The second-ranked Iowa wrestling team hosts North Carolina State tonight (Monday) in the inaugural National Duals Championship Series. The Wolkpack may not be thought of as a traditional college wrestling powerhouse, but they’re ranked fourth and have the attention of Iowa coach Tom Brands. “They may be ‘off the radar’ as far as wrestling…believe me, they’re on the radar and we have to be ready to go,” Brands said.

N-C State has four wrestlers ranked in the top five, including two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski at heavyweight. Hawkeye (redshirt) freshman Sam Stoll dropped a 10-1 decision to Gwiazdowski in December, but has won 10 matches in a row since, including four wins over ranked opponents. “You know, just because he’s a two-time returning champ, I prepare the same way,” Stoll said. “My mindset has got to be the same every match.”

Formerly the NWCA National Duals Tournament, the 2016 National Duals Championship Series matches the top eight Big Ten programs against regular season champions from other conferences. For that reason, #2 Iowa was not matched-up against #1 Penn State.

Tonight’s dual in Iowa City will start at 7:00. Iowa State received an at-large bid into the National Duals. The Cyclones lost at Minnesota on Friday night, 30-to-10.

(Learfield Sports)