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Brackets released for Big Tens
Brackets were released for the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. There were no changes between the pre-seeds and the finals seeds for Iowa Wrestlers. Iowa has two wrestlers seeded #1 in Spencer Lee (125) and Real Woods (141).
The Big Tens will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan this Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. Session I begins tomorrow at 9 AM CST.
The Big Ten was awarded 88 of the 284 automatic qualifiers to the 2023 NCAA National Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 16-18. There will also be 46 at-large bids for all of the qualifiers. Each of the ten weight classes at Nationals will have 33 wrestlers seeded out 1-33.
First Round matches:
125 – #1 Spencer Lee (UI) vs. #8 Dean Peterson (RU)/#9 Jack Medley (UM)
133 – #8 Brody Teske (UI) vs. #9 RayVon Foley (MSU)
141 – #1 Real Woods (UI) vs. #8 Parker Filius (PUR)/#9 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU)
149 – #4 Max Murin (UI) vs. #13 Payton Omania (MSU)
157 – #5 Cobe Siebrecht (UI) vs. #12 Paddy Gallagher (OSU)
165 – #3 Patrick Kennedy (UI) vs. #14 John Best (MD)
174 – #7 Nelson Brands (UI) vs. #10 Jackson Turley (RU)
184 – #5 Abe Assad (UI) vs. #12 Ben Vanadia (PUR)
197 – #5 Jacob Warner (UI) vs. #12 Andrew Davison (NU)
285 – #3 Tony Cassioppi (IA) vs. #14 Austin Emerson (NEB)
The brackets are also available on TrackWrestling.
https://bigten.org/documents/2023/3/3//2023_B1G_Brackets_Initial.pdf?id=7878
Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 4
Session I – 9 AM
Session II
Consolations and Wrestlebacks – 4:30 PM
Semifinals – 6:30 PM
Sunday, March 5
Session III Consolation Semifinals and 7th place – Noon
Session IV 1st/3rd/5th place matches – 3:30 PM
*****All times listed are CST
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Iowa recruits in MatScouts Rankings
Willie Saylor of MatScouts released updated high school rankings. There were a few changes for the incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits.
Ben Kueter remains #1 in the PFP (Pound for Pound) rankings as the top recruit in the country and at 215. Kueter recently became the 32nd four-time state champion and the seventh to have an undefeated career record (111-0) in Iowa high school wrestling history.
On Monday Kueter was named as the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year in 3A. Ryder Block and Gabe Arnold were the other two finalist for this award.
Ryder Block went from #3 to #2 at 138. Block recently won his third state title.
Gabe Arnold dropped one spot to #3 at 182. Arnold won four matches against #4 ranked Tate Naaktgeboren this season. The last match was in the state finals.
Kale Petersen is not ranked at 132 even though he defeated #15 Gable Porter this season. Petersen finished the season with a 32-0 record in winning his third state title. Petersen was named as the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year in 2A.
Keyan Hernandez in the Class of 2024 won his third Montana AA state title.
I always want to remind you that Cody Chittum, the overall #1 ranked wrestler in the country for the Class of 2022, is on the way. Chittum will start classes this fall and be a member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023. Last Sunday Chittum captured the silver at the very competitive Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Event in Alexandria, Egypt. This was an open division tournament with teams from 31 countries.
The future looks great for Iowa Wrestling.
Class of 2023
Kale Petersen – Greene County 132 lbs.
Not ranked.
Ryder Block – Waverly-Shell Rock 138 lbs.
#2 at 138
Gabe Arnold – City High (Iowa City) 182 lbs.
#3 at 182
Ben Kueter – City High (Iowa City) 220 lbs.
#1 P4P
#1 at 215
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)
Not ranked.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Big Tens preview: 174-Hwt
This is my third and final blog for a Big Tens preview by weight.
It is tournament time. The Big Tens will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan this Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. It is a tradition for this tournament to have great if not amazing competition.
The Big Ten was awarded 88 of the 284 automatic qualifiers to the 2023 NCAA National Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 16-18. There will also be 46 at-large bids for all of the qualifiers. Each of the ten weight classes at Nationals will have 33 wrestlers seeded out 1-33.
Iowa faced eight Big Ten teams in the regular season. I have listed the results of those matches. I also listed the Big Ten Pre-Seeds and where the wrestlers are ranked nationally by InterMat.
