Some nice additions to the HWC:
https://iawrestle.com/2016/05/19/nick-and-chris-dardanes-join-hawkeye-wrestling-club/
https://iawrestle.com/2016/05/19/nick-and-chris-dardanes-join-hawkeye-wrestling-club/
Nick and Chris Dardanes join Hawkeye Wrestling Club
- Thread starter HawkTalk3
- Start date
They always wrestled like hawks, and were damn good when the weight cut wasn't killing them. Welcome aboard and help us bring even more Illinois talent into the room
I always liked those two. Maybe Jay on HR will get some sleep now.
Cool they should really help the 141 and 149 weights develop good for Turk.
Haha yesterday you told me you weren't at all worked up so it's nice to see that I'm still on your mind
. This great news and a welcome addition for sure.
Good news, I suppose. But these are guys that lost to Jeva and barely beat a young Corey Clark in their Senior season at Big Ten Tourny.
I totally get why they would want to come to HWC. They will for sure get better no doubt about that, but how much are they bringing to the table for us? We need to bring in an elite middle weight guy, an 86kg or 74kg guy.
I totally get why they would want to come to HWC. They will for sure get better no doubt about that, but how much are they bringing to the table for us? We need to bring in an elite middle weight guy, an 86kg or 74kg guy.
I like the knowledge and experience they are bringing to the table. Are they going to be World champs? Probably not. Are they going to have a different training style, school of thought, ability to help current Hawks develop, help with recruiting in MN, help the culture of the room etc? Yes.
I knew this was coming
1. They're good workout Partners for anyone 157 and under
2. Only lost to Jeva because of the weight cut
3. Bringing in top guys is expensive and there really isn't a wrestling club in the country that has top 3 guys at their weights in bunches.
4. Wrestling clubs are fluid and they aren't likely to be here 10 years from now, so for the time being it fills a void with good people and wrestlers that we're not married to for the long term
I see this as only a positive for the next year or two
I was concerned for your health.Haha yesterday you told me you weren't at all worked up so it's nice to see that I'm still on your mind
This great news and a welcome addition for sure.
I agree with all of this. Welcome aboard! I'm happy to have them. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't also like them to bring in some higher-level guys.
That young Cory Clark was the NCAA runner up a couple weeks later. Unrelated to your post, I did notice both Dardanes partnered up a lot w Metcalf at the OTC camps and I kinda wondered if they would migrate south. OPRF boys as well right? That can't hurt recruiting either.
Last edited:
Does this completely change the landscape for middle weight wrestling in the mid west?
FYI the story has been updated to include quotes from Chris on why they decided to join the HWC http://iawrestle.com/2016/05/19/nick-and-chris-dardanes-join-hawkeye-wrestling-club
I must be missing something (again!). How is having 2 ex-Minnesota wrestlers in the HWC going to help Hawkeye recruiting, and why would they (the Dardanes) care? I don't see anything about that situation that would be helpful in that regard.
Improving their individual Freestyle careers, helping roll with whomever is present in the room, those are good things for them and us, but I would hope the Dardanes would be steering recruits to the place that they wrestled, regardless of how close they were to coming to Iowa in the first place. I would hope they're still Gopher fans, as I would expect former Hawkeyes to be upon graduation, regardless of where they may choose to train internationally. Now being on a Coaching Staff somewhere else is a different story. You get paid to have a new allegiance.
I just don't see this as a recruiting tool in any way, shape or form.
They always seemed like good guys. I wish them well in their time in Iowa City either way.
Now that they are HWC athletes they are Hawkeyes. They won't be steering kids to Minnesota. Sure, they will still be fans of the Gophs but as part of the HWC they will be working out in the Iowa room with Iowa coaches and getting an Iowa paycheck.
Do you think Jake Varner has been recruiting for ISU while at Penn State?
This site needs a dislike button.
Who cares were they steer recruits. Are they a big factor in Minnesota recruiting these days? Obviously not when they're here. Ya weird, bastard. You're talking stupid. Jesus Christ man, are you serious?
I'm just happy they're in the room.
Their Minnesota tattoos will be hard to scrub off. Them leaving doesn't take away their appreciation for what MN wrestling has done for them. The different mindset is beneficial in development for most people.
Dardanes are all great people. Can't say that enough. Their Little big brother goes to college their as well. They also get closer to home with the move.
