Hawkeyes claim 11th consecutive win in Cy-Hawk dual

Redshirt+senior+Kyven+Gadson+forces+down+Iowa%E2%80%99s+Kris+Klapprodt+for+a+takedown.+Gadson+secured+a+pin+in+the+197-pound+match%2C+earning+the+Cyclones+another+victory+at+the+Cy-Hawk+Series+took+place+on+Nov.+29+in+Iowa+City.+The+No.+15+Cyclones+struggled+to+secure+matches+that+were+close%2C+falling+to+rival+No.+1+Iowa+28-8.

Redshirt senior Kyven Gadson forces down Iowa’s Kris Klapprodt for a takedown. Gadson secured a pin in the 197-pound match, earning the Cyclones another victory at the Cy-Hawk Series took place on Nov. 29 in Iowa City. The No. 15 Cyclones struggled to secure matches that were close, falling to rival No. 1 Iowa 28-8.

Chris Wolff

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa Hawkeyes made it look easy as they extended their winning streak in the Cy-Hawk duel to 11 straight wins after a dominating 28-8 victory against the Cyclones at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes won the first five matches and went on to win eight of the 10 matches on the evening, proving why they are the top-ranked team in the country.

Still, Iowa coach Tom Brands was not thrilled with his team’s performance.

“It was workman-like,” Brands said. “I think it was a little bit ho-hum maybe. I think we left some team points off the board because we’re not capitalizing on major decision opportunities.”

While the Cyclones’ lower weight classes didn’t pull out any wins, they were able to minimize the damage. The Cyclones lost the first five matches by decisions only, not allowing the Hawkeyes to score any bonus points.

The Cyclones were finally able to get on the board when All-American senior Michael Moreno scored a 6-3 victory at 165.

“Obviously, he got a win, but it wasn’t a pretty win,” said ISU coach Kevin Jackson.

The next two matches were lackluster performances in the eyes of Jackson. Both Tanner Weatherman and Lelund Weatherspoon struggled in their match-ups and suffered losses.

“I really thought Tanner was going to give us a chance to win that match, and he really never gave himself a chance to win that match,” Jackson said of Weatherman’s match.

Jackson also mentioned he wasn’t happy with Weatherspoon giving up the major decision in the following match.

Kyven Gadson was another bright spot for the Cyclones, but even his performance came with some negative fireworks. Gadson recorded a pin, much to the dismay of the Hawkeye faithful.

As he was booed, Gadson continued to egg on the crowd and was eventually penalized one point from the Cyclones’ team score for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“Not happy with what he did,” Jackson said of Gadson’s conduct. “He’s emotional. It’s his last time at [Carver]. Make no excuses for him, but that’s not the kind of behavior we’re going to tolerate. He’s better than that.”

Jackson said he thought Gadson’s actions were mainly due to the team’s performance and not necessarily the crowd’s booing.

The final match of the evening saw heavyweight Quean Smith get pinned, ending the dual at a score of 28-8. While many of the performances were disheartening for the Cyclones, Jackson remained even-keel despite the loss.

“We have a good team,” Jackson said. “We didn’t perform real well here, but we have a good team. We’re going to be fine.”

On the other side of the mat, Brands was also less than thrilled with his team’s performance as well, even though his team recorded a 20-point victory.

“We got work to do, we got to keep getting better,” Brands said. “I’m not in panic mode. I don’t think it was a bad performance.”