FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 14th, 2017

CSN TO CARRY LIVE COVERAGE OF THE 2017 IOWA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (IHSAA) WRESTLING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEKEND (FEB. 17 & 18)

CSN Chicago to Televise & Live Stream (via CSNChicago.com, IHSSN.com, and the NBC Sports app) LIVE HIGH-DEFINITION COVERAGE of the IHSAA Individual Championship Wrestling Class 3A Semifinals (Friday, Feb. 17 at 3:30 PM), 1A & 2A Semifinals (Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 PM), and Finals (Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:00 PM)

Iowa High School Sports Network (IHSSN) to Produce and Provide Live coverage of the Wrestling State Championships featuring the announcing tandem of Iowa Wrestling Hall of Famers MARK IRONSIDE & legendary Olympic Gold Medalist DAN GABLE

Chicago, IL (February 14, 2017) CSN Chicago (CSN), the television and digital home for the most in-depth coverage of the local and regional preps sports scene, along with the Iowa High School Sports Network (IHSSN), will deliver LIVE high-definition coverage of the 2017 Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Wrestling State Championships on Friday, February 17 & Saturday, February 18 from the sold-out Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines, IA.  Iowa wrestling fans can look forward to EIGHT HOURS of live individual championships action-packed coverage during the weekend beginning with the Class 3A Semifinals on Friday afternoon from 3:30-5:00 PM CT, followed by Friday night primetime coverage of the Class 1A & 2A Semifinals (7:30-10:00 PM CT), all of which leads up to four-straight live hours of the always-thrilling Class 1A/2A/3A Finals on Saturday night starting at 6:00 PM CT.

In addition — EVERY IHSAA Wrestling State Championship telecast on CSN will be accessible LIVE via CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app on tablets and smart phones.  Authenticated CSN subscribers can watch live IHSAA Wrestling State Championships action from anywhere in the United States.  Fans can also visit IHSNN.com to access the CSNChicago.com live stream.  For a full list of carriers and more information about CSN Chicago’s live streaming service, viewers are urged to visit the following link: csnchicago.com/live-faq.

Calling the action for CSN’s live coverage of the IHSAA Wrestling State Championships features Iowa/National Wrestling Hall of Famers Mark Ironside handling play-by-play, along with the legendary Dan Gable providing expert analysis.  Ironside captured two NCAA titles and four Big Ten titles for the University of Iowa, and was also a four-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, who was coached by Gable during his stellar collegiate run.  In 1998, Ironside won the Dan Hodge Trophy, wrestling’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, as the nation’s top collegiate wrestler.  Gable, considered by many as the greatest wrestler in United States history, won every major championship available to an American wrestler, climaxed by a Gold Medal in the 1972 Olympic Games.  Following three state high school titles at West Waterloo in Iowa, Gable captured three Big Eight titles and National Collegiate honors in 1968 and ’69 at Iowa State, winning a stunning 100 college matches in a row.  Turning to coaching, Gable joined the University of Iowa staff in 1973 and became head coach in ’77.  Starting in 1978, his Hawkeyes won a record nine consecutive NCAA team titles.  He stepped down in 1997 with a 355-21-5 dual meet record, 15 NCAA team trophies and 45 individual champions. His Hawkeyes won all 21 of their Big Ten meets.  He also was World Freestyle coach and the 1980 and ’84 U.S. Olympic team coach.

This year’s roster of standout athletes includes 18 state champions from 2016, six of whom are attempting to win their third-straight state title, including seniors Marcus Coleman (Ames), Ryan Leisure (Clear Lake), Brody Teske (Fort Dodge) and Bryce West (Solon), along with juniors Chase Shiltz (Creston/Orient-Macksburg) and Alex Thomsen (Underwood).  In addition, there are 23 undefeated wrestlers heading into the state tournament (10 in Class 3A, 3 in Class 2A, 10 in Class 1A), including John Henrich (39-0) of Akron-Westfield and Dalton Nelson (25-0) of North Butler who could potentially meet in Class 1A (160 lb. group) and Sam Gregory (36-0) of Treynor and Daniel Bishop (34-0) of Hinton, who may battle in the Class 1A (182 lb. group).  Plus, Chase Shiltz (52-0) of Creston/Orient-Macksburg in Class 2A (182 lb. group) is the only 50-win undefeated wrestler in the entire state of Iowa.

CSN Chicago is currently available throughout the entire state of Iowa in HD on DIRECTV (ch. 665), DISH Network (ch. 429), along with numerous cable providers across the state.  As noted earlier, authenticated CSN Chicago subscribers can also view the IHSAA Wrestling State Championships on CSNChicago.com, IHSSN.com, and the NBC Sports app.  In addition, CSN Chicago is also available on additional platforms including Playstation Vue and DIRECTV Now.  Viewers who currently do not receive CSN Chicago as part of their service are urged to contact their provider and ask that CSN be added to their service.  For a complete schedule and additional details about CSN’s coverage of the IHSAA State Championships, fans can visit csnchicago.com/iowa for more information.

IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING NOTE: CSN will carry and provide live stream coverage of the IHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships, featuring eight playoff semifinal match-ups (airing March 9-10), along with live coverage of the Class 1A-4A state title games (airing March 10-11).  Full details on coverage specifics will be announced the week of March 6.

CSN Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year.  In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with numerous entertaining local sports discussion/social media-focused programs via In the Loop and SportsTalk Live.  Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.”  Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.

NBC Sports Regional Networks is NBC Sports Group’s portfolio of nine regional networks that delivers more than 2,200 live sporting events annually and original content to more than 43 million homes. Aligned within network groups in the East and West, the NBC Sports Regional Networks are: CSN New England, CSN Philadelphia, TCN, CSN Mid-Atlantic, SNY; and CSN Bay Area, CSN California, CSN Chicago, and CSN Northwest. For additional information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information on NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios, headshots and logos, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

 

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