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WTT Challenge Tournament Preview
Current and former Iowa wrestlers will be competing at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament this weekend. The competition will take place at Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Sunday, May 21.
The winner of the WTT Challenge Tournament will face a defending World medalist or 2023 U.S. Open champ at Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 10. The winner of Final X will represent Team USA at the 2023 World Freestyle Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September.
Austin DeSanto and Tony Cassioppi will represent the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. DeSanto looked real good in placing second at the recent U.S. Open and is seeded #1 at 61 KG. I love the way the seeds look at this time and I really like DeSanto’s chances to win this tournament.
Tony Cassioppi is seeded #7 at 125 KG. Cassioppi won a World title at the 2022 U23 World Freestyle Championships and won the Bronze last year at U23 Worlds. Cassioppi will be a senior next season for the Hawks where he is already a four-time All American.
Kylie Welker will represent the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club. Welker placed fifth at the U.S. Open and is seeded #4 at 76 KG. I like her draw for this tournament. In 2021 as a high school junior Welker was runner-up in the Olympic Trials, won a U20 World title, and a Bronze at the U23 World Championships.
Bella Mir qualified for the WTT Challenge Tournament at 68 KG after placing sixth at the U.S. Open but will not be competing. Mir won the 68 KG title at U20 Nationals and will represent Team USA at the 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Warsaw, Poland in August.
Welker and Mir are both true freshmen at Iowa. The Hawks will have their first year of competition in the 2023-24 season.
The tournament will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com.
I will post a follow up blog with results.
2023 Senior World Team Trials Challenge on Sunday, May 21
9 AM – Women’s and Men’s Freestyle (Prelims, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations)
2 PM – Women’s and Men’s Freestyle (Consolation Semifinals)
3:30 PM – Women’s and Men’s Freestyle (Finals, Third Place)
*****All times CST
61 KG
- Austin DeSanto, Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Seth Gross, Sunkist Kids WC
- Daton Fix, Titan Mercury WC
- Nahshon Garrett, Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Nathan Tomasello, Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Joe Colon, Titan Mercury WC
- Aden Valencia, California RTC/Titan Mercury WC
125 KG
- Nick Gwiazdowski, Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC
- Mason Parris, Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force RTC
- Dominique Bradley, Sunkist Kids WC
- Ty Walz, Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC
- Demetrius Thomas, Pittsburgh WC/New York AC
- Anthony Cassioppi, Hawkeye WC
76 KG
- Adeline Gray, New York AC
- Yelena Makoyed, Titan Mercury WC/Cardinal WC
- Dymond Guilford, Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC
- Kylie Welker, Titan Mercury WC/Iowa Women’s WC
- Tristan Kelly, Army WCAP
- Precious Bell, Titan Mercury WC
- Ashley Lekas, Minnesota Gold WC
- Skylar Grote, Titan Mercury WC/Beaver Dam RTC
- Nahiela Magee, Army WCAP
- Brooklyn Hays, Minnesota Gold WC
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Fenton is a Hawkeye
Isaiah Fenton announced on Instagram that he has committed to the University of Iowa. Fenton was a 2A 152 lbs. State champion for Notre Dame (Burlington) this past season. He placed seventh at 152 in 2022.
With a 143-24 career record Fenton was 39-0 this past season with 19 pins and 6 tech falls.
Fenton is projected to compete at 157/165 and joins the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.
Class of 2023
Kale Petersen – Greene County 132 lbs.
Ryder Block – Waverly-Shell Rock 138 lbs.
Koye Grebel – Valley City, North Dakota 138 lbs.
Isaiah Fenton – Notre Dame (Burlington) 152 lbs.
Gabe Arnold – City High (Iowa City) 182 lbs.
Ben Kueter – City High (Iowa City) 220 lbs.
Class of 2024
Keyan Hernandez – Billings West (Montana) 120 lbs.
Miguel Estrada – Frontier HS (Bakersfield, CA) 145 lbs.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Fenton is a Hawkeye
Isaiah Fenton announced on Instagram that he has committed to the University of Iowa. Fenton was a 2A 152 lbs. State champion for Notre Dame (Burlington) this past season. He placed seventh at 152 in 2022.
With a 143-24 career record Fenton was 39-0 this past season with 19 pins and 6 tech falls.
Fenton is projected to compete at 157/165 and joins the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.
Class of 2023
Kale Petersen – Greene County 132 lbs.
