Are the days of Iowa peaking now resigned to be a thing of the past?

[HoundedHawk]

It's looking like there is a good chance it will be six years in a row where we just . . . can't . . . peak at the end of the year.

Let us hope these suspicions are dismissed in Iowa City and in New York.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

Looking that way, my good man.

Let us hope.

 

[Multi-Hawk]

It's looking like there is a good chance it will be six years in a row where we just . . . can't . . . peak at the end of the year.

Let us hope these suspicions are dismissed in Iowa City and in New York.

The pattern is established. We lay eggs at the end of the season far too often.

Would like to think this was a wakeup call, but history is not on our side.

 

[HoundedHawk]

The pattern is established. We lay eggs at the end of the season far too often.

Would like to think this was a wakeup call, but history is not on our side.

Yeah, I quit using "wakeup call" a few years back, just like I did in the Zalesky era.

 

[TarpHawk]

I'm going to offer an alternative explanation, and that is that every year we hold out hope that we're going to peak in the post-season, because "peaking" (aka wrestling above our seeds) is the only way we can score 100+ points at NCAAs. The simple truth is that we're two studs shy. Two studs shy of being an Iowa team from the '80s or '90s. Two studs shy of winning NCAA titles. Two studs shy of running the table on duals. We desperately want to believe (myself included) that we have sleeper studs lurking at 141, 157, 165, 174, and 184, but they just aren't that good. A fifth-year senior who gets TF'd is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who gets majored is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who stands around for six minutes only to wrestle like a bat out of hell for the final thirty seconds is not a stud. A fourth-year junior winning by 2 points over a kid who lost 7 of his last 8 matches is not a stud. A fourth-year junior losing to a 16th ranked kid is not a stud. "He can beat anybody if he buys in." "He may surprise." "I can see him in the finals if he's on the opposite side of (fill in the blank)." Nobody said that about Alger or Lincoln Mac or Kistler or Barry Davis or Randy Lewis. That's what opponents said about them. That's why they were studs. God bless the kids on this team, and nothing personal, but until Brands stops trying to turn water into wine we're going to keep re-living the same bad dream deep in the season year after year, and it's not because we didn't peak. at the right time. It's because we didn't have enough studs.

 

[HoundedHawk]

I think you're addressing a different problem. I'm talking about the horses we do have peaking at the end.

No matter where most are at in the rankings, whether 2nd or 134th, they don't seem to peak at the end.

 

[pumpdog20]

I'm sure Brands would rather not want to "turn water into wine", the studs just aren't coming to Iowa. I doubt he's not trying, but there's a reason the elite aren't coming. Is it the "hunting and religion" culture, or the perception of burn out, or the "let's beat Iowa" philosophy? I don't know, but I don't think Brands is purposely passing on the elite.

 

[MitchL]

Everyone on this forum realizes that PSU is the team to best this year. As Iowa fans, we are spoiled from the Gable years. The Iowa program is not lacking because of a lack of effort from the coaches we have.

Outside of PSU right now, which staff around the country is better? I believe the correct answer would be that PSU and Iowa have the two best programs in the nation.

Iowa high school wrestling peaked with the Clark/Meeks senior class. Iowa high school wrestling has fallen behind a good number of States around the country. While the Hawks still can attract top tier kids... most need to come from States not named Iowa.

Never underestimate the value of having elite studs within 200 miles of campus. Iowa and our coaches don't have that luxury.

I am of the opinion that Iowa won't win another Title until Iowa high school wrestling produces more talent.

Sanderson may one day match Gable. Sanderson has an unbelievable stable of high school talent in his region.

I am not here to criticize Brands. While the HC is ultimately the one to take responsibility, I am laying tonite's performance on the wrestlers themselves. I imagine they are more disappointed than we are as fans. How they respond in the B1Gs will say a lot.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I'm sure Brands would rather not want to "turn water into wine", the studs just aren't coming to Iowa. I doubt he's not trying, but there's a reason the elite aren't coming. Is it the "hunting and religion" culture, or the perception of burn out, or the "let's beat Iowa" philosophy? I don't know, but I don't think Brands is purposely passing on the elite.

