March 21, 2009
Despite crowning no individual champions, the University of Iowa wrestling team collected its second straight national team title at the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Saturday night. The Hawkeyes scored 96.5 points, edging runner-up Ohio State (92.0) by 4.5 points, to record the school's 22nd NCAA team title. That is the closest margin of victory since Iowa won the 1999 team title by two points, and only the second time in school history that the Hawkeyes won the NCAA title without an individual champion. Iowa also accomplished that feat in 1978. It is also the first year that the Hawkeyes have not crowned an individual champion since 2006.
Illinois (55.0) and Wisconsin (53.0) rounded out the quartet of Big Ten teams to place in the top-ten, finishing at eighth and ninth place, respectively.
The Big Ten had four individual grapplers earn national titles on Saturday. Michigan's Steve Luke (174), Michigan State's Franklin Gomez (133), Northwestern's Jake Herbert (184) and Ohio State's J Jaggers (141) captured title crowns in their respective weight classes.
A fifth-year senior, Luke capped off his stellar career at U-M completing his unblemished season with an 8-4 decision over Central Michigan's Mike Miller in the championship bout to improve to 32-0 and claim the national title.
The tournament's top-seed at 133-pounds, Gomez defeated Big Ten foe Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, 5-4, to become the 25th Spartan to claim an individual national crown.
In what seemed like a tribute to his sophomore campaign, Northwestern senior Herbert once again completed an undefeated season with a national title. The four-time All-American fended off defending NCAA title-holder, Mike Pucillo of Ohio State, by a 6-3 decision to become just the second two-time national champion in school history and the first since 1932.
Jaggers secured his place in OSU wrestling lore, becoming just the third student-athlete to win a pair of national titles. The Buckeye senior won his second consecutive crown in decisive fashion, downing Ryan Williams of Old Dominion, 10-4.
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Final Team Standings Final NCAA Brackets in PDF Format
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