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Plans for the next national championship were in the works for the Iowa wrestling program long before Saturday night -- and it won't take a renovation project to assemble the next title team.

The Hawkeyes must replace two-time NCAA champion Mark Perry Jr. and All-American Matt Fields from the team that rolled through the tournament over the weekend at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

Perry and Fields accounted for 36 points at the Scottrade Center. The Hawkeyes won the title by 38.5.

"It was awesome to be part of this team," said Perry, a four-time All-American who claimed his second title with a 5-2 win against Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum at 165. "They pretty much return everybody besides myself and Fields. We've got (Dan) Erekson, who I think can win the nationals next year when he starts believing it -- and I'm not just saying that for no reason. He could be a very talented heavyweight. They're after some very talented '65-pounders, and everyone is going to be a year older.

hawk central | Hawkeye Wrestling