Northwestern
Iowa
Wildcats Beat Hawkeyes for First Time in 37 Years
1/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
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Jan. 29, 2005
"A dream come true."
Those were the first words out of Northwestern Head Coach Tim Cysewski's mouth when asked to describe the Wildcats' 22-19 victory over his alma mater, Iowa, where Cysewski was an all-American wrestler in 1976.
The smile tattooed to his face could easily be seen amidst a sea of fans who had rushed the floor following Northwestern's come-from-behind win Saturday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
For 37 years, going up against the historic Hawkeye program for Northwestern was not unlike trying to fend off a shark with a butter knife. But the 21st-ranked Wildcats changed all that Saturday night by bringing the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes to their knees with an epic comeback.
The Wildcats clawed out from a 19-3 hole to tie the match at 19-19 heading into the final weight class. There, junior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) brought the victory home by grinding out a 10-8 decision with a bum shoulder to put the `Cats ahead 22-19. Velez' victory was the last of five-straight Wildcat wins, helping Northwestern topple Iowa for the first time since 1968.
"It's so great to see these guys come through like I know they can," Cysewski said. "I can't say enough about their effort tonight."
Freshman Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edwards) earned Northwestern its first victory of the night at 141 lbs. by upsetting 11th-ranked Alex Tsirtsis 10-4. The victory knotted the teams at 3-3 and improved Lang's season duals record to 10-0.
Before Northwestern could blink, though, Iowa rambled off a major decision victory and two pins in the following three weight classes to gain a sizeable 19-3 advantage. But just when it looked like all signs were pointing towards another Hawkeye victory...
Enter 2004 Midlands Champions Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny).
Herbert came into the match a perfect 18-0 on the year and ranked fourth in the nation at 174 lbs. He certainly showed it by lighting a fire under the `Cats with a quick pin of Lofthouse at 1:05. It was Herbert's sixth pin of the year (tied with Lang for most on the team) and quickly vaulted Northwestern back to within striking distance at 19-9.
Freshman Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) followed with what Cysewski referred to as one the best performances of the night. Tamillow matched up against one of the nation's best -- fifth-ranked Paul Bradley (also a 2004 Midlands Champion).
The two treated the crowd to a methodical, bruising match that went the distance. In the closing seconds, Tamillow found himself down 3-2. With his match and Northwestern's hopes of an overall victory hanging in the balance, the true freshman scored a single point with an escape to knot the score. He then slammed the all-American to the mat just as the buzzer sounded. The referee motioned to award Tamillow two points for the victory and Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted.
The Hawkeye lead was cut to 19-12.
"Tamillow has been unbelievable all year for us," Cysewski said. "Sometimes I can't believe he's a true freshman with the way he's been performing."
Junior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) fed off of Tamillow's last-second victory and the energy of the crowd to edge the `Cats even closer. When he earned a 10-2 major decision at 197 lbs. over Adam Feller, a raucous student section had officially gone insane with excitement.
Now down only 19-16, there was no question Northwestern had the momentum heading into the final two bouts, but next up for the `Cats was yet another Hawkeye ranked in the nation's top-10 -- this time freshman Matt Fields at heavyweight.
Fields -- ranked seventh -- squared off against a familiar foe, freshman Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion). The two had wrestled one another in high school, but this marked their first collegiate match.
Fox jumped out to a 5-1 lead, and with the all-American Candidate Velez waiting in the wings at 125 lbs., the crowd could sense a Northwestern victory in the making.
But Fields battled back to even the score at 5-5 and again at 6-6. With 15 seconds remaining, Fox went into the down position, needing an escape for the victory. He eventually broke free of Fields' grasp to earn his 10th victory of the year, but more importantly tie the teams at 19-19.
"Fox had beaten Fields in high school, so I knew he had it in him," Cysewski said. "It's great to see him doing that in a Northwestern uniform though."
The decisive match came down to the 125-lb. weight class, featuring Velez and Hawkeye Charlie Falck. The two had met nearly a month ago at the 2004 Midlands Championships, where Velez earned a 5-1 decision.
But the coaching staff had their questions about Velez, who was coming into the match with a bum shoulder.
"We really didn't know if John could go tonight," Cysewski said. "His shoulder has been giving him some problems lately, but there was no stopping him. He wanted to be in there competing."
Velez turned in one of the gutsier efforts of the night, hoisted his team on that bum shoulder and earned a 10-8 decision to snap Northwestern's 37-year drought against the Hawkeyes.
All told, the `Cats had won the final five weight classes to come back from a 19-3 deficit.
Northwestern is next in action at 7 p.m. against Minnesota Friday, Feb. 4 in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern 22, Iowa 19
133 - Mario Galanakis (IOWA) dec. over Daniel Quintela (NU), 6-0
141 - Ryan Lang (NU) dec. over Alex Tsirtsis (IOWA), 10-4
149 - Ty Eustice (IOWA) major dec. over Jimmy Kim (NU), 15-6
157 - Joe Johnston (IOWA) pinned Mike Kimberlin (NU), 5:18
165 - Mark Perry (IOWA) pinned Nick Hayes (NU), 4:12
174 - Jake Herbert (NU) pinned Luke Lofthouse (IOWA), 1:05
184 - Mike Tamillow (NU) dec. over Paul Bradley (IOWA), 5-3
197 - Matt Delguyd (NU) dec. Adam Feller (IOWA), 10-2
Hwt. - Dustin Fox (NU) dec. over Matt Fields (IOWA), 7-6
125 - John Velez (NU) dec. over Charlie Falck (IOWA), 10-8
Players Mentioned
