Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits were well represented on the Wrestling USA Dream Team All American Team. Ben Kueter was named as the top wrestler at 220 and the overall Outstanding Wrestler for the country.

Ryder Block was named to the first team at 138 and Gabe Arnold was first team at 182.

Kale Petersen was named All American at 132.

Kueter, Block, Arnold, and Petersen are members of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023 and will be enrolling at Iowa in August.

Impressive to have three recruits on the first team. The Dream Team has been considered the top All American team for high school wrestling for decades.

The only other Iowa Wrestling recruiting class that I can think of that had three on the first team Dream Team was 1983 with Royce Alger, Mark Sindlinger, and Steve Knight.

Congratulations to our incoming Hawks for being named for this honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Four members of the Iowa Wrestling team will take part in Mat Grapplers Night at the Cedar Rapids Kernels game on Wednesday, July 5. The Kernels will be renamed the Mat Grapplers for the night complete with special uniforms. The uniforms will be auctioned off at the end of the game.

Tony Cassioppi, Nelson Brands, Patrick Kennedy, and Cullan Schriever will be available for autographs on the concourse of Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids from 5:30 to 8 PM.

First pitch is 6:35 PM for the Kernels taking on the Quad Cities River Bandits. The Kernels are a High A affiliate for the Minnesota Twins and the River Bandits are with the Kansas City Royals.

To order tickets:

https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/BuyNew.asp?EventID=333501

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming Iowa recruits Kale Petersen and Ryder Block competed at Junior Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma this weekend.

Petersen was 8-0 with five tech falls and three decisions at 132.

Block was 6-1 at 145/152 and withdrew due to injury default in his last match.

Petersen and Block are members of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023 and will be freshman at Iowa this fall.

Team Iowa placed fourth in the team race that attracted top teams from around the country in a dual meet format.

Iowa Assistant Coach Ryan Morningstar was a coach for Team Iowa.

Next up for high school competition will be the largest wrestling tournament in the world. Junior/Cadet Nationals in Fargo will be on July 15-23.

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Jack Bainbridge (Minnesota Red) TF 10-0

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Rowdy Benner (Kentucky) TF 10-0

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Kyison Garcia (Utah) TF 14-4

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over JJ McComas-Rogers (Oklahoma Blue) Dec 8-1

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Brayden Belford (Oklahoma Red) TF 10-0

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Hoyt Hvass (Idaho) Dec 13-11

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Massey Odiotti (Illinois) Dec 8-3

132-Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Dawson Johnson (Wisconsin) TF 12-1

145-Ryder Block (Iowa) over Lincoln Vick (Minnesota Red) TF 10-0

152-Ryder Block (Iowa) over Max Speaker (Kentucky) TF 10-0

152-Ryder Block (Iowa) over Moses Espinoza-Owens (Utah) TF 12-0

145-Ryder Block (Iowa) over Jim Mullin (Oklahoma Blue) Fall 1:19

145-Ryder Block (Iowa) over Layton Schneider (Oklahoma Red) TF 11-0

152-Ryder Block (Iowa) over Jadon Skellenger (Idaho) Dec 7-1

145-Kannon Webster (Illinois) over Ryder Block (Iowa) Dec 2-1

145-Greyson Clark (Wisconsin) over Ryder Block (Iowa) Inj 1:45

Team scores:

Iowa defeated Minnesota Red 56-10

Iowa defeated Kentucky 63-1

Iowa defeated Utah 49-19

Iowa defeated Oklahoma Blue 35-31

Iowa defeated Oklahoma Red 34-31

Iowa defeated Idaho 50-16

Illinois defeated Iowa 38-26

Wisconsin defeated Iowa 39-28

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Jared Franek and Michael Caliendo announced on Instagram that they are transferring to the University of Iowa. Both were All-Americans last season at North Dakota State.

Franek, originally from Harwood, North Dakota (West Fargo HS), was 27-3 and placed 4th at the NCAA Championships at 157 and won a Big 12 title. He was an NCAA National Qualifier in 2020, 2021, and 2022 at 157 while making the Final 12/Blood Round in 2022.

