There is not a better way to combat winter than a full weekend of Iowa Wrestling. Hawkeye fans had a full weekend of Iowa Wrestling and I wanted to do an update. 

The weekend started off in the right direction when Iowa defeated Purdue 34-6 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Overall I thought the Hawks looked good. 

The biggest match of the night by far was at 125 with #1 Drake Ayala dropping a 4-1 decision to #2 Matt Ramos. In a seven minute intense match and the deciding factor is an eye blink of a shot that led to the only takedown of the match. That was the biggest match to date for Ayala in his career. I look for him to improve and get better from the results of that match.

I will admit that Cullan Schriever had me worried in the first period at 133. Dustin Norris of Purdue came out with a quick takedown and tough ride. It was all Schriever after that as he finished up with a 20-7 major decision. I believe Schriever has so much potential that we have just not seen yet. I have no idea who will take the mat between Schriever and Brody Teske at Big Tens in March. Then again I am not sure anybody knows at this time.

#1 Real Woods defeated #32 Greyson Clark, 8-0. A solid win but not the best showing for Woods. 

Victor Voinovich made a big statement Friday night with a 19-4 tech fall in 6:15. Voinovich looked like a completely different wrestler than what we saw earlier in the season. He was chain wrestling and scoring with a lot of offense. There is a real battle for the starting spot at 149 with Voinovich and #11 Caleb Rathjen. It will be interesting to see who gets the varsity matches in upcoming dual meets. As with 133 we may not know until Big Tens who the starter is at 149.

#2 Jared Franek won a 2-1 decision over #16 Joey Blaze. It is rare that a takedown is not scored in a match. On Sunday Blaze pinned #3 Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the third period when the score was 2-1.

#6 Mike Caliendo defeated Stoney Buell at 165, 9-4. Caliendo is a really good athlete and is fun to watch. 

#9 Patrick Kennedy is looking t-o-u-g-h. He has settled in at 174 and has to be gaining confidence. As a fan I liked the 19-4 tech fall in only 4:43 over Brody Baumann. It will be interesting to see how Kennedy keeps progressing as we enter the tournament season. Patrick Kennedy is definitely trending in the right direction.

Aiden Riggins dropped a 4-1 decision at 184. I certainly respect the effort of Riggins, who is competing up two weight classes.

I have been going back in my memory of Iowa Wrestling about 197 and Hwt. I cannot remember a time when Iowa had wrestlers at 197 and Hwt win back-to-back matches by tech fall in a Big Ten meet.

Zach Glazier is starting to make it look easy with a 20-5 tech fall in just 3:15. You do not see an 18-4 score at the end of the first period at 197 too often, if ever. This guy is lighting up the scoreboard. And still only ranked at the highest #14?  

Brad Hill at Hwt. was also impressive with a 19-4 tech fall in 4:04. Most of the buzz at Hwt has been about Ben Kueter. Hill continues to impress me and makes the most out of every match. This guy scores a lot of points and that is rare for a freshman Hwt.

Iowa Wrestling is my entertainment and I like to see the Hawks put points on the board. 197 and Hwt have been really entertaining so far. The remaining schedule is all Big Ten teams and Oklahoma State that will provide top competition. We will know pretty quick just how good Iowa is at 197 and Hwt. I sure like what I am seeing.

Iowa will hit the road for two dual meets this weekend. The Hawks will be a will be at #17 Illinois on Friday and Northwestern on Sunday. I will have a preview later in the week.

As a side note I thought the officiating was again pretty bad Friday night. I swear Carver-Hawkeye Arena is where top officials go to have their worst performance of the year. Where do I get that? They can’t be that bad all of the time or they would not be officiating big meets. The inconsistency with stalling calls is frustrating. Go watch D-I college wrestling matches from the 80’s on YouTube and you will see what I mean.

