Iowa wrestlers eager to compete at Big Ten Championships
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The third-ranked Iowa wrestling team enters the Big Ten Championships as one of the top contenders, but not as the top contender.
That distinction belongs to defending national champion Penn State, which defeated Iowa 26-11 in a dual meet in January at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa coach Tom Brands and select members of the team met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the conference meet, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
Ohio State, which is coached for former Hawkeye Tom Ryan, also is considered one of the top contenders.
Iowa has wrestlers seeded in nine of the 10 weight classes, while Penn State is represented in all 10 weight classes.
Senior Thomas Gilman is seeded first at 125 pounds. He is Iowa's only top-ranked wrestler heading into the conference meet. Gilman said Tuesday that scoring bonus points will be crucial in winning the team race.
Here are multiple video interviews with Brands and the Iowa wrestlers from Tuesday's press conference. Their message was simple: take care of your own business and the team race will take care of itself.
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