ESPN's series The Season, features Iowa Wrestling

THE SEASON: IOWA WRESTLING

TWO-PART SERIES JULY 2 & 9

NARRATION BY DYLAN McDERMOTT OF ABC'S THE PRACTICE

ESPN's series The Season, which takes viewers behind the scenes with athletes and teams, will focus on the tremendously successful wrestling program at the University of Iowa with The Season: Iowa Wrestling, two one-hour shows July 2 and 9 at 9 p.m. ET. The shows are narrated by Dylan McDermott, star of The Practice on ABC.

The Season is aired as part of "The Block," two hours of ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) programming on Tuesday nights. Mohr Sports with Jay Mohr leads off "The Block" at 8 p.m., followed by The Life at 8:30 p.m. and The Season at 9 p.m.

The all-access look into the intense training and the numerous personal storylines of the Iowa wrestling program displays the dedication of the student-athletes and the pressure they put on themselves and each other to succeed. The team has been one of sports greatest dynasties - finishing the season ranked #1 in the nation nine of the previous 11 years and 20 of 27. Yet, now five years removed from the extraordinary reign of coach Dan Gable, many observers feel the program, now under the guidance of Jim Zalesky, is beginning to lose its hold as the nation's leading collegiate wrestling institution. The team finished second in the nation in 2001 and The Season tracks this past year's team through its ups and downs and ultimately the season-ending national tournament.

Viewers will see first hand a particularly grueling sport that is pursued for the pure glory of the triumph; no lucrative professional career awaits even the most decorated of these warriors. The personal - and sometimes ultimately heartbreaking - stories include:

The charismatic senior, Mike Zadick, who has one last chance to follow in his brother's footsteps and win a national title in his weight class. He enters the national championships undefeated and ranked #1 all year. Zadick says, "When I'm in a wrestling match…I want to trash (my opponent)…I just want to humiliate the guy, break his spirit, trash him, pick him up by his (uniform) on one side and on the backside like a little kid and throw him out the door…out of the sport of wrestling."

Bob Zadick, Mike's father, explains how he instilled a love for Iowa wrestling in his son, saying, "I was very tough on (him). People complained about it…I've even had people accuse me of child abuse and threaten to turn me in. (Wrestling) was really important - next to family and church and God, it was important. It was more important to me than to see him be an A student."
The fifth-year senior, Josh Budke, who chose to endure another year of the ultimate physical test in a final attempt to crack the starting lineup. Budke says, "When I was a little kid my dad and I would come to watch Iowa wrestling…wrestling for Iowa was a dream of mine…There's a lot of nights I don't sleep well…just because of the frustration and the pain that comes along with being on the sidelines watching…When I have my own son, I'd probably push him in another direction."
Sophomore Luke Eustice, who writes each night in his journal his one goal: "national champion." He says, "(National Champion) is always on my mind…I got it taped on my wall…on the bathroom mirror…it's national champion everywhere…being national champion at 125 pounds from the University of Iowa is something I've dreamed about ever since I was a little kid."