll won by 12-1 major decision at 285 to extend the Hawkeyes’ lead to 19 points with three matches remaining. Stoll recorded takedowns in both the first and second periods to build a 5-0 lead, and finished the third with two takedowns, two stalling points, and 3:17 of riding time.
The Hawkeyes opened the dual with four straight wins. After Sorensen registered his fifth pin of the season at 149, Michael Kemerer followed with a 16-6 major decision over No. 18 Jake Short at 157. Kemerer scored five takedowns through the first two periods, and finished his scoring in the third with a reversal and two nearfall points as time expired.
Alex Marinelli extended the lead with a 5-1 win over No. 8 Nick Wanzek at 165, and Joey Gunther made it 16-0 with a 5-1 decision at 174.
Spencer Lee won by 15-0 technical fall for the second straight week at 125, and for the second time against a top 10 opponent. Lee led 6-0 after the first, 13-0 after the second, and terminated his match against No. 6 Ethan Lizak, a 2017 NCAA finalist, with a takedown at the 1:15 mark of the third. Lee won by 15-0 technical fall against No. 9 Drew Mattin (Michigan) on Jan. 27.
IOWA COACH BRANDS ON THE WIN:
“Good hustle, anytime you hustle you give yourself a chance to win… We have Northwestern coming to town, thats where we’re at.”
KEMERER ON BEING SECOND MAN UP:
“I kind of liked it. One thing I learned last week was when 157 wrestled, I was the only one on the bench watching. This time more people got to watch me wrestle, guys on the team I’m talking about. So that’s kind of cool.”
MARINELLI ON FINISHING HIS SECOND STRAIGHT TOP 10 WIN:
“I heard Terry at the end say “you ride him!” He said it pretty loud and that just gave me motivation to ride him. I knew there was short time, and getting that riding time is huge in those close matches.”
Iowa returns to the mat Sunday hosting No. 17 Northwestern at 10 a.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will recognize seniors Phillip Laux, Logan McQuillen, and Brandon Sorensen following the dual. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
NOTABLES
· Attendance was 9,335
· The dual started at 149. It was the first time this year Iowa did not start at 125.
· Brandon Sorensen recorded his second straight fall, sixth of the season. He improved to 34-3 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
· Kemerer extended his winning streak to 21 matches.
· Marinelli improved to 11-0 with four wins over top 10 opponents.
· Gunther improved to 5-0 this season in Big Ten duals.
· Spencer Lee’s last four matches have been wins over top 10 opponents. He has recorded 15-0 technical falls in the last two.
· Carter Happel’s pin was the second of his career, first at home.
#7 IOWA 34, #18 MINNESOTA 7
149 — #2 Brandon Sorensen (IA) pinned Ben Brancale (M), 3:32; 6-0
157 — #2 Michael Kemerer (IA) dec. #18 Jake Short (M), 16-6; 10-0
165 — #7 Alex Marinelli (IA) dec. #8 Nick Wanzek (M), 5-1; 13-0
174 — Joey Gunther (IA) dec. Chris Pfarr (M), 5-1; 16-0
184 — Brandon Krone (M) major dec. #20 Mitch Bowman (IA), 12-2; 16-4
197 — #7 Cash Wilcke (IA) dec. Dylan Anderson (M), 10-7; 19-4
285 — #3 Sam Stoll (IA) major dec. Rylee Streifel (M), 12-1; 23-4
125 — #3 Spencer Lee (IA) tech. fall #6 Ethan Lizak (M), 15-0; 28-4
133 — #12 Mitch McKee (M) dec. Paul Glynn (IA), 7-2; 28-7
141 – Carter Happel (IA) pinned #10 Tommy Thorn (M); 6:58; 34-7
Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Records: #7 Iowa (10-2, 5-2) | #18 Minnesota (5-6, 3-3)
Attendance: 9,335
