Kiara Djoumessi is a member of the Recruiting Class of 2024. Djoumessi was a two-time state champion for Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly,  Iowa. 

Djoumessi was 48-0 as a junior and 47-0 as a senior in winning state titles at 140 lbs.

In the final National Girls High School Rankings for the 2023-24 season Djoumessi was ranked #15 at 140.

At Junior Nationals last summer Djoumessi was 4-2 and did not place at 140 lbs.

At the 2024 Junior Duals Djoumessi was 3-1 for Team Iowa.

Djoumessi is one of four wrestlers on the roster that are from Iowa.

Djoumessi was a three-time Team MVP for Waverly-Shell Rock who won the team state title in 2023.

She holds the school record for most takedowns, reversals, tech falls, and pins.

Kiara’s dad Alain was a two-time All American at Wartburg.

Best of luck to Kiara Djoumessi as an Iowa Hawkeye.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Miguel Estrada announced on May 3, 2023 that he would be an Iowa Hawkeye. Estrada had originally committed to Wisconsin.

Estrada was a three-time state champion and four-time place winner from Bakersfield, California (Frontier HS).

MatScouts had Estrada ranked as high as #2 at 145 lbs. last season.

On the Iowa Wrestling roster Estrada is listed at 149/157.

Estrada represented Team USA in the Pennsylvania vs. USA dual meet in the Pittsburgh Classic in March. Estrada was impressive in defeating Indiana recruit Ryan Garvick, 12-6.

He won a U16 folkstyle national title in 2021 at 140 lbs.

Estrada is definitely the dark horse for this recruiting class. He was ranked high and then placed fourth at state. 

Injuries kept Estrada out of competition during the season but he looked very good at the Pittsburg Classic.

It will be interesting to see Estrada develop this season where I believe he will redshirt. 149 and 157 will be open weights next year that could find Estrada in the starting lineup.

Estrada has the strength and skill set to be a very good college wrestler for the Hawks.

Best of luck to Miguel Estrada as an Iowa Hawkeye.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Dru Ayala committed to the Hawks on October 30, 2023 as a member of the Recruiting Class of 2024.

Ayala was a four-time place winner at Fort Dodge, Iowa. He placed fifth as a freshman, second as a sophomore and junior and placed third last season as a senior at 120 lbs.

Dru is the younger brother of Drake Ayala who was an NCAA Runner-Up at 125 last season for the Hawks.

Ayala placed second at the 2023 Folkstyle Nationals.

Ayala is a four-time All American at Cadet and Junior Nationals. Last summer he placed 7th at Junior Nationals at 120 lbs.

In national rankings Ayala was ranked as high as #14 at 120 lbs. by FloWrestling last season.

I believe Dru Ayala may be under the national recruiting radar. He has a great background and Iowa has had a lot of success with brothers over the years. 

I look for Ayala to improve quite a bit over the next two years and contend for a varsity spot in the Black and Gold.

Best of luck to Dru Ayala as an Iowa Hawkeye.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Karlee Brooks is a great addition to the Iowa Wrestling program as a member of the Recruiting Class of 2024.

In the final National Girls High School Rankings for the 2023-24 season Brooks was ranked #1 at 120 and #16 in the P4P (Pound for Pound). 

Brooks is listed at 124 on the new Iowa Women’s Wrestling roster.

For the last year Brooks, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, trained in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the U.S. Olympic Training Center as a member of the EAP (Elite Accelerator Program).

In international competition Brooks placed fifth at 53kg/117 lbs. at the 2023 U17 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. She was also a National Team member in 2021 and 2022.

In February Brooks placed second at the Lady Klippan Open in Klippan, Sweden at 53 kg/116 lbs. in the Open division.

Brooks won a 2024 Junior National title at 125 lbs. in Fargo, placed second in 2022 and was an All American in 2021. She was also a three time All American at Super 32.

Brooks was a three-time Girls National High School Recruiting Showcase champion and was named O.W. at the 2024 tournament.

In February Brooks won the Grand View Open.

Brooks has a lot of potential in her career for Iowa and Team USA.

Best of luck to Karlee Brooks as an Iowa Hawkeye.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

With the month of October the wrestling season is getting closer and closer. Let’s take a look at the preseason rankings.

Iowa is ranked #2 in both the Tournament and Dual Meet rankings by InterMat and Flo.

Penn State is #1 in both rankings with Nebraska third by InterMat and Oklahoma State third by Flo.

Jacori Teemer is first in both rankings at 157. Stephen Buchanan(197) is #1 for Flo and #2 for InterMat. Michael Caliendo(165) is ranked second by both polls. That would give the Hawks three finalists for an estimated 60 team points. Iowa scored 67 points at Nationals last season.

