March 7, 2004
2004 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
March 7, 2004
The Ohio State University
St. John Arena
Columbus, Ohio
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Iowa Head Coach Jim Zalesky
On winning the Big Ten Championship
"It feels really good to win, especially this year, because there are a lot of great teams in the Big Ten. Our performance was better this year, but it is tough to win 21 in a row, especially since competition is growing."
On receiving the Big Ten Coach of the Year award
"It means a lot to win this award, especially because your colleagues are voting for you."
Minnesota Head Coach J Robinson
On placing second in the Big Ten Championships
"It was ours to win today and we didn't do that. I think so many times our guys don't realize that one match can make the difference and it did today. They had a chance to make history today and they let that slip away."
Ohio State Head Coach Russ Hellickson
On the performance of senior Tommy Rowlands
"I'm very happy for Tommy because there is a lot of pressure on him to succeed, mainly because he is the hallmark of our program. I think Tommy did very well today because he wrestled his type of match and remained on the offensive. Tommy is a great wrestler because he is always on the offensive."
Illinois Head Coach Mark Johnson
On Iowa head coach Jim Zalesky
"Jim is a very good coach, he has always done a very good job with his teams and for him to come in here this year and win the tournament is very impressive considering this year's tournament was very wide open."
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Tom Clum (Sophomore, Wisconsin) 125 Champion
On the match
"I knew it was going to be a close match, so I wanted to get out ahead of him as quick as I could. In this weight class there are so many guys who are very equal to one another as far as ability goes, so you have to be ready all the time."
On his strategy
"I knew he (Luke Eustice) was going to try and go in for the leg, so I just had to be ready."
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Mark Jayne (Junior, Illinois) 133 Champion
On the match
"I knew he (Foley Dowd) was strong and would have a good position. I knew I would have to keep on him and avoid a take down, which I was able to do. Now I need to focus on nationals."
On his win
"I feel really good about this win. It definitely boosted my confidence and will give me a better seed at nationals."
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Cliff Moore (Senior, Iowa) 141 Champion
On the match
"It felt good. I felt in control the whole time. I could have scored and I need to work on finishing the match."
On moving up a weight class this year
"You just prepare the same way, and once you get into a rhythm, it just comes naturally no matter what weight class you are in."
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Ryan Churella (Sophomore, Michigan) 149 Champion
On the accomplishment
"This really means a lot. I took third last year and to win it all this season is a big step heading into NCAA's."
On the team race
"Coming into the tournament we thought we had a real chance to beat Iowa, but it doesn't look like we are going to be able to do that, which is a little disappointing, because of all the hard work we have put in this season."
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Alex Tirapelle (Sophomore, Illinois) 157 Champion
On his performance in the tournament
"I am not disappointed in my performance. There were good and bad points during this tournament, but I am just looking to come back strong for a good performance at the NCAA tournament."
On being undefeated this season
"I am really happy about being able to go undefeated during the season and clinching the Big Ten title. What really means the most though is your performance in the NCAA tournament, so I am looking to have my best performance there."
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Jacob Volkmann (Senior, Minnesota) 165 Champion
On the match
"It means I got a good seed for Nationals. That was probably my main goal for this year. The main thing in this tournament was for me to see what I'm doing wrong and need to learn to fix."
On returning from injury
"I knew I would be back, I just didn't know ho long it would take me to get back to form."
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John Clark (Senior, Ohio State) 165 Runner-up
On the match
"During the match I got out of my game plan and lost control of the match."
On finishing second
"This is something I've always wanted and to come up short is tough, but I still have Nationals and I am not ready to give up on the season."
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Ryan Lange (Senior, Purdue) 174 Champion
On the accomplishment
"It really feels great to win this match. I have been wrestling him (Tyler Nixt) for a long time and know that he is a tough competitor, so it was great being able to win in overtime."
On nationals
"This win should be able to help my seed. Hopefully I will do better this year at nationals than I did last year. This is my last year, so I am going to give it all I have."
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Eric Bradley (Sophomore, Penn State) 184 Champion
On the match
"It feels good. This is what I came here to do. I would have liked to score a few more times in the final but I know he's dangerous, so I opened it up when I felt like I had a chance."
On preparing for NCAA's
"I'll keep focusing on the same things, work on positions. I don't want to get into too many close matches, so I would like to open up the score a bit."
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Damion Hahn (Senior, Minnesota) 197 Champion
On winning the individual title
"This is one of the toughest tournaments in the country and to place first in the Big Ten is a great accomplishment."
On finishing second in the team title
"Coming into the tournament a lot of people predicted us to finish sixth and for us to finish second in the tournament is a great feat."
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Tommy Rowlands (Senior, Ohio State) 285 Champion
On the match
"I wasn't surprised by the take down in the third period. He (Pat Cummins) is a tough competitor and I have a lot of respect for him. I'm sure I'll have to wrestle him again sometime during nationals. I felt we wrestled my style this match, which had a good tempo and pace."
On his preparation for nationals
"I need to get into better shape. I'm going to work really hard next week. Today I just want to think about my great accomplishment and start worrying about nationals tomorrow."
