DATE: Thursday, December 5, 2013
LOCATION: Edinboro, PA
ARENA: McComb Fieldhouse
TIME: 7 p.m. EDT
TV: Flowrestling Live Streaming Link
(Tape-delayed broadcast by ETV -- go to www.edinboro.tv)
RADIO: WFSE 88.9 FM
LIVESTATS


Match Notes

LINEUPS

Edinboro Fighting Scots
2013-14 Record -- 0-1, 0-0 EWL
125 #17/#16 Kory Mines (Jr.-r, 5-1, Bedford, OH)
133 #8/#8 A.J. Schopp (Jr.-r, 6-0, Tyrone, PA)
141 #2/#2 Mitchell Port (Jr.-r, 3-0, Bellefonte, PA)
149 #10/#7 Dave Habat (Jr., 7-1, Parma, OH)
157 Johnny Greisheimer (Sr.-r, 4-3, Wantagh, NY)
Kasey Burnett-Davis (Jr.-r, 4-2, Meadville, PA)
165 Zach Towers (Fr.-r, 0-0, Meadville, PA)
174 Patrick Jennings(So.-r, 4-1, Ridge, NY)
Nick Mitchell (Fr.-r, 4-2, Frewsburg, NY)
184 #8/#7 Vic Avery (So.-r, 0-1, Foxboro, MA)
197 Vince Pickett (So., 4-1, Galloway, OH)
Hwt. Ernest James (Sr.-r, 4-2, Medford, NY)

HEAD?COACH: Tim Flynn (Penn State '87, 173-66-5, 17th yea

Iowa Hawkeyes
2013-14 Record -- 4-0, 0-0 Big Ten
125 Thomas Gilman (Fr.-r, 6-1, Council Bluffs, IA)
133 #1/#1 Tony Ramos (Sr., 7-0, Carol Stream, ILL)
141 #14/#18 Josh Dziewa (Jr., 9-0, Yardley, PA)
149 Michael Kelly (Jr., 8-1, Cedar Falls, IA)
157 #1/#1 Derek St. John (Sr., 9-0, Parnell, IA)
165 #4/#6 Nick Moore (Jr., 3-0, Iowa City, IA)
174 #6/#6 Mike Evans (Jr., 9-0, Enola, PA)
184 #2/#1 Ethen Lofthouse (Sr., 8-0, Avon, UT)
197 #9/NR Nathan Burak (So., 0-0, Colorado Springs, CO)
Sammy Brooks (Fr.-r, 7-3, Oak Park, ILL)
Hwt. #4/NR Bobby Telford (Jr., 5-0, Hockessin, DEL)
Terrance Jean-Jacques (Fr.-r, 8-3, Haverhill, PA)

HEAD COACH: Tom Brands (Iowa '92, 135-13-1, 8th year)

Rankings: InterMat/Amateur Wrestling News


THE MATCH STORIES

Edinboro returns to the mat for the first time since dropping a 23-14 decision at eighth-ranked Virginia Tech on November 16. The Fighting Scots face a formidable task as they host an Iowa team which has a 4-0 record after defeating 15th-ranked Iowa State 23-9 on Sunday. The Hawkeyes are ranked first in InterMat's Tournament-Strength Top 25, WIN's Tournament Power Index, and the WrestlingReport rankings, along with third in the latest USA Today/NWCA/AWN?Division I Coaches Poll Top 25. Edinboro is highly-ranked, as well, ranking as high as tied for eighth in the WIN?rankings, 14th in the WrestlingReport poll, and 15th by InterMat and NWCA polls.

Edinboro opened the season on November 9 in the Michigan State Open. The Fighting Scots had 12 wrestlers place, led by A.J. Schopp, who claimed the championship at 133 lbs. for the second straight year. Kory Mines added a third place finish at 125 lbs., with Mitchell Port coming in fourth at 141 lbs. The national runner-up at 141 lbs. a year ago, Port reached the semifinals but was forced to sit out his final two matches due to an injury. Patrick Jennings and Vince Pickett were the champions at 174 and 197 lbs., respectively, in the freshman-sophomore division.

Iowa opened its season in the Luther Open, crowning ten champions, then hosted the Iowa City Duals. The Hawkeyes would sweep Baker University (59-0), Iowa Central (55-0), and Cornell College (50-3). They improved to 4-0 with a 23-9 triumph over in-state rival Iowa State on Sunday.

The Edinboro lineup features five ranked wrestlers, led by Mitchell Port at 141 lbs. Port finished as the runnerup at 141 lbs. at the NCAA Division I National Championships last March, earning All-American honors for the first time. Port owns a 67-14 career ledger. Ranked second at 141 lbs., he is expected to return to the lineup after sitting out the Virginia Tech dual due to an injury. Port is one of two All-Americans in the Boro lineup. A.J. Schopp, another junior, placed fourth last season at 133 lbs. He is ranked as high as sixth by WrestlingReport, along with seventh by WIN and eighth by Amateur Wrestling News and InterMat. Schopp is off to a fast start at 6-0 with four falls, winning the title at the Michigan State Open. Dave Habat is ranked as high as third by WIN at 149 lbs., along with seventh by Amateur Wrestling News, eighth by WrestlingReport and tenth by InterMat. He comes off an upset of then fifth-ranked Zach Neibert of Virginia Tech and is 7-1. Vic Avery is ranked as high as seventh by Amateur Wrestling News at 184 lbs., along with eigth by InterMat and tenth by WIN. Kory Mines climbed into the rankings at 125 lbs. after his win over VTU's Joey Dance. The junior is ranked 16th by AWN and 17th by InterMat. Heavyweight Ernest James was ranked at the beginning of the year but now shows up only in the WrestlingReport rankings, which rank 33 wrestlers at each weight class.