Iowa has two wrestlers ranked at 174 with Patrick Kennedy #8 by InterMat and Gabe Arnold #6 by Flo. Both polls also have Nelson Brands at 184 and Drake Ayala at 133.

The Hawks have a ranked wrestler at every weight except 125 and 141. Should Iowa develop a solid point scorer at Nationals at 125 and 141, which I am confident that they will, it will make the team race a little more interesting.

I believe Ben Kueter is underrated at Hwt at #11. That is another opportunity for Iowa to add to their point total. The sky is the limit for Kueter.

I will post the 2024-25 Iowa Wrestling schedule as soon as it is released.

This should be another exciting season of Iowa Wrestling. The season opener cannot get here soon enough.

Tournament Rankings

InterMat

1. Penn State  117.5
2. Iowa  86
3. Nebraska  59.5

FloWrestling

1. Penn State  124
2. Iowa  103
3. Oklahoma State  59

Dual Rankings (InterMat)

1. Penn State
2. Iowa 
3. Nebraska

Preseason Rankings

InterMat/FloWrestling

133 – Drake Ayala #19 P4P/ 7/3

149 – Kyle Parco 4/4

157 – Jacori Teemer #15 P4P/1/1

165 – Michael Caliendo 2/2

174 – Patrick Kennedy 8/-

174 – Gabe Arnold -/6

184 – Nelson Brands 7/5

197 – Stephen Buchanan 2/1

Hwt – Ben Kueter 11/11

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Cadence Diduch committed to Iowa on November 7, 2023 as a member of the Recruiting Class of 2024. Originally from Freeport, Illinois Diduch was a three-time state champion.

In the final National Girls High School Rankings for the 2023-24 season Diduch was #2 at 135 lbs. and #12 P4P. 

In Fargo Diduch won a U16 title in 2021, runner-up in 2022 and a Junior title in 2023. She was invited to competed at Who’s #1 three times.

Diduch has represented team USA in international competition. She did not place at 62kg at the 2024 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. Diduch won U20 Nationals in April to qualify for the U20 World Championships.

Diduch won the 61kg/134 lbs. gold at the 2023 U17 Pan American Championships in Mexico City, Mexico.

At the 2024 Grand Prix of Spain Diduch won the 62kg bronze medal . This was a senior level tournament with competitors from around the world.

Diduch is listed at 136 in the new Iowa Women’s Wrestling roster but the new weight is 138. 

Iowa has a logjam at 145 with two All Americans and a Senior world silver medalist. How much Diduch competes this year will depend on who may drop down to 138.

Best of luck to Cadence Diduch as an Iowa Hawkeye.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Keyan Hernandez was the first member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024 when he committed to the Hawks on October 1, 2022. 

Last season Hernandez won his fourth Montana state title for Billings West High School in Billing, Montana with a 43-0 record. He had a 131-1 career record and won state titles at 103, 113, 120, and 126.

Hernandez is listed at 125 on the Iowa Wrestling roster.

Hernandez won the Senior division 126 lbs. title at the 2024 NHSCA High School Nationals.

He also placed third at the 2024 National High School Recruiting Showcase. This was the fifth time Hernandez became an All American at this tournament.

Hernandez was named as the 2024 Midland Roundtable Athlete of the Year. The Athlete of the Year award is for the top male and female athlete in Billings chosen by the Midland Roundtable since 1989.

Hernandez was named as the Montana state winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA). This award recognizes a wrestler for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

Best of luck to Keyan Hernandez as an Iowa Hawkeye.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Naomi Simon is a great addition for the Hawks from Decorah, Iowa. For the final National Girls High School Rankings for the 2023-24 season Simon was ranked #2 at 170 lbs. and #13 P4P.

In the new Iowa Wrestling roster Simon is listed at 180.

I believe that Simon is the biggest recruit to ever come out of Iowa for girls wrestling. She was an undefeated four-time state champion for Decorah with a career record of 150-0.

Competing at 170 lbs. Simon was 48-0 with 47 pins last season in leading Decorah to the state title. 

In international competition Simon placed fifth at the Grand Prix of Spain in July. This was an Open international event with wrestlers from around the world.

Simon won the Bronze medal at 76kg at the U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain recently.

On the national scene Simon won the 2023 Junior National title at 164 lbs. and also won her match at the 2023 Who’s #1. 

In March Simon won Junior Folkstyle Nationals.

Simon was named as the 2024 Iowa High School Female Wrestler of the Year by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.

At Decorah Simon earned academic all-conference honors and was on the National Honor Society as a junior and senior.

