We have had a lot of competitions for our wrestlers over the last three weeks in freestyle. I want to take a look at the upcoming schedule to keep us up to date with when and where our wrestlers will be competing to represent Team USA in world tournaments.

Next up will be the Senior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs on Sunday, May 21. We will have Austin DeSanto (61 kg), Bella Mir (68 kg), and Kylie Welker (76 kg) competing. On the line will be an opportunity to qualify for Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 10. The winner of Final X will represent Team USA at the 2023 World Freestyle Championships.

U23 and U20 World Team Trials will be in Geneva, Ohio on June 3-4. Our wrestlers that placed at U20 Nationals in Las Vegas last weekend are eligible to compete. For U20 WTT we will have current Hawks Jace Rhoades (61 kg), Aiden Riggins (74 kg), and Brad Hill (125 kg) and incoming recruits Gabe Arnold (79 kg) and Kale Petersen (61 kg).

For U23 WTT I anticipate we will have several Iowa Hawkeyes competing. I will keep you posted.

Bella Mir won the 68 kg title at U20 Women’s Nationals in Spokane, Washington last month. She will now represent Team USA at the 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Warsaw, Poland August 14-20. Mir is a true freshman out of Las Vegas, Nevada where she was a four-time state champion for Centennial High School.

For our incoming recruits we will have Junior Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 16-17. This is always a good tournament to follow for state pride and to evaluate recruits competing from around the country.

The largest wrestling tournament in the world will again be in Fargo, North Dakota. Junior and Cadet Nationals will be on July 15-23. That is always the peak of high school freestyle wrestling every year. 

Wrestling is now a year around sport and as a fan I love it. We will have a full slate of competition throughout the offseason. I always consider the first open practice before the first home football game the Saturday of Labor Day weekend to be the beginning of a new season. 

I will keep you posted on this blog as we get closer to the upcoming events.

2023 Senior World Team Trials Challenge (FS, GR, WW)

May 21

Colorado Springs, CO

U23 and U20 World Team Trials – Men’s

June 3-4

Geneva, Ohio

Final X – Senior World Team Finals (FS, GR, WW)

June 10

Newark, New Jersey

Junior National Duals

June 16-17

Tulsa, Oklahoma

2023 Junior and Cadet Nationals

July 15-23

Fargo, North Dakota

U20 World Championships (FS, GR, WW)

August 14-20

Warsaw Poland

Senior World Championships (FS, GR, WW)

September 16-24

Belgrade, Serbia

U23 World Championships (FS, GR, WW)

October 23-29

Tampere, Finland

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming recruit Gabe Arnold won the 79 kg title at the U20 National in Las Vegas. As the #3 seed Arnold started the tournament with three tech falls and a pin. After an 8-1 decision in the semifinals Arnold topped #1 seed Rocco Welsh in the finals, 3-2. Arnold did not surrender a takedown in the tournament.

Kale Petersen may have been the biggest story of the entire tournament. Petersen was dominant in winning his first four matches by tech fall before a 10-1 win over nationally ranked Nasir Bailey, 10-1. In the finals Petersen fell behind early to top seed Nic Bouzakis and came storming back to drop a hard fought 11-8 decision. Bouzakis was a 2022 World Team member and top recruit that is a redshirt freshman at Ohio State. Real impressive showing for Petersen.

Arnold and Petersen are both in the outstanding Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

Current Hawkeyes had a strong showing at the U20 Nationals. The most notable would be Brad Hill placing second at Hwt. After a first round loss Aiden Riggins won eight straight matches before placing fifth at 74 kg. Rigins was 9-2 for the tournament. Jace Rhodes placed fifth at 61 kg.

Carter Martinson (70 kg), Cade Siebrecht (70 kg), Carson Martinson (74 kg), and Jude Link (74 kg) did not place.

All of the current Hawks that competed are true freshmen at Iowa.

The next step will be the U20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio on June 3. All placewinners from U20 Nationals will be eligible to compete. The winner of the U20 WTT will represent Team USA at the U20 World Championships in Warsaw, Poland in August.

Incoming recruit Keyan Hernandez competed at 55 kg in the U17 U.S. Open. Hernandez was 2-2 for the tournament and did not place. Hernandez is in the Iowa Recruiting Class of 2024.

