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Top-ranked Hawkeyes hammer down on Gophers

PHOTO BY MINNESOTA ATHLETICS - Iowa's Austin DeSanto tries to turn Minnesota's Boo Dryden on his way to a 21-2 technical fall on Friday night in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS — The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team extended its winning streak to 15 duals with a 35-4 win at No. 15 Minnesota on Friday night at the Maturi Sports Pavilion. The margin of victory was the largest in the series since a 44-2 Hawkeye win in 1992.

Iowa piled up 34 takedowns and won the first nine bouts, scoring bonus points in five of them, and finished the dual with a 115-45 edge in match points and a 34-7 advantage in takedowns.

The Hawkeyes scored bonus points in the first three matches and added two more major decisions after the break. Minnesota didn’t record a takedown until the eighth match of the night, and didn’t get on the board until the final match of the dual.

“Good lopsided win,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “A lot of good things. A lot of hustle. But there is also things where I know we can score more points and maybe be a little more efficient.”

Top-ranked Spencer Lee opened the scoring with a takedown 31 seconds into the match at 125. He rattled off 12 nearfall points before securing the fall in 1 minute, 53 seconds.

Fifth-ranked Austin DeSanto put up 21 points for the second time in as many matches, this time using four takedowns and 12 back points to dismantle No. 20 Boo Dryden, 21-2, at 133.

Top-ranked Jaydin Eierman piled up 10 takedowns to run away 22-9 at 141. Max Murin scored a 5-1 decision at 149.

Seventh-ranked Kaleb Young won a top-10 matchup at 157. Young used a third-period takedown to force overtime and rode-out No. 6 Brayton Lee in the first-tiebreak period to earn a 4-3 decision, giving Iowa a 21-0 team lead at the break.

Second-ranked Alex Marinelli opened the second half with an 8-4 decision at 165, and No. 1 Michael Kemerer scored four takedowns to win his 2021 season debut by 12-3 major decision.

Sixth-ranked Nelson Brands recorded five takedowns in a 10-6 win at 184, and Jacob Warner extended Iowa’s lead to 35-0, scoring five takedowns in a 13-2 major decision at 197.

Minnesota got on the board at heavyweight when top-ranked Gable Steveson won by 15-6 major decision over No. 3 Tony Cassioppi.

No. 1 Iowa returns to action hosting No. 2 Michigan and No. 10 Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 31, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes wrestle Michigan at 11 a.m. on BTN. The Illinois duals begins at 3 p.m. on BTN Plus.

No. 1 Iowa 35, No. 15 Minnesota 4

125–Spencer Lee (I) pinned Patrick McKee, 1:53; 133–Austin DeSanto (I) tech. falled Boo Dryden, 21-2; 141–Jaydin Eierman (I) major dec. Marco Polanco, 22-9; 149–Max Murin (I) dec. Michael Blockhus, 5-1; 157–Kaleb Young (I) dec. Brayton Lee, 4-3; 165–Alex Marinelli (I) dec. Andrew Sparks, 8-4; 174–Michael Kemerer major dec. (I) Jake Allar, 12-4; 184–Nelson Brands (I) dec. Isaiah Salazar, 10-6; 197–Jacob Warner (I) major dec. Garrett Joles, 13-2; 285–Gable Steveson (M) major dec. Tony Cassioppi, 14-6.

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