We have a break in the action for Iowa Wrestling. The Hawks do not compete again until Soldier Salute on December 29-30. This would be a great time to do an update.

The Hawks are 5-0 with dual meet victories over Cal Baptist, Oregon State, Iowa State, Penn, and Columbia. The highlight so far was definitely the 18-14 win over Iowa State. The Hawks found a way to win.

Let’s take a look.

125 – Drake Ayala is ranked #17 in the country with a 9-1 record including a 3-1 record against ranked opponents. Ayala has all of the tools to make it on the award stand as an All American. That may seem a bit far off with his current rankings but I believe placing is a doable goal here for the Hawks at 125.

133 – Brody Teske is ranked #9 in the country with a 4-2 record. A medical forfeit was one of the losses. After what we saw out of Cullan Schriever with a 9-6 (OT) win over #11 Angelino Rini of Columbia, I would say we have serious competition for the varsity spot. 

When you add in that this was the first competition of the entire season for Schriever it makes his performance even more impressive. This is the Cullan Schriever that we have been waiting for.

It will be interesting to see what happens at this weight as the season progresses.

141 – Real Woods is ranked #1 in the country for a reason. He is the man to beat. Look for Woods to turn it on as the season progresses. He is fun to watch.

149 – Victor Voinovich is ranked #9 in the country with a 7-2 record. Caleb Rathjen looked good in a 15-3 win over Columbia. Even though Voinovich is ranked I am still hoping we see more of Rathjen throughout the season. I have always been high on Rathjen.

157 – Jared Franek is ranked #2 in the country with a 10-0 record. Franek is not a flashy wrestler but he gets his hand raised at the end of the match and that is what counts. As with Woods at 141 I look for Franek to take his game to another level when the tournaments start.

165 – Michael Caliendo is ranked #7 with a 9-1 record. He has been consistent so far. 165 is a real competitive weight and maybe the toughest weight in the country.

174 – We have seen several Hawks compete at this weight. Patrick Kennedy is 2-1 in recent dual meets. True freshman Gabe Arnold made his debut as a Hawk by defeating #11 Travis Wittlake of Oklahoma State. Your guess is as good as mine as to who takes the mat at the 2024 Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 9 in College Park, Maryland. I really do not believe anyone knows at this time.

184 – As with 174 we have seen several Hawks compete at this weight. The biggest match of the year so far at 184 would be Gabe Arnold going up a weight and defeating #6 Will Feldcamp in the Iowa State dual. Aiden Riggins has competed at 184 recently. Kind of like at 174 we will have to wait and see. 

197 – Zach Glazier is 9-0 and ranked #18 in the country. As a fan I like seeing the success that Glazier has had so far this season. He just keeps getting better with each passing dual meet.

Hwt – Brad Hill is 7-3 on the season. I saw something out of Hill in the Iowa State meet. He does not take a step back and he does not quit moving. I will say again this guy has some potential yet this season and definitely for his career. Regardless of the competition you do not see many freshmen Hwt. wrestlers get a first period tech fall the way Hill did against Columbia. Don’t sleep on this guy.

There were so many questions about the lineup heading into the season that I do not believe many of us knew what to expect.

We will get a lot more answers once the Big Ten schedule kicks in.

Iowa Wrestling is my entertainment and I have no doubt I will be entertained the rest of the season.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!