Eight members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club will be competing at Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday and Sunday, December 16-17. The top 5 finishers at each weight will earn a spot at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials next April. 

All of the wrestling will be streamed live on the premium service for FloWrestling.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

 

 

Spencer Lee – 57kg

Austin DeSanto – 65kg

Jaydin Eierman – 65kg

Patricio Lugo – 65kg

Alex Marinelli – 74kg

Jeremiah Moody – 74kg

Tony Cassioppi – 97kg

Jacob Warner – 97kg

 

Former Iowa Hawkeye All American Dan Erekson will be competing at 125kg.

 

All times listed are CST.

Saturday, December 16

Men’s Freestyle (57 KG, 65 KG, 74 KG, 86 KG, 97 KG,125 KG) 

Preliminaries, Quarterfinals and Consolations 

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM – (4 MATS) 

 

Men’s Freestyle (57 KG, 65 KG, 74 KG, 86 KG, 97 KG, 125 KG) 

Semifinals and Consolations 

4:00 PM – 8:00 PM – (6 MATS)

 

Sunday, December 17

Men’s Freestyle (57 KG, 65 KG, 74 KG, 86 KG, 97 KG,125 KG) 

Consolation Semifinals, 3rd Place, 5th Place and 7th Place 

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – (3 MATS)

 

Men’s Freestyle (57 KG, 65 KG, 74 KG, 86 KG, 97 KG,125 KG) 

Championship Finals 

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – (1 MAT) 

 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling team will be competing at Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas this weekend, December 15-17. The top 5 finishers at each weight will earn a spot at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials next April. 

Competition will be on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

All of the wrestling will be streamed live on the premium service for FloWrestling.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

 

 

Ava Bayless – 50 kg

Emilie Gonzalez – 50 kg

Brianna Gonzalez – 50 kg

Alexandra Baudhuin – 57 kg

Nanea Estrella – 62 kg

Esther Han – 62 kg

Rose Cassioppi – 76 kg

Marlynne Deede – 76 kg

 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Dates for the 2024 Iowa Wrestling Camps have been released. The Men’s camps will be in June and the Women’s camps will be in July.

Camps for the Men’s program will have several options available. New this year is a five day Winning Philosophy Camp.

The Women’s program will have five day and three day camps available.

All of the Iowa Wrestling Camps sold out in a matter of hours last year.

 

 

For team and group discounts: 

Moriah Marinelli  Ph: 319-335-9400  Email: [email protected]

For more information:

http://www.iowawrestlingcamps.com

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

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!

Three members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling team competed at the North Central Women’s College Open in Naperville, Illinois today.

Cali Leng placed fourth at 123, Ava Rose was second at 123, and Anayka Besco placed second at 136.

Iowa returns to the mat this coming weekend at the Senior U.S. Open in Fort Worth on Saturday and the Las Vegas Desert Duals next Sunday.

I will keep you posted.

 

 

North Central Women’s College Open Results

Cali Leng’s place is 4th at 123.

Champ. Round 1 – Cali Leng (Iowa) won by decision over Dakota Drew (North Central (IL)) (Dec 7-6)

Champ. Round 2 – Cali Leng (Iowa) won by fall over Ileah Brown (Schreiner University) (Fall 2:34)

Quarterfinal – Cali Leng (Iowa) won by tech fall over Bethany Regione (Aurora ) (TF 12-2)

Semifinal – Amani Jones (North Central (IL)) won by fall over Cali Leng (Iowa) (Fall 2:35)

Cons. Round 4 – Cali Leng (Iowa) won by decision over Josie Davis (Campbellsville University) (Dec 8-2)

3rd Place Match – Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell College) won by decision over Cali Leng (Iowa) (Dec 8-7)

 

Ava Rose’s place is 2nd at 123.

Champ. Round 1 – Ava Rose (Iowa) won by injury default over Jayden Bazemore (Gannon University) (Inj. 0:00)

Champ. Round 2 – Ava Rose (Iowa) won by tech fall over Sandie Pfeil (Augustana (IL)) (TF 12-2)

Quarterfinal – Ava Rose (Iowa) won by tech fall over Angela LoRusso (Adrian College) (TF 10-0)

Semifinal – Ava Rose (Iowa) won by decision over Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell College) (Dec 14-8)

1st Place Match – Amani Jones (North Central (IL)) won by tech fall over Ava Rose (Iowa) (TF 10-0)

 

Anayka Besco’s place is 2nd at 136.

