Another chapter of the Iowa-Iowa State wrestling meet is in the books and one to remember. I predicted that Iowa would win a close intense meet and they did just that.
#4 Iowa came out on top 18-14 for the nineteenth straight year over #8 Iowa State. The Hawkeyes now lead the all-time series over the Cyclones, 69-16-2. The Hawkeyes have won 19 straight, 34 of the last 35 and 58 of the last 62 meetings.
Tom Brands as a wrestler and head coach at Iowa is still undefeated against Iowa State.
Iowa retained the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy and are a perfect 13-0 competing for this award since it began in 2010.
This was the first sellout (14,267) at Hilton Coliseum in over 40 years. This was also the first dual meet ever on ESPN. As I mentioned in my preview as a fan you really could not ask for more.
“It’s good, credit our guys” said head coach Tom Brands. “Onward. Competitors focus on what they can control. We’ve got guys that have tremendous scoring ability and I’m not sure that showed out there. We got beat up in the stall call department, so we have a lot of work to do. That’s where I am at. We are moving forward.”
Let’s take a look.
125 – #17 Drake Ayala looked good in a 7-2 win over #8 Kysen Terukina. I will keep saying that Ayala has all of the tools to be in the elite at 125 nationally this year. I believe Drake Ayala needs more confidence and that will open up his offense. There is nothing better for confidence than a big win in a hostile environment like Ayala just did.
133 – #8 Brody Teske dropped an 8-1 decision to #19 Evan Frost. This is the one match that I did not see happening. Not sure what happened. I am confident that Teske will respond.
141 – #1 Real Woods defeated a talented #19 Anthony Echemendia, 4-1 SV1. After the match Woods said that he gave Echemendia too much respect and did not open up. I would agree with that. Woods made the takedown in overtime look methodical and routine. I do believe Echemendia has the potential to make it far at the NCAA’s and Woods to win the national title.
149 – #14 Casey Swiderski defeated #9 Victor Voinovich III, 6-3 behind two takedowns. Voinovich is going to have to find a takedown in his arsenal and soon. Could be a confidence issue. I do not know. It is early in the season so let’s give him some time to figure it out because he definitely has the skills.
157 – #2 Jared Franek held on to defeat #18 Cody Chittum, 4-2. I was impressed by the low single and finish early in the match by Franek. I did not know that he had that. As with Echemendia, Chittum is way underrated at this time. I am looking forward to seeing Franek compete for the Hawks the rest of the season.
165 – #2 David Carr won by a major dec. over #5 Michael Caliendo, 16-4. Carr is that good and Caliendo is a legit #5 at the toughest weight in the country. Not much to say except regroup and get back after at the next meet at Penn.
174 – #14 Patrick Kennedy held on to defeat #21 MJ Gaitan, 14-13. I tip my hat to Patrick Kennedy. This guy just got back on the mat after knee surgery, went up a weight with the heated dual meet on the line, and won. That is answering the bell. It was only an extreme situation that would have found Kennedy in competition. I doubt we will see him much if at all in competition until Soldier Salute in Coralville on December 29-30.
184 – Gabe Arnold defeated #6 Will Feldkamp, 3-2. Arnold started his Hawkeye career with a big win last week over a ranked senior. This week he goes up a weight and takes out a defending All American for the 3-2 win. Impressive is not a strong enough word to use. This Arnold guy…the sky’s the limit.
197 – #22 Zach Glazier won by a decision over #24 Julian Broderson, 7-3. As a fan I really appreciate guys like Zach Glazier. One of those hard working quiet guys that puts in the time and always at his highest effort. That was a solid match in an intense, pressure filled situation. Glazier came through to ice the meet for the Hawks. Good for him. Good for the Hawks.
Hwt. – #7 Yonger Bastida won by a major decision over Bradley Hill, 17-6. There is more to this match than the final score. Bastida is a talented wrestler that is really mobile and quick for a Hwt. Another Cyclone that I feel is underrated. I did not see anything but fight out of Hill. He did not take a single step back and fought for the escape immediately after every takedown. As a fan I appreciated the fight that Brad Hill put up. Give this Hill some time. The potential is there.
You couldn’t have scripted a better scenario for Iowa State to beat Iowa in wrestling than what just happened. Advantages that nobody knew were even possible. The Cyclones had every advantage and were favored by a majority including quite a few hard core Iowa fans to win. Iowa still won.
It is still November and the 2024 NCAA National Wrestling Championships are four months away. A lot can happen. I am looking forward to yet another season of Iowa Wrestling.
Iowa competes next on the road in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a dual meet against Penn on Friday, December 1 at 6 PM CST. I will have my usual preview later in the week.
#4 Iowa 18, #8 Iowa State 14
125 — #17 Drake Ayala dec. #8 Kysen Terukina, 7-2
133 – #19 Evan Frost dec. #8 Brody Teske, 8-1
141 — #1 Real Woods dec. #19 Anthony Echemendia, 4-1 SV1
149 — #14 Casey Swiderski dec. #9 Victor Voinovich III, 6-3
157 — #2 Jared Franek dec. #18 Cody Chittum, 4-2
165 — #2 David Carr major dec. #5 Michael Caliendo, 16-4
174 — #14 Patrick Kennedy dec. #21 MJ Gaitan, 14-13
184 — Gabe Arnold dec. #6 Will Feldkamp, 3-2
197 — #22 Zach Glazier dec. #24 Julian Broderson, 7-3
285 — #7 Yonger Bastida major dec. Bradley Hill, 17-6
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