U20 Nationals

Kale Petersen  61 kg – 2nd place

Kale Petersen (SWA) tech fall Josh Beans (Vail WC) 10-0

Kale Petersen (SWA) tech fall Evan Mougallan (PA) 10-0

Kale Petersen (SWA) tech fall Yoshiya Funakosh (WCR) 11-1

Kale Petersen (SWA) tech fall Fernando Barreto (Pounders WC) 12-1

Kale Petersen (SWA) dec. Nasir Bailey (Harvery Twisters) 10-1 

Nic Bouzakis (PA) dec Kale Petersen (SWA) 11-8

Jace Rhodes 61 kg – 5th Place

Jace Rhodes dec. No. 4 Zeke Seltzer (Tiger Style WC), 8-3

Jace Rhodes tech fall Chase Collins (Throbred WC), 3:29

Jace Rhodes pinned Derek Guanajuato (Arizona), 4:16

Jace Rhodes dec. No. 5 Cael Hughes (Cowboy WC), 6-3

No. 1 Nic Bouzakis (Pennsylvania) tech fall Jace Rhodes, 10-0 (1:40)

Emilio Ysaguirre, Jr. (Arizona) tech fall Jace Rhodes, 11-0 (3:41)

Jace Rhodes wins by injury default Nasir Bailey (Harvey Twisters WC)

Carter Martinson  70 kg

Martinson tech fall Owen Hicks (Curby 3 Style WC), 12-2 (3:57)

No. 8 Nicco Ruiz (Sunkist Kids WC) tech fall Martinson, 10-0 (3:52)

Martinson tech fall Chase Kmosena (Norse WC), 10-0 (2:18)

Martinson tech fall Jayson Victoria (Livermore Elite WC), 10-0 (0:41)

Martinson dec. Trae Mcdaniel (West Point WC), 8-2

Martinson tech fall No. 9 Braden Stauffenberg (Illinois), 10-0 (5:00)

No. 5 Beau Mantanona (Coachella Valley WC) dec. Martinson, 5-2

Cade Siebrecht  70 kg

Siebrecht dec. Charlie Fifield (Illinois), 10-2

No. 6 Paniero Johnson (Pennsylvania) tech falls Siebrecht, 12-0 (4:03)

Paul Ognissanti (Blairstown WC) dec. Siebrecht, 6-4

Aiden Riggins 74 kg – 5th Place

William Henckel (Blairstown WC) dec. No. 5 Riggins, 4-2

No. 5 Riggins tech fall Michael Morales (Sunkist Kids), 10-0 (2:15)

No. 5 Riggins tech fall Jeb Prechtel (Maurer Coughlin WC), 10-0 (1:46)

No. 5 Riggins tech fall Carson Martinson (Iowa), 10-0 (3:20)

No. 5 Riggins tech fall Micah Hanau (West Point WC), 10-0 (1:23)

No. 5 Riggins dec. No. 9 Jed Wester (Pinnacle WC), 8-4

No. 5 Riggins pinned Jasiah Queen (New Jersey), 3:39

No. 5 Riggins won by injury default over Cameron Steed (Tiger Style WC)

No. 5 Riggins tech fall No. 11 Kyle Dutton (Arkansas RTC), 12-2 (3:22)

Nick Fea (New York) dec. No. 5 Riggins, 9-8

No. 5 Riggins dec. Matthew Bianchi (Arkansas RTC), 8-4

Carson Martinson  74 kg

Martinson tech fall Roberto Padilla (Spartan Combat RTC), 10-0 (3:00)

No. 2 Joe Sealy (Pennsylvania) tech fall Martinson, 11-0 (2:35)

No. 5 Aiden Riggins (Iowa) tech fall Martinson, 10-0 (3:20)

Jude Link  74 kg

Link tech fall Jeb Prechtel (Maurer Coughlin WC), 11-0 (1:32)

Link dec. Luke Ciampa (Eclipse WC), 9-6

Link dec. No. 6 Bradley Gillum (DeKalb WC), 3-1

No. 11 Kyle Dutton (Arkansas RTC) tech fall Link, 10-0 (2:02)

