Dec. 15, 2009
As UC Davis prepares to host No. 4 Oklahoma State, www.ucdavisaggies.com will chronicle Aggie wrestling's most memorable matches all week long. Tuesday's feature focuses on No. 9 Iowa's visit to The Pavilion and Brandon Bear's defeat of No. 2 Paul Bradley at 184-pounds.
In the world of collegiate wrestling, Iowa is a name that stands out among the best. When the Hawkeyes descended on The Pavilion in January of 2005, a record crowd of 5,150 fans came to see for themselves the tradition and power of an elite Division I program.
UC Davis head coach Lennie Zalesky, a 1983 Iowa graduate and three-time All-American wrestler for the Hawkeyes, agrees that Iowa, ranked ninth at the time, was truly a powerhouse that year.
"I'm surprised they were ranked that low because they had a host of guys who were All-Americans competing that night," said Zalesky. "Eight of the 10 guys were All-Americans and if they weren't that year, they were previously or the year after so it was amazing talent."
The Aggies struggled early, however, even with the crowd behind them. UC Davis had the chance to win at 133 with Derek Moore competing against Mario Galanakis. Moore led 4-1 entering the final period, however Galanakis picked up an escape 14 seconds in and then used a takedown with a mere 36 seconds left to win the bout.
Iowa went on to win four straight matches, then stretched the lead to 22-0 after Mark Perry, who would go on to be NCAA runner-up at 165, defeated Frank Richmond.
The UC Davis rally began, however, with Ronnie Silva at 174. Trailing 4-2 midway through the second period, Silva used a takedown at the end to tie. He started the third round with an escape and then had a takedown with 27 seconds left. As the clock expired, Silva used a three-point near fall for an 11-4 victory.
"(This win) is up there," said Silva in a post-match interview that night. "To beat an Iowa wrestler in front of our crowd was great."
With the crowd behind them, Brandon Bear stepped out on the mat for the Aggies for his bout at 184-pounds. Bear would face Paul Bradley, ranked second in the nation and a returning All-American for Iowa who had placed fourth at 184 pounds at the 2004 NCAA Championships.
Bear trailed Bradley 4-2 after Bradley earned a pair of takedowns in the first period. The wrestlers exchanged escapes to start the third period, but Bradley maintained a 5-3 lead.
Bear, however, picked up a point with Bradley was penalized for stalling to bring the score to 5-4. With less than 20 seconds remaining, Bear used a takedown and held Bradley long enough to gain the two points and the 6-5 victory.
"It was just absolute mayhem," recalls Zalesky. "He's on top and he gets the takedown and he's just holding him down so he wins and everybody's just yelling. So we beat him and I thought `My gosh, how did we beat him?' This kid was fourth last year and he's ranked two now."
The Aggie momentum didn't stop there.
Reed Shelger used an escape and a takedown in the second period to hold off Adam Fellers at 197 for a 3-2 victory.
"It feels like we won," said Zalesky. "We were coming off an era where we were last in the Pac-10 every year and then we step out and just a few years later and we're beating Iowa guys. It was huge."
