Iowa Wrestling will be represented at the Senior World Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska on Saturday and Sunday, September 14-15. Non-Olympic weights will be contested to qualify for the 2024 World Championships in Tirana, Albania on October 29-30.

Austin DeSanto(61kg) will compete for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.

Felicity Taylor(55kg), Macey Kilty(65kg) and Kylie Welker(72kg) will compete representing the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Club.

The following weights being contested:

Women’s freestyle: 55kg, 59kg, 65kg, and 72kg

Men’s freestyle: 61kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 92kg

DeSanto is the #3 seed at 61kg. DeSanto was a four-time All American at Iowa.

Taylor is the #3 seed at 55kg. Taylor won an NCWWC national title at 116 lbs. for Iowa last season.

Kilty won a silver medal at the 2023 Senior World Championships so she has already advanced to the best of three finals on Sunday at 65kg. Kilty transferred into the Iowa program in July for her final year of eligibility and has won five age group world medals for Team USA.

Welker is the #2 seed at 72kg. The #1 seed is Yelena Makoyed. Welker defeated Makoyed at National Duals and the NCWWC National Finals at 170 but lost to her at the Olympic Trials.

Kilty and Welker have already qualified to represent Team USA at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania on October 23-27. 

FloWrestling will have full coverage of the Senior World Team Trials on their premium service.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

Austin DeSanto – #3 seed at 61kg

Felicity Taylor – #3 seed at 55kg

Macey Kilty – Qualified for the Championship Series at 65kg

Kiley Welker – #2 seed at 72kg

2024 Senior World Team Trials

All styles and weights

*Times listed are CST

Saturday, September 14

Session I: Prelims, Quarterfinals and Consolations  10AM – 3PM

Session II: Semifinals and Consolations  5PM – 9PM

Sunday, September 15

Session III: Consolations, 3rd Place and Round 1 (2 out of 3) Finals 10AM – 2PM

Session IV: Round 2 (2 out of 3) Finals *Round 3 if necessary  2PM – 4PM

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa will have a home visit with elite recruit Bo Bassett on Friday, September 13. Bo is a junior and is the overall #1 recruit in the country for the Class of 2026.

In my opinion Bo Bassett is the biggest high school recruit since Spencer Lee in 2017. There are a lot of similarities between Bo and Spencer.

Bo is from Johnstown, Pennsylvania and has been a member of Young Guns Wrestling Club with former Hawk Jody Strittmatter for years. 

Bo won a bronze medal at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain last week at 65kg/143 lbs. He was a 2021 Cadet World champion at 45kg/99 lbs.

Competing for Bishop McCort, Bo won a AA state title last season at 139 lbs. 

From FloWrestling:

September 11 – Missouri

September 12 – Ohio State

September 13 – Iowa

September 13 – Virginia Tech

September 14 – Cornell

September 15 – Iowa State

September 16 – Arizona State

September 17 – Princeton

September 19 – Penn State

Bo will have his first official on campus visit on September 20-22 at Michigan. He currently has nineteen colleges remaining for his recruiting list. Every week he eliminates colleges from his recruiting list that started with eighty colleges.

Recruiting season is heating up and Bo is everyone’s #1. 

I will keep you up to date with recruiting news for Iowa Wrestling that will be coming in over the next two months.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

It is official. Jacori Teemer is now listed on the 2024-25 roster as a member of the Iowa Wrestling team. 

There has been speculation for months that Teemer would transfer to Iowa from Arizona State where he was a four-time All American and 2024 National Finalist. Teemer graduated from Arizona State and is listed as a graduate student on the roster and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Teemer has competed at 157 for his career.

Teemer was an NCAA Qualifier in 2020. In 2021 he placed 4th and in 2022 he placed sixth. Last season Teemer placed second and defeated Jared Franek of Iowa 5-2 in the NCAA Quarterfinals. He was also named as an NWCA Scholar All American.

Teemer won four Pac 12 Conference titles at 157. 

Originally from Long Beach, New York, Teemer is one of only four five-time state champions in New York wrestling history.

In the Recruiting Class of 2018 Teemer was ranked #1 at 126 and #4 P4P by FloWrestling.