174
Nelson Brands is ranked #12 in the country and gets the seven pre-seed. This is yet another real tough weight for Big Tens. The six wrestlers pre-seeded ahead of Brands are all in the top ten nationally for rankings. The Big Ten has seven automatic qualifiers and there are five At-Large bids for Nationals at 174.
Simply put, Brands will have to wrestle up to seed to qualify for Nationals. With no room for error Brands will have to be top of his game. I really liked what I saw when Brands defeated #7 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, 3-2.
I look for Nelson Brands to have a solid tournament and wrestle above his pre-seed.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
174 lbs. (7 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Carter Starocci (PSU) – #1
- Mikey Labriola (NEB) – #2
- Ethan Smith (OSU) – #5
- Bailee O’Reilly (MINN) – #8
- Edmond Ruth (ILL) – #9
- DJ Washington (IND) – #10
- Nelson Brands (IOWA) – #12
- Troy Fisher (NU) – #15
- Max Maylor (MICH) – #29
- Jackson Turley (RU)
- Ceasar Garza (MSU)
- Dominic Solis (MD)
- Josh Otto (WIS)
- Cooper Noehre (PUR)
Nelson Brands vs. Big Ten opponents
#7 Edmond Ruth (Illinois) L-D 2-1 TB1
Cooper Noehre (Purdue) W-D 5-0
Ankhaa Enkhmandakh (Northwestern) W-D 8-2 (Enkhmandakh is not competing at Big Tens)
#3 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) L-D 3-2
#1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) L-D 2-1
Joseph Walker (Michigan) W-D 5-1 5-4 (Walker is not competing at Big Tens)
Aiden Riggins vs. Big Ten opponents
#11 Bailee O’Reilly (Minnesota) L-D 4-1
Drake Rhodes vs. Big Ten opponents
Josh Otto (Wisconsin) L-D 6-5
184
Abe Assad comes in with a pre-seed of fifth. The Big Ten has nine automatic qualifiers and there are seven At-large bids for Nationals.
Of the entire team I believe Assad has the most potential to wrestle above his pre-seed. I have been telling you about the potential of Assad in this blog for several years. He has the goods. I now notice confidence that I did not see in the past. I like his attitude.
As a fan I would love to see Assad have a big tournament that would lead to a push into Nationals. He certainly has all of the tools needed to be elite on the national level.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
184 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Aaron Brooks (PSU) – #1
- Kaleb Romero (OSU) – #5
- Isaiah Salazar (MINN) – #9
- Matt Finesilver (MICH) – #8
- Abe Assad (IOWA) – #10
- Layne Malczewski (MSU) – #13
- Lenny Pinto (NEB) – #15
- Brian Soldano (RU) – #14
- Dylan Connell (ILL) – #22
- Tyler Dow (WIS)
- Evan Bates (NU)
- Ben Vanadia (PUR)
- Clayton Fielden (IND)
- Kevin Makosy (MD)
Abe Assad vs. Big Ten opponents
#29 Dylan Connell (Illinois) W-D 3-1
Ben Vanadia (Purdue) W-Pin, 4:15
Evan Bates (Northwestern) W-MD 10-2
#13 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) W-D 6-5
Tyler Dow (Wisconsin) L-Pin
Drake Rhodes vs. Big Ten opponents
#1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) L-TF 22-7 1-2
#10 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) L-MD 13-5
#9 Matt Finesilver (Michigan) L-TF 15-0 1
197
197 has to be the most open weight in the Big Ten and nationally. Seeding 197 is going to be a challenge. Of all the weights that may see changes from the pre-seeds to final seeds I would have to put 197 at the top of the list.
The Big Ten has nine automatic qualifiers and there are four At-Large bids for Nationals at 197. With ten nationally ranked wrestlers this is a tough weight to predict. I look for a lot of close matches at this weight for the tournament like we will most likely see at 157.
I like Warner to put it all together to end his career on a high note. He has everything you could want for a skill set to win it all at Nationals. It’s go time. Not much else to say.
