Army West Point Athletics
Wrestling Adds Dual with No. 1 Iowa
November 26, 2021 | Wrestling
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point wrestling team has announced a change to its schedule by adding a match against No. 1 Iowa, the reigning national champions, on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. EST.
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The dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be streamed live at BIG+. Iowa was originally slated to wrestle Oregon State on Sunday afternoon, but unexpected travel difficulties prevented the Beavers from making the trek to Iowa City.
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The Black Knights were readily available to fill in, as the team is set to take on Iowa State in Ames on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. EST.
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"Obviously a big surprise to us, but when we got the phone call that the defending National champs are looking for a team to come wrestle in their arena, I knew we wanted to do it," head coach Kevin Ward said. "I didn't want to commit unless our team was fired up to accept the challenge, and when I talked to the team there was zero hesitation. They immediately jumped. It's the reaction the Army would expect and the reaction this country would expect from their future leaders. You don't back down and you embrace challenges. So we are excited for the opportunity to compete at Iowa. And we will look forward to welcoming the Hawkeyes to Christl Arena next season. But first we need to be focused and ready to compete at Iowa state tomorrow. That's the job at hand and that's what we are focused on."
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In addition to the agreement that the Cadets and the Hawkeyes will face off on Sunday afternoon, the programs also decided that Iowa will make the trip to West Point during the 2022-23 season for an additional competition against the Black Knights.
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"We were in a scheduling bind and under special circumstances Army has stepped up to meet the challenge," Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. "We will welcome them to Iowa City and we know we have to be ready."
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More information regarding this Sunday's match is available at hawkeyesports.com/wrestlinglive.
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Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point wrestling, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Wres and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.Â
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The dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be streamed live at BIG+. Iowa was originally slated to wrestle Oregon State on Sunday afternoon, but unexpected travel difficulties prevented the Beavers from making the trek to Iowa City.
Â
The Black Knights were readily available to fill in, as the team is set to take on Iowa State in Ames on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. EST.
Â
"Obviously a big surprise to us, but when we got the phone call that the defending National champs are looking for a team to come wrestle in their arena, I knew we wanted to do it," head coach Kevin Ward said. "I didn't want to commit unless our team was fired up to accept the challenge, and when I talked to the team there was zero hesitation. They immediately jumped. It's the reaction the Army would expect and the reaction this country would expect from their future leaders. You don't back down and you embrace challenges. So we are excited for the opportunity to compete at Iowa. And we will look forward to welcoming the Hawkeyes to Christl Arena next season. But first we need to be focused and ready to compete at Iowa state tomorrow. That's the job at hand and that's what we are focused on."
Â
In addition to the agreement that the Cadets and the Hawkeyes will face off on Sunday afternoon, the programs also decided that Iowa will make the trip to West Point during the 2022-23 season for an additional competition against the Black Knights.
Â
"We were in a scheduling bind and under special circumstances Army has stepped up to meet the challenge," Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. "We will welcome them to Iowa City and we know we have to be ready."
Â
More information regarding this Sunday's match is available at hawkeyesports.com/wrestlinglive.
Â
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point wrestling, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Wres and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.Â
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