Iowa's Metcalf aiming for coach at U.S. wrestling trials
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Steve Batterson | Thursday, June 12, 2008 |
Brent Metcalf might have finished fifth at the U.S. Nationals.
He might not even be the most experienced entry in the 145.5-pound bracket at this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials.
But, it wouldn’t surprise Iowa assistant coach Wes Hand if one of the Hawkeyes’ two 2008 NCAA champions finds himself competing against Iowa assistant Doug Schwab in the finals for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Competition at the U.S. trials begins today and runs through Sunday in Las Vegas.
“Metcalf is going out there with the idea that he is going to win it,” Hand said Wednesday during an I-Club appearance in the Quad-Cities.
“He understands that there are some big obstacles in front of him, including his college coach, but he is as ready as I’ve seen him. He’s not just trying to gain experience. He wants to win it.”
Doug Schwab, a former Hawkeye who is now part of coach Tom Brands’ staff, already has qualified for the best-of-3 finals in the weight class based on his previous performances.
Metcalf is among 13 wrestlers who will be competing in a bracketed tourney for the opportunity to meet Schwab for a spot on the U.S. team for the upcoming Beijing Games. The weight class also includes former Hawkeyes Bill Zadick, the top-seed in the bracketed tourney, and Joe Johnston.
“My own feeling is that Metcalf is going to find himself in the finals against Schwab and that one of the two of them will be an Olympian,” Hand said. “Don’t count Brent out. He’s looking good.”
Metcalf, Schwab, Zadick and Johnston are among 10 current or former Hawkeyes involved in freestyle competition this weekend. Current Hawkeye Daniel Dennis is in the 132-pound bracket.
“This is a huge weekend for our program, present and past,” Hand said. “This is what they’ve worked all their life for, a time when they want to wrestle as well as they have ever wrestled.”
One current Iowa State wrestler, Jake Varner at 185 pounds, is among nine entries with ties to the Cyclones program.
There also are two former Quad-City area preps in the freestyle field.
Former Moline prep Matt Lackey, an NCAA champion at Illinois, is seeded fourth at 163 pounds, while former North Scott prep and three-time all-American at Northern Iowa Sean Stender is the eighth seed at 211.5 pounds.
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
redditMore Stories By Steve Batterson
» More College Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- online health articles
- Visit Our Top Sites About online health articles Here.
- AllHealthCarePlace.com
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Netmagazines Online
- Take 5 1year Subscriptions for $30 Use Promotional Code DC5REBATE.
- www.NetMagazines.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