#2 Iowa 34, Purdue 6

125 – #2 Matt Ramos (P) dec. #1 Drake Ayala (I), 4-1

133 – Cullan Schriever (I) major dec. Dustin Norris (P), 20-7

141 – #1 Real Woods (I) major dec. #32 Greyson Clark (P), 8-0

149 — Victor Voinovich III (I) tech. fall Marcus Polanco (P), 19-4

157 – #2 Jared Franek (I) dec. #16 Joey Blaze (P), 2-1

165 – #6 Michael Caliendo (I) dec. Stoney Buell (P), 9-4

174 – #9 Patrick Kennedy (I) tech. fall Brody Baumann (P), 19-4

184 – James Rowley (P) dec. Aiden Riggins (I), 5-1

197 – #14 Zach Glazier (I) tech. fall Ben Vanadia (P), 20-5

285 – Bradley Hill (I) tech. fall Tristan Ruhlman (P), 19-4

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club had their annual Arctic Plunge on Saturday. The frigid temperatures were right on time for an event with arctic in the title. It sounds as though an all time record amount of money was raised to support the HWC. Thank you to all that participated. 

The Iowa Women’s Wrestling team had another impressive showing in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday at the Iowa Duals. Iowa dominated two opponents and entertained the home crowd with high scoring matches. This was the final home dual meet for Iowa this season. 

Iowa won nineteen of twenty matches including ten tech falls and five pins.

The Hawks defeated Missouri Valley College 42-0 with six tech falls, three pins, and 7-0 decision. Iowa then defeated Life (ranked #1 in NAIA) 35-6 with five tech falls and one pin.

The attendance was listed at 6,675. That is great support for our first year program.

On Facebook the Iowa Women’s Wrestling team had a picture of our wrestlers signing autographs after the meet. Great to see that. I see the popularity of the Iowa Women’s wrestling program continue to grow with each passing year.

Iowa will compete again on Friday at the Indiana Tech Duals in Fort Wayne, Indiana with dual meets at 2 PM and 4 PM. I will have a preview later in the week.

#2 Iowa 42, Missouri Valley College 0

101 — Emilie Gonzalez (I) pinned Sage Beltran (M), 0:57
109 — Ava Bayless (I) tech. fall Hailey Holland (M), 11-0
116 — Brianna Gonzalez (I) pinned Laura Lincoln (M), 1:40
123 — Felicity Taylor (I) tech. fall Ashley Whetzal (M), 10-0
130 — Emily Frost (I) tech. fall Chase Kiel (M), 11-0
136 — Lilly Luft (I) tech. fall Aniseta Acosta (M), 11-0
143 — Ella Schmit (I) tech. fall Willow Barnes (M), 10-0
155 — Bella Mir (I) tech. fall Elia Falcetti (M), 10-0
170 — Haley Ward (I) decision Kelani Corbett (M), 7-0
191 — Alivia White (I) pinned Tylah Allen (M), 1:16

#2 Iowa 35, Life University 6

101 — Sterling Dias (I) tech. fall Devyn Gomez (L), 10-0
109 — Ava Bayless (I) tech. fall Diana Gonzalez (L), 10-0
116 — Brianna Gonzalez (I) pinned Ariana Martinez (L), 2:07
123 — Felicity Taylor (I) tech. fall Anna Krejsa (L), 10-0
130 — Sarah Savidge (L) tech. fall Emily Frost (I), 11-0
136 — Lilly Luft (I) pinned Zaynah McBryde (L), 1:42
143 — Reese Larramendy (I) decision fall Jamilah McBryde (L), 12-4
155 — Marlynne Deede (I) decision Latifah McBryde (L), 3-1
170 — Kylie Welker (I) tech. fall Margaret Graham (L), 10-0
191 — Jaycee Foeller (I) decision Madeline Welch (L), 2-0

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Iowa Wrestling national champions Lee Fullhart and Tony Ramos will be inducted into the Class of 2024 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame. 

The Glen Brand Hall of Fame is a part of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa that honors Iowans that made an impact as a wrestler, coach, or contributor to wrestling.

