Post dual interviews with Iowa head coach Tom Brands and Alex Meyer
Q: Were you happy with the performance?
Tom Brands: Yeah, I think the pace especially with Evans, Brooks, and Meyer’s pace too, and Telford got the major. Those majors aren’t easy to get. If you wrestle with that kind of desire, that your going after it. And the guys aren’t going to fall down and the first couple weights guys were clinging on us and it slowed us down.
Q: We saw a lot of fire out of Evans when he was putting up with a little stalling.
Brands: He kept his composure maybe a little better and we got to be good against the best in the country and that was a good step forward no doubt. Nick Moore, he looked decent and then he gave up that takedown and then he had to keep wrestling. So, don’t give up that takedown edge, you have to keep your feet moving on the edge. Then Evans ignited his weight for us and then the next three, 184, 197, and heavyweight.
Q: You got a look at Meyer at 197, was Burak a late scratch? And did you like what you saw out of Meyer?
Brands: Burak is not a late scratch first of all. Both guys weighed in there.Meyer was going to get the nod we were planning on that all week. This guy was weighing in to make 174 for the Midlands. So we got to keep it certification, he’s weighing in at under 180 and that’s a lot of guts. We know he’s capable and we got to find a way for him to help us.Give him the nod where we can, because he’s what we like. He wrestles hard.
Q: Burak at redshirt candidate?
Brands: We’re looking at that, we’ll see. He had an injury there and he’ll be in the Midlands. Whether he’s attached or not we don’t know yet. But that will be (Burak’s) next event. We have to make sure we do the right thing. I know I say that a lot and I know you want an answer, but I don’t even have the answer right now.
Q: Carton was at 141 tonight..
Brands: (Josh) Dziewa is fine, it’s not an issue.
Q: Just a night off for Kelly at 175?
Brands: Yeah, Dziewa and Kelly they are probably the number one guy (at their weight) and we’ll just keep figuring out our best lineup.
Q: Did you like what you saw out of Cooper?
Brands: Cooper was similar to Mike Kelly last week where he seemed to have things in control. Kelly (he) got taken down and then he got himself back into the match, and then he’s hanging late and get’s inside tripped. And then Cooper lets a guy in with an easy takedown. Those are things that, they happen, and so far it hasn’t bit us where disaster (follows). That’s a sign that maybe we’re a little tougher than maybe a year ago, or two years ago, or whatever. We’ll see whoever gives us the best chance there. I know Kelly wanted to go, and he had a little bit of a ding this week, but he’s tough. He deals with getting dinged up a bit as well as anyone I’ve seen and he is pretty resilient. We got Cooper there and (tonight) was probably a good time to put him in there.
Sorensen is still in the picture at 149 and we’ll sort that out at Midlands as we go forward there.
Q: Did you feel like you were giving up a lot (of weight) out there?
Alex Meyer: He was bigger than me, but did I feel any different than wrestling than Klapprodt or Nathan Burak at practice? Not any different. Those guys are big and strong and I was ready to go, I knew what to expect.
Q: Third period ends after you get that takedown and the crowd goes crazy is that a dream come true to be in that situation?
AM: No, I don’t really hear them. I am wrestling out there and I was looking to turn him with that leg. It’s not my first time wrestling in Carver, I wrestled last year against Michigan State. I wanted to end it with an even bigger exclamation point than that. I was trying, but didn’t get him over.
Q: Do you have a vision on where you will go weight wise for the rest of the season?
AM: I think I wrestle best weighing 174 and I know that’s where I am going to go for Midlands, but I am going to listen Tom and Terry, and whatever helps the team best is where I am going to wrestle.