No. 13 Nick Hamilton (Cavalier WC) dec. Link, 9-0

Gabe Arnold 79 kg – 1st Place

No. 3 Arnold tech fall Caesar Garza (California), 10-0 (1:59)

No. 3 Arnold pinned Austen Wetzel (Eierman Elite WC), 3:35

No. 3 Arnold tech fall Devin Wasley (Gopher WC), 10-0 (4:48)

No. 3 Arnold tech fall Ethan Riddle (Askren WA), 10-0, 4:10

No. 3 Arnold dec. Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh WC), 8-1

No. 3 Arnold dec. Rocco Welsh (Young Guns WC), 3-2

Bradley Hill 125 kg – 2nd Place

No. 9 Hill tech fall Max Balow (Viking RTC), 10-0 (1:22)

No. 9 Hill tech fall No. 8 Alex Semenenko (New York), 10-0 (0:50)

No. 9 Hill tech fall Nathan Taylor (Lehigh Valley WC), 10-0 (3:22)

No. 9 Hill dec. No. 12 Harley Andrews (Tuttle WC), 13-11

No. 6 Christian Carroll (Cowboy RTC) tech fall No. 9 Hill, 13-2 (3:50)

U17 World Team Trials

Keyan Hernandez 55 kg

Ronnie Ramirez (Pounders WC) dec Keyan Hernandez (Team Champs) 7-2

Keyan Hernandez (Team Champs) tech fall Ollie Phillips (TN) 12-2

Keyan Hernandez (Team Champs) dec Gavin Jendreas (Howe WC) 10-3

Calo Aron (Boneyard WC) dec Keyan Hernandez (Team Champs) 12-11

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Four Iowa wrestlers and two incoming recruits placed at the 2023 Women’s U.S. Open in Las Vegas. Felicity Taylor placed third at 53 kg, Kylie Welker was fifth at 76 kg, Bella Mir was sixth at 68 kg, and Ava Bayless was seventh at 50 kg.

Nyla Valencia (50 kg), Reese Larramendy (65 kg), and Ella Schmit (65 kg) did not place.

We also had two incoming recruits that placed at the U.S. Open. Rose Cassioppi placed second and Haley Ward was seventh at 72 kg. Cassioppi defeated Ward 8-7 in the quarterfinals. That is impressive to have two high school wrestlers place that high against elite national level competition. Cassioppi and Ward are members of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

The next step in the process to decide our Senior World Team is the 2023 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Colorado Springs on Sunday, May 21 at Discovery Canyon High School.

Four weights are being contested at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. These are weights that Team USA did not place at during the 2022 World Freestyle Championships or the defending World medalist declined the offer to Final X: 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg.

With the criteria that I see from USA Wrestling that would mean Bella Mir (68 kg) and Kylie Welker (76 kg) qualified for the World Team Challenge Tournament.

The winner of the World Team Challenge Tournament will face the U.S. Open champion at Final X in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 10. The winner of Final X will represent Team USA at the 2023 World Freestyle Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

I will keep you posted as we get closer to the World Team Challenge Tournament.

2023 U.S. Open

50 kg – Ava Bayless, 7th place
WIN Emma Heslin (KT Kidz), Tech. Fall 10-0
WIN Aleeah Gould (WCAP), Dec. 7-6
LOSS Audrey Jimenez (SKWC), Tech. Fall 10-0
WIN Charlotte Fowler (BRTC), Tech. Fall 12-2
LOSS Kendra Ryan (CWC), Dec. 9-7
WIN Natalie Reyna-Rodriguez, Tech. Fall 11-0

50 kg – Nyla Valencia, Medical Forfeit
WIN Emily Mendez (BWC), Tech. Fall 10-0
LOSS Sage Mortimer (TMWC), Inj. Default

53 kg – Felicity Taylor, 3rd place
WIN Avery Ashley (FWC), Tech. Fall 11-0
WIN Sydney Petzinger (CWC), Fall 1:15
LOSS Katie Gomez (SKWC), Dec. 7-2
WIN Melanie Mendoza (TTWC), Tech. Fall 10-0
WIN Sydney Petzinger (CWC), Tech. Fall 11-1