Teemer was a 2017 Cadet world bronze medalist at 63kg/139 lbs.

Teemer joins former Arizona State teammate Kyle Parco who transferred into the Iowa program in May. Parco was a four-time All American at 149 (6-8-3-5).

Stephan Buchanan announced in August that he was transferring in from Oklahoma. Buchanan is a three-time All American at 197 (NQ-8-3-3).

Transfers:

Kyle Parco – 149

Jacori Teemer – 157

Stephen Buchanan – 197

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Ben Kueter of the University of Iowa won the silver medal at 125kg at the U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. Kueter dropped a 4-2 decision in the finals to Amirezza Masoumi Valadi of Iran. Valadi was the 2022 U23 World champion at 125kg and is now a five-time age group World champion. Valadi defeated 2023 world bronze medalist and 2024 Olympian Mason Parris 11-6 in January.

Kueter started off with a 7-0 decision over Alikhan Kussainov of Kazakhstan in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals it only took :28 for Keuter to get a takedown and an arm bar for the fall over Stsiapan Mandryk of Individual Neutral Athlete.

Keuter looked impressive with a 13-3 tech fall over Nambardagva Batbayar of Mongolia in the semifinals.

This was the first International competition for Kueter since he won the 2022 U20 World Championships at 97kg/213 lbs.

Kueter was a member of the Iowa Football team last season. In April he announced that he would concentrate on wrestling for the next ten months and return for Spring football in April of 2025. Kueter was 3-1 as a true freshman for Iowa last season at Hwt as a true freshman.

This was an impressive showing for Kueter against elite competition. He was probably giving up 30 lbs. in the finals. Give Kueter some time to grow and concentrate on wrestling and he has a great future ahead of him for Iowa and Team USA. 

I am looking forward to seeing Kueter in the lineup full time this season for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands, Assistant Coach Ryan Morningstar and Hawkeye Wrestling Club Coach Daniel Dennis were in Spain coaching for Kueter.

U20 World Championships

Ben Kueter (125 KG) – Second Place

Ben Kueter (USA) VPO Alikhan Kussainov (KAZ), 7-0

Ben Kueter (USA) VFA Stsiapan Mandryk (AIN), 0:27

Ben Kueter (USA) VSU1 Nambardagva Batbayar (MGL), 13-3

Amirreza Fardin Masoumi Valadi (IRI) VPO Ben Kueter (USA), 4-2

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Dan Gable will be the guest speaker on Monday, September 9 at the Grid Club in Davenport. The Grid Club is the longest running sports luncheon in Iowa.

The Grid Club is at Noon on Monday from September 9 – October 28.

Iowa Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands will be the guest speaker on Monday, October 14.

Season tickets are $112 and individual tickets are $15.

The Grid Club luncheons will take place at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Davenport.

TV coverage will be available on Mediacom and MC22.

Grid Club

Dan Gable as guest speaker on Monday, September 9 at Noon

Knights of Columbus Hall

1111 W. 35th St.

Davenport, Iowa

Ph: (563) 391-1532

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Naomi Simon defeated Chisato Yoshida of Japan 9-0 to win the Bronze medal at 76kg at the U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

Simon dropped a hard fought 9-8 decision to Mariia Orlevych of Ukraine in the opening round. This is an impressive showing for Simon to bring home a medal at the World Championships and to defeat a Japanese wrestler by a 9-0 score.

Simon is a true freshman for the Hawks who came in ranked #2 at 170 lbs. and #13 P4P for the final 2024 high school rankings. Originally from Decorah, Iowa Simon was the first undefeated four-time state champion in Iowa High School Girls Wrestling history.

Brianna Gonzalez(53kg), Cadence Diduch(62kg), and Reese Larramendy(65kg) did not place.

Larramendy won an NCWWC national title at 143 lbs. last season as a redshirt freshman. Gonzalez placed second in the country at 116 lbs. also as as a redshirt freshman.

Diduch, originally from Freeport, Illinois, is a teammate of Simon in the Recruiting Class of 2024. She was ranked #2 at 135 lbs. and #12 P4P in the final high school rankings.

