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23 I f you missed the icebreaker introductions the first two weeks of the Iowa wrestling season, you may need to buy a program at the next dual. en again, if you've tuned in for the postgame highlights, you may not. Freshman Justin Stickley (125 pounds), sopho- more Vince Turk (141), redshirt freshman Kaleb Young (165), and junior Mitch Bowman (184) opened the season a combined 15-4 overall, scoring bonus points in 11 wins. e competition is admittedly lighter in November than what the Hawkeyes will see in March, but when you're tasked with replacing four All-Americans and five senior starters, 11 bonus-point wins in 19 tries is a good start. "You have the same energy in the room that you had last year, even though those guys (omas Gilman, Cory Clark, Alex Meyer, and Sammy Brooks) aren't in the lineup," said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. "Turk scored 49 points in three matches. at's what I like seeing. It doesn't matter the opponent." Turk outscored opponents 49-9 at the Iowa City Duals. He's healthy for the first time in a long time and he's expected to do all season what he did in his Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut. "I need to stay disciplined with weight control and push the pace," Turk said "It's about wrestling hard and tough, Iowa style." Stickley had a difficult run in his first two matches against Division I opponents, losing 6-0 and by fall, but he brought excitement to the arena Nov. 24, rallying from a 6-1 deficit and building a 15-7 lead before registering a second-period pin against Rider. "e first match of a dual you sometimes need to make a statement and set the tone," Stickley. "If I can go out there and do my job, take care of busi- ness, I think it can set the tone and get the ball rolling in the right direction." Bowman saw limited action in 2016-17, splitting time at 184, 197, and 285 pounds. He said he's at his ideal weight now, and a strong mental ap- proach has led to a 4-0 start that includes a major decision over a ranked opponent. "ere are great workout partners throughout the en- tire room that get me ready to wrestle," Bowman said. "Brooks, (Cash) Wilcke, (Na- than) Burak, (Jacob) Warner — you can't help but get better every day and prepare yourself to be the guy when the time comes. at's my mentality. I'm the guy and I need to be ready to score points for seven minutes." Young was 3-0 with at the Iowa City Duals, regis- tering one major decision, one technical fall, and another decision over a ranked opponent, yet he and Stickley are newcomers that may be filling a temporary role for two more never-before-seen Hawkeyes. Freshman Spencer Lee and redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli are expected to be the No. 1 guys when healthy. Brands said the depth chart at those weight classes hasn't affected the ap- proach from Stickley or Young. "at's what I love most about this entire team. ere is no drama," Brands said. "You're not train- ing 11 guys, you're training 11 plus 21. We have to keep getting better every day and our guys are do- ing it. It's easy for me to be a committed coach and be in the room like I need to be if it's entertaining. ere are a lot of good things happening." DECEMBER SCHEDULE Dec. 1 Illinois Dec. 8 at Rutgers Dec. 10 at Maryland Dec. 29-30 at Midlands Championships