A good crowd saw another tough workout for the Iowa and HWC wrestlers for an Open Mat on Homecoming weekend.  A few thoughts:

  1. I had not been in the room for a week and a half.  It was easy to see that the team had certified for weight this week.  They definitely look different with the drop in weight and appear to be in-season shape and ready to go in early October.
  2. Sam Stoll and Patricio Lugo look better every time I see them.  Stoll looks so much quicker at his new weight in the 265 lbs. range.  Lugo is a mix of talent and toughness that is only going to get much better over time and he should be a real force next year.  I also really like what I am seeing from Cash Wilcke. His success this year will not surprise me.   
  3. I mentioned in a blog when Spencer Lee gave his verbal commitment to Iowa in April of 2016 that my only concern was if he would be big enough for 125 in college.  Well, that is definitely not a concern now.  Lee has really developed physically over just the last six months and he looks the part right now.  Let’s give him a couple of months to work his way back into shape and go from there.  As an Iowa Wrestling fan, it is very challenging not to get excited about wanting to see Lee’s career start sooner than later.     
  4. I was able to speak briefly with Thomas Gilman and thank him for the great entertainment of following him at the World Championships and to congratulate him on his success.  I do not believe you can overstate the importance of Gilman’s World Silver performance to the Iowa Wrestling program.  That was a huge step in the right direction for Iowa Wrestling to build the entire season around.
  5. Cory Clark looks T-O-U-G-H!  I would say the time to rehab his injuries have allowed his body to heal and grow.  He looks noticeably bigger now than just five months ago.  I really think this new system of weigh-ins two days in a row at scratch weight for International wrestling is just perfect for Clark.  He will still need to get a little bigger and stronger and work his way back into competition shape.  I feel as though Cory Clark has a huge upside in Freestyle wrestling.  I can see him getting a lot of four-point and two-point moves on his feet and be a consistent turner on the mat and of course being very difficult to score on.  I believe Cory Clark’s best wrestling is still in front of him.  The Gilman-Clark one-two will continue at the next level and as a fan I will be watching and writing about them.  
  6. Matt McDonough is working out real hard.  Will he be competing again?  
  7. To say it again from the last Open Practice, there are some seriously big dudes in the Iowa Wrestling room right now.  I do not know if I have ever seen that many big guys in that room before.  That is saying a lot.  The weight room is definitely getting used.
  8. A shout out to a couple of Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers that I really appreciate as a fan.  Jeren Glosser (Eddyville-Blakesburg HS/Eddyville, IA) (149 lbs.) and Paul Glynn of Bettendorf, Iowa (133 lbs.).  Those guys are fighting hard every workout and are just flat out tough.  For the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Bobby Telford is in that grind out a tough workout every time as well and I look for him to have a great year in Freestyle.  
  9. I was able to sit by Olympic Gold medalist and Hall of Famer Randy Lewis, aka: The Great One.  I always enjoy talking to LewBoo as I find his knowledge of wrestling to be as good as anyone I have known, especially about International Freestyle wrestling.
  10. The “Diamond-in-the-rough” in the Iowa room is Myles Wilson, a true freshman from Colorado.  Should he pick up technique and strategy to match his physicality, look out.  Wilson is not missing anything that cannot be learned and earned with a lot of hard work.
  11. That was probably the best I have seen Vince Turk in quite some time.  The wrestle off between Turk and Carter Happel at 141 lbs. will be a good one because they are both peaking at the right time.  I would think that weight will not be decided until long after the wrestle offs on November 3-4 unless the first to start takes off once they hit competition.  Too close to call for me at this time.
  12. I really believe Iowa is going to be a hell of a lot better than people are expecting this year.  Of course seeing Spencer Lee only added to that for me.  A coin flip on whether or not Spencer Lee wrestles this year or not in my opinion.  I told Tom Brands that Iowa Wrestling is my entertainment and that I plan on being very entertained following his team this season.
  13. Iowa Wrestling will probably have a practice before the Minnesota football game on October 28.  I will be sure and keep you posted.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.