Iowa’s Matt McDonough won the 2010 NCAA title as a freshman at 125 pounds. Larry Slater photo.

Matt McDonough loves proving people wrong.

McDonough and his Iowa teammates had an objective of doing exactly that when they walked into Penn State’s sold-out Rec Hall to face the top-ranked Nittany Lions.

McDonough started the dual with a pin at 125 pounds and the No. 8 Hawkeyes never let up in delivering a resounding message with a 22-13 road win.

“We go into those dual meets with the same mindset we always do,” McDonough said. “It was a big opportunity to quiet a stadium full of fans and prove our point. You don’t want to be the underdog, but I think we fed off that a little bit. Having people say it’s a rebuilding year and we aren’t what we have been, you got to have a chip on your shoulder about that.”

McDonough is just a sophomore, but he is one of the leaders on a Hawkeye team that has eight new faces in the starting lineup after Iowa won its third straight NCAA team title last March in Omaha.

McDonough, from Marion, Iowa, is the returning NCAA champion at 125. He is ranked No. 1 nationally by InterMat and WIN Magazine. He is ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News behind unbeaten Anthony Robles of Arizona State.

McDonough avenged his only loss of the season last Friday when he pinned then-No. 1 Brandon Precin of Northwestern in a dual meet in Evanston, Ill. McDonough lost to Precin in the Midlands finals.

McDonough fell behind in the most recent match, trailing Precin 3-0 before hitting a third-period headlock to pull the match out.

“I didn’t come out the way I wanted to early in the match,” said McDonough, who is 53-2 in his Hawkeye career. “I wasn’t in the right positions and I need to force my offense more. I kept battling the whole time and I knew I had to get something going. I went for a big move and I hit the headlock. Being down, obviously it’s not where I want to be. To come out of there with a win is big for me. I need to build on that.”

McDonough and Precin, who is now ranked third nationally, could meet a third time in the same venue at March’s Big Ten Championships at Northwestern.

“Looking forward, I obviously need to continue to improve,” McDonough said. “He rode me and that’s something I need to work on. I need to keep getting better.”

Iowa coach Tom Brands said Precin “exposed some weaknesses” in the two matches with McDonough.

“We obviously need to get better in some areas when we wrestle Precin,” Brands said. “McDonough’s not perfect by any means. He knows he has work to do. He has to continue to get better.”

McDonough is known for wrestling an attacking, relentless style where he pushes the pace for the full seven minutes of a match.

“McDonough has to wrestle a certain way and it is very hard to wrestle that way,” Brands said. “He has to wrestle a very demanding style with a high pace. He trains very hard and he’s made a great commitment to wrestling that way. Wrestling at a high pace allows him to have success where he is dominant. He’s been very consistent with that style.”

McDonough has never faced the powerful Robles, the two-time All-American for Arizona State who was born without a right leg. Robles is a senior.

“You need to have a guy like that on your radar,” McDonough said. “He’s a tough wrestler and a tough competitor. I just have to make sure I am wrestling at the highest level I possibly can and believe in myself. Knowing how to wrestle someone who has a different style is important. I’m going to be ready for a battle if I face him.”

McDonough’s strong 2010 continued after the NCAAs when he made the U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle wrestling. He fell short of placing after losing his first match to Ukraine’s Stanislav Reutsky 2-1, 3-1 at July’s Junior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He competed at 60 kg/132 lbs.

“That was very beneficial to make the Junior World Team,” said McDonough, a past Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle. “I gained a lot of valuable experience. I learned a lot about being tough in certain positions and that has helped me when I went back to folkstyle wrestling. I obviously have a lot of work to do in freestyle. I need to keep working hard to make more World Teams.

“My goals in wrestling go way beyond winning an NCAA title. My goals are to win Olympic and World titles. That’s what I’m shooting for.”

McDonough will have a chance to wrestle at home during the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The event will be held at the University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

“It’s huge to have it here,” he said. “The idea that I can wrestle in front of my home crowd is pretty exciting. We have the best fans in the country in my opinion. Everyone here knows wrestling and loves wrestling. I think having the Olympic Trials here can really help grow the sport.”

McDonough is in a different role this year as a returning NCAA champion.

“Guys want to slow you down, but you have to keep your pace high,” he said. “You don’t change the way you wrestle for anyone. I still want to be a national champion as much as I did last year. I’m going to work twice as hard, if not more, to get there.”

In the win over Penn State, Iowa junior Montell Marion returned to the lineup with a win at 141. Marion was an NCAA runner-up in 2010.

“It’s great to have Montell Marion back,” McDonough said. “It helps a lot to have another leader in the lineup. We know he’s going to work hard and he knows what it takes to be successful.”

McDonough has taken on more of a leadership role this season.

“I try to lead by example and verbally as well,” he said. “I’ve been through an entire season and a lot of my teammates haven’t. I try to do whatever I can to help them with what I’ve learned. They are working hard and they all know how to compete. These guys have improved a lot and they will continue to get better. It’s exciting to be a part of this team.”

Brands said McDonough is a wrestler his teammates can emulate.

“McDonough is a leader with his work ethic, his lifestyle and how he wrestles on the mat,” Brands said. “He goes out and dominates people. He’s an example that other guys can definitely look to.”

Even with the win over Penn State, many wrestling observers still question whether Iowa will be a serious contender to win its fourth straight NCAA team title in March in Philadelphia.

The Hawkeyes are now ranked second nationally and are on a 73-match unbeaten streak. Iowa has won 23 of the last 36 NCAA titles 

“We have great tradition at Iowa and we train really hard,” McDonough said. “We think we can wrestle with anybody. We want to be the best. That’s what we are working for.”