197 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Max Dean (PSU) – #3
- Silas Allred (NEB) – #10
- Zac Braunagel (ILL) – #15
- Cameron Caffey (MSU) – #13
- Jacob Warner (IOWA) – #12
- Jaxon Smith (MD) – #14
- Gavin Hoffman (OSU) – #19
- Braxton Amos (WIS) – #20
- Michial Foy (MINN) – #23
- Nick Willham (IND)
- Billy Janzer (RU)
- Andrew Davison (NU) – #29
- Brendin Yatooma (MICH)
- Hayden Filipovich (PUR)
#10 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) L-D 3-1
Hayden Filipovich (Purdue) W-MD 16-4
#18 Silas Allred (Nebraska) W-D 3-2
#4 Max Dean (Penn State) L-D 2-0
#28 Michial Foy (Minnesota) L-D 2-1
Bredin Yatooma (Michigan) W-TF 16-1 12-4
Zach Glazier vs. Big Ten opponents
#28 Andrew Davison (Northwestern) L-D 7-6
Colby Franklin vs. Big Ten opponents
#13 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) L-D 4-0
Hwt
The Big Ten is continuing the tradition of being the dominant conference for Hwt. #1,2,3,and 4 in the entire country. For pre-seeds we have the #4 and #10 wrestlers in the entire country clashing in the quarterfinals. That is a conference owning a weight class.
With nine automatic qualifiers for the Big Ten and four At-large bids for Nationals available we will see some great wrestling at Hwt.
I like where Tony Cassioppi is at right now. He dropped a close match to Parris and Kerkvliet in the regular season. As I mentioned in an earlier blog everything is fixable here. This will be one fun weight to watch play out.
285 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Mason Parris (MICH) – #1
- Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) – #2
- Tony Cassioppi (IOWA) – #3
- Lucas Davison (NU) – #4
- Trent Hillger (WIS) – #10
- Boone McDermott (RU) – #19
- Tate Orndoff (OSU) – #16
- Jacob Bullock (IND) – #25
- Jaron Smith (MD)
- Hayden Copass (PUR)
- Garrett Joles (MINN) – #33
- Ryan Vasbinder (MSU)
- Matt Wroblewski (ILL)
- Austin Emerson (NEB)
Tony Cassioppi vs. Big Ten opponents
Matt Wroblewski (Illinois) W-STALL DQ
Purdue W-Forfeit
#4 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) W-D 3-2
Cale Davidson (Nebraska) W-Pin, 6:39
#11 Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) W-D 4-1
#2 Greg Kervliet (Penn State) L-D 4-1
#1 Mason Parris (Michigan) L-D 9-7
Bradley Hill vs. Big Ten opponents
#32 Garrett Joles (Minnesota) L-D 5-0
Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 4
Session I – 9 AM
Session II
Consolations and Wrestlebacks – 4:30 PM
Semifinals – 6:30 PM
Sunday, March 5
Session III Consolation Semifinals and 7th place – Noon
Session IV 1sr/3rd/5th place matches – 3:30 PM
*****All times listed are CST
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Incoming Iowa recruits named Dan Gable Ms. and Mr. Wrestler of the Year
Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits dominated the annual Dan Gable Ms. and Mr. Wrestler of the Year Awards.
Lilly Luft of Charles City was named as the Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year. Luft recently won her third state title and finished her career with a 125-6 record. Luft was 40-0 this season and won a state title at 130 lbs.
Luft committed to the University of Iowa last September. Iowa Women’s Wrestling will start their first official year of competition next season.
It was clean sweep for incoming Hawkeyes in the top three spots for the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year in 3A. Ben Kueter was named as the Wrestler of the Year and Gabe Arnold and Ryder Block were also finalists for the award.
Kueter of City High (Iowa City) finished his career as the 32nd four-time state champion in state history and just the seventh to have a career undefeated record (111-0). He is the overall #1 recruit in the country pound for pound by MatScouts. Kueter won a Junior World Freestyle title last summer in Sophie, Bulgaria at 97 kg/213 lbs. Kueter is also an elite linebacker in football and received All American honors. He committed to both Iowa Wrestling and Iowa Football.
Gabe Arnold of City High (Iowa City) captured a state title at 182 lbs. in 3A. He is currently ranked #2 nationally at 182 lbs. by MatScouts. Ryder Block won his third state title for Waverly-Shell-Rock and is ranked #2 nationally at 138 lbs. by MatScouts.
Kale Petersen of Greene County was named as the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year in 2A. Petersen recently won his third state title. Petersen was 32-0 this year in winning the state title at 132 lbs.
Luft, Kueter, Arnold, Ryder, and Petersen are high school seniors and will enroll at the University of Iowa in August.
The future looks great for Iowa Men’s and Women’s Wrestling.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Incoming Iowa recruits named Dan Gable Ms. and Mr. Wrestler of the Year
Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits dominated the annual Dan Gable Ms. and Mr. Wrestler of the Year Awards.