65kg – Reese Larramendy, Medical Forfeit
LOSS Aine Drury (Cali), Inj. Default

65 kg – Ella Schmit, DNP
WIN Anna Stephens (Miss), Fall 0:33
LOSS Emily Bruntil (TMWC), Tech. Fall 11-0
LOSS Destiny Lyng (Cali), Dec. 6-2

68 kg – Bella Mir, 6th place
WIN Emily Se (SORTC), Fall 4:08
LOSS Katerina Lange (MG), Dec. 3-2
WIN Olivia Pizano (SORTC), Fall 2:48
WIN Nina Makem (MG), Fall 0:16
LOSS Solin Piearcy (MWC), Dec. 12-5
LOSS Chloe Ogden (NC), Dec. 10-10

72 kg – Rose Cassioppi, 2nd place
WIN Cara Broadus (Conn) Tech Fall 10-0
WIN Haley Ward (MO West WC) Dec. 8-7
WIN Kaylynn Albrecht (Wildcat Elite Dec. 6-0
LOSS Joy Levendusky (NYAC) Tech Fall 10-0

72 kg – Haley Ward, 7th place
WIN India Page (BWWC) Dec. 8-1
LOSS Rosse Cassioppi (NYAC) Dec. 8-7
WIN Tiffani Baublitz (Team PA) Tech Fall 12-2
LOSS Marilyn Garcia (Birmingham) Dec. 2-0
WIN India Page (BWWC) Fall 3:31

76 kg – Kylie Welker, 5th place
WIN Alyssa Arana (Cali), Tech. Fall 10-0
LOSS Dymond Guilford (TMWC), Fall 2:32
WIN Skylar Grote (TMWC), Tech. Fall 10-0
WIN Sydnee Kimber (BWC), Forfeit
LOSS Yelena Makoyed (TMWC), Dec. 11-6
WIN Tristan Kelly (WCAP), Tech. Fall 10-0

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Austin DeSanto placed second at 61 KG at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas to qualify for the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. As the fifth seed DeSanto started the tournament with a decision and tech fall before scoring a 12-0 tech fall over World Bronze medalist Joe Colon. 

DeSanto then defeated #1 seed and former World Team member Seth Gross 5-4 in the semifinals. DeSanto then dropped a 10-0 tech fall to #2 seed Vito Arujau in the finals, 10-0.

DeSanto will now compete at the 2023 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Colorado Springs on Saturday, May 20 at Discovery Canyon High School. The winner of the Challenge Tournament will face Arujau at Final X in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 9-10. 

The only three weights being contested at the the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament are those that Team USA did not place at during the 2022 World Freestyle Championships: 61 kg, 92 kg, and 125 kg.

Alex Marinelli went 7-2 at 79 KG to place fourth. Spencer Lee won his first three matches leading to the semifinals. Lee then withdrew from the tournament by injury default to place sixth at 57 kg.

HWC members Pat Lugo (65 kg), Jayden Eierman (70 kg), and Kyle Summers (86 kg) did not place. Current Iowa Hawkeye Cullan Schriever (61 kg) and Nelson Brands (79 kg) did not place.

Incoming recruit Ben Kueter had to withdraw for the tournament due to injury default at 97 kg. Kueter is in the outstanding Recruiting Class of 2023.

2023 U. S. Open results

Spencer Lee – 57 kg

No. 2 Spencer Lee tech fall Darrion Harris (California), 10-0 (0:26)

No. 2 Spencer Lee tech fall Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh Valley WC), 10-0 (0:53)

No. 2 Spencer Lee decision No. 7 Caleb Smith (North Carolina), 9-4

No. 3 Nick Suriano (SKWC) wins by forfeit over No. 2 Spencer Lee

Austin Assad (Ohio) wins by forfeit over No. 2 Spencer Lee

No. 6 Cooper Flynn (SERT) wins by forfeit over No. 2 Spencer Lee

Cullan Schriever 61 kg

Cullan Schriever dec. Michael Colaiocco (Pennsylvania RTC), 11-5

Daneil DeShazer (Gopher WC-RTC) tech fall Cullan Schriever, 13-3 (5:31)