It looks as though Franek will have one season of eligibility remaining for his Covid year.

Caliendo is from Geneva, Illinois (Batavia HS) and placed 7th at the NCAA Championships last season at 165 with a 29-5 record. As a redshirt freshman he was ranked number one on the Amateur Wrestling News All Rookie Team at 165.

Caliendo will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Former North Dakota State head coach Roger Kish left for Oklahoma last month.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Three members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club competed at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, Italy. Patrick Kennedy won the Gold and Real Woods and Abe Assad won Silver.

Kennedy won by a tech fall in the first two rounds at 74 KG/163 lbs. before winning a 15-9 decision. In the finals Kennedy defeated Anthony Montero of Venezuela by a 11-1 tech fall. Kennedy was an NCAA Qualifier at 165 as a freshman last season.

At 65 KG/143 lbs. Real Woods won his first two matches by tech fall before dropping a 4-2 decision to Ayub Musaev of Belgium to place second. Woods was an NCAA Runner-Up at 141 lbs. this past season and will be a senior.

Abe Assad had three tech falls and a fall before dropping a 3-2 decision to Alex Moore of Canada to place second at 86 KG/189 lbs. Assad was an NCAA Qualifier at 184 last season and will be a senior.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Three former Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers have been selected to the Glen Brand Hall of Fame of Iowa Class of 2023. Lenny Zalesky, John Oostendorp, and Mark Reiland will be inducted at a banquet at Prairie Links Golf and Events Center in Waverly, Iowa on Friday, June 23.

I also want to mention that Josh Shamberger is a member of the Glen Brand Class of 2023. Shamberger has been very influential in Iowa City hosting two Olympic Team Trials, the World Cup and many other elite wrestling competitions. Josh is also the founding board president of the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club.

The Glen Brand Hall of Fame is located inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. 

To purchase tickets:  https://dgm-nwhof.ticketleap.com/2023-glen-brand-wrestling-hall-of-fame-of-iowa/

You can contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or [email protected].

From NWHOF.org:

Lennie Zalesky, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a state champion for Cedar Rapids Prairie High School. He was a three-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion who helped the University of Iowa win four straight NCAA team championships. After a fourth-place finish as a sophomore, Zalesky went 73-2-1 as a junior and senior while advancing to the NCAA finals at 142 pounds both seasons. He won the Henry Deglane Tournament in Nice, France in 1983 and the Cerro Pelado International Tournament in Cuba in 1986 while capturing silver medals at the 1983 Pan American Games, the 1984 World Cup, the 1984 Tbilisi Tournament and the 1983 Canadian Cup. Zalesky received bachelor’s degrees in finance, education and Russian language from Iowa while earning his master’s degree in Slavic linguistics and literature from the University of Indiana. After coaching at his alma mater from 1986-90, he spent eight seasons as the head wrestling coach at Palmer High School in Palmer, Alaska. Zalesky was inducted into the Alaska Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010. He then coached nine years at the University of California, Davis, being named Pac 10 Coach of the Year in 2007. Zalesky was head coach at California Baptist University from 2011 until his retirement in 2022. He was named NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in 2017 and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2016. 

John Oostendorp, a native of Nichols, Iowa, was an all-state linebacker in football and the first state champion wrestler in the history of West Liberty High School. He pinned all but one opponent as a senior and won his state finals match 10-0. Oostendorp wrestled and played linebacker at the University of Iowa. A four-year starter at heavyweight, he was a two-time All-American and a Big Ten champion while compiling a career record of 108-26 with 40 pins. As a senior, Oostendorp defeated eventual Olympic and World champion Rulon Gardner in the third-place match. Oostendorp won the Espior U20 National Championships in 1989 and represented the United States at the U20 World Championships, finishing fifth. His redshirt freshman year at Iowa, he won the Junior Greco-Roman National Championships and represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships, finishing fifth. Oostendorp competed in the 1995 World Championships and won the 1996 Greco-Roman national championship. He was the alternate for the 1996 Olympics and the 1997 World Championships. Oostendorp is in his 22nd year as the head wrestling coach for Coe College in Grand Rapids, Iowa. He is a three-time American Rivers Conference Coach of the Year and was named National Wrestling Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 2009. Oostendorp led the Kohawks to back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Championships, the two highest finishes in school history. He has guided Coe to 10 Top 10 finishes, including six trophy finishes, at the NCAA tournament. Oostendorp has coached seven national champions and more than 90 All-Americans during his career with the Kohawks. 

