Wrestling: Jaydin Eierman shines in his first opportunity to compete in front of Iowa fans
Cody GoodwinCORALVILLE, Ia. — Jaydin Eierman got a small taste of what life as a Hawkeye wrestler is like this weekend.
The senior was at the center of the crowd’s attention inside Xtream Arena, home of the 2020 U.S. Senior National Championships this weekend. He wore Hawkeye Wrestling Club singlets as if to officially announce his arrival. He even received occasional pre-match slaps-to-the-face from Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands.
In response, Eierman gave the sizable black-and-gold contingent reasons to cheer. He ultimately went 5-2 and took fifth at 65 kilograms (143 pounds). He made a run to the semifinals and finished in the top eight at arguably the tournament’s deepest weight.
“It hit different,” Eierman said. “These fans are unreal. They know the sport, they live it, care for it, and they get after it. It was another level. There’s not usually a lot of fans that come to these things, but the Hawkeye fans were roaring.”
Along the way, he flashed the tantalizing talent that has Iowa coaches excited about adding him to the lineup during the 2020-21 season, offering small doses of what he could add as a member of the Hawkeyes' lineup this coming season.
He won his first three matches by a combined 29-0. He twice beat Matthew Kolodzik, a four-time All-American from Princeton — once in the quarterfinals, then again for fifth place. He showed his big-move potential in both, scoring a big 4-pointer in their first meeting on his way to a 6-5 win, then pinning Kolodzik in a spladle for fifth place.
But he also showed areas where he can still improve. In the semifinals, he lost to Evan Henderson, 13-5, after giving up a 4-point move in the first period that turned a 6-4 deficit into 10-4 at recess. In Sunday’s wrestlebacks, he lost soundly to Joey McKenna, a three-time All-American for Stanford and Ohio State who he’s previously beaten.
“There were some matches where I did really well, and there were some where I saw things I need to fix,” Eierman said. “I let a couple of guys get in (on shots) deep, and they capitalized on it. I need to go to practice and work on that.”
More than anything, this weekend was a good test for Eierman. For a lot of these guys, this was the first high-level wrestling competition in many months. Some haven’t competed since March, which was eight months ago, and some even longer than that.
That idea was palpable throughout the tournament. The competition wasn’t as deep and talented as some other USA Wrestling events, but some weights still had plenty of top-tier competition. At 65 kilos, for example, there were 15 past NCAA All-Americans, including one national champion, Dean Heil, who didn’t even finish on the podium.
Eierman was aware of all of this entering the weekend, and took a level-headed approach in the immediate aftermath. He will be considered a title contender for Iowa this upcoming season. Nothing he did or didn’t do this weekend changed that.
But now he can take his results from this competition back with him to the practice room. He has things he can focus on in his training. He's genuinely excited about the opportunity to improve, the same way he was excited to finally wrestle this weekend.
“I needed this,” Eierman said. “I’m not discouraged with how I did. Coming out here and wrestling new guys, I can see how much I’ve evolved. I can see things that have changed, and others that still need to change.
“This will help me progress even further. I know where I’m at right now, and I know where I can be. It’ll just take time, and I’m ready to go.”
Gadson takes second
Former Iowa State wrestler Kyven Gadson put together a tremendous weekend in a second-place finish at 97 kilos (213 pounds). He ultimately finished 3-1 and lost to former Ohio State star Kollin Moore, 12-5, in Sunday's final.
Gadson was impressive in his run to the finals, beating Pittsburgh's Nino Bonaccorsi, 5-2, and pinning Nebraska's Eric Schultz in the quarters. He advanced past Kyle Snyder, a three-time world and Olympic champion, in the semifinals after Snyder injured his ankle. Even then, Gadson led 5-0 on a pair of takedowns when Snyder decided he was done.
Against Moore, Gadson led 2-0 early and then tied it 4-4 after an exposure, all in the first 90 seconds. But Moore took control on a takedown-to-leg-lace transition to lead 8-4 at the break. Gadson never recovered and finished second.
The former Cyclone has consistently been on USA Wrestling's ladder at 97 kilos — always in the mix as a contender, but never at the top. His results this weekend again showed why. It was a positive performance, but there's still work to do.
Carr flashes potential en route to sixth
Current Iowa State wrestler David Carr showed why many considered him a title contender this past collegiate season. He took sixth at 74 kilos (163), reaching the semifinals before sliding down the podium.
After slicing through the preliminary rounds, Carr beat Northwestern's Ryan Deakin, 6-5, in the quarterfinals, thanks to a couple of second-period takedowns and a reversal in the final moments. Deakin gave Carr his only loss during the 2019-20 season.
From there, Carr lost to Michigan's Logan Massa, 4-0; then to North Carolina State's Hayden Hidlay (another NCAA title contender), 9-5; then to Deakin in the fifth-place match, 5-2.
So it was ultimately a hot-and-cold weekend from Carr, but he provided more evidence that he can absolutely hang with some of the toughest Division I guys at his weight.
Foster, Lujan both shine at 86 kilos
Drew Foster and Taylor Lujan, Northern Iowa's last two 184-pounders, were among the top-eight at 86 kilos (189). Foster went 4-2, reached the semifinals and took fourth. Lujan went 5-2 and finished seventh.
Both showcased some impressive moments along the way. Foster put up 50 points in six matches, and won three by technical fall. Lujan scored 55 in seven, and was only really outclassed in one match the whole weekend.
Foster, of course, was a 2019 NCAA champion, and Lujan was the 1-seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships before COVID-19 forced its cancellation. The folkstyle talent is obvious, and after this weekend, so, too, is their freestyle prowess.
Watters takes third in women's freestyle
Ballard graduate Rachel Watters finished third at 68 kilos (150) in the women's freestyle competition, which was split across both Friday and Saturday.
Watters went 1-2 in a round-robin style tournament that featured many heavy hitters. She beat 2019 NAIA national champ Marilyn Garcia, but lost to eventual champ Forrest Molinari, a former Hawkeye Wrestling Club freestyler and two-time Senior world-teamer, and Skylar Grote, a national collegiate champ from Brock University in Canada.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
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U.S. Senior National Championships
Men's Freestyle Finals
- 57 kilograms (125 pounds): No. 1 Vito Arujau over Dylan Ragusin, 13-3
- 65 kilos (143): No. 9 Andrew Alirez over No. 3 Evan Henderson, 5-1
- 74 kilos (163): No. 1 Logan Massa over No. 3 Anthony Valencia, 15-2
- 86 kilos (189): No. 2 Gabe Dean over No. 1 Nate Jackson, 1-1 (criteria)
- 97 kilos (213): No. 3 Kollin Moore over No. 4 Kyven Gadson, 12-5
- 125 kilos (275): No. 2 Mason Parris over No. 5 Tanner Hall, 12-2
Women's Freestyle Finals
- 50 kilos (110): No. 1 Sarah Hildebrandt over No. 3 Amy Fearnside, 8-0
- 53 kilos (117): No. 1 Katherine Shai over No. 2 Ronna Heaton, 10-0
- 57 kilos (125): No. 2 Lauren Louive over Xochitl Mota-Pettis by fall, 5:47
- 62 kilos (136): No. 2 Jennifer Page over No. 1 Macey Kilty, 4-3
- 68 kilos (150): No. 1 Forrest Molinari over No. 3 Skylar Grote by fall, 4:20
- 76 kilos (167): No. 1 Adeline Gray over No. 3 Victoria Francis, 10-0
