gg121and2

According to KJ Pilcher of the CR Gazette/Crossface Chronicles, intermat Top 10 recruit Derek St John has verbally commited to Iowa.

http://iowamats.wordpress.com/2008/0...-chooses-iowa/

Wiltz

Great to have him aboard.


Here is Andy Hamilton's take www.hawkcentral.com

West standout to wrestle at UI
Andy Hamilton • Iowa City Press-Citizen • August 4, 2008

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Derek St. John put Iowa at the top of his list of college choices during his formative years as a wrestler, and the Hawkeyes had the West High star at the top of their list of recruiting priorities for the upcoming year.


Thus, much of the suspense surrounding St. John's recruitment wasn't where he would go but rather when he would finalize his decision.

The two-time state champion and Junior National finalist committed to the Hawkeyes on Sunday, picking his favorite program over Nebraska, Iowa State and Edinboro.

"Iowa was the No. 1 place I was looking at just because of the fact I always wanted to go there since I was a little kid," said St. John, who is expected to wrestle at 160 pounds for the Trojans as a senior next season and could eventually fall into a spot in Iowa's lineup at 165 or 174. "I want to be part of a national championship team and be around great people and have the atmosphere that's going to help me wrestle at the next level."

The Hawkeyes figure to gain quite a bit from the agreement, too.

St. John, ranked the seventh-best recruit nationally in the Class of 2009 by InterMat, takes a 134-8 career record into his senior season with the Trojans. During his march to two state titles, St. John pinned three state tournament opponents and outscored the other five by a collective 68-16 margin, winning each of his championship bouts by major decision.

He compiled a 50-0 mark this past season, allowing just two takedowns and establishing himself as one of the top high school wrestlers in the country after a rib injury prevented him from showcasing his skills at Junior Nationals last summer.

"He's hard to score on," West coach Mark Reiland said. "That's what makes him a good freestyle wrestler and that's what's going to help him in the college room. Obviously, he's going to have to get a little more physical, but his style isn't to be real physical, and I'm not sure that's going to bother him a whole lot. He's got toughness, and he's been in a room with guys like Grant (Gambrall) and Nate (Moore) and Nick Moore and (Dylan) Carew, so he's not afraid of working hard and getting pushed in the practice room."

With Gambrall and Nate Moore already headed to Iowa, St. John said his longtime vision of wrestling for the Hawkeyes started to become reality in recent months.

"I contacted Iowa to see what they had to say, had a meeting with them early on and went from there," he said. "(Iowa coach Tom Brands) basically just said he was really interested in me and I was a top priority and he was going to do everything it took to pull me in. I was definitely pretty pumped up and geared toward going to Iowa."

Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or ahamilton@press-citizen.com.

__________________
"He quits, not because he wants to, but because he has to. He has no choice.
" -Tom Brands 01/20/08