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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports wrestling

Defending national champion Iowa next on schedule

Wrestling

When Penn State visited University Gym two weeks ago, it looked nearly unbeatable.

Last week, Iowa proved otherwise, defeating the Nittany Lions 22-13 and proving that the team is reloading rather than rebuilding after losing the core of last season’s national champion squad.

On Saturday, IU will attempt to mimic the Hawkeyes’ upset of Penn State and end Iowa’s 73-dual unbeaten streak.

“They might not be number one, but they’re defending national champions, and we wrestle them on the road,” IU coach Duane Goldman said.

The match was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was moved to Saturday so as not to conflict with the Super Bowl.

The only blemish on the Hawkeye’s dual record this season was a 15-15 draw on the road against longtime rival Oklahoma State.

Iowa is led by defending 125-pound national champion Matt McDonough, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest Intermat rankings and is favored to repeat.

The marquee matchup will likely be at 157 pounds where senior Paul Young, ranked fifth, will face Iowa freshman Derek St. John, ranked ninth. Young battled nagging injuries throughout the season and was forced to sit out IU’s home loss to Michigan on Sunday.

The 197 pound class will also feature a pair of ranked wrestlers as junior Matt Powless, 30-2 on the year and ranked fifth, faces No. 12 Luke Lofthouse.

— Max McCombs

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