Prelim – Anayka Besco (Iowa) won by tech fall over Jennifer Villagomez (Carthage College) (TF 11-1)

Champ. Round 1 – Anayka Besco (Iowa) won by tech fall over Brooke Schuenemann (Wisconsin-Stevens Point ) (TF 14-4)

Champ. Round 2 – Anayka Besco (Iowa) won by tech fall over Halle White (North Central (IL)) (TF 10-0)

Quarterfinal – Anayka Besco (Iowa) won by decision over Marissa Sanabria (Lindenwood University) (Dec 2-0)

Semifinal – Anayka Besco (Iowa) won by decision over Gabriella Perez (Campbellsville University) (Dec 3-2)

1st Place Match – Alondra Morales (North Central (IL)) won by decision over Anayka Besco (Iowa) (Dec 8-0)

 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

As advertised it was a huge weekend for Iowa Wrestling recruits across the country.

126 teams competed at the Walsh Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I am here to tell you wrestling fans, these high school wrestlers just keep get better and better. The level of competition at the Ironman was impressive.

Incoming recruit Angelo Ferrari won the title at 165 at one of the toughest brackets maybe ever in high school wrestling. I do not believe that is an overstatement. It will be interesting to look back at this 165 lbs. bracket in about ten years to see what all of these wrestlers accomplished in their career.

Ferrari defeated Cadet World champion Joe Sealey of Wyoming Seminary in the finals, UTB 2-2.

New commit Leo DeLuca of Blair Academy also looked real good winning the Ironman title at 120 lbs.

As he has done for years, Iowa Assistant Wrestling Coach Ryan Morningstar was at the Ironman.

Keyan Hernandez was 4-0 at the Jim Street Mining City Duals in Butte, Montana.

Dru Ayala placed second at the Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic.

Leister Bowling was 4-0 at the Charlie Lake Duals in Cheyenne, WY.

Incoming recruits for the Women’s program performed well. Kiara Djoumessi won the 140 lbs. title at the Vinton-Shellsburg Invitational with three pins. 

Naomi Simon won the 170 lbs. title at the South Winneshiek Invitational with three pins.

I will keep adding to this blog as I get results for other recruits that were unavailable at press time.

I will be back on Friday to get us ready for another big weekend of wrestling for our incoming recruits.

 

 

Recruiting Class of 2024

Dru Ayala – Fort Dodge, Iowa  120 lbs.

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic

Round 2 – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by fall over Aidan Oldham (Gardner-Edgerton) 0-4 (Fall 0:31)

Round 3 – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by fall over Logan Penry (Millard West) 3-6 (Fall 0:43)

Round 4 – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by tech fall over Levi Cerny (Columbus) 6-6 (TF-1.5 5:32 (20-5))

Round 5 – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by tech fall over Caden Hulett (Platte County) 6-3 (TF-1.5 4:04 (21-6))

Champ. Round 1 – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by fall over Matthew Williams (North Scott) 8-5 (Fall 3:09)

Quarterfinal – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by medical forfeit over Odin Anschutz (Plattsmouth) 7-1 (M. For.)

Semifinal – Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 won by fall over Drew Anderson (Lewis Central) 9-2 (Fall 3:36)

1st Place Match – Kiernan Meink (Millard South) 11-0 won by decision over Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) 12-1 (Dec 7-0)

 

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

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Jim Street Mining City Duals (Butte)

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over William Barnes (Flathead) Fall 0:29

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Donte Surechief (Browning) Fall 0:50

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Ty Laslovich (Gallatin (Bozeman) MT) TF 18-2

Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) over Cashton Spolar (Helena Capital) Fall 4:32

 

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

Did not compete.

 

Angelo Ferrari – Melissa, Texas  175 lbs.

