Iowa faithful loud and proud

CLEVELAND -- At the beginning of Iowa wrestling events, a man in a yellow and black suit stood in front of the fans and began the familiar chant -- "I-O-W-A, IOWA, IOWA, IOWA."

Throughout the first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Cleveland State University Convocation Center yesterday, those were the soothing sounds that surrounded the 12,000 fans in attendance.

"I go to all the home meets and championships," Reeder said. "Everybody seems to know my name because I lead the cheer."

It was the Iowa faithful against the rest of the fans at the event. Everybody in the stadium knew when a Hawkeye wrestler was on the mat because the place would erupt with noise.

During the first-round match at 126 pounds between No. 4 seed Rob Loper from Pittsburgh and Iowa's Doug Schwab, the fans from both sides traded cheers throughout. The match was close through seven minutes, but Loper came out on top with a 10-7 victory. Along with the victory, he was showered from boos from the Hawkeye faithful.

"There is always a lot of excitement," Reeder said. "We expect Iowa to win so there is some added pressure."

Another Hawkeye receiving loud support during his match was second-seeded 122 pounder Jeff McGinness, who faced Melvin Saunders from North Carolina-Greensboro. McGinness gave the fans a show, winning with a fall in two minutes, seven seconds.

Following his match, McGinness said he doesn't typically hear the crowd when he wrestles, only before and after.

"It's a big motivation factor to know that they're all in your corner," he said. "We have a real big following almost everywhere we go."

After the first day of competition, though, Hawkeye coach Jim Zalesky said the team had great fans, but the wrestlers really didn't give them much to cheer about.

Along with the Pittsburgh faithful, Oklahoma State fans also brought the noise. Cowboy fan Willie Baker from Stillwater, Okla., said other fans would join together and cheer against the Hawkeyes.

"Iowa has won so many times," he said. "Everyone will cheer against them as the tournament winds down."