Lilly Luft of Charles City was named as the Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year. Luft recently won her third state title and finished her career with a 125-6 record. Luft was 40-0 this season and won a state title at 130 lbs.
Luft committed to the University of Iowa last September. Iowa Women’s Wrestling will start their first official year of competition next season.
It was clean sweep for incoming Hawkeyes in the top three spots for the Dan Gable Mr. Iowa Wrestler of the Year in 3A. Ben Kueter was named as the Wrestler of the Year and Gabe Arnolds and Ryder Block were also finalists for the award.
Kueter of City High (Iowa City) finished his career as the 32nd four-time state champion in state history and just the seventh to have a career undefeated record (111-0). He is the overall #1 recruit in the country pound for pound by MatScouts. Kueter won a Junior World Freestyle title last summer in Sophie, Bulgaria at 97 kg/213 lbs. Kueter is also and elite linebacker in football and received All American honors. He committed to both Iowa Wrestling and Iowa Football.
Gabe Arnold of City High (Iowa City) captured a state title at 182 lbs. in 3A. He is currently ranked #2 nationally at 182 lbs. by MatScouts. Ryder Block won his third 3A state title for Waverly-Shell-Rock and is ranked #2 nationally at 138 lbs. by MatScouts.
Kale Petersen of Greene County was named as the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year in 2A. Petersen recently won his third state title. Petersen was 32-0 this year in winning the state title at 132 lbs.
Luft, Kueter, Arnold, Ryder, and Petersen are high school seniors and will enroll at the University of Iowa in August.
The future looks great for Iowa Men’s and Women’s Wrestling.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Big Tens preview: 149-157-165
This is part two of my Big Tens preview.
It is tournament time. The Big Tens will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan this Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. It is a tradition for this tournament to have great if not amazing competition.
The Big Ten was awarded 88 of the 284 automatic qualifiers to the 2023 NCAA National Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 16-18. There will also be 46 at-large bids for all of the qualifiers. Each of the ten weight classes at Nationals will have 33 wrestlers seeded out 1-33.
Iowa faced eight Big Ten teams in the regular season. I have listed the results of those matches. I also listed the Big Ten Pre-Seeds and where the wrestlers are ranked nationally by InterMat.
149
Another stacked weight at Big Tens. #2,3,4, and 6 and nine of the top thirty wrestlers in the entire country here at 149. That’s the Big Ten for you. The Big Ten has nine automatic qualifiers at 149 and there are four At-Large bids to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
There will be some real good matches in the quarterfinals at this weight with ranked wrestlers that could provide some upsets. Murin needs to be ready to go.
For Murin to beat the elite at Big Tens and Nationals he cannot wait and then turn up the pace and intensity later in the match. He needs to start and wrestle the entire match at a very high level of intensity and pace to win.
Murin is a great example of being a grinder who will not be out fought or out wanted. Yes, I am a real big fan of that. Max Murin is a senior that I expect to finish the season wrestling his career best.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
149 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Sammy Sasso (OSU) – #3
- Austin Gomez (WIS) – #2
- Yahya Thomas (NU) – #4
- Max Murin (IOWA) – #6
- Shayne Van Ness (PSU) – #13
- Michael Blockhus (MINN) – #15
- Graham Rooks (IND) – #28
- Ethen Miller (MD) – #18
- Chance Lamer (MICH) – #30
- Tony White (RU)
- Dayne Morton (NEB)
- Jake Harrier (ILL)
- Peyton Omania (MSU)
- Jaden Reynolds (PUR)
Max Murin vs. Big Ten opponents this season
Kaven Davenport (Illinois) W-Pin, 3:34 (Davenport will not compete at Big Tens)
Trey Kruse (Purdue) W-TF 22-7 (5:37) (Kruse will not compete at Big Tens)
#5 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) L-D 3-2
Dayne Morton (Nebraska) W-Pin, 3:47
#2 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) L-D 5-2
#12 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) W-D 4-1
#15 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) W-D 11-7
Chance Lamer (Michigan) W-D 10-4
157
To have a wrestler ranked #33 in the country and yet listed as the Pre-Seed #13 at 157 is amazing. Thirteen ranked wrestlers out of fourteen teams. That has to at least tie if not set a record for the Big Ten Championships. Even for the Big Ten this is nuts.