Cullan Schriever dec. Julian Farber (Panther WC-RTC), 8-3

Joe Colon (TMWC) tech fall Cullan Schriever, 10-0 (4:11)

Austin DeSanto – 61 kg

No. 5 Austin DeSanto dec. Aden Valencia (California RTC/TMWC), 3-0

No. 5 Austin DeSanto tech fall John Babineau (Viking RTC), 10-0 (0:24)

No. 5 Austin DeSanto tech fall No. 4 Joe Colon (TMWC), 12-0 (1:58)

No. 5 Austin DeSanto dec. No. 1 Seth Gross (SKWC), 5-4

No. 2 Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC) tech fall No. 5 Austin DeSanto, 10-0 (0:54)

Pat Lugo – 65 kg

No. 4 Pat Lugo dec. Kyle Rowan (Ohio), 6-5

No. 4 Pat Lugo tech fall Connor Thorpe (Panther WC-RTC), 10-0 (1:34)

No. 5 Ridge Lovett (SKWC) dec. Pat Lugo, 7-5

Jason Miranda (California) wins by forfeit over No. 4 Pat Lugo

Jayden Eierman – 70 kg

Jayden Eierman tech fall Kaleb Burgess (New York), 10-0 (0:41)

Jayden Eierman dec. Napolean Aniciete (Aniciete TC), 5-0

Jayden Eierman dec. No. 6 Caleb Henson (Southeast RTC/TMWC), 11-5

No. 3 Hayden Hidlay (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) tech fall Jayden Eierman, 10-0 (5:06)

Jayden Eierman tech fall Christian Monserrat (New England RTC), 12-2 (5:32)

No. 7 Jarod Verkleeren (Cavalier WC) wins by injury over Jayden Eierman

Nelson Brands – 79 kg

No. 10 Nelson Brands tech falls Kevin Dufresne (New Jersey), 10-0 (1:32)

No. 7 Michael Kemerer (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. No. 10 Nelson Brands, 9-4

No. 10 Nelson Brands tech falls Bilal Bailey (Harvey Twisters WC), 17-6 (2:55)

No. 10 Nelson Brands tech falls Mitch Willett (Oregon), 10-0 (0:29)

No. 9 Devin Skatzka (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. No. 10 Nelson Brands, 13-4

Alex Marinelli – 79 kg

No. 4 Alex Marinelli dec. Bilal Bailey (Harvey Twisters WC), 6-1

No. 4 Alex Marinelli dec. No. 13 DJ Washington (Indiana RTC), 6-2

No. 5 David McFadden (Pennsylvania RTC) dec. No. 4 Alex Marinelli, 10-6

No. 4 Alex Marinelli tech falls Carson Kharchla (Ohio RTC), 10-0 (3:59)

No. 4 Alex Marinelli dec. No. 9 Devin Skatzka (Spartan Combat RTC), 6-0

No. 4 Alex Marinelli wins by forfeit over No. 2 Carter Starocci (NLWC)

No. 5 David McFadden (Pennsylvania RTC) tech falls No. 4 Alex Marinelli, 10-0 (2:22)

Kyle Summers – 86 kg

Victor Marcelli (Cavalier WC) tech fall Kyle Summers, 10-0 (4:09)

Kyle Summers pinned Brett Perkins (Hawaii), 3:30

Kyle Summers tech falls Jaykob Mills (Texas RTC), 10-0 (1:50)

Nathan Haas (California) dec. Kyle Summers, 8-0

Ben Kueter – 97 kg

No. 5 Ben Kueter dec. Malik McDonald (Golden Pride WC), 12-8

No. 4 Samuel Mitchell (Bulls WC) wins by injury over No. 5 Ben Kueter

Marco Retano (La Grande Mat Club) wins by injury over No. 5 Ben Kueter

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Iowa Wrestling led the nation in attendance for a 16th straight season and broke the all time attendance record. Iowa had 118,870 wrestling fans for home meets in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena to break the D-I attendance record. 

The previous record of 97,325 was set by Iowa in the 2015-16 season that included the Grapple on the Gridiron that had an NCAA record 42,287 fans alone. Breaking the record and by that much without the Grapple on the Gridiron is amazing.