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Walsh Ironman (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)

Champ. Round 1 – Angelo Ferrari (Melissa) 6-0 won by fall over Hunter Buckland (Wadsworth) 0-2 (Fall 2:15)

Champ. Round 2 – Angelo Ferrari (Melissa) 6-0 won by tech fall over Jacob Robie (Christianburg) 2-2 (TF-1.5 3:41 (25-10))

Champ. Round 3 – Angelo Ferrari (Melissa) 6-0 won by major decision over Landen Johnson (Massillon Perry) 2-2 (MD 17-8)

Quarterfinal – Angelo Ferrari (Melissa) 6-0 won by decision over Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman School) 5-2 (Dec 4-1)

Semifinal – Angelo Ferrari (Melissa) 6-0 won by decision over Ethan Birden (Dublin Coffman) 53-4 (Dec 5-1)

1st Place Match – Angelo Ferrari (Melissa) 6-0 won in the ultimate tie breaker over Joe Sealey (Wyoming Seminary (PA)) 5-1 (UTB 2-2)

 

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

Sat Dec 9 – at Lewis-Palmer Invitational

No results at this time.

 

Recruiting Class of 2025

Leo DeLuca  – Blair Academy New Jersey  120 lbs.

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Walsh Ironman (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)

Champ. Round 1 – Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) 6-0 won by fall over Collier Hartman (Canon-McMillan) 24-17 (Fall 2:21)

Champ. Round 2 – Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) 6-0 won by tech fall over Christian Osborne (St. Vincent-St Mary) 1-2 (TF-1.5 4:16 (16-1))

Champ. Round 3 – Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) 6-0 won by tech fall over Garrison Weisner (Clay) 1-2 (TF-1.5 3:57 (16-1))

Quarterfinal – Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) 6-0 won by decision over Louie Gill (Reynolds) 5-3 (Dec 6-3)

Semifinal – Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) 6-0 won by fall over Ethan Rivera (Lake Highland Prep) 5-2 (Fall 3:05)

1st Place Match – Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) 6-0 won by decision over Beric Jordan (Stillwater) 5-1 (Dec 3-2)

 

Leister Bowling – Mead, Colorado  175 lbs.

Sat Dec 9 – at Charlie Lake Duals (Cheyenne, WY)

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Sam Thornhill (Rock Springs) Dec 6-1

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Trinity Chavez (Kelly Walsh) Fall 2:00

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Unknown (Unattached) Fall 2:18

Leister Bowling (Mead) over Sage Lonn (Rawlins) Dec 9-2

 

Women’s Recruiting Class of 2024

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

Did not compete.

 

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

No events scheduled.

 

Cadence Diduch – Freeport, Illinois  135 lbs.

Sat Dec 9 – at Lancer Invite (Lake Park)

No results at this time.

 

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

Sat Dec 9 – at Vinton-Shellsburg Invitational

Quarterfinal – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) 25-0 won by fall over Riley Rouse (Independence) 4-15 (Fall 0:16)

Semifinal – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) 25-0 won by fall over Kyna Moffit (Pleasant Valley) 16-6 (Fall 3:30)

1st Place Match – Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock) 25-0 won by fall over Ellie Brenneman (Mid-Prairie) 17-6 (Fall 1:24)

 

Naomi Simon – Decorah, Iowa 170 lbs.

Fri Dec 8 – at South Winneshiek Invitational (Luther College) 

Quarterfinal – Naomi Simon (Decorah) 21-0 won by fall over Addison Schenker (Osage/Riceville) 10-6 (Fall 0:40)

Semifinal – Naomi Simon (Decorah) 21-0 won by fall over Raelynn Manderfield (New Hampton/Turkey Valley) 12-9 (Fall 1:56)

1st Place Match – Naomi Simon (Decorah) 21-0 won by fall over Aleah Eichenberger (New Hampton/Turkey Valley) 14-6 (Fall 1:10)

 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

We have a huge weekend of competition for incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits. Between the men’s and women’s teams we will have eleven recruits competing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday across the country.

The Walsh Ironman is known as the toughest tournament in the country every year and the top competition will be front and center with future Hawks in the mix. 

The competition at 165 has to be considered one of the toughest brackets in recent memory for me. Incoming Hawk Angelo Ferrari of Melissa, Texas will be in a top four competing that are all top national recruits.

We also have new commit Leo DeLuca of Blair Academy competing at 120 lbs. at the Ironman.

On Sunday incoming recruit Val Solorio of Canon-McMillan, Pennsylvania will compete in the Women’s Ironman at 100 lbs.

Dru Ayala will be at the Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic that is one of the premiere tournaments in the Midwest. Miguel Estrada will be at the Coyote Classic and Keyan Hernandez will be at the Mining City Duals.

Jake Howell will be at the Lewis-Palmer Invitational on Saturday. Leister Bowling in the Class of 2025 will be at the Cheyenne East Duals.