I don't think there's any doubt that recruiting has picked up recently, though. Let's remember that there are some real hammers waiting in the wings and poised to join the program. I think guys like Kemerer, Marinelli, Young, Happel, Mejia, Renteria, etc. (and God-willing, Lee, Berge, and others) will have a lot to say about the direction of the Iowa program. I do think the recruiting game is on an uptick at Iowa, and I'm very hopeful on that front. Let's remember this.

 

[ChloeDancer]

I don't think there's any doubt that recruiting has picked up recently, though. Let's remember that there are some real hammers waiting in the wings and poised to join the program. I think guys like Kemerer, Marinelli, Young, Happel, Mejia, Renteria, etc. (and God-willing, Lee, Berge, and others) will have a lot to say about the direction of the Iowa program. I do think the recruiting game is on an uptick at Iowa, and I'm very hopeful on that front. Let's remember this.

Our upward tick I agree but if our upward tick is still only on par with PSU when they are already 2-3 ticks above isn't good enough. Will take 3-4 years of continuing the "upward tick" just to catch up.

Marinelli is canceled out by Hall

Kemerer is canceled out by Joseph

Meija canceled out by the NJ kid (drawing a blank)

We got Jrent. They get the xfer from ILL for immediate help while we have to wait 2 more years for Jrent services and end up with a hole at 125/133 for a year.

We are getting closer to the wine but PSU already has some fine wine and continues to add more. We better start adding some vintage wine ASAP and giving up the vintners blend and Beaujolais we've been drinking.

 

[Sandor45]

I'm going to offer an alternative explanation, and that is that every year we hold out hope that we're going to peak in the post-season, because "peaking" (aka wrestling above our seeds) is the only way we can score 100+ points at NCAAs. The simple truth is that we're two studs shy. Two studs shy of being an Iowa team from the '80s or '90s. Two studs shy of winning NCAA titles. Two studs shy of running the table on duals. We desperately want to believe (myself included) that we have sleeper studs lurking at 141, 157, 165, 174, and 184, but they just aren't that good. A fifth-year senior who gets TF'd is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who gets majored is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who stands around for six minutes only to wrestle like a bat out of hell for the final thirty seconds is not a stud. A fourth-year junior winning by 2 points over a kid who lost 7 of his last 8 matches is not a stud. A fourth-year junior losing to a 16th ranked kid is not a stud. "He can beat anybody if he buys in." "He may surprise." "I can see him in the finals if he's on the opposite side of (fill in the blank)." Nobody said that about Alger or Lincoln Mac or Kistler or Barry Davis or Randy Lewis. That's what opponents said about them. That's why they were studs. God bless the kids on this team, and nothing personal, but until Brands stops trying to turn water into wine we're going to keep re-living the same bad dream deep in the season year after year, and it's not because we didn't peak. at the right time. It's because we didn't have enough studs.

You make so much sense, it's scary.
It's hard not to get romantic about the Iowa Hawkeyes though.
Fans can be romantics. It's time for the coaches to be realists.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

Our upward tick I agree but if our upward tick is still only on par with PSU when they are already 2-3 ticks above isn't good enough. Will take 3-4 years of continuing the "upward tick" just to catch up.

Marinelli is canceled out by Hall

Kemerer is canceled out by Joseph

Meija canceled out by the NJ kid (drawing a blank)

We got Jrent. They get the xfer from ILL for immediate help while we have to wait 2 more years for Jrent services and end up with a hole at 125/133 for a year.

We are getting closer to the wine but PSU already has some fine wine and continues to add more. We better start adding some vintage wine ASAP and giving up the vintners blend and Beaujolais we've been drinking.

Yep -- I'm not saying we're there, but I do think we're improving. Rome wasn't built in a day. Guys like Lee and Berge could be just what the doctor ordered. It's an uphill battle, but I think we're on the right track. Just wanted to point out that we're headed in the right direction.

