Some wrestling teams like to have fun. But it is well established that the best-coached programs have a blast. Take the Iowa Hawkeyes, for example.
Head Coach Tom Brands is excited. He's having a blast. He's excited about having a blast, and he's having a blast being so excited. He could barely contain himself during a media conference last month.
"The first thing I want to say is the thing that's exciting about college athletics is when there's unknowns, when you lose a lot to graduation. There's not really a franchise player that's going to be there for a decade. We're excited about that.
There's a lot of exciting things for fans to be paying attention to or looking toward to, but there's also a lot of unknowns. We have a unique recruiting class this year . . . there's some unknowns there that are exciting.
Like Alex Marinelli, we've been talking about him for a long time. You know what, we're excited about him and I know our fans are, as well.
You look at Max Murin, the true freshman, I don't think he's conceding anything to anybody. There's a lot of excitement there.
This is the first time where I've approached a season like this where the exciting things are the unknowns.
You know, you look back last year, we had a lot of talk about Alex Marinelli, is he going to come out of redshirt or not. Well, now he's out of redshirt. That's exciting. That's exciting for the fans. That's exciting for you because you've asked that question. And we're excited.
But the thing is, we see him every day, so we know what he's capable of. We're looking forward to that. But now you get to see what we know as coaches, and that's what I mean by, it's a blast going in there every day to see how these guys go to work . . . we have a lot of work to do and I've learned that our guys know we have a lot of work to do and we're excited to do it.
And in Spencer Lee's case . . . He brings a lot of scoring energy, a lot of boom, boom, boom, and that's very refreshing for our fans when they know that; when they can get excited about something that they maybe haven't seen a lot of because he wasn't in the wrestle-off and a lot of his workouts are controlled right now."
But the excitement doesn't occur just in Iowa City. Brands felt there is plenty of excitement in New Brunswick, NJ, as well.
"But when you look at Rutgers there, they are making a move a little bit. They are excited there and we're going to be there, and we were at the facility that they compete at a couple years ago. You know, they are excited about their program and it's going to be a hornets' nest, and they will make sure they make it that way."
On Friday night, the Hawkeyes traveled east to take on those Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, and they brought a ton of energy, fun, and excitement with them. The Hawks' nationally renowned lightweights conceded to the opposition and scored a total of zero takedowns in three matches. Fifth-year senior leader and former national finalist Brandon Sorensen had the raucous Rutgers rabble on its feet puffing its chest and pumping its fists as he, too, declined to secure any takedowns through the first two periods. But nothing lasts forever. Iowa ultimately went on to win 6 of the final 7 matches to secure the dual, which -- with half the victories coming by 1 to 3 points -- was all very exciting.
And the aforementioned redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli? He knocked off a fifth-year senior and recent world champion freestyle wrestler in overtime, which was undoubtedly the most exciting element of the entire exciting event.
"It didn't go quite like I planned," said Marinelli. "He was being a little defensive and I tried to push the pace a little bit, but I'm excited to be on this mat."
But don't just take it from him.
Says Tom Brands emphatically, "We're going to be in the funny farm if we have to keep digging ourselves out of holes. But hey, we're having a blast, man. We're having a blast."
What was your blast of the week? Vote above, or write-in your own event.
Head Coach Tom Brands is excited. He's having a blast. He's excited about having a blast, and he's having a blast being so excited. He could barely contain himself during a media conference last month.
"The first thing I want to say is the thing that's exciting about college athletics is when there's unknowns, when you lose a lot to graduation. There's not really a franchise player that's going to be there for a decade. We're excited about that.
There's a lot of exciting things for fans to be paying attention to or looking toward to, but there's also a lot of unknowns. We have a unique recruiting class this year . . . there's some unknowns there that are exciting.
Like Alex Marinelli, we've been talking about him for a long time. You know what, we're excited about him and I know our fans are, as well.
You look at Max Murin, the true freshman, I don't think he's conceding anything to anybody. There's a lot of excitement there.
This is the first time where I've approached a season like this where the exciting things are the unknowns.
You know, you look back last year, we had a lot of talk about Alex Marinelli, is he going to come out of redshirt or not. Well, now he's out of redshirt. That's exciting. That's exciting for the fans. That's exciting for you because you've asked that question. And we're excited.
But the thing is, we see him every day, so we know what he's capable of. We're looking forward to that. But now you get to see what we know as coaches, and that's what I mean by, it's a blast going in there every day to see how these guys go to work . . . we have a lot of work to do and I've learned that our guys know we have a lot of work to do and we're excited to do it.
And in Spencer Lee's case . . . He brings a lot of scoring energy, a lot of boom, boom, boom, and that's very refreshing for our fans when they know that; when they can get excited about something that they maybe haven't seen a lot of because he wasn't in the wrestle-off and a lot of his workouts are controlled right now."
But the excitement doesn't occur just in Iowa City. Brands felt there is plenty of excitement in New Brunswick, NJ, as well.
"But when you look at Rutgers there, they are making a move a little bit. They are excited there and we're going to be there, and we were at the facility that they compete at a couple years ago. You know, they are excited about their program and it's going to be a hornets' nest, and they will make sure they make it that way."
On Friday night, the Hawkeyes traveled east to take on those Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, and they brought a ton of energy, fun, and excitement with them. The Hawks' nationally renowned lightweights conceded to the opposition and scored a total of zero takedowns in three matches. Fifth-year senior leader and former national finalist Brandon Sorensen had the raucous Rutgers rabble on its feet puffing its chest and pumping its fists as he, too, declined to secure any takedowns through the first two periods. But nothing lasts forever. Iowa ultimately went on to win 6 of the final 7 matches to secure the dual, which -- with half the victories coming by 1 to 3 points -- was all very exciting.
And the aforementioned redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli? He knocked off a fifth-year senior and recent world champion freestyle wrestler in overtime, which was undoubtedly the most exciting element of the entire exciting event.
"It didn't go quite like I planned," said Marinelli. "He was being a little defensive and I tried to push the pace a little bit, but I'm excited to be on this mat."
But don't just take it from him.
Says Tom Brands emphatically, "We're going to be in the funny farm if we have to keep digging ourselves out of holes. But hey, we're having a blast, man. We're having a blast."
What was your blast of the week? Vote above, or write-in your own event.
