Video: Brands on the unusual media day
Iowa coach Tom Brands said the team's media day was held outdoors to have a traditional setting for the state.
"There's not a correlation of toughness," he said. "I think wrestlers pride themselves on being tough. That's not what we're trying to show. We're trying to do something different and include a part of Iowa that is synonymous with wrestling. I mean, Frank Gotch, he wouldn't even be sitting on these logs, he'd be splitting them. (Dan) Gable would be splitting these logs for his wood-burning sauna. So it's synonymous for those types of people, and that's where I came from. I came from a rural community, and all the baling hay and all that and wood smoke, it's a part of what everybody in Iowa is about really, or at least their roots."
The Hawkeyes, who went 14-1 overall and 9-0 in dual meets last season, are ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls heading into the 2019-20 season.
Iowa's home schedule features some of the best teams in the nation, including a three-dual stretch of Nebraska, Ohio State and Penn State at the end of January.
The Hawkeyes return six All-Americans from last season — Spencer Lee (125, national champion), Austin DeSanto (133, 5th), Pat Lugo (149, 8th), Kaleb Young (157, 5th), Alex Marinelli (165, 7th) and Jacob Warner (197, 7th). Seventy-four of Iowa's 76 points in the NCAA Championships return.
Iowa opens the season with a Nov. 17 dual meet against UT-Chattanooga at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.