Iowa averaged 14,858 fans for each home dual meet. The Hawks had a capacity crowd of 14,905 for six of eight home dual meets. Considering factors such as weather and home meets being televised more than ever only add to the significance of this record.

Iowa Wrestling tickets were sold out before the season even began the last two years. I was even more impressed with this last year when the entire season was a sellout 2 weeks earlier than the previous season.

Iowa was also the top draw of the season on the road for six opponents: Penn State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Army, Chattanooga, and Purdue.

Iowa has led the nation in attendance every year that Tom Brands has been head coach.

I have been saying for years in this blog that Iowa Wrestling has an advantage over the rest of their competition for fans unlike any sport in America. And it is not even close. Here is more proof.

Congratulations to all involved for Iowa Wrestling, The University of Iowa, and the Iowa Wrestling Nation. Job well done by all.

2022-23 Division I attendance rankings: https://bit.ly/3LeUGFw

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruit Ben Kueter has been named as the Midwest Region winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. The award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Kueter is in the outstanding Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

Kueter was named for the DSHSEA in the Midwest Region of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The national winner will be chosen from the five regional winners that will be announced on May 3.

The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

Winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

From teamusa.org:

Ben Kueter of Iowa City, Iowa was an undefeated four-time Iowa state champion for City High School. He became Iowa’s 32nd four-time state wrestling champion, and the seventh Iowa wrestler to finish with a perfect record, compiling a 111-0 career record. The son of Scott and Tina Kueter, he will wrestle and play football at the University of Iowa. Of his 111 high school wins, he recorded bonus points in 94 of them with 74 pins, 15 technical falls, and five major decisions. He won a gold medal at the 2022 Junior World Championships and was a national champion in folkstyle and a national runner-up in freestyle in 2021.

Kueter was named the 2023 recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Bob Steenlage Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year award, and was named was also named the Dan Gable Wrestler of the Year by Fareway Stores, Inc. in coordination with the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association in 2022 and 2023. He was invited to and competed in the Under Armour All-American Bowl in football and was also a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, presented annually to the top high school linebacker in the nation. Kueter volunteered to read at local elementary and junior high schools and was a member of the National Honor Society all four years.

This prestigious award is named after Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz. A true legend in the history of our great sport.

Kueter will be competing at the Senior U.S. Open on Thursday and Friday in Las Vegas.

In my opinion Ben Kueter is the best athlete in the history of Iowa high school sports.

Congratulations Ben Kueter for receiving this great honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The biggest weekend of the year for freestyle wrestling is here. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club and Iowa Wrestling will be well represented in Las Vegas competing in four national level tournaments in four days. The South Point Hotel and Casino will be the center of a lot of great wrestling.

Members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, our men’s and women’s wrestling team, and incoming recruits will be competing in four tournaments. There are a  lot of moving parts for all of the competition so I broke it down to help us stay organized.

The Men’s Senior U.S. Open is on Thursday and Friday. I am looking forward to seeing all of the HWC members compete. I am sure that all of us fans are especially looking forward to seeing Spencer Lee compete. Spencer Lee is a freestyle wrestler who also competed in folkstyle. Something to keep in mind.

We will see the debut of Ben Kueter at the Senior level. Kueter won a Junior World freestyle title last summer and is ranked #4 at 97 KG in the Senior division. Kueter is a member of the outstanding Recruiting Class of 2023.

On Friday and Saturday the Women’s Senior U.S. Open will have a great list of current and future Iowa Hawkeyes competing. Felicity Taylor is the defending U.S. Open champ at 53 KG. Having Iowa wrestlers to follow this year will make the Women’s Senior U.S. Open even better for me as a fan.

On Saturday and Sunday there will be two tournaments going on, U20 Nationals and U17 World Team Trials. We have a good list of Iowa wrestlers and recruits competing in U20 Nationals. I am especially looking forward to seeing how incoming recruit Gabe Arnold does at 79 KG.

We will have incoming recruit Keyan Hernandez competing in U17 World Team Trials at 55 KG. Hernandez is in the Recruiting Class of 2024.