I was able to follow Fullhart’s career through high school where he was a three-time state champion at Decorah. At Iowa he was a four-time Big Ten champion, four-time All American, and the 1997 NCAA National champion at 190 lbs.

Fullhart was a federal officer with for the United States Border Patrol for years.

Ramos was a high ranked recruit coming out of Glenbard North High School in Chicago. Many will remember his pins in big dual meets with his undefeated career record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Ramos placed third and second before winning the NCAA National title at 133 lbs. in 2014. Ramos represented Team USA at the 2014 and 2015 World Freestyle Championships. He is now the Associate Head Coach at North Carolina where he has been coaching since 2016.

From NWHOF.org:

A banquet honoring the Class of 2024 will be held at Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly, Iowa, on June 21, 2024. Click here to purchase tickets. For more information, contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or [email protected].

Lee Fullhart, a native of Decorah, Iowa, was a four-time conference champion and a three-time Iowa high school state champion with a career record of 140-7. Fullhart was a 1992 Cadet National Freestyle champion and a two-time Junior National freestyle All-American, finishing fifth in 1993 and second in 1994. He was an NCAA champion and a four-time All-American with a career record of 107-18 for the University of Iowa. He won his national title as a sophomore wrestling for the legendary Dan Gable before finishing third and second as a junior and senior wrestling for Jim Zalesky. Fullhart was the U.S. Freestyle Nationals champion in 2004 and finished runner-up four times. He was runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Trials twice and at the U.S. World Trials three times. Fullhart resides in his hometown of Decorah, Iowa with his wife, Doreen, and their sons, Bill and Edisen, and daughter, Jodi.

Tony Ramos was an NCAA champion at 133 pounds in 2014 and a three-time All-American for the University of Iowa. He had a career record of 120-14 and was named Iowa’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2014. He competed in the 2014 and 2015 World Championships. The Carroll Stream, Illinois native was a three-time Illinois state high school champion for Glenbard North High School. Ramos became a volunteer assistant coach for the University of North Carolina in 2016 and was promoted to assistant coach in 2018. He became associate head coach in 2019. Ramos is married to the former Megan Eskew, who was a volleyball team captain for the University of Iowa. The couple has two sons, A.J. and Lincoln, and two daughters, Calla and Molly.

Congratulations to Lee Fullhart and Tony Ramos for being inducted into the Glen Brand Hall of Fame.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Our incoming recruits were competing across the country this weekend. Keyan Hernandez was 5-0 with three pins and a tech fall at AA Duals in Great Falls. Dru Ayala placed second at 120 at the Ed Winger Invitational in Urbandale.

Jake Howell placed second at the 40-team Top of the Rockies in Lafayette on Friday and Saturday. Leister Bowling was 4-0 at the Chadron Duals (NE) on Friday and won the 175 lbs. title at the 25-team Chadron Invitational on Saturday to go 8-0 on the weekend.

#1 nationally ranked Leo DeLuca was scheduled to face the #12 and #13 ranked wrestlers in the country but the St. Ed’s Duals were canceled on Saturday.

Kiara Djoumessi and Naomi Simon won titles at the 24-team Mason City Girls Invitational on Saturday. Djoumessi was 4-0 with four pins to win the 140 lbs. title and Simone was 3-0 with three pins to win the 170 lbs. title.

The end of the regular season is near as we gear up for the Tournaments. 

As I have done for years I will continue to post a blog on Friday of where our incoming recruits will be competing for the weekend and a follow up blog with results.

