“I think our confidence is still pretty high,” 174-pound sophomore Ian Hinton said. “Against Iowa, we went in there and gave it our best, but they proved they were the best team in the country. We’re learning from the match and can’t hang our heads on it.”

The No. 1 Hawkeyes swept all 10 weight classes Sunday, shutting out MSU 37-0. Iowa (18-0) features eight wrestlers ranked in the top 10 and also has beaten No. 2 Iowa State twice.

The Spartans have been focusing on consistency throughout their lineup. After taking a 17-3 lead Friday against Michigan, the second half of MSU’s lineup battled some of the Wolverines’ top wrestlers and saw its 14-point advantage eventually dwindle to a two-point, 17-15 win.

“It’s definitely a challenge to keep the intensity up,” 157-pound junior Anthony Jones Jr. said. “Sometimes you can look at the team score or location in the match and not feel as motivated as you did before.”

Players said the team has been competing in difficult drills to work on keeping up the focus and intensity.

“Our emphasis is to compete in every weight class,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “We’re not as consistent as we should be, but I thought (Friday) we wrestled pretty well.”

Streak snapped

Daniel Dennis’s overtime victory against 133-pound senior Franklin Gomez was Gomez’s first loss in his last 30 matches. Last season’s national champion, Gomez’s setback caused him to drop three spots in this week’s rankings, falling from No. 1 to No. 4.

His last loss came on Feb. 6, 2009, when Dennis — then-ranked No. 1 — defeated Gomez, who was ranked No. 6 at the time.

When they wrestled Sunday, Gomez was No. 1, and Dennis was No. 6, as Dennis once again came out victorious.

Gomez lost just two matches last season, and was steady during his 29-game win streak since last losing to Dennis.

“One of Franklin’s strengths as a wrestler is that he doesn’t get too up after wins or down for losses,” Minkel said. “He knows it doesn’t go perfectly.”

Looking ahead

The Spartans travel to No. 11 Central Michigan at 7:30 p.m. Friday for their second straight match against a top 15 opponent.

In recent seasons, the Chippewas have been a mainstay as one of the state’s best teams and should be a solid nonconference test for the Spartans.

MSU then returns home Sunday for a 1 p.m. match against No. 25 Purdue.

“We have a lot to learn from last weekend,” Minkel said. “I’m confident we’ll wrestle well this weekend.”