FloWrestling will provide a live stream for all of the wrestling on their premium service.

I will have follow up blogs with results.

Senior Men’s U.S. Open – Thursday and Friday

Spencer Lee 57 kg 

Cullan Schriever 61 kg

Austin DeSanto 61 kg

Pat Lugo 65 kg

Jayden Eierman 70 kg

Nelson Brands 79 kg

Alex Marinelli 79 kg 

Kyle Summers 86 kg

*Ben Kueter 97 kg

*Recruiting Class of 2023

Thursday, April 27  Noon – Prelims, Consolation, Quarterfinals

Thursday, April 27  6 PM – Consolations

Thursday, April 27  8 PM – Semifinals

Friday, April 28  Noon – Consolations, Consolation Semifinals

Friday, April 28  8 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

Senior Women’s U.S. Open – Friday and Saturday

Nyla Valencia – 50 KG

Ava Bayless – 50 KG

Sterling Dias – 50 KG 

Emilie Gonzalez – 50 KG

Felicity Taylor – 53 KG

Ella Schmidt – 65 KG

Reese Larramendy – 65 KG

Isabella Mir – 68 KG

*Rose Cassioppi – 72 KG

*Haley Ward – 72 KG

Marlynne Deede – 72 KG

Kylie Welker – 76 KG

*Recruiting Class of 2023

Friday, April 28 Noon – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Consolation

Friday, April 28  2 PM – Semifinals, Consolation

Saturday, April 29  Noon – Consolation, Consolation Semifinals

Saturday, April 29  4 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

U20 Nationals – Saturday and Sunday

*Kale Petersen 60 kg

Jace Rhodes 61 kg 

Carter Martinson 70 kg 

Cade Siebrecht 70 kg

Cody Chittum 70 kg 

Aiden Riggins 74 kg

Carson Martinson 74 kg

Jude Link 74 kg

*Gabe Arnold 79 kg 

Bradley Hill 125 kg

*Recruiting Class of 2023

Saturday, April 29  Noon – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Consolation

Saturday,, April 29  6 PM – Semifinals, Consolation

Sunday, April 30  Noon – Consolation, Consolation Semifinals

Sunday, April 30  7 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

U17 World Team Trials – Saturday and Sunday

Keyan Hernandez 55 kg

Saturday, April 29 Noon – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Consolation

Saturday,, April 29  2 PM – Semifinals, Consolation

Sunday, April 30  Noon – Consolation, Consolation Semifinals

Sunday, April 30  2 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming Iowa recruits Lilly Luft and Alivia White have been named Regional winners of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. The award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Luft and White are members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

Luft and White are two of the five regional winners. The national winner will be chosen from the five regional winners that will be announced on May 2.

The award recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

Luft was named for the TSHSEA in the Midwest Region of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

From teamusa.org:

Lilly Luft of Charles City, Iowa, was a three-time Iowa state champion and four-time place-winner for Charles City Community High School. The daughter of Leonard and Wendy Luft, she will continue her wrestling career at the University of Iowa. Luft was 40-0 as a senior and had a career record of 125-6, setting the state record for most career wins by a female wrestler. She was the 2023 recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Iowa High School Female Wrestler of the Year and was also named the Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year by Fareway Stores, Inc. in coordination with the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. Luft was a finalist at the Super 32 tournament in 2022 while earning All-America honors at the 16U freestyle national championships and finishing fourth at the Cadet beach wrestling world championships in Romania in 2021.

She helped her family in the writing, lobbying and passing of Logan’s Law. Named in honor of her brother, Logan Luft, who was fatally injured in a Fourth of July ATV accident as a 15-year-old in 2017. Logan’s Law allows hunting and fishing license purchasers to declare as organ, eye and tissue donor. Lilly also volunteered at the Transplant Games of America, the LifeServe Blood Center, and the Iowa Donor Network. Luft also lettered in softball, track and volleyball in high school while also participating in Future Farmers of America and 4-H. Luft received The Clash – All-Scholar Athlete Achievement award and was named the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union Athlete of the Year in 2023.