Naomi Simon has a great future with the Iowa Wrestling program.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

It was huge news when Angelo Ferrari announced on May 31, 2023 that he had committed to the Hawks. Ferrari chose Iowa over Rutgers and Virginia Tech.

Ferrari was the 2024 #1 P4P (pound for pound) ranked wrestler in the country by both FloWrestling and MatScouts. Ferrari was also the overall top recruit for Flo for the Class of 2024 when he was a junior last year.

Steve Mocco in 2001 is the only Hawk that I know of that was the #1 ranked overall recruit coming out of high school over the last twenty-five years if ever in the history of Iowa Wrestling. Spencer Lee was the #2 P4P overall recruit in 2017.

Originally from Melissa, Texas, Ferrari won a state title at 175 lbs. last season.

Ferrari looked dominant in defeating 2023 U17 World champion and Penn State recruit Joe Sealy 10-2 at Who’s #1 last year. Ferrari also defeated Sealy 6-0, OT at the Ironman last December.

Ferrari is the first wrestler from Texas to win three Ironman titles. The Ironman is considered the toughest regular season high school tournament in the country every year and by quite a margin.

Ferrari was named as the Texas state winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA). This award recognizes a wrestler for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

I do not believe that Ferrari has received the attention that he deserves as an elite recruit. I believe fans assumed Ferrari would redshirt and go after 184 next year. 

On the current roster Ferrari is listed at 184. Weight certification for college wrestling is usually in the first part of October. Ferrari won a state title at 175 last season.

I doubt anyone knows if Ferrari intends on redshirting or not this season or possibly even what weight he will go between 174/184. 

With the new rules a true freshman can wrestle in five varsity events and not use up a year of eligibility.

As an Iowa Wrestling fan I would like to see Ferrari come out to a sold out crowd in Carver for a big dual meet and get a taste of the crowd and show us what he can do.

Is Angelo Ferrari ready to go in the big time this year? A lot can happen between now and Big Tens over five months away.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Former Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers Tony Cassioppi, Michael Kemerer and Max Murin are climbing the college wrestling ranks in coaching.

Cassioppi was named as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, Kemerer at Minnesota and Murin at George Mason.

I have been writing about these three Hawks since they committed to Iowa in high school. I will continue to follow their career as coaches in college wrestling.

Originally from Roscoe, Illinois, Cassioppi was a member of the Recruiting Class of 2018 and was a four-time All American for the Hawks with a 90-17 career record. He was named as an All American in 2020 and placed third in 2021, seventh in 2022, and fourth in 2023 at Hwt.

Cassioppi won gold at the 2021 U20 World Freestyle Championships and bronze at the 2022 U23 World Championships. 

Cassioppoi earned a degree in Math and Sports and Recreation Management and a Masters degree in Finance from Iowa. He was named Academic All Big Ten four times and NWCA Scholar All American four times. In 2023 Cassioppi was named for the Coaches Appreciation Award.

Kemerer, originally from Murrysville, Pennsylvania, was a five-time All American for the Hawks with a 100-12 career record. He was the highest ranking member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2015.

After a redshirt season Kemer placed third in 2017 and fourth in 2018 before missing the 2019 season due to injury. He was named as an All American when the 2020 Nationals were canceled. In 2021 Kemerer placed second and fourth in 2022.

Following graduation Kemerer was a resident athlete for the Spartan Combat RTC in Ithaca, New York and last season he was an assistant coach at Brown University.

Kemerer was a six-time Academic All American and four-time NWCA Scholar Athlete. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and a Masters of Finance with an investment concentration.

Murin is originally from Ebensburg, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2017. With a career 78-30 record Murin was a five-time NCAA Qualifier. He placed sixth at 149 in 2023 and was named as an All American in 2020.

Murin and Kemerer grew up in the Young Guns Wrestling Club coached by former Hawk Jody Strittmatter.

In 2023 Murin was named for the John and Dorothy Sill Award for Most Dedicated and co-recipient of the Mike J McGivern Most Courageous award.

Following graduating Murin coached for the RTC at Brown University.

Murin graduated with a degree in Criminology, Law, and Justice and a Masters in Sports and Recreation Management. He was named as an NWCA Academic All American four times and was Academic All Big Ten four times.

I like the way that all three had academic honors while getting an undergraduate and masters degree at Iowa while being an All American on the mat.

Cassioppi, Kemerer, and Murin were standouts in the classroom and in competition. Best of luck to all three in their new position as Division I wrestling coaches.

Tony Cassioppi – Assistant Coach at Wisconsin

Michael Kemerer – Assistant Coach at Minnesota

Max Murin – Assistant Coach at George Mason

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!