 

[MVPFAN]

I'm going to offer an alternative explanation, and that is that every year we hold out hope that we're going to peak in the post-season, because "peaking" (aka wrestling above our seeds) is the only way we can score 100+ points at NCAAs. The simple truth is that we're two studs shy. Two studs shy of being an Iowa team from the '80s or '90s. Two studs shy of winning NCAA titles. Two studs shy of running the table on duals. We desperately want to believe (myself included) that we have sleeper studs lurking at 141, 157, 165, 174, and 184, but they just aren't that good. A fifth-year senior who gets TF'd is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who gets majored is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who stands around for six minutes only to wrestle like a bat out of hell for the final thirty seconds is not a stud. A fourth-year junior winning by 2 points over a kid who lost 7 of his last 8 matches is not a stud. A fourth-year junior losing to a 16th ranked kid is not a stud. "He can beat anybody if he buys in." "He may surprise." "I can see him in the finals if he's on the opposite side of (fill in the blank)." Nobody said that about Alger or Lincoln Mac or Kistler or Barry Davis or Randy Lewis. That's what opponents said about them. That's why they were studs. God bless the kids on this team, and nothing personal, but until Brands stops trying to turn water into wine we're going to keep re-living the same bad dream deep in the season year after year, and it's not because we didn't peak. at the right time. It's because we didn't have enough studs.

Great post, the recruiting game today ain't what it used to be. Kids like to feel special and all that shit. I know terry hates that stuff and I'm sure Tom is not a natural at it either. Sanderson is all over it. M* is at Iowa because he has some skills for recruiting now days .

 

[Stanley75]

I'm going to offer an alternative explanation, and that is that every year we hold out hope that we're going to peak in the post-season, because "peaking" (aka wrestling above our seeds) is the only way we can score 100+ points at NCAAs. The simple truth is that we're two studs shy. Two studs shy of being an Iowa team from the '80s or '90s. Two studs shy of winning NCAA titles. Two studs shy of running the table on duals. We desperately want to believe (myself included) that we have sleeper studs lurking at 141, 157, 165, 174, and 184, but they just aren't that good. A fifth-year senior who gets TF'd is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who gets majored is not a stud. A fifth-year senior who stands around for six minutes only to wrestle like a bat out of hell for the final thirty seconds is not a stud. A fourth-year junior winning by 2 points over a kid who lost 7 of his last 8 matches is not a stud. A fourth-year junior losing to a 16th ranked kid is not a stud. "He can beat anybody if he buys in." "He may surprise." "I can see him in the finals if he's on the opposite side of (fill in the blank)." Nobody said that about Alger or Lincoln Mac or Kistler or Barry Davis or Randy Lewis. That's what opponents said about them. That's why they were studs. God bless the kids on this team, and nothing personal, but until Brands stops trying to turn water into wine we're going to keep re-living the same bad dream deep in the season year after year, and it's not because we didn't peak. at the right time. It's because we didn't have enough studs.

So true. PSU has 4 #1 ranked guys we have zero. If you watched the PSU match those #1 guys aren't flukes. Their best is better than our best. On top of that Arguably our best wrestler G man is capable of losing to their 125 lber. Two of our best guys are matched up against two of their #1 wrestlers. At this point I see PSU with 4 finalists and 4 champs. Some of the other programs are down because PSU is hogging all the top guys. ISU Minnesota to name a few. I think you are spot on we need more horses.

 

[artradley]

I think you're addressing a different problem. I'm talking about the horses we do have peaking at the end.

No matter where most are at in the rankings, whether 2nd or 134th, they don't seem to peak at the end.

You're both right. We're not getting the studs, and we're not getting the best out of the kids we do have.

The correct course of action from here should be obvious.

 

[artradley]

Our upward tick I agree but if our upward tick is still only on par with PSU when they are already 2-3 ticks above isn't good enough. Will take 3-4 years of continuing the "upward tick" just to catch up.

Marinelli is canceled out by Hall

Kemerer is canceled out by Joseph

Meija canceled out by the NJ kid (drawing a blank)

We got Jrent. They get the xfer from ILL for immediate help while we have to wait 2 more years for Jrent services and end up with a hole at 125/133 for a year.

