Great news out of Iowa City as the Athletic Department has announced that head coach Tom Brands has received a three-year extension on his previous five-year contract he signed prior to the 2012-13 season.
From the school’s press release:
“Tom continues to lead one of the most successful programs in the country in any sport,” said Barta. “He demonstrates tremendous passion for his program, and is an excellent ambassador for the University of Iowa and this community. I’m excited about the future of Iowa wrestling.”
“We have high expectations for this program, and I know our fans, administration, and campus leaders share those expectations,” said Brands. “Being a part of Hawkeye wrestling is a privilege, and as head coach it comes with a responsibility that I take very seriously. We’ve got work to do.”
Brands has been one of the most successful coaches since taking over the Hawkeye program back in 2006, winning three NCAA team titles, and coaching nine NCAA Champions and 50 All-Americans. In addition from being a recurring top four team, Brands has also led the Hawkeyes to nine straight seasons of leading the nation in attendance.
The 2015-16 season is shaping up to be an interesting one as well. Already the University has announced that fans have already purchased over 20,000 tickets to the Grapple at the Gridiron event, which features long-time rival Oklahoma State squaring off against the Hawkeyes inside Kinnick Stadium on November 14th.
In addition to already being off to a strong start in the attendance game, Brands returns four All-Americans from the previous season, including national runner-up Cory Clark at 133 pounds. The remaining three All-Americans Thomas Gilman, Brandon Sorensen, and Nathan Burak have all been tabbed as top five wrestlers in Flowrestling’s latest rankings.
Finally, Iowa City is going to be making all sorts of headlines this year, as they also host the Big Ten championships this March, and then Iowa City is also serving host to the Olympic Trials in April. In 2012 fans poured into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to bring the attendance to over 50,000 spectaters for the last Trials, and the goal is to build off the 2012 performance.