Iowa Women’s Wrestling Head Coach Clarissa Chun was in Spain as the personal coach for the Hawks competing.

Incoming recruit Otto Black captured Silver on Tuesday at 63kg/138 lbs. at the Greco-Roman U20 World Championships.

Iowa Hawkeye Ben Kueter will compete at 125kg on Saturday and Sunday, September 7-8 at U20 Worlds.

U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain

53 kg – Brianna Gonzalez (Baldwin, Calif./Iowa Women’s WC), eliminated

Loss Jyoti Jyoti (India), 3-1

62 kg – Cadence Diduch (Freeport, Ill./Iowa Women’s WC), eliminated

Win Seoyeon Bae (Korea), fall, 4:11

Loss Melanie Jimenez Villalba (Mexico), fall, 5:38

65 kg – Reese Larramendy (Reno, Nev./Iowa Women’s WC), eliminated

Loss Margarita Salnazarian (Individual Neutral Athlete), 10-7

76 kg – Naomi Simon (Decorah, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC), bronze medal

Loss Mariia Orlevych (Ukraine), 9-8

Win Chisato Yoshida (Japan), 9-0

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming recruit Otto Black captured the silver at 63kg/138 lbs. at the U20 Greco-Roman World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. Black defeated Dejan Berkec of Serbia, 5-1 in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals Black won a hard fought 7-6 decision over Enes Ulku of Turkey.

Black advanced to the finals when he topped Yurik Hoveyan of Armenia, 7-2 in the semifinals. In the finals Black dropped an 8-0 match to Erzu Zakriev who was an Individual Neutral Athlete.

This was an impressive tournament for Black against the best competition in the world in Greco-Roman in the U20 category.  

Black, from Park, Colorado, won a 138 lbs. 4A Colorado state title last season with a 52-0 record. He was a Junior Greco-Roman national champion at 126 in 2022 and 132 in 2023.

Black won U20 Greco-Roman Nationals in April and the U20 World Team Trials in May. He also won Gold at 63kg/138 lbs. at the U20 Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru. 

As a member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024 Black is not currently not on the roster.  He is taking a grey shirt this semester and will join the team in the second semester. Black committed to Iowa in April and is projected to compete at 141/149 for the Hawks.

I am looking forward to seeing Otto Black in the Black and Gold of Iowa Wrestling. 

U20 World Greco-Roman Championships – 63kg/138 lbs.

Rd of 16: Otto Black (United States) dec Dejan Berkec (Serbia), 5-1

Quarterfinals: Otto Black (United States) dec Enes Ulku (Turkey), 7-6

Semifinals: Otto Black (United States) dec. Yurik Hoveyan (Armenia), 7-2

Finals: Erzu Zakriev (Individual Neutral Athlete) dec Otto Black (United States) 8-0

Five Hawks will be competing in the Freestyle portion of U20 Worlds starting tomorrow.

U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain September 4-8

50kg: Brianna Gonzalez

62kg: Cadence Diduch 

65kg: Reese Larramendy 

76kg: Naomi Simon 

125kg: Ben Kueter

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club will host an open practice and tailgate on Saturday, September 7. The open practice will be at 8 AM in the Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room inside the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center. What I have named as “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world!” Home of Iowa Wrestling in Wrestle Town USA – Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

Iowa City will have a buzz of excitement that only comes from the Iowa-Iowa State football game with a 2:30 PM kickoff. The weather looks to be perfect and I am expecting a special day to be in Iowa City as a Hawkeye fan.

The HWC practice should have members of the HWC as well as wrestlers from the men’s and women’s team working out. The new room is huge and there should be enough room. This will provide fans with a great opportunity to see the new recruits, transfers, and returning wrestlers.

This practice will also provide a great opportunity for fans to see the new facility that is absolutely amazing.

I strongly suggest walking through the tunnel from the new facility to the floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Words cannot describe what it is like. You’re gonna love it.

The HWC will host a tailgate outside of the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center. Hawkeye legends of the past and Iowa Wrestling fans will provide a great crowd to be a part of. 

Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee will be available to sign autographs.

The HWC will honor all past Olympians with a display of Olympic medals from HWC wrestlers inside the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center.

Donations to the HWC will be accepted and appreciated.