The Big Ten has ten automatic qualifiers and there are four At-Large bids for Nationals.
Cobe Siebrecht has run a gauntlet of competition this year competing in the Big Ten and I believe he is more than ready. Siebrecht is the type of guy that nobody really wants to wrestle. He keeps his opponents and fans wondering what is coming next. I look for his mat wrestling to play a big role this weekend to win the close matches.
Nearly every single match at 157 will be two nationally ranked wrestlers going at it. Every match, every point, every position will be contested by a nationally ranked wrestler. That non-stop intensity and grind over two days bids well for a Hawkeye. I look for a real good tournament out of Siebrecht.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
157 lbs. (10 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Peyton Robb (NEB) – #1
- Levi Haines (PSU) – #7
- Kendall Coleman (PUR) – #6
- Chase Saldate (MSU) – #12
- Cobe Siebrecht (IOWA) – #14
- Will Lewan (MICH) – #15
- Michael Carr (ILL) – #13
- Trevor Chumbley (NU) – #16
- Garrett Model (WIS) – #19
- Derek Gilcher (IND) – #24
- Brayton Lee (MINN) – #18
- Paddy Gallagher (OSU) – #25
- Andrew Clark (RU) – #33
- Michael North (MD)
Cobe Siebrecht vs. the Big Ten opponents this season
Michael Carr (Illinois) L-D 12-7
#9 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) W-D 6-3
#1 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) L-D 7-2
#18 Garrett Model (Wisconsin) W-D 3-2
#6 Levi Hanes (Penn State) L-D 3-2
#17 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) W-D 4-0
#10 Will Lewan (Michigan) W-D 3-1, SV1
Caleb Rathjen vs. Big Ten opponents this season
#3 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) L-D 3-2
165
It is time for Patrick Kennedy to take a step up and Big Tens is a great platform to do just that. Another real tough weight at Big Tens. A weight that may see some upsets. The Big Ten has eight automatic bids and there are five At-Large bids for Nationals at 165.
Kennedy is 6-1 in Big Ten competition this year with his one loss to Hamiti of Wisconsin, 4-3.
I would be more than OK if the Pre-Seeds hold up. I love Kennedy at #3.
I believe Kennedy is at the point that anything less than a Big Ten title will be disappointing to him. I like our chances here to bring home a Big Ten title. It’s time for Kennedy.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
165 lbs. (8 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Dean Hamiti (WIS) – #6
- Cameron Amine (MICH) – #4
- Patrick Kennedy (IOWA) – #7
- Alex Facundo (PSU) – #9
- Carson Kharchla (OSU) – #12
- Caleb Fish (MSU) – #20
- Maxx Mayfield (NU) – #17
- Danny Braunagel (ILL) – #25
- Andrew Sparks (MN) – #28
- Bubba Wilson (NEB) – #33
- Nick South (IND)
- Robert Kanniard (RU)
- Stony Buell (PUR)
- John Martin Best (MD)
Patrick Kennedy vs. Big Ten opponents this season
#11 Danny Braunagel (Illinois) W-MD 15-4
#19 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) W-D 4-2
Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) W-MD 12-4
#6 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) L-D 4-3
#13 Alex Facundo (Penn State) W-D 2-1, TB2
Cael Carlson (Minnesota) W-D 13-8 (Carson not competing at Big Tens)
Alex Wesselman (Michigan) W-Pin, 2:31 (Wesselman not competing at Big Tens)
Aiden Riggins vs. Big Ten opponents this season
Stoney Buell (Purdue) W-D 9-4
Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 4
Session I – 9 AM
Session II
Consolations and Wrestlebacks – 4:30 PM
Semifinals – 6:30 PM
Sunday, March 5
Session III Consolation Semifinals and 7th place – Noon
Session IV 1sr/3rd/5th place matches – 3:30 PM
*****All times listed are CST
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Big Tens preview: 125-133-141
It is tournament time. The Big Tens will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan this Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. It is a tradition for this tournament to have great if not amazing competition. Wrestling fans are in for a great weekend of entertainment from the Big Tens.
The Big Ten was awarded 88 of the 284 automatic qualifiers to the 2023 NCAA National Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 16-18. There will also be 46 at-large bids. Each of the ten weight classes at Nationals will have 33 wrestlers seeded out 1-33.
I like to break it down weight by weight for my preview.
Iowa faced eight Big Ten teams in the regular season. I have listed the results of those matches. I also listed the Big Ten Pre-Seeds and where the wrestlers are ranked nationally by InterMat.
