IOWA CITY — Paul Glynn didn't have to look far to find a role model in wrestling when he was growing up.
In fact, he didn't have to leave his house.
His father, also Paul Glynn, wrestled for Iowa from 1984-86, back at the height of the Hawkeyes' glory years when guys like Jim Zalesky, Barry Davis, Kevin Dresser and Jim Heffernan — all now NCAA Division I coaches — were making names for themselves.
So yeah, the younger Paul Glynn has heard all the stories, seen all the records, knows all the history.
The younger Paul Glynn is trying to pave his own way, make a name for himself on the Iowa wrestling team. Glynn, a sophomore, is trying to grab the starting spot at 133 pounds and make it his own. He has been competing with senior Phillip Laux for a spot which has been a problem area for the Hawkeyes all season.
Glynn (6-5), a two-time state runner-up at Bettendorf High School, has a chance to make a statement today and seize the starting spot when he faces second-ranked Luke Pletcher (19-0) of Ohio State when fourth-ranked Iowa (9-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) wrestling second-ranked Ohio State (9-0, 4-0) at 2:30 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
“The way I look at it is I don’t really focus on trying to win the spot. I’m coming in everyday and working to get better and I think I’m finally starting to see some improvement week to week. I’m trying to come in every with a purpose. There is always something to get better on," Glynn said. “We’re both always ready to go. We usually find out earlier in the week, but in my mind I’m always the guy. I’m always ready to go.”
Glynn got an early start in the sport. One of his first memories of wrestling was going to an Iowa meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and watching Ryan Morningstar, who is now an assistant coach at Iowa and works with Glynn in the practice room on a consistent basis.
“I remember going to meets since I was about four years old. I remember coming out with my Bettendorf wrestling club here when I was pretty young and talking to Ryan Morningstar when he was a true freshman at Iowa and he was showing me some moves when I was real young. Just growing up a Hawkeye fan it’s awesome now to be living the dream and be the Hawkeye wrestler you always dreamed of becoming," Glynn said.
And of course he heard all of his father's stories about his days of wrestling for legendary coach Dan Gable, all of which made him want to don the black and gold all the more.
But those are now just distant memories. Glynn would like to create some memories of his own, something he has been working on the last three years at Iowa.
“My Dad wrestled here at Iowa. That’s pretty cool. I don’t really try to look at it too much. I try to focus on myself. I’m happy for him for the things he did here, but that’s in the past. I’m living in the present and focusing on what’s in front of me," Glynn said. “I’m sure he’s proud, but I’m sure he would be a lot more proud if I would get some big wins under my belt and keep improving. Everyone is proud when you’re winning.”
Glynn put up a 22-15 record the last two seasons, competing in open tournaments.
Glynn, who started this season by finishing third at the Luther Open, lost his first two matches in duals. But a solid showing in the Midlands Championships in late December gave Glynn a much-needed boost of confidence and gave Iowa head coach Tom Brands a glimmer of hope.
“I think I learned that when I go out and let it fly, good things happen. When I’m getting to my attacks, I’m a hard guy to beat," Glynn said of his 3-2 showing at the tournament at Northwestern. “I definitely like the direction of the way things are going. They could still be better, but I’m definitely feeling like I’m improving each day and each week, so that’s a positive.”
Glynn followed that with a pin against Matt Santos of Michigan State, his first victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He hopes there will be plenty more to follow.
"He had a good performance against Michigan State," Brands said. "He has certainly shown some things. Even at the Midlands, he went deep into the tournament and probably performed more consistently than Phil Laux. Paul Glynn is going at 133 against Ohio State."
“It was good to get that first win, especially against a Big Ten opponent and my first win in Carver. But that’s over with now. You have to move on right after that because you know you’ve got a big opponent coming up," Glynn said.
That, too, is now just a distant memory, in the rear-view mirror as Glynn focuses on the next challenge. He has a chance to make a statement today, an opportunity to grabe the spot and run with it. This is the moment Glynn has been waiting for.
“To me it’s not really any different knowing I’m competing against a guy for a spot. I try to put more focus on myself. I try to better myself every single day because we have big meets coming up. Big Tens and nationals is what we’re preparing for ultimately. Just trying to get better every day," Glynn said. “It’s huge. It’s a pretty high-ranked opponent. It’s not only big for me, it’s big for my family and it’s big for this program.”