Mark Reiland will posthumously receive the Bob Siddens High School Excellence Award. Reiland was an assistant coach at Iowa City West High School from 1992 to 1996 before becoming head coach at Solon High School in 1997. After going 25-12-1 in two seasons at Solon, he returned to Iowa City West as head coach. From 1999 to 2018, he led the Trojans to a 411-96 record with five state dual team titles and two traditional state team titles. His teams also had three state dual runner-up finishes and five traditional state team runner-up finishes. Iowa City West won 14 Mississippi Valley Conference dual meet titles and 10 tournament titles. Reiland coached 152 state qualifiers with 26 state champions and 95 state place-winners. 

The Bob Siddens High School Excellence Award is presented to an Iowa high school wrestling coach who exemplifies the high standards that Siddens set during his coaching career at Waterloo West. Siddens was inducted into the GBHOF in 2003 and was the inaugural recipient of the award bearing his name in 2012.

Josh Schamberger will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award, presented annually to an individual who demonstrates exceptional local impact on wrestling in Iowa. The President/CEO of Think Iowa City and the Iowa City Area Sports Commission for the past 22 years, Schamberger has had an especially strong impact on the sport of wrestling. He has been the organizer and driving force behind Iowa hosting two USA Wrestling Olympic Team Trials. Schamberger has also been responsible for hosting numerous other USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling events, including U.S. Senior Opens, a World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, Girls Folkstyle Nationals, a National Recruiting Showcase, and the 2018 UWW Freestyle World Cup. He was also organizer for the 2022 UWW Men’s and Women’s Freestyle World Cup, marking the first time in history that men and women competed alongside each other in a World Cup. Schamberger and his team host and coordinate the Dan Gable Donnybrook high school tournament, the 2020 and 2021 Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association girls state tournaments, the 2020 NWCA Division III Championships, the recent Soldier Salute, and the upcoming Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union high school state tournament and the Girls State Tournament and the Iowa High School Athletic Association boys state dual tournament. In addition to securing and hosting these events in Iowa, Schamberger has also represented USA Wrestling at international tournaments in Cuba, Serbia, France, Estonia, and Italy. He has also been a strong supporter and advocate for the growth of girls wrestling, helping to secure funding for many area high school clubs before girls wrestling was sanctioned. Schamberger was a key partner in helping the University of Iowa establish its women’s wrestling program and serves as the founding board president of the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club. 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits will be in action this weekend at Junior Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Cox Business Center will host a dual meet format by state that always produces entertaining wrestling from across the country.

For the men’s Junior team Kale Petersen will be competing at 132 and Ryder Block at 145. Both are members of the incoming Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

I am also looking forward to seeing how Dreshaun Ross does at 195. Ross, just a freshman from Ft. Dodge, Iowa, just rolled through the Cadet Duals where he was a combined 15-0 with 15 tech falls in Freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. I have never seen a wrestler like Ross at that heavy of a weight and age.

Team Iowa won both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at Cadet Duals this past weekend. Iowa is the defending champs at Junior Duals.

Iowa Assistant Wrestling Coach Ryan Morningstar will once again be coaching for Team Iowa.

Junior Duals will be covered by TrackWrestling.

I will post a follow up blog with results.

