By Patrick Z. McGavin-Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
**Additional Photos may be viewed at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/nwviowa **
EVANSTON— Trevor Chumbley knew the moment was ripe for something special.
Of all the Northwestern wrestlers, he had the greatest incentive and moment of exultation and discovery.
His showdown against Iowa’s Jared Franck marked the leading showcase match of the Wildcats’ home dual at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The two wrestlers had a combative and intense personal history.
Chumbley suffered a tight 5-3 loss against Franek in the NCAA national tournament last year.
The rematch also marked a telling confrontation of two nationally-ranked wrestlers.
Franek is No. 2, and Chumbley is No. 22.
The two did not disappoint.
The wrestlers put on a clinic with their toughness, skill and high level technique.
After a scoreless opening period, the two exchanged escapes, with Chumbley gaining a second period advantage and Franek answering at the start of the third period.
Franek scored the sudden victory 4-1 decision with his takedown at the 7:45 mark.
Chumbley provided a rare bright spot as the Hawkeyes swept all the matches for the 46-0 dual victory here Sunday.
“We knew we were big underdogs coming into tonight so the message we tried to get across to the guys was just stay in your lane, focus on what you can do, and get the most out of yourself in the competition,” Northwestern coach Matt Storniolo said.
“Individually we had a couple of decent matches, and I thought we did a better job of competing tonight than we did on Friday. We still need to do a better job. We need to compete better.”
The second period escape by Chumbley marked Northwestern’s only lead in any of the 10 matches. He countered Franek’s every move through the seven-minute, three period regulation.
Twice during the frantic third period Franek appeared on the verge of taking him down. Chumbley brilliantly evaded his single-leg or ankle pick that forced the overtime.
A couple of times he utilized a couple of dazzling rolls, and half-twists that flummoxed Franek.
“In the overtime, I just kind of got caught flat-footed there,” he said.
Chumbley was often the aggressor, shaping the action and looking to seize any offensive action for offensive points.
“I feel very comfortable whenever there’s action being created, whether that’s off my shot, or getting in scrambles and almost coming out of a few of those,” Chumbley said.
“Those are the kind of adjustments I need to make to ultimately get a takedown.”
At 133 pounds, Northwestern’s Patrick Adams achieved the only other positive action, the only offensive points scored by a Wildcat.
“That’s definitely the name of the game in the Big Ten,” Chumbley said.
“The Iowa wrestlers are very good at staying in the right there, and working through some of those positions. We have to be able to learn from this, know how to move forward, and make the necessary adjustments.”
A native of St. Charles who won two high school state championships at Marmion, Chumbley represents a vital inflection point for the program.
He underscores the vital importance of the ability of Northwestern at recruiting elite local athletes who are capable of competing at the highest national level.
Marmion senior Jack Lesher, the defending Class 3A state champion at 182 pounds, committed to Northwestern last fall.
Rehabbing from a knee injury he suffered playing football, Lesher is unable to defend his individual state championship.
Northwestern is a coveted destination.
“We’re always going to try and get the best guys from anywhere that we can get them from,” Storniolo said.
“We’re fortunate in that we’re in one of the hotbed states for the sport. If you want to have a good program, you need to get some of your in-state talent to stay home.”
Iowa’s Michael Caliendo had two top-four high school state finishes wrestling at Batavia in 2019 and 2020.
Now ranked No. 6, he dispatched Northwestern’s No. 18 Maxx Mayfield with the 21-5 technical fall.
Takedowns are crucial at the college level because they’re worth 50 percent more than high school. His two takedowns and backpoints created a lightning 9-point burst that closed out the match.
His family, high school coaches and current wrestlers at Batavia soaked in the action.
Wrestling is the most mentally demanding of sports. It could not have helped the Wildcats to suffer three technical falls and another fall in the first matches leading up to the Franek and Chumbley showdown.
From the opening, Northwestern was on its heels.
“It’s tough to see your teammates lose like that,” Chumbley said. “Obviously you care about your family.
“I think from a competitive standout, you’ve got to block that out individual, and just consciously focus on my match and what I can control, regardless of what happens the four matches before mine, or the four matches after. I can hopefully provide a spark for everyone.”
The Wildcats’ best chance for a victory came at 184 pounds where No. 23 Troy Fisher matched up against the Hawkeyes’ unable Aiden Riggins.
A two-time national qualifier, Fisher reached the round of 16 in the national tournament last year. He engineered several intriguing chances against Riggins.
Riggins secured the first period advantage with a single-leg takedown. Down 3-1, Fisher secured the second period escape to pull within 3-2. He never got any closer after Riggins pulled off his own escape early in the third period.
Multiple times Fisher got in tight on Riggins, seemingly on the verge of getting the go-ahead takedown. The Iowa wrestlers showed particular steel and nerves in withstanding the Wildcats’ pressure.
Riggins secured the 4-2 decision, the tightest victory margin of the day.
“They’re a very stingy team, and with this kind of high quality wrestling, the best guys are going to fight you tooth and nail for every point,” Storniolo said. “They’re not going to give away anything easy, and they did a really good job of executing that tonight.”
Northwestern’s final chance at scoring any team points faded with a devastating cradle action by No, 13 Zach Glazier that yielded the first period fall of No. 27 Evan Bates.
“We’re a young team,” Storniolo said. “We have a couple of guys who are in the lineup a little bit earlier than they were expecting to be.
“So physically we’re a little bit behind, and that doesn’t make it any easier for the guys mentally. They’re taking steps forward, and we have to continue to get better with every opportunity we have and keep building towards March.”
Dual results
Iowa 46, Northwestern 0
125–Drake Ayala (Iowa) TF 19-4 Massey Odiotti (Northwestern)
133–Cullan Schriever (Iowa) TF 24-9 Patrick Adams (Northwestern)
141–Brody Teske (Iowa) TF 17-1 Kolby McClain (Northwestern)
149–Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) F Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern)
157–Jared Franek (Iowa) SV-1 4-1 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern)
165–Michael Caliendo (Iowa) TF 21-5 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern)
174–Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) MD 11-2 David Ferrante (Northwestern)
184–Aiden Riggins (Iowa) D 4-2 Troy Fisher (Northwestern)
197–Zach Glazier MD (Iowa) 11-2 Evan Bates (Northwestern)
285–Ben Kueter (Iowa) F Jack Jessen (Northwestern)