On Friday Naomi Simon will be at the South Winneshiek Invitational at Luther College in Decorah.

On Saturday Cadence Diduch will be at the Lancer Invite and Kiara Djoumessi will be at the Vinton-Shellsburg Invitational. 

I did not find anything scheduled for Karlee Brooks of Valiant College Prep HS in Phoenix, AZ.

We will have a lot of competition across the country to keep us busy on a great weekend of high school wrestling for our recruits.

I will have a follow up blog with results when the competition is completed on Sunday. 

 

 

Recruiting Class of 2024

Dru Ayala – Fort Dodge, Iowa  120 lbs.

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic

 

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

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Mining City Duals (Butte)

 

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

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Coyote Classic (East HS)

 

Angelo Ferrari – Melissa, Texas  175 lbs.

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Walsh Ironman (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)

 

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

Sat Dec 9 – at Lewis-Palmer Invitational

 

Recruiting Class of 2025

Leo DeLuca  – Blair Academy New Jersey  120 lbs.

Fri/Sat Dec 8-9 – at Walsh Ironman (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)

 

Leister Bowling – Mead, Colorado  170 lbs.

Sat Dec 9 – at Cheyenne East Duals (Cheyenne, WY)

 

Women’s Recruiting Class of 2024

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

Sun Dec 10 – at Walsh Women’s Ironman (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)

 

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

No events scheduled.

 

Cadence Diduch – Freeport, Illinois  135 lbs.

Sat Dec 9 – at Lancer Invite (Lake Park)

 

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

Sat Dec 9 – at Vinton-Shellsburg Invitational

 

Naomi Simon – Decorah, Iowa 170 lbs.

Fri Dec 8 – at South Winneshiek Invitational (Luther College) 

 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Iowa Hawkeyes remained at #1 in the NWCA/NCAA Women’s College Wrestling Rankings released today. There was no change in the team race for the top five teams.

Iowa is ranked #1 with 115 points followed by North Central at 107 and King with 90 points.

The Hawks have thirteen wrestlers ranked in all ten weights including four at #1 and five ranked #2. At 101 and 143 Iowa has the #1 and #2 ranked wrestlers in the country.

Iowa has Emilie Gonzalez (101), Reese Larramendy (143), Marlynne Deede (155), and Kylie Welker (170) ranked #1. 

Sterling Dias (101), Ava Bayless (109), Felicity Taylor (123), Nanea Estrella (136) and Ella Schmit (143) are ranked #2.

Impressive.

The varsity program will be in action next on Sunday, December 17 at the Las Vegas Desert Duals.

 

 

NWCA/NCAA Women’s College Wrestling Poll 

101 – #1 Emilie Gonzalez   #2 Sterling Dias

109 – #2 Ava Bayless

116 – #3 Brianna Gonzalez

123 – #2 Felicity Taylor

130 – #10 Emily Frost

136 – #2 Nanea Estrella

143 – #1 Resse Larramendy  #2 Ella Schmit 

155 – #1 Marlynne Deede

170 – #1 Kylie Welker  #3 Haley Ward

191 – #7 Alivia White

 

The complete NWCA/NCAA Women’s Rankings:

Team – NWCA WWR TEAM 120723 (PDF) – National Wrestling Coaches Association (nwcaonline.com)

Individual – NWCA WWR IND 120723 (PDF) – National Wrestling Coaches Association (nwcaonline.com)

 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Four members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling program will be competing at the North Central College Invitational on Sunday, December 10. Wrestling will begin at 9 AM in the Merner Field House in Naperville, Illinois.

123 lbs.

Ava Rose

Cali Leng

 

130 lbs.

Anakya Besco

 

136 lbs. Sierra Brown Ton

 

 

TrackWrestling will have full coverage of the tournament.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

The varsity program will be in action next on Sunday, December 17 at the Las Vegas Desert Duals.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Brianna Gonzalez of the University of Iowa has been named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Region 5 Women’s Wrestler of the Month. On the season Gonzalez is 10-0 with four pins and five tech falls.

Gonzalez, from El Monte, California, is currently ranked #4 at 116 lbs. in the NWCA Rankings. Last season she competed unattached in her first year in the program.

 

 

The varsity program will be in action next on Sunday, December 17 at the Las Vegas Desert Duals.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!