By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For nearly a decade as Penn State grew into a college wrestling dynasty, Tom Brands had to deal with not being the best in his sport for a change.

The 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist dealt with it the best way he knew how, and that was to just keep working, competing, grinding, teaching, recruiting, mentoring and inspiring, everything a head coach does on a daily basis to get better.

Brands never has talked much about Penn State’s rise to dominance under Cael Sanderson, at least not to the media, because he would rather focus on his team, and on his challenges.

And fair enough because why worry about what you can’t control?

Brands knew that Iowa had to climb to Penn State’s level of dominance because Penn State is built to sustain under Sanderson.

And though it took nearly a decade, Brands, with help from so many people on and off the mat, has lifted Iowa to Penn State’s level, and beyond in some respects.

It doesn’t take a wrestling expert to understand why Iowa is the heavy favorite to win the 2021 national championship. The Hawkeyes certainly made a strong statement by winning the Big Ten Championship by more than 30 points over second place Penn State.

It was Iowa’s 37^th Big Ten title, and more proof that Penn State now has some catching up to do.

The Iowa wrestlers are healthy, hungry and confident heading into the 2021 National Championships, which start on Thursday in St. Louis, and they’re on a mission to win a national title for the first time since 2010, and to make up for last season when Iowa was also favored to win the 2020 national title before the event was canceled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Penn State is also loaded with talented wrestlers, and led by a living legend in Sanderson, who won an Olympic gold medal and never lost a match in four seasons at Iowa State.

But Iowa has more firepower up and down its roster than Penn State has right now.

The current Iowa team is sort of similar to some of the Penn State teams that combined to win eight of the last nine national titles.

Building depth is a big part of establishing dominance and all 10 of Iowa’s wrestlers have qualified for the national championships, including four who are ranked first in their weight class: Spencer Lee at 125 pounds, Jaydin Eierman at 141 pounds, Alex Marinelli at 165 pounds and Michael Kemerer at 174 pounds.

Eight of Iowa’s 10 wrestlers are ranked among the top five in their respective weight class, so yes, Iowa is loaded on paper.

That’s a tribute to the wrestlers, but also to the Iowa coaches for recruiting this amount of talent and then developing it to an elite level.

Just a few years ago, it looked as if Penn State had risen too far above Iowa, and it was easy to question whether Iowa could rise to that level anytime soon.

I questioned it.

I wondered if Iowa would ever reestablish its dominance with Sanderson at Penn State.

My guess is that Tom Brands never took the time to question it because that goes against everything for which he stands.

Tom Brands, and his twin brother Terry Brands, who is Iowa’s associate head coach, are the ultimate competitors. It fueled them in college where they combined to win five individual national titles at Iowa, and now it fuels them as coaches at their alma mater.

They came to Iowa at at a time when the program needed a spark under the legendary Dan Gable in order to maintain its status as a dynasty, and the twins from Sheldon had a dramatic impact.

I can honestly say in all of my years of covering Hawkeye athletics that Tom and Terry Brands were probably the most intense, competitive and determined student-athletes that I’ve come across.

Their drive to succeed, and to dominate as competitors, separated them from most wrestlers, and that’s saying a lot because wrestlers are a tough and determined bunch.

But Tom and Terry Brands are just different.

And maybe that’s part of the reason Iowa has caught up with Penn State.

Penn State’s rise to dominance has been rough on Hawkeye fans because they’re used to being the best.

So imagine how it’s been on Tom ad Terry Brands, how tough it must have been to see their dynasty fade and then be replaced by another dynasty from the same conference.

They lived with that sobering reality every day.

But Tom and Terry also have kept grinding, and believing in what they do, and in how they do it, and now the dominance is shifting from Penn State back to Iowa.

It’s not just that Iowa has caught up with Penn State that’s a major storyline, but also how it’s happened.

Five of Iowa’s 10 wrestlers, including two-time national champion Spencer Lee at 125 pounds, are from Pennsylvania and that just adds some spice to the gumbo.

The rest of Iowa’s Pennsylvania contingent are Austin DeSanto at 133 pounds, Max Murin at 149 pounds, Kaleb Young at 157 pounds and Michael Kemerer, who is ranked first at 174 pounds.

If you can’t beat them, you go to their backyard and recruit the kind of talent that is needed to beat them.

That’s basically what Tom Brands and the Iowa coaches have done with regard to Penn State.

Tom Brands would also be the first to say that Iowa’s mission is far from over, and he’s right.

For Iowa to have won back-to-back Big Ten titles is a worthy accomplishment.

But it’s not the ultimate prize.

It’s not what will restore Iowa’s dominance.

“We’re going to St. Louis in less than two weeks. That’s really where their heads are. That’s where my head is,” Tom Brands said moments after winning the Big Ten title. “You talk about performance, let’s do it again.

“(Someone) mentioned finishing at your seed or performing above your expectations, and that’s what competitors do. Let’s do it in St. Louis.”

Penn State, with Sanderson leading the way is a proud, talented and determined squad, so Iowa being favored doesn’t guarantee anything.

Penn State won’t give up the throne without a fight, but Iowa, led by Tom and Terry Brands, is built for this fight and ready to unleash.

 

Who: Iowa wrestling

What: NCAA Wrestling Championships

When: Thursday-Saturday

Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri

TV Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Session	Networks	Number of ESPN3/ESPN App Mat Feeds
Thu, Mar 18	11 a.m.	First Round	ESPNU	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
	2 p.m.	First Round	ESPNU	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
	6 p.m.	Second Round	ESPN2	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
	9 p.m.	Second Round	ESPN2	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
Fri, Mar 19	11 a.m.	Quarterfinals	ESPNU	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
	3 p.m.	Semifinals	ESPNU	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
	8 p.m.	Semifinals	ESPN	8 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
Sat, Mar 20	11 a.m.	Medal Round	ESPN2	4 mat feeds, 1 “multi-view” feed
	7 p.m.	Championship	ESPN