Recruiting Class of 2024

Dru Ayala – Fort Dodge, Iowa  120 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at Ed Winger Invitational (Urbandale)

Champ. Round 1 – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) won by fall over Michael Dyett (Johnston) (Fall 0:37)

Quarterfinal – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) won by tech fall over Drew Anderson (Lewis Central) (TF-1.5 3:33 (22-7))

Semifinal – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) won by major decision over Cody Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial) (MD 17-5)

1st Place Match – Jake Knight (Bettendorf) won by decision over Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) (Dec 5-3)

Keyan Hernandez – Billings (West), Montana 126 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at AA State Duals (Great Falls)

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Jack Barrett (Missoula Hellgate) Fall 1:30

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Mason Gutenberger (Belgrade) Dec 4-1

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Jack Stone (Billings Senior High School) Fall 3:01

(132) Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Sam Nevin (Belgrade) TF 26-11

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Ross Tolliver (Great Falls / MSDB) Fall 0:33

Miguel Estrada  Bakersfield (Frontier HS), California  144 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Angelo Ferrari – Melissa, Texas  175 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Jake Howell –  Glenwood Village (Cherry Creek HS), Colorado  215 lbs.

Fri/Sat Jan 19-20 – at Top of the Rockies (Lafayette, Colorado)

Champ. Round 1 – Jake Howell (Cherry Creek) received a bye () (Bye)

Champ. Round 2 – Jake Howell (Cherry Creek) won by fall over Cassius Garcia (Poudre) 6-5 (Fall 2:56)

Quarterfinal – Jake Howell (Cherry Creek) won by fall over Oz Nowick (Grandview) 16-5 (Fall 1:01)

Semifinal – Jake Howell (Cherry Creek) won by fall over Justyce Hostetler (Grand Island) 18-3 (Fall 0:39)

1st Place Match – Quinn Funk (Legacy) won by decision over Jake Howell (Cherry Creek) (Dec 7-3)

Recruiting Class of 2025

Leo DeLuca  – Blair Academy New Jersey  120 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at St. Ed’s Duals (Cleveland, OH) – Canceled

Leister Bowling – Mead, Colorado  175 lbs.

Fri Jan 19 – at Chadron Duals (Chadron, NE)

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Clayton Elliott (Valentine) Fall 2:00

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Frankie Trevino (Scottsbluff) Dec 5-3

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Tyler Palermo (Natrona County) Fall 2:33

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Thomas Reeves (Chase County) Maj 17-6

Sat Jan 20 – at Chadron Invitational (Chadron, NE) 

Round 1 – Leister Bowling (Mead) won by fall over Caleb Heck (Gordon-Rushville) (Fall 3:03)

Quarterfinal – Leister Bowling (Mead) won by fall over Jerrick Thompson (Lakota Tech) (Fall 3:00)

Semifinal – Leister Bowling (Mead) won by major decision over Kolby Houchin (Bayard) (MD 16-4)

1st Place Match – Leister Bowling (Mead) won by decision over Frankie Trevino (Scottsbluff) (Dec 1-0)

Women’s Recruiting Class of 2024

Val Solorio – Canon-McMillan HS, Pennsylvania  100 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Karlee Brooks – Valiant College Prep HS (Phoenix, AZ)  120 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Cadence Diduch – Freeport, Illinois  135 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Kiara Djoumessi – Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa  140 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at Mason City Girls Invitational

Champ. Round 1 – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) received a bye () (Bye)

Champ. Round 2 – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) won by fall over Abby Beauford (Dallas Center-Grimes) (Fall 0:30)

Quarterfinal – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) won by fall over JayLynn Vazquez (Emmetsburg) (Fall 1:01)

Semifinal – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) won by fall over Kylie Blunt (Charles City) (Fall 0:44)

1st Place Match – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) won by fall over Amelia Wadsworth (Decorah) (Fall 3:05)

Naomi Simon – Decorah, Iowa 170 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at Mason City Girls Invitational

Quarterfinal – Naomi Simon (Decorah) won by fall over Addison Schenker (Osage) (Fall 1:15)

Semifinal – Naomi Simon (Decorah) won by fall over Matilda Miller (Sumner-Fredericksburg) (Fall 1:53)

1st Place Match – Naomi Simon (Decorah) won by fall over Kayma Burleson (Clear Lake) (Fall 1:09)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Iowa Women’s Wrestling team dropped to #2 in the new NWCA NCAA Women’s Coaches Poll for Tournaments. Iowa remained #1 in the Dual Rankings. The Hawks recently won the NWCA National Duals but are now in second place to the team that they defeated in the finals for that title, North Central, by quite a margin. 