With the 2:30 PM kickoff I would think there would be thousands of fans making their way to tour the new facility and stop by the HWC tailgate.

What a great way to get ready for the upcoming season.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Five Iowa Hawkeyes and an incoming recruit will be competing at the U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

Otto Black will compete in Greco-Roman at 63kg on Monday-Tuesday, September 2-3. Black won U20 Greco-Roman Nationals in April and the U20 World Team Trials in May. He also won Gold at 63kg/138 lbs. at the U20 Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru. Black is a member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024

Brianna Gonzalez(50kg), Cadence Diduch(62kg), Reese Larramendy(65kg), and Naomi Simon(76kg) will compete on Wednesday-Friday, September 4-6. They all won titles at the U20 Women’s National Championship in April to make the world team.

Larramendy and Diduch won Bronze and Gonzalez and Simon placed fifth at the Grand Prix of Spain in July.

Reese Larramendy won an NCWWC national title at 143lbs. in leading Iowa to the national team title last season as a redshirt freshman. Gonzalez placed second in the country at 116 lbs. for the Hawks as a redshirt freshman.

Diduch(Freeport, IL) and Simon(Decorah, IA) are true freshmen and members of the Recruiting Class of 2024. In the final National Girls High School Rankings for the 2023-24 season, Diduch was ranked #2 at 135 lbs. and #12 P4P and Simon was #2 at 170 lbs. and #13 P4P.

Ben Kueter will be looking for his second U20 World title. Kueter was a 2022 U20 World Champion at 97kg/213 lbs. and will compete at 125kg this year.

Kueter was a member of the Iowa Football team last season. In April he announced that he will concentrate on wrestling for the next ten months and return for Spring football in April of 2025. Kueter was 3-1 as a true freshman for Iowa last season at Hwt.

Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands, Assistant Coach Ryan Morningstar and Hawkeye Wrestling Club Coach Daniel Dennis will be in Spain coaching for Kueter.

U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain

50kg: Brianna Gonzalez

62kg: Cadence Diduch 

65kg: Reese Larramendy 

76kg: Naomi Simon 

125kg: Ben Kueter

U20 World Freestyle Championships

***All times posted are CST

Wednesday, September 4

3AM – Qualifications Round for Women’s 50kg and 76kg

9:45AM – Semifinals for Women’s 50kg and 76kg

Thursday, September 5

3AM – Qualifications Round for Women’s 62kg and 65kg

9:45AM – Semifinals for Women’s 62kg and 65kg

11AM – Finals for Women’s 50kg and 76kg

Friday, September 6

11AM – Finals for Women’s 62kg and 65kg

Saturday, September 7

3AM – Qualifications Round for 125kg

9:45AM – Semifinals

Sunday, September 8

11AM – Finals for 125kg

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club will have practice tomorrow morning (Saturday, August 31) at 8 AM. This is great news for Iowa Wrestling fans that look forward to a wrestling practice before an Iowa football game. The Hawks host Illinois State with an 11 AM kickoff in Kinnick Stadium.

The HWC practice will be at the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center in the Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room. The $34 million state of the art new facility that I have named “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world.” Home of Iowa Wrestling in Wrestle Town USA – Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

With the 8AM practice wrestling fans that are not going to the football game will be able to get into town early to watch practice with little traffic. For many football fans going to an Iowa Wrestling practice has been a big part of their football game day experience for decades.

I have stated for years that Iowa has as many or even more fans at a Saturday morning Fall practice than some D-I wrestling programs have for attendance for a dual meet.

This HWC practice will hopefully have wrestlers from the men’s and women’s team working out. The new room is huge and there should be enough room. This would provide fans with a great opportunity to see the new recruits, transfers, and returning wrestlers.

This practice will also provide a great opportunity for fans to see the new facility that is absolutely amazing.

If it is made available to fans I strongly suggest walking through the tunnel from the new facility to the floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Words cannot describe what it is like. You’re gonna love it.

This is always an exciting time of the year as an Iowa Wrestling fan. We are in August and Iowa Wrestling fans are excited. There is nothing like Iowa Wrestling.

Let’s get ‘em in the middle.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!