We are getting closer to the wine but PSU already has some fine wine and continues to add more. We better start adding some vintage wine ASAP and giving up the vintners blend and Beaujolais we've been drinking.

Suriano. He more than cancels out Meija.

 

[texhawkeye]

It's looking like there is a good chance it will be six years in a row where we just . . . can't . . . peak at the end of the year.

Let us hope these suspicions are dismissed in Iowa City and in New York.

Or, since conference championships are still 10 days away, maybe the team trained hard thru this meaningless dual and will peak then.

 

[Jcchawk]

Or, since conference championships are still 10 days away, maybe the team trained hard thru this meaningless dual and will peak then.

That excuse is very tired and worn out.

 

[HoundedHawk]

Or, since conference championships are still 10 days away, maybe the team trained hard thru this meaningless dual and will peak then.

I sure hope not. A huge part of training is psychological. Training through a meet that is not meaningless to the wrestling word and losing is an enormous bummer. NOT what is needed as final prep for the tourneys.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

That excuse is very tired and worn out.

Agree. And unless we literally drilled hard from 5:00 to 7:00 last night, it doesn't hold up, IMO.

 

[hoythawk]

Suriano. He more than cancels out Meija.

I will take Meja all day over Suriano.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I tend to agree with you, hoyt. I'd take Lee over Suriano, too, for the record. . . .

I like where we're headed with recruiting. Let's stay the course and keep ramping it up. I think we'll get back to the top of the heap pretty soon if this trend continues.

 

[depelland]

You're both right. We're not getting the studs, and we're not getting the best out of the kids we do have.

The correct course of action from here should be obvious.

Agree with both points. My primary concern is the lack of development by many of our juniors/seniors during the past 2-3 years. Seems like they are burned out by the time they enter their senior season. This was something I seldom, if ever, witnessed during the Gable era.

 

[GoHawks2009]

It's looking like there is a good chance it will be six years in a row where we just . . . can't . . . peak at the end of the year.

Let us hope these suspicions are dismissed in Iowa City and in New York.

To answer your OP question definitively......................................................yes, yes they are.

 

[CradleKing26]

I will take Meja all day over Suriano.

I wouldn't.

 

[CradleKing26]

Don't think it has as much to do with peaking as it does to do with lack of offense. You need to be able to go get a takedown when you need one, and other than Gilman and Clark, I don't have much faith in anyone in our lineups ability to do so. Maybe Sorenson when he is not wrestling the top competition. Penn St ( and Ohio State last year) wrestlers in general have very dynamic attacks and can take guys down in multiple ways. It seems like the majority of our team hand fights really hard, takes a few "half shots" to try to get a stalling call, and waits for our opponent to shoot so they can spin around. It is frustrating and not much fun to watch.

 

[Ihawkd9times]

Don't think it has as much to do with peaking as it does to do with lack of offense. You need to be able to go get a takedown when you need one, and other than Gilman and Clark, I don't have much faith in anyone in our lineups ability to do so. Maybe Sorenson when he is not wrestling the top competition. Penn St ( and Ohio State last year) wrestlers in general have very dynamic attacks and can take guys down in multiple ways. It seems like the majority of our team hand fights really hard, takes a few "half shots" to try to get a stalling call, and waits for our opponent to shoot so they can spin around. It is frustrating and not much fun to watch.

Agree, if your not going to be all world from your feet, you better have a tilt game and be a turner on top.
The states of Ohio and PA are so vastly superior at mat wrestling and getting back points. It shows when the get to college.Go see it this weekend for yourself at WF arena.

 

[Herkuleez5]

Suriano. He more than cancels out Meija.

Suriano is a stud no doubt but Mejia is no slouch either. Maybe some of you think one will be better than the other and you have the right to voice that opinion. I'll wait until they hit the mat in the Big Ten and ONLY then will we see who has progressed and WILL become a star. Remember there has been a lot of "can't miss" wrestlers out there that didn't pan out.