North Central is now ranked #1 with 125 points and seventeen ranked wrestlers. The Hawks are #2 with 103 points and fourteen wrestlers ranked. King is ranked #3.

North Central has four wrestlers ranked #1 and the Hawks have three ranked at #1.

Leading the way for Iowa is #1 ranked Emile Gonzalez (101), Marlynne Deede (155) and Kylie Welker (170).

Iowa will be on the mats Sunday in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa Duals. For more information: 

https://iowawrestlingblog.com/2024/01/iowa-duals-preview/

NWCA NCAA Women’s Coaches Rankings – January 18, 2024

101 – #1 Emilie Gonzalez  #2 Sterling Dias

109 – #2 Ava Bayless

116 – #3 Brianna Gonzalez

123 – #3 Felicity Taylor 

130 – #10 Emily Frost

143 – #2 Resse Larramendy  #4 Ella Schmit 

155 – #1 Marlynne Deede  #9 Bella Mir

170 – #1 Kylie Welker  #3 Haley Ward

191 – #3 Jaycee Fowler  #9 Alivia White

Complete Individual rankings:

https://nwcaonline.com/documents/2024/1/18/NWCA_WWR_IND_011824.pdf

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

We have a big weekend of competition for our incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits. The regular season is nearly over as we approach the tournament season.

Dru Ayala will be at the Ed Winger Invitational in Urbandale on Saturday. This is always one of the tougher tournaments in Iowa every year. I always have to mention that the late Ed Winger was The Voice of the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament for years. The legendary phrase: Wrestlers clear the mats. Wrestlers clear the mats.

Keyan Hernandez will be at AA State Duals in Great Falls as the tournament season officially begins.

Jake Howell will be at the 40-team Top of the Rockies in Lafayette on Friday and Saturday. Leister Bowling will have another busy weekend with the Chadron Duals (NE) on Friday and the Chadron Invitational on Saturday.

Kiara Djoumessi and Naomi Simon will be at the 24-team Mason City Girls Invitational on Saturday.

As I have done for years I will continue to post a blog on Friday of where our incoming recruits will be competing for the weekend and a follow up blog with results.

Recruiting Class of 2024

Dru Ayala – Fort Dodge, Iowa  120 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at Ed Winger Invitational (Urbandale)

Keyan Hernandez – Billings (West), Montana 126 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at AA State Duals (Great Falls)

Miguel Estrada  Bakersfield (Frontier HS), California  144 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Angelo Ferrari – Melissa, Texas  175 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Jake Howell –  Glenwood Village (Cherry Creek HS), Colorado  215 lbs.

Fri/Sat Jan 19-20 – at Top of the Rockies (Lafayette, Colorado)

Recruiting Class of 2025

Leo DeLuca  – Blair Academy New Jersey  120 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Leister Bowling – Mead, Colorado  175 lbs.

Fri Jan 19 – at Chadron Duals (Chadron, NE)

Sat Jan 20 – at Chadron Invitational (Chadron, NE)

Women’s Recruiting Class of 2024

Val Solorio – Canon-McMillan HS, Pennsylvania  100 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Karlee Brooks – Valiant College Prep HS (Phoenix, AZ)  120 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Cadence Diduch – Freeport, Illinois  135 lbs.

No competition scheduled.

Kiara Djoumessi – Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa  140 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at Mason City Girls Invitational

Naomi Simon – Decorah, Iowa 170 lbs.

Sat Jan 20 – at Mason City Girls Invitational

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club will host a Social from 4-7 PM on Friday, January 19. The Social will be at Joe’s Place at 115 Iowa Ave in downtown Iowa City. 

The HWC Socials are free of charge and provide a great opportunity to meet HWC wrestlers, former Hawkeye greats and other Iowa Wrestling fans.

The Hawks will face Purdue in a Big Ten dual meet at 7 PM in sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

This is a big weekend for the HWC with the Arctic Plunge on Saturday. For more information:

https://iowawrestlingblog.com/2024/01/2024-hwc-arctic-plunge-on-january-20/

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa Women’s Wrestling team will host the Iowa Duals in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, January 21. This will be the final time to see the Hawks compete at home for the season.

#1 ranked Iowa will face Missouri Valley in the second dual of the day at 2 PM CST followed by Iowa vs. #1 (NAIA) Life at 2:30 PM. The Iowa Duals will kick off with Missouri Valley vs. Life at 1:30. Doors will open at Carver-Hawkeye at 12:30 PM.

Life is ranked #1 in NAIA and recently won NAIA National Duals.

University of Iowa Sports Information did not release probable lineups for any of the teams competing.

The Iowa Duals will be streamed online on BIG+ on their premium service.

The Iowa Duals will be broadcast online at HawkeyeSports.com and YouTube where Steven Grace will call the action.

Iowa Duals

Sunday, January 21

12:30 PM – Doors to Carver-Hawkeye Arena open

1:30 PM – Missouri Valley vs. Life

2 PM – Iowa vs. Missouri Valley

2:30 – Iowa vs. Life

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Iowa Hawkeyes will host the Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten dual meet on Friday, January 19 at 7 PM. A sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be center stage and ready to go.

The best match of the night by far will be at 125 where Drake Ayala and Matt Ramos will do battle. Ayala is ranked #1 in three rankings and Ramos is #1 in one ranking. This will be the biggest match of the weekend in college wrestling.

There will be three additional matches involving ranked wrestlers. At 141 we will have #1 Real Woods vs. #32 Greyson Clark. At 157 #2 Jared Franek will face #16 Joey Blaze and at 165 it will be #6 Michael Caliendo vs. #32 Stoney Buell.

Cullan Schriever is the only Hawkeye listed at 133. We have two Hawks listed at Hwt with Brad Hill and Ben Kueter. Kueter made his Iowa Hawkeye debut with a 5-3 win over #29 Bennett Tabor of Minnesota on Monday night.

After listing 125 as a slight favorite to a toss up Iowa will be favored at the remaining nine weights.

Former Iowa Hawkeye Tony Ersland has been the head coach at Purdue since 2014. Originally from Humboldt, Iowa Ersland was a member of the Iowa Hawkeye NCAA National Championship teams of 1995, 1996, and 1997. Ersland made it to the Blood Round as a member of the record-breaking 1997 Championship team.

The Iowa-Purdue meet will be live on BTN at 7 PM. 

You can listen to the Iowa dual on iheart.com, YouTube, and AM 800 KXIC where Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will call the action.

2 IOWA HAWKEYES (7-0) 2023-24 Overall

Wt. Rank^ Name Yr. Hometown/High School Record

125 2/1/1/1 Drake Ayala So. Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge 15-1

133 Cullan Schriever Jr. Mason City, Iowa/Mason City 5-1

141 1/1/1/1 Real Woods R-Sr. Albuquerque, New Mexico/Montini Catholic (Ill.) 11-0

149 18/11/14/20 Caleb Rathjen So. Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny 11-2

157 2/2/2/2 Jared Franek Grad. Harwood, North Dakota/West Fargo 15-1

165 7/6/6/10 Michael Caliendo So. Geneva, Illinois/Batavia 15-1

174 11/9/–/8 Patrick Kennedy Jr. Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota/Kasson-Mantorville 7-2

184 Aiden Riggins R-Fr. Janesville, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock 9-8

197 10/14/13/13 Zach Glazier Sr. Albert Lea, Minnesota/Albert Lea 15-0

285 Bradley Hill R-Fr. Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf 13-4

-or- –/–/29/– Ben Kueter Fr. Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City 1-0

