I always consider the Monday following the NCAA National Tournament to be the first day of the next season. Let’s take a look at the Iowa Wrestling lineup for the 2022-2023 season.
125 – Spencer Lee will hopefully be back next season. Lee had season ending surgery in early January. I am hoping for a full and quick recovery. Lee will be looking to become the first in Iowa Wrestling history to win four NCAA titles to cap off his amazing career. Lee’s return will be the biggest story in college wrestling leading into next season. I can only speculate that Drake Ayala will redshirt.
133 – Cullan Schriever looks to be the front runner and will be a redshirt sophomore next season. Schriever was a three-time state champion out of Mason City, Iowa. Schriever competed for Sebolt Wrestling Academy where he won a Cadet and Junior Freestyle national title in Fargo. Schriever was 15-5 this season with four of those losses against Top 10 ranked opponents.
141 – Wyatt Henson is all set to take over at 141. Henson, from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, will be a redshirt freshman next year. He had a good true freshman season by placing first at the Luther, Lindenwood, and Harold Nichols Open at 141 while compiling a 15-1 record. Henson’s only loss on the season was at the Southern Scuffle where he placed fifth. Henson may be stepping into the lineup next season at a weight that will wide open due to graduating seniors.
149 – Max Murin will be back for his senior year. Murin lost in the Blood Round of 12 at Nationals. It is impossible for me to not be a fan of this guy because of the way that he fights and competes so hard. I am hoping a fully healthy Max Murin will be ready to make a run at the top next year. Should Murin improve even half as much this coming year as he just did this season then contending for the national title is within reach. No way I put limitations on someone with that type of work ethic and fight.
157 – Caleb Rathjen/Cobe Siebrecht/Bretli Reyna/Aiden Riggins will compete for the starting spot. Rathjen, Siebrecht, and Reyna competed at 149 this season. I can only speculate that they will move up to replace long time starter Kaleb Young at 157. Rathjen, from Ankeny, Iowa was 4-1 this season that did not start until the first of the year due to injury. Rathjen did not place at the Southern Scuffle and won the Last Chance Open in Ames last month with three solid wins against wrestlers from Minnesota. Siebrecht, from my hometown of Lisbon, Iowa, had an impressive season with a 5-2 record. His only losses were to the #22 and #3 ranked wrestler in the country. He won the Luther Open and looked good when he wrestled varsity at 149 including a first period tech fall win over Princeton.
Reyna, from Homestead, Florida, was 6-2 this season at 149 as a redshirt freshman. Aiden Riggins of Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa will be a true freshman next season. Riggins has been ranked #1 at 160 lbs. for most of the high school season and may be ready to challenge for the starting spot at 157. True freshman competing right away has become more and more popular over the last five years as more recruits come out of high school ready to go. Riggins is also Sebolt trained.
I expect some intense action in the Iowa Wrestling room starting next August or even sooner as these four young wrestlers work to establish themself as the man to beat for the varsity spot at 157 for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
165 – Patrick Kennedy will be the most anticipated newcomer to the varsity lineup next season. He was a top recruit in the Class of 2020 from Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota. With a 17-2 record this season Kennedy recorded three pins and six tech falls. After placing second to teammate Alex Marinelli at the Luther Open, Kennedy won titles at the UNI and Harold Nichols Open, placed sixth at the Southern Scuffle and then won the Last Chance Open. 165 is loaded nationally with top young wrestlers the same age or even younger than Kennedy so we will have to wait and see how he fits into the national picture. Pretty sure Iowa is confident in what Kennedy can do right away in his first year in the lineup.
174 – Nelson Brands will return to the starting lineup after posting a 5-1 record this season. Brands has been out this calendar year due to injury but I am expecting that a healthy Nelson Brands will have a real solid season next year at 174.
184 – Abe Asssad will be back as a junior and I look for him to be much improved. Assad was out with injuries last season and just ended his full full year in the lineup by going 1-2 at the NCAA National Championships. I will keep saying that this guy has all of the tools to be an elite wrestler.
197 – Jacob Warner will be back for his senior year and in a new role as a leader for the team. Warner is coming off of an NCAA runner-up finish and I look for him to get better in the off season. Even though he was so close to winning a national title I still believe Warner has another level and gear in him. The momentum of this year’s finish should be a boost not only to Warner, but to the entire program. Just what you want from a leader.
Hwt – Tony Cassioppi was slowed by injuries when he just placed seventh at nationals. Big Cass put the time in during the off season last year to transform his body and performance. It will be interesting to see what next year will bring. You just gotta believe that winning it all next season is a realistic goal for Cassioppi.
The Transfer Portal is a new and powerful influence on college wrestling. It will be interesting to see if Iowa goes that route or if wrestlers out there decide that they want to be an Iowa Hawkeye.
As I have said several times over the last season the Iowa Wrestling room is loaded with talent and more is on the way with ten incoming freshmen this August. I have already labeled the Class of 2023 as the best Junior class in Iowa Wrestling recruiting history. One more big recruit that I have in mind and the Class of 2023 will be the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling. Think about that for a bit.
Ground wil be broke this summer for “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world.” That will crate an added buzz as fans roll into town next year on a football Saturday. I cannot wait. Add in the return of Spencer Lee with a talented team and I expect preseason ticket sales to be impressive yet again.
Iowa Wrestling is my entertainment. This is day one of a new year and I will continue to be entertained. I do not have the skill set as a writer to put into words how much I respect, admire, and support the hard work the Iowa wrestlers do. Especially when you compare Iowa wrestlers to their peers in society.
You can bet I will be here on this blog to keep you up to date on all things Iowa Wrestling. I will get everyone ready for the 2023 NCAA National Wrestling Championships that begin on March 16, 2023 in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the BOK Center at 11 AM CST. The Iowa Wrestling Nation will be ready.
Let’s get ‘em in the middle.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