Ryder Block – Waverly-Shell Rock 138 lbs.
Koye Grebel – Valley City, North Dakota 138 lbs.
Isaiah Fenton – Notre Dame (Burlington) 152 lbs.
Gabe Arnold – City High (Iowa City) 182 lbs.
Ben Kueter – City High (Iowa City) 220 lbs.
Class of 2024
Keyan Hernandez – Billings West (Montana) 120 lbs.
Miguel Estrada – Frontier HS (Bakersfield, CA) 145 lbs.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Carton named as head coach at UW-Platteville
Former Iowa Hawkeye Topher Carton has been named as the head wrestling coach at UW-Platteville. UW-P competes in D-III and in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Carton, originally from Rock Island, Illinois, was a three-time state champion and four-time state finalist for Davenport Assumption with a career record of 175-2.
At the University of Iowa Carton was a four-time letterwinner. He started every dual meet for Iowa in the 2016-17 season and was an NCAA National Qualifier at 141 lbs. Carton graduated with degrees in Sports and Recreational Management and Business Studies and Entrepreneurship.
After his career at Iowa Carton coached at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Since 2019 he has been an assistant coach at Coe College.
Congratulations and best of luck to Topher Carton.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Spencer Lee named for Big Ten Medal of Honor
Spencer Lee was named for Iowa’s Big Ten Medal of Honor. Lee was also named for this honor in 2021. Lee was recognized for this prestigious honor at the 2023 University of Iowa Senior Student-Athlete Reception on Friday at Kinnick Stadium.
From HawkeyeSports.com:
The Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference’s most exclusive award, and the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. The Big Ten Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1915 to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had “attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.”
Lee takes his place as one of the greatest Iowa wrestlers of all time by winning three NCAA titles and is a two-time Hodge Trophy winner.
Congratulations Spencer Lee.
Accomplishments of Spencer Lee:
Three-time NCAA National Champion
Four-time All American
Two-time Hodge Trophy winner
Three-time Big Ten champion
Three-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Year
O.W. of the 2023 Big Ten Championships
2018 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
12 career falls in under one minute
29 first period falls
40 of 98 career victories ended in the first period – 29 falls/11 tech falls
Career 26-0 record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Two-time Big Ten Medal of Honor winner (2021 & 2023)
James E. Sullivan Award winner (2020)
Named NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler (2020)
Two-time Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestler at Iowa
Coaches Appreciation Award recipient
Three-time Academic All-Big Ten
Three-time NWCA Scholar Athlete
2020 U.S. Open champion
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner
2018 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
2018 Amateure Wrestling News Hammer Award
Seven-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
Three-time Freestyle World Champion: Cadet (2014), Junior World Champion (2015, 2016)
Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport and Recreational Management – Business
Spencer Lee wins again https://iowawrestlingblog.com/2021/08/spencer-lee-wins-again/
Spencer Lee – 125 lbs. Five-time All American
2018 – National Champion
2019 – National Champion
2020 – All American – #1 seed at Nationals that were cancelled
2021 – National Champion
2022 – Redshirt
2023 – 6th
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
HWC Riverside Golf Outing on June 26
The Hawkeye Wrestling Club will host the Riverside Golf Outing on Monday, June 26 at the Blue Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa. This is always a great opportunity to golf and socialize with members and coaches of the HWC.
Registration is now open. This golf outing has sold out in the past.
- 4 Person Best Ball Tournament
- 11AM Shotgun Start
- Lunch + Attendee Gifts
- Free Range prior to event
- Raffle & Silent Auction
To register for the Riverside Golf Outing:
The HWC is celebrating 50 years of supporting our wrestlers pursuing their International wrestling goals. The HWC has been a huge part of the great success of Iowa Wrestling.
Upcoming events for the HWC:
- Riverside Golf Outing June 26 Blue Top Ridge Golf Course Riverside, Iowa
- Okoboji Golf Outing July 28 Emerald Hills Golf Club Arnolds Park, Iowa
- Trap Shoot Oct. 14 Highland Hideaway Hunting Riverside, Iowa
- Inner Circle Private Clinic TBD (Mid Nov.) Iowa City, IA
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Iowa recruits in final MatScouts Rankings
MatScouts released their final high school rankings and Big Board for the Class of 2023. From my understanding the Big Board is a list of all of the high school seniors including those that did not compete at the high school level over the past season and were not in the rankings.