A review of each weight will be in upcoming blogs to be released later this week.
125
The depth at 125 is impressive with seven of the top ten wrestlers in the country. There are 10 wrestles ranked in the top 17 in the country but the Big Ten only has nine qualifiers. That means at least one nationally ranked wrestler will have to depend on one of the four At-Large bids to just qualify for the NCAA’s. Not a concern for Hawk fans.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
125 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Spencer Lee (IOWA) – #1
- Liam Cronin (NEB) – #3
- Matt Ramos (PUR) – #4
- Eric Barnett (WIS) – #5
- Patrick McKee (MINN) – #6
- Michael DeAugustino (NU) – #9
- Malik Heinselman (OSU) – #10
- Braxton Brown (MD) – #15
- Dean Peterson (RU) – #16
- Jack Medley (MICH) – #17
- Gary Steen (PSU)
- Tristan Lujan (MSU)
- Jacob Moran (IND)
- Maximo Renteria (ILL)
Spencer Lee vs. Big Ten opponents this season
Maximo Renteria (Illinois) W-Pin, 2:22
#9 Matt Ramos (Purdue) W-Pin, 2:54
#3 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) W-Pin, 2:01
#7 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) W-Pin, 0:38
#6 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) W-Pin, 4:38
Marco Vespa (Penn State) W-TF 18-2 (Vespa not competing at Big Tens)
#6 Patrick McKee (Minnesota) W-D 7-1
#14 Jack Medley (Michigan) W-MD 11-2
133
The Big Ten has nine automatic qualifiers at 133 and Brody Teske is at #8 in the Pre-Seeds. There are 5 At-Large bids at 133.
Teske was 3-1 vs. Big Ten opponents in the regular season that are in his bracket this weekend.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog I like where Brody Teske is at and where he is going. His conditioning and pace will be a factor in this incredibly tough two-day tournament. This guy is hungry and I like his chances to not only place above his seed but above his seed quite a bit.
The longer the tournament goes the less Big Ten opponents are going to want to face Teske. That is good news for Iowa.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
133 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) – #1
- Jesse Mendez (OSU) – #8
- Lucas Byrd (ILL) – #9
- Chris Cannon (NU) – #12
- Dylan Ragusin (MICH) – #11
- Aaron Nagao (MINN) – #13
- Joe Heilmann (RU) – #15
- Brody Teske (IOWA) – #18
- RayVon Foley (MSU) – #21
- Taylor LaMont (WIS) – #32
- Henry Porter (IND) – #20
- Kyle Burwick (NEB) –
- Dustin Norris (PUR)
- Jackson Cockrell (MD)
Brody Teske vs. Big Ten opponents this season
Dustin Norris (Purdue) W-MD 16-4
Kyle Burwich (Nebraska) W-D 5-2
#28 Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin) W-D 4-0
#1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) L-Pin, 6:49
Jake Gliva (Minnesota) W-D 4-3 (Gliva not competing at Big Tens)
Wilfred Tanefeu (Michigan) W-TF 19-3 (Tanefeu not competing at Big Tens)
Cullan Schriever vs. Big Ten opponents this season
#8 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) L-Pin, 2:59
#10 Chris Cannon (Northwestern) L-D 4-1
141
When you have the #2,4,6, and 7 ranked wrestlers in the country at a weight you know we are in for some great wrestling. Eleven wrestlers at 141 are ranked in the top 31 in the country and there are nine automatic bids to Nationals in play. There are 4 At-Large bids at 141.
Woods has definitely earned the top seed here by going 6-0 vs. Big Ten opponents this season. Woods defeated the #4 pre-seed (and #6 in the country) Tal Shahar of Northwestern by a 17-2 tech fall in the dual meet. A potential Bartlett-Hardy semifinals will be a tough match.
The old saying of one match at a time seems like the thing to say about Woods. I am picking Woods to win the national title so Big Tens is the place to get started.
Big Ten Pre-Seed/InterMat Ranking
141 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Real Woods (IOWA) – #2
- Beau Bartlett (PSU) – #4
- Brock Hardy (NEB) – #6
- Frankie Tal Shahar (NU) – #7
- Jakob Bergeland (MINN) – #14
- Danny Pucino (ILL) – #20
- Joseph Olivieri (RU) – #18
- Parker Filius (PUR) – #13
- Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) – #19
- Cole Mