Daily Iowan

Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Robin Svec/The Daily Iowan

When the third-ranked Iowa wrestling team travels to Ames for its intrastate skirmish with No. 1 Iowa State this weekend, Mark Perry will not suit up to compete, Iowa Associate Athletics Director Fred Mims confirmed Tuesday evening.

Following a disqualification Perry received at the St. Edward Duals in his bout with Old Dominion wrestler Chris Brown on Nov. 24, the NCAA wrestling committee reviewed the initial call and determined flagrant misconduct had occurred.

To satisfy his suspension in accordance with NCAA guidelines, the 165-pound defending national champion is required to sit out the Hawkeyes' meet against the Cyclones.

"He will not participate this weekend," Mims said. "It's just an unfortunate situation, but it's one the team will overcome, and hopefully, [the Hawkeyes] will have an outstanding performance against Iowa State."

The ruling comes two days after the Hawkeyes were scheduled to compete at the Northern Iowa Open on Sunday. Because of inclement weather, the tournament was canceled; it will not be made up.

"The committee decision was that [Perry] would have to sit out the next scheduled meet," Mims said. "The issue was that the next scheduled meet was the UNI [Open], and that was canceled because of the storm. And then the question there was he'd have to sit out the next meet.

"The interpretation came back that yes, he would have to sit out the next meet."

Perry is listed on Iowa's probable lineup, which was released on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Stillwater, Okla., native was unaware of any discrepancy regarding his status in the upcoming dual.

Had the verdict been in the Hawkeyes' favor, Perry would have squared off with Iowa State redshirt freshman Jonathan Readers, who is ranked No. 6 nationally at 165 pounds.

Perry, who is in pursuit of his 80th career victory, is slotted at No. 2.

Still awaiting word from Mims or Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta earlier Tuesday, Brands said he isn't concerned about swapping weight classes to fill in for Perry.

"I don't think you worry about that right now," he said. "I think you worry about that one step at a time, and we haven't even gotten to the first step yet."

Six other wrestlers on the Iowa roster are listed at 165 pounds. Redshirt freshman Jake Kerr faced Perry in the final rounds of the Hawkeyes' wrestle-offs in early November and was defeated, 6-1.

At the earliest, Perry is eligible to compete on Dec. 13, when Northern Iowa and Cornell venture into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to match up with Iowa.

E-mail DI reporter Ryan Young at:

ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu

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