Dardanes are all great people. Can't say that enough. Their Little big brother goes to college their as well. They also get closer to home with the move.
Riiiggghhht. Guess that 5 years worth of scholarship money they got at Minnesota was all for naught., compared to the monster checks they'll get for however long they're at the HWC.
As for Varner, he's gonna do whatever Cael tells him to do.
I see what you did there. In a rush against time you printed without fact checking. Both Dardanes didn't go out as Big Ten champs. Then update saying here are some Chris quotes. Click bait. Simple as that.
Couldn't disagree more with this. It's a little nutty to expect anyone to be recruiting for his alma mater if he's gone elsewhere. If Nick and Chris have a positive experience in Iowa City and take a liking to the program, I wouldn't be at all surprised if their presence in the room were very positive for recruiting. They really wouldn't need to do or say anything; the mere fact that they came to Iowa to train says a lot to recruits all by itself. And as members of the HWC, they'll be getting paid. Who's to say their allegiance won't change?
What do guys at the clubs usually get paid? A top guy and a lower level guy? I've never actually seen a number.
Are you at all familiar with the term "bite the hand that feeds you"? I'm sure Gomez and Brewer are working hard for their alma maters while at NLWC.
I think these guys are great additions to the room. Some outside blood, known to be super hard workers & can realistically workout with guys probably from 125-165 and it would not surprise me to see them becoming really good at freestyle.
Chris had a phenomenal senior season. He was undefeated through the B1G Championships and beat 7 guys ranked in the top 9, in the last 9 matches he wrestled prior to the NCAA Championships. He simply ran into a nearly unbeatable buzzsaw in Brewer and then lost a close match in the 3rd/4th bout to Schopp. Schopp was always a brutal match up for him due to his length and had caught fire winning 7 matches in a row, 4 of which by pin.
Interesting tidbit: Schopp outscored every 2nd place finisher and tied Dean for 10th overall, for individual team points.
Interesting tidbit: Schopp outscored every 2nd place finisher and tied Dean for 10th overall, for individual team points.
First off, these are grown man who are getting paid from the HWC, not some young recruits for the college team.
If the Dardanes are not here to win world titles, than what are they doing here?
You know what would help with recruiting? Having a world caliber senior wrestler in the room. How did the Dardanes do at the US Open? I honestly didn't know they were still wrestling freestyle.
You say HWC is on a tight budget, so they go out and get two guys in the same exact weight class (basically clones of each other) and pay them both?
I just don't get it I guess. I'm obviously skeptical which I'm ok telling you about, because again, these are grown men who are getting paid (we're talking pro level competition here). Pros are more open to skepticism and criticism IMO.
You wanna welcome them with open arms, that's fine. But let's be a little real here.
I'm sure they are here to win titles, I'm not saying they will, and I'm not saying they won't. I'm saying that the Dardanes bros WILL help the collegiate team, and that's what I care about most.
What "World Caliber" senior wrestler do you think the HWC should get, and would actually come here? Do you really think someone like Burroughs, Dake, Taylor, Varner, Snyder, Cox etc will leave their current situation?
What "World Caliber" senior wrestler do you think the HWC should get, and would actually come here? Do you really think someone like Burroughs, Dake, Taylor, Varner, Snyder, Cox etc will leave their current situation?
Kind of doubt they are going to be getting a lot of $. They are very good wrestlers and will help the collegians as well as others in the HWC. I, like some others, doubt they're going to be world champions. They wrestle Iowa style so I don't know how much diversity they will actually add to the room. I am very glad that they came. Great people by all reports, but kind of wish others with order varying styles would come as well. Chris mentioned learning from TnT and they are probably looking at coaching in the not-too-distant future.
True, I highly doubt any of the guys you listed would even consider leaving their rooms.
I'd compromise and take like an Adam Hall, Keith Gavin, or Marable.
Not necessarily. Like I said, we're talking senior level compeition. This isn't allocated scholly money here. I'd take the approach as a sports franchise owner. What am I getting for my money? Am I paying double for the same thing? How much are the two costing me? Could I use the money I'm using on the Dardanes and pick up two wrestlers in TWO different weight classes with varying styles? I'd be getting more value out of my investment. So, depending on the answers to some of those questions, the answer very could be nothing.