^ WIN/Intermat/Flo/AWN

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (5-4) 2023-24 Overall

Wt. Rank^ Name Yr. Hometown/High School Record

125 1/2/8/8 Matt Ramos R-Jr. Lockport, Illinois/Lockport 16-4

-or- Ashton Jackson Fr. LaPorte, Indiana/LaPorte 6-7

133 Dustin Norris R-So. Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle 7-9

-or- Jacob Macatangay R-Fr. Plainfield, Illinois/Plainfield North 0-1

141 –/32/32/– Greyson Clark Fr. Wrightstown, Wisconsin/Kaukauna 13-3

149 Marcus Polanco R-Sr. West Covina, California/Bishop Amat 7-11

157 –/16/23/19 Joey Blaze Fr. Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg 13-4

-or- Ike Ruble R-Fr. Decatur, Indiana/Bellmont 11-4

165 –/–/32/– Stoney Buell R-So. Dundee, Michigan/Dundee 10-6

174 Brody Baumann R-Fr. Evansville, Indiana/Mater Dei 9-6

184 James Rowley R-Fr. Corvallis, Oregon/Crescent Valley 8-11

-or- Hayden Filipovich R-So. Indianapolis, Indiana/Lutheran High School of Indianapolis 7-6

197 Ben Vanadia R-So. Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview 8-11

-or- Mitch Hutmacher Sr. Chatham, Illinois/Glenwood 0-5

285 Tristan Ruhlman R-So. Bloomington, Indiana/Bloomington South 4-13

^ WIN/Intermat/Flo/AWN

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

InterMat has released new rankings. The Iowa Hawkeyes are now ranked #2 in both the Tournament and Dual Meet Rankings. Iowa was #4 in the previous Tournament Rankings.

The biggest jump would be #1 ranked Drake Ayala at 125. Ayala was #5 in the last rankings. This weight has had a lot of changes so far this season with the tough competition knocking each other off. Ayala will face #2 Matt Ramos of Purdue Friday night in the dual meet.

Brody Teske comes in at #14 at 133 and Real Woods remains ranked #1 at 141. Caleb Rathjen is starting to climb the rankings at #14 at 149.

Jared Franek held on to #2 at 157 and Mike Caliendo is #6 at 165. As good as Caliendo has looked and he is still #6. That shows you how tough this weight is. 

Patrick Kennedy is settling in at 174 and is now ranked #9. Aiden Riggins is not ranked at 184. Zach Glazier keeps winning and yet he is only #14 at 197?

Ben Kueter made his debut with a win over now #28 Bennett Tabor of Minnesota. Should Kueter continue to compete for the Hawks I certainly look for him to climb the rankings at Hwt. 

Iowa will host Purdue in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, January 19 at 7 PM.

InterMat Rankings – January 16, 2024

125 – Drake Ayala #1

133 – Brody Teske #14

141 – Real Woods #1

149 – Caleb Rathjen #14

157 – Jared Franek #2

165 – Mike Caliendo #6

174 – Patrick Kennedy #9

184 – Aiden Riggins – Not ranked

197 – Zach Glazier #14

Hwt – Brad Hill/Ben Kueter – not ranked

Full InterMat Rankings:

https://intermatwrestle.com/rankings.html/ncaa-di-r19/

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Kylie Welker of the University of Iowa placed fifth at 76 KG/167 lbs. at the Zagreb Open in Zagreb, Croatia. This was the first Senior Ranking Tournament of the year that had elite competition from around the world.

Welker was 2-2 in competition with a fall in her two wins.

Welker, a redshirt freshman from Franksville, Wisconsin, is ranked #1 at 170 lbs. for the #1 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Iowa Women’s Wrestling team will compete next at home when they host the Iowa Duals in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, January 21. 

Zagreb Open in Zagreb, Croatia

76 kg – Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wis./Iowa Women’s WC), 5th place

WIN Kendra Dacher (France), fall 2:18

LOSS Juan Wang (China), 8-5

WIN Gaucaite (Lithuania), fall 1:08

LOSS Kennedy Blades (USA), pin 4:25

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!