Junior Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma

*****All time listed are CST.

Friday, June 16

JR Men Freestyle Duals Session 1

Rounds 1, 2, & 3– Preliminaries, Consolations, & Semifinals

8:00 AM to 12:30 PM

JR Men Freestyle Duals Session 2

Rounds 4, 5, & 6 – Consolations, Placement (1st-8th), True 2nd & Round 1 of Preliminary Duals Color Pools (Gold/Silver, Bronze/Copper, Red/Blue, Green/Yellow)

1:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Saturday, June 17

JR Men Freestyle Duals Session 3

Round 2, 3 & 4 – Preliminary Duals and Finals Placement Match (Awards to follow) (Gold/Silver, Bronze/Copper, Red/Blue, Green/Yellow)

9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Break before Finials)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Four Iowa Hawkeyes competed at the Final X National Team True Third matches today in Newark, New Jersey. Kylie Welker defeated Dymond Guilford 8-5 to make the U.S. National Team at 76 KG. Welker just completed her true freshman season for the Iowa Women’s Wrestling team.

Felicity Tatylor lost by fall to Samara Chavez at 53 KG and Rose Cassioppi dropped a 9-8 decision to Brooklyn Hays at 72 KG. Tayor will be a senior next season and Cassioppi a true freshman.

Austin DeSanto dropped a 9-0 match to Daton Fix at 61 KG.

Welker came in as the overall #1 recruit in the country out of Franksville, Wisconsin. Injuries slowed Welker down this season as a true freshman and she came back with a strong performance at the U.S. Open, World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and again today. 

Being a member of the United States National Team will provide Welker with financial stipends, training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as Team USA prepares for the World Championships, and potential travel to represent Team USA in International competition.

Final X National Team True Third Place Matches At Newark, NJ

76 KG – Kylie Welker Hawkeye Women’s WC dec. Dymond Guilford, USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC, 8-5

53 KG – Samara Chavez, Team Tornado WC by fall over Felicity Taylor, Hawkeye Women’s WC, 4:09

72 KG – Brooklyn Hays, Minnesota Gold WC dec. Rose Cassioppi, New York AC/USOPTC, 9-8

61 KG – Daton Fix, Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC dec. Austin DeSanto, Hawkeye WC, 9-0

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Four Iowa Hawkeyes will compete for a spot on the Senior National Team on Saturday. Austin DeSanto, Felicity Taylor, Kylie Welker and Rose Cassioppi will compete for true third and the final spot to be a member of the Senior National Team.

The matches will take place at 11:30 AM CST Saturday before the Final X matches in Newark, New Jersey that will determine who will represent Team USA at the 2023 World Freestyle Championship.

DeSanto of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club will face Daton Fix at 61 KG.

It will be Felicity Taylor vs. Samara Chavez at 53 KG and Kylie Welker vs. Dymond Guilford at 76 KG. Taylor and Welker are both representing the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club. Taylor will be a senior this upcoming season and Welker will be a redshirt freshman.

Rose Cassioppi will face Brooklyn Hays at 72 KG. Cassioippi will be a true freshman next season and is a member of the Recruiting Class of 2023.

There is a lot on the line to make the Senior National Team including financial stipends, training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as Team USA prepares for the World Championships, and potential travel to represent Team USA in International competition.

FloWrestling will provide livestream coverage on their premium service.

National Team True Third Place Matches
At Newark, NJ, June 10, 11:30 AM CST prior to Final X

61 KG – Austin DeSanto, Hawkeye WC vs. Daton Fix, Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC

53 KG – Felicity Taylor, Hawkeye Women’s WC vs. Samara Chavez, Team Tornado WC

72 KG – Rose Cassioppi, New York AC/USOPTC vs. Brooklyn Hays, Minnesota Gold WC

76 KG – Kylie Welker Hawkeye Women’s WC vs. Dymond Guilford, USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming recruit Gabe Arnold will represent Team USA at the 2023 U20 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile. The men’s freestyle will be on Saturday and Sunday, July 8-9. 

Arnold will be competing at 79 KG where he recently placed second at the U20 World Team Trials. In April Arnold won U20 Nationals in Las Vegas.

Arnold is in the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023 and won a state title at City High (Iowa City) this year. He was ranked third at 182 and #19 in the Class of 2023 Big Board by MaScouts for their final rankings.

I will keep you up to date as we get closer to competition time for options to watch the tournament on livestream. 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!