New to the list of recruits for the Hawks is Miguel Estrada from Frontier High School in Bakersfield, California. He committed to Iowa last week and is in the Class of 2024. Estrada, a three-time state champion, is ranked #6 at 145 in the final rankings.
Ben Kueter remained #1 in the PFP (Pound for Pound) rankings as the top recruit in the country and #1 at 215 in the final rankings. For the Class of 2023 Big Board Kueter was ranked sixth.
Ryder Block is ranked #2 at 138 in the final rankings and #64 in the Class of 2023 Big Board. Gabe Arnold is ranked #3 at 182 in the final rankings and #19 in the Class of 2023 Big Board. Arnold recently won U20 Nationals in Las Vegas at 79 kg/174 lbs. and looked great.
Kale Petersen is not ranked at 132 in the final rankings but is ranked #64 in the Class of 2023 Big Board. Petersen had an outstanding showing at U20 Nationals by placing second at 61 kg/134 lbs. After winning four straight matches by tech fall Petersen defeated Nasir Bailey 10-1 in the semifinals. Bailey is ranked #1 in the country at 138 in the final rankings. Petersen then dropped a close 11-8 match to Ohio State freshman Nic Bouzakis in the finals. Great tournament for Petersen.
I always mention that Cody Chittum, the overall #1 ranked wrestler in the country for the Class of 2022, is on the way. Chittum is projected at 149/157 and will start classes this fall and be a member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.
Keyan Hernandez is not ranked at 120. Hernandez placed fourth at the NHSCA High School Nationals in Virginia Beach, Virginia in March at 120.
I will continue to follow all of our incoming recruits in freestyle competition through the summer.
The future looks great for Iowa Wrestling.
Class of 2023
Kale Petersen – Greene County 132 lbs.
Not ranked at 132
#64 in Class of 2023 Big Board
Ryder Block – Waverly-Shell Rock 138 lbs.
#2 at 138
#26 in Class of 2023 Big Board
Gabe Arnold – City High (Iowa City) 182 lbs.
#3 at 182
#19 in Class of 2023 Big Board
Ben Kueter – City High (Iowa City) 220 lbs.
#1 P4P
#1 at 215
#6 in Class of 2023 Big Board
Cody Chittum 149/157 #1 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 and will enroll with the Class of 2023 in August.
Class of 2024
Keyan Hernandez – Billings West (Montana) 120 lbs.
Not ranked.
Miguel Estrada – Frontier HS (Bakersfield, CA) 145 lbs.
#6 at 145
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Registration is now open for Iowa Women’s Wrestling Camps
The first ever Iowa Women’s Wrestling All Girls Camp will take place this summer. A two day camp will be on Friday-Saturday, June 16-17. An Elite Camp will be Sunday-Wednesday, June 25-28. Both camps are for freestyle wrestling.
Members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling program will be the clinicians.
The camps will include freestyle technique, drilling, sparring, live wrestling, and conversations with Iowa wrestlers and staff with World Champion head coach Clarissa Chun.
I anticipate a sellout for both camps so my advise is to register ASAP.
Registration is now open:
The University of Iowa is the first Division I Power 5 Conference member to have women’s wrestling. The Hawks have their first year of official competition next season.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Estrada commits to Iowa
Miguel Estrada announced that he has committed to the University of Iowa. He had originally committed to Wisconsin in December. Estrada is ranked #28 overall in the Class of 2024 and #2 at 145 by Willie Saylor of MatScouts.
Estrada is a three-time state champ from Frontier High School in Bakersfield, California. He won a state title as a freshman at 140 and at 145 the last two seasons. California has only one state champion and produces a lot of top talent every year.
Estrada is projected to compete at 149/157 for the Hawks.
Estrada joins Keyan Hernandez of Billings, Montana in the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024.
I will begin following Estrada’s career here on my blog.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Kennedy named to AWN All-Rookie Team
Patrick Kennedy has been named to the Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team at 165 lbs. Kennedy was an NCAA Qualifier where he was the sixth seed. 165 was without a doubt the toughest and deepest weight at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Kennedy, originally from Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota, was 21-5 this season with three falls, three tech falls, and six major decisions. He was ranked as high as #7 in the country during the season and placed second at 165 at the Big Ten Championships.
Kennedy was named Academic All-Big Ten in March while majoring in Sports and Recreational Management (Business Studies).
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!