By DAN McCOOL<\/p>\n
Iowa City, Ia. – He is no longer using soup cans for weight training, but Iowa wrestler Mario Galanakis has returned to his wrestling roots to get some success this season.<\/p>\n
Galanakis, a senior 133-pounder from Greenfield, brings a string of two consecutive first-period pins into his scheduled match against Iowa State’s Nick Gallick Sunday at 4 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.<\/p>\n
The Iowa-Iowa State meet will be televised live by Iowa Public Television.<\/p>\n
The pin is what made Galanakis (6-1) a four-time placewinner in the state tournament for Nodaway Valley High School. After a season away from the mat because of academic deficiency – he had to buy a ticket to watch last season’s Iowa-Iowa State duel – Galanakis is back with an attacking style that was missing his first time with Iowa in 2004-05.<\/p>\n
“I can definitely say that just by being coached by Tom Brands has helped me be a lot more aggressive and a lot more on the attack than I used to be, “said Galanakis, who was an all-American at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls before joining the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n
One of Brands’ last duties as an assistant at Iowa, prior to his two-season stint as head coach at Virginia Tech, was to have an official recruiting visit with Galanakis, who prepared for youth tournaments by using cans of soup as barbells.<\/p>\n
“I say he’s gotten back to his roots, “Brands said. “The kid got pretty good. Pretty good doesn’t cut it unless you’ve got a work ethic.”<\/p>\n
Brands said Galanakis has bought into the attacking style that Brands learned from ex-Iowa coach Dan Gable, who is now an assistant with the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n
That’s better than the deer-in-headlights look Gable remembered Galanakis having when he started at Iowa. That was when Galanakis could scramble pretty well.<\/p>\n
“He came out of some holds that, when you throw somebody off the roof, if they land on their feet they’re pretty good and he landed on his feet a couple times, “Gable said. “He’s much more ready to do what he’s capable of doing because of that year he had two years ago.”<\/p>\n
Galanakis said Brands pushes the idea of one takedown deserves more. That widen-the-gulf mentality was how Nodaway Valley coach Rory Benton coached him in high school, Galanakis said.<\/p>\n
“Even though you’re ahead, you’ve got to keep building your lead and breaking the guy down to where there isn’t a chance he can score a last-second takedown or something, “Galanakis said. “I can definitely say that’s been my mentality already, and I think it’s going to continue to get stronger and stronger as the year goes on.”<\/p>\n
Galanakis is glad to be back in competition. That means he won’t need to buy a ticket for Sunday’s meet. Doing so last season was tough.<\/p>\n
“It was definitely hard on me, knowing I could have been in an Iowa singlet, “Galanakis said. “Not knowing that I was ever going to be back in wrestling … it was definitely different sitting in the stands.<\/p>\n
Galanakis drew attention off the mat in July of 2005 for an incident at a Creston residence. An original charge of second-degree attempted burglary – a Class D felony – was later amended to trespassing and public intoxication. He was fined $500 plus court costs on each charge and ordered to make restitution.<\/p>\n
Galanakis beat Iowa State’s Jesse Sundell 6-3 in the 2004 meet. Galanakis was the only high school wrestler in Iowa to beat Ogden’s Sundell in 135 high school matches.<\/p>\n
“I definitely want to go out and prove myself (Sunday), “Galanakis said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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