The best example of depth on the Iowa Wrestling team would be at 149 lbs. The frontrunner for the varsity spot would be returning All-American Pat Lugo. Last season Lugo was 23-10 and placed eighth at the NCAA Championships. He was 10-7 against ranked opponents and 7-1 in the Big Ten.
Lugo was an NCAA Qualifier for Edinboro in 2016 and 2017 before transferring to Iowa where he took a redshirt in 2018.
I look for Lugo to face some tough competition for the varsity spot from Vince Turk and Jeren Glosser. All three wrestlers are fifth year seniors and I look for a real battle for the top spot in the lineup. Turk represented Iowa at the NCAA Championships at 141 lbs. in 2018 and was named for the Most Improved Award at the annual team banquet. Last season Turk was replaced by Max Murin for the varsity spot at 141 and saw action in two Big Ten dual meets. Glosser defeated three ranked wrestlers and wrestled varsity in two Big Ten dual meets last season at 157 and is cutting down to 149.
It is rare to have a wrestler going up a weight and one wrestler going down a weight to challenge a defending All-American. This will make for an interesting battle. I would put Lugo as the favorite but I believe Midlands will provide an opportunity for one of these wrestlers to make a strong stand as the top wrestler at 149. There is also a chance that there may be a wrestle-off taking place late into the season.
I see 149 as the most open weight class in the country. A lot can happen between now and March. Whoever takes the mat for the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Big Ten Championships will be an All American contender that was made tougher by the competition in the room to make the varsity lineup. This is the very type of competition that will make Iowa a strong contender for the team title.
2019 NCAA Tournament
Pat Lugo (23-10) placed 8th and scored 5.5 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 23-10 won by decision over Joshua Maruca (Arizona State) 17-14 (Dec 5-2)
- Champ. Round 2 – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 23-10 won in sudden victory – 2 over Ryan Blees (Virginia Tech) 17-16 (SV-2 4-2)
- Quarterfinal – Micah Jordan (Ohio State) 29-3 won by decision over Pat Lugo (Iowa) 23-10 (Dec 10-3)
- Cons. Round 4 – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 23-10 won by decision over Thomas Thorn (Minnesota) 21-12 (Dec 4-0)
- Cons. Round 5 – Mitch Finesilver (Duke) 33-5 won by decision over Pat Lugo (Iowa) 23-10 (Dec 6-3)
- 7th Place Match – Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) 29-8 won by decision over Pat Lugo (Iowa) 23-10 (Dec 11-9)
2019 Big Ten Championships
- Champ. Round 1 – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 20-7 won by decision over Jordan Shearer (Nebraska) 10-10 (Dec 8-5)
- Quarterfinal – Brady Berge (Penn State) 18-5 won in sudden victory – 2 over Pat Lugo (Iowa) 20-7 (SV-2 4-2)
- Cons. Round 2 – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 20-7 won by major decision over Jaden Enriquez (Michigan State) 16-20 (MD 12-3)
- Cons. Round 3 – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 20-7 won by decision over Shayne Oster (Northwestern) 12-12 (Dec 7-4)
- Cons. Semi – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 20-7 won by decision over Thomas Thorn (Minnesota) 18-10 (Dec 6-4)
- 3rd Place Match – Pat Lugo (Iowa) 20-7 won by decision over Cole Martin (Wisconsin) 20-11 (Dec 11-6)
149 lbs. Ratings by TrackWrestling on October 15
- Austin O’Connor – North Carolina, So
- Brock Mauller – Missouri, So
- Jarrett Degen – Iowa State, Jr
- Pat Lugo – Iowa, Sr
- Boo Lewallen – Oklahoma St, Sr
- Max Thomsen – UNI, Sr
- Brock Zacherl – Clarion, Sr
- Brayton Lee – Minnesota, Fr
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