White was named for the TSHSEA in the West Region of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

From teamusa.org:

Alivia White of Lake Stevens, Washington, was a three-time state champion for Marysville Pilchuck High School. She was unable to compete for a state title in 2021 as Washington did not hold a postseason tournament because of COVID. The daughter of Craig and Andrea White, she will continue her wrestling career at the University of Iowa. White was Washington State Interscholastic Association Scholar Athlete state champion in 2021 and also a Washington State Girls Triple Crown winner. She was the Marysville Pilchuck Outstanding Wrestler four years in a row and was team captain for three years. White also received the National Wrestling Coaches Association and United States Marine Corps High School Scholar All-American award.

She was National Honor Society president for two years and was a member of the Associated Student Body all four years. White was selected to represent her high school at Inter-High leadership conferences four times. White volunteered for Challenge Air, organizing and helping children with special needs get on small planes for flights, and was also a member of the Big Buddy program, helping elementary school students. She is also an active member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Congratulations to our two future Hawks for this great honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

USA Wrestling released a list of wrestlers registered to compete at the US Open U20 Nationals. This tournament will be a part of a huge weekend of wrestling for the U.S. Open in Las Vegas. U20 National will be on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30 at the South Point Hotel and Casino. 

We have current and incoming Hawkeyes competing. Kale Petersen, Cody Chittum, and Gabe Arnold are in the outstanding Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023. The remaining Hawkeyes listed are all true freshmen at Iowa.

Incoming recruit Ben Kueter also a member of the Recruiting Class of 2023 is registered at 97 KG for the U.S. Senior Men’s Open that will on Thursday and Friday. Kueter is currently ranked #4 at 97 KG in the American Men’s Freestyle Rankings.

The top eight wrestlers at each weight at U20 Nationals will qualify for the U20 World Team Trials that will be in Geneva, Ohio on June 2-4. The 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships will be in Warsaw, Poland on August 14-16. 

Keyan Hernandez will be competing at 55 KG in the U17 World Team Trials at the same venue. The U17 WTT will also be on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30. This tournament will decide Team USA for the 2023 U17 World Freestyle Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on July 31-August 6.

Hernandez is in the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024.

FloWrestling will provide a live stream of the U.S. Open on their premium service.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

Registered for US Open U20 Nationals as of April 24:

*Kale Petersen – 60 KG

Jace Rhodes – 60 KG

*Cody Chittum – 70 KG

Carter Martinson – 70 KG

Cade Siebrecht – 70 KG

Carson Martinson – 74 KG

Aiden Riggins – 74 KG

*Gabe Arnold – 79 KG

Brad Hill – 125 KG

* Recruiting Class of 2023

U17 World Team Trials

Keyan Hernandez – 55 KG

Recruiting Class of 2024

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Iowa Hawkeye Bella Mir will compete in an MMA bout at UFL 3 (United Fight League) on Saturday, August 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. Mir is a freshman for the University of Iowa Women’s Wrestling team and has a 3-0 career record in MMA.

Bella will be on the same card as her dad Frank Mir for UFL 3 that has been called his retirement fight. Frank was a two-time UFC Hwt champion and competed in the UFC for sixteen years. 

From bjpenn.com:

“One of my ambitions I have said, and I would really like to stick to it, is I would like to fight on the same card as my daughter,” Mir said. “That would be a great father-daughter experience and how many people can say they’ve done that in their career? Compete as an athlete on the same playing field as their child. It would be a moment of passing the torch of the ending of my career and the starting of her career. I would have to make it an MMA fight to make that happen.”

Bella recently won the 68 KG title at the U20 Women’s Nationals in Spokane, Washington. Mir won by a tech fall, pin, and two decisions to make the finals. In the best of three finals she had two first period pins to claim the title.

Mir will now represent Team USA at the 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Warsaw, Poland.

Bella is registered to compete at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in Las Vegas this weekend.

Last January Bella became the first ever NIL ambassador for the UFC. On December 15, 2022 it was announced that the UFC had become a sponsor of the University of Iowa Men’s and Women’s Wrestling team.

Mir is a true freshman out of Las Vegas, Nevada where she was a four-time state champion for Centennial High School.

The University of Iowa is the first Power 5 conference women’s wrestling program and will have their first year of official competition next season.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!