While Port is expected to return to the lineup this week, Vic Avery will still be a match-day decision. Avery was injured in his first match at the Michigan State Open and was unable to continue, also missing the Virginia Tech dual. He was a national qualifier as a true freshman in 2011-12 before redshirting last year.

Head coach Tim Flynn has once again assembled a demanding schedule, with no fewer than five teams ranked in this week's InterMat Top 25 or USA Today/NWCA/AWN Coaches Poll. Leading the way is top-ranked Iowa, who will visit McComb Fieldhouse on December 5. Using the NWCA poll, which is a measure of dual meets, Iowa is ranked third. Pittsburgh is now up to 11th, while Virginia Tech has been ranked as high as eighth and is now 14th. The Fighting Scots will also face Bloomsburg and Rider, and are also scheduled to compete in the Virginia Duals, which traditionally has several highly-ranked squads. Throw in the Midlands Championships and Edinboro's wrestlers will onec again face some top talent.

Nine of ten wrestlers in the Iowa lineup are ranked. The Hawkeyes have three wrestlers ranked number one at their respective weight classes, led by Tony Ramos and Derek St. John at 133 and 157 lbs., respectively. Both are consensus number ones. St. John is the defending national champion at 157 lbs. and is a three-time All-American. He looks to become just the 18th four-time All-American in Iowa's storied history. Ethen Lofthouse is the third top-ranked Hawkeye. The senior is number one according to Amateur Wrestling News at 184 lbs. Both Ramos and Lofthouse are two-time All-Americans, with Ramos finishing second at 133 lbs. a year ago and Lofthouse placing fifth at 184 lbs. Two other Iowa wrestlers have also earned All-American honors. Mike Evans was an All-American at 174 lbs. in 2013, and heavyweight Bobby Telford earned All-American accolades in 2012.

Edinboro jumps right back into action on Saturday, December 7. The Fighting Scots will host the 71st Annual PSAC?Championships. Edinboro is the two-time defending champion. A total of 12 teams will compete for the league crown, with the action getting underway at 9:30 a.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa leads 6-0
Edinboro is looking for its first win against Iowa. The two met forf the first time in 1986, the year Edinboro elevated its program to Division I status. Last year marked the first meeting between the two schools since 2011. Iowa came away with a 31-6 decision at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

1986 -- Iowa 30, at Edinboro 14
1986-87 -- at Iowa 40, Edinboro -7
1987-88 -- at Iowa 22, Edinboro 14
1988-89 -- Iowa 23, at Edinboro 12
2000-01 -- Iowa 35, Edinboro 14 (at NWCA National Duals)
2012-13 -- at Iowa 31, Edinboro 6

THE LAST MEETING
2012-13 -- Iowa 31, Edinboro 6
Edinboro made its first trip to Iowa City, IA since 1988, but could not come away with an upset of the second-ranked Hawkeyes. With Iowa celebrating senior day, the 15th-ranked Fighting Scots fell 31-6. Mitchell Port and Dave Habat picked up decisions for the Fighting Scots. Ranked fifth, Port was impressive in a 5-0 decision over eighth-ranked Mark Ballweg at 141 lbs., handing him just his second loss of the season. At 149 lbs., 16th-ranked Habat won a 5-2 decision over Brody Grothus. The highlight match of the night took place at 133 lbs. Third-ranked A.J. Schopp saw his ten-match winning streak snapped as he dropped a 9-0 major decision to second-ranked Tony Ramos.

THE COACHES
EDINBORO -- Tim Flynn (Penn State '86) is in his 17th season as the helm of the Fighting Scots. He has elevated the Edinboro program to one of the best in the country, compiling a 173-66-5 record. Edinboro has had 11 top-20 finishes and three in the top ten at the NCAA Division I National Championships during his tenure. he has produced three national champions and 30 All-Americans. All told, Flynn has been named the EWL Coach of the Year five times and the PSAC Coach of the Year 11 times.

IOWA -- Tom Brands (Iowa '92) is in his eighth season in charge of the Iowa program. A former four-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, plus a gold medalist at the 1996 Olympics, Brands has led his alma mater to three NCAA?Division I National Championships -- in 2008, '09 and '10. A year ago the Hawkeyes finished fourth at Nationals. All told, Brands has guided Iowa to three Big Ten championships while coaching eight NCAA?champions, 38 All-Americans, and ten Big Ten champions. He has a 135-13-1 record in dual meets at Iowa, and including two seasons as the head coach at Virginia Tech, is 152-33-1 overall. While competing at Iowa, Brands won three NCAA titles and three Big Ten championships and was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1992 NCAA Championships. He finished with a career record of 158-7-2 while competing at 126 and 134 lbs., ranking second in career victories.