Good match, props to the Bellarmine crowd, school and the wrestlers for getting after it.
Iowa-Bellarmine PBP
- Thread starter Valholl
- Start date
Bellarmine had a great environment. Better than several B1G teams. I realize it was largely due to Iowa being in town but props to them. They were also a scrappy team that put up a fight rather than back off the mat the whole night. It was much louder and rowdier than the snooze fest crowds in Rec hall for instance. Also, the Raneys were present. They made a point to see the coaches for awhile. You can tell they love TnT. That doesn't mean we are locks for them because I don't know what all they are looking at such as who else we may have on the roster etc.
Nashville: I was looking for you in the crowd but didn't see you. Glad you enjoyed yourself.
Nashville: I was looking for you in the crowd but didn't see you. Glad you enjoyed yourself.
Ya the same guy also thought it was super duper important to make sure everyone knew he wasn't going to watch. I'm not sure why he thinks anyone gives a shit if he watched or not. I can't believe Dan Gable thought it was important enough to drive 7 hours to make his presence. He had a nice speech and received a signature Dan Gable Louisville slugger bat a long with a nice ovation.
I enjoyed when he said Iowa should be better than this. Better than bringing attention to a struggling program? Meanwhile, PSU has a dual against a team that didn’t qualify anyone for NCAAs last year. Amazing stuff.
Thanks. These side stories are great to hear about at these road meets.
I almost came down to your area but it was pretty busy and we had a rowdy crowd around us that was rather fun! I’ll catch up with you in iowa for the Iowa state dual.
I felt they knew their wrestling also. Some arenas the fans think they should get a TD for a mat return. Also, lots of little kids in Bellarmine wrestling shirts which was nice to see. Not as nice as the Hawkeye shirt on Raney though.I almost came down to your area but it was pretty busy and we had a rowdy crowd around us that was rather fun! I’ll catch up with you in iowa for the Iowa state dual.
Gable told about a story his true freshman year where he was wrestling a free style event. He made the finals and his opponent asked him if he had a bat. Gable said why would you ask that. The kid says because you will need one to beat me. The crowd loved it. Also throughout the meet they announced different champs in the arena including Tom and Terry. They really did it right.
Thanks for the answer man, but I was trying to be a smart ass from the earlier convo. Thanks though lol
I’m glad you mentioned the Gable story with the bat…that was hilarious. The fans really ate it up. And yes I thought it was very classy mentioning all the wrestling greats in attendance. As you said, they really did it right!
It was every bit of 2200. Every seat in Knights Hall was taken and folks were standing. Really cool energy in the building. Bellarmine fans had convinced themselves before the match began that they would take at least one weight class - they weren’t shy to tell you that and they truly believed it. Bellarmine has only had a wrestling program since starting out as a D-2 program in 2016, and none of their guys ran for the edge against Iowa. The Bellarmine fans recognized and appreciated just how good Kueter is and can become when he knotted their heavyweight in that cradle. It was a really cool atmosphere.
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A guy I know who was there thought that Bellarmine admin weren't expecting that many people. I guess the lines for the bathroom and the concession stand were way long. He was speaking to a local that was in one of those lines with him and the local was like "If you would have told me years ago that Iowa would be here and I would be breathing the same air as Dan Gable and TNT, I wouldn't have believed you." The locals loved having Iowa there. Very good experience for both sides.
Admin told Moriah they expected a sellout, but I'm sure there are multiple admin involved. So not doubting that some underestimated the turnout. There weren't any lines for the lower level bathrooms. There was a long line outside the Iowa locker by fans wanting autographs and pictures. I'm guessing the upper level areas had more wait times for facilities.
I don't recall them getting a single takedown. I think at the start the crowd was hoping to get a win or 2. A few matches in they were getting pretty loud when their guys were close to a takedown.
Funny story this week in Newton. I was walking down the hallway of a business and heard a guy talking about Dan Gable getting a Louisville slugger. So I backtracked and asked if he was there. He was there. Turns out his son is a Heavyweight on the team. His son wrestled either your nephew or Marty at SS last year. The guy said it was the biggest and best thing to ever happen for Bellarmine wrestling. He also spoke very highly of their coach. Hoping he will stay there a long time.
Good reminder how lucky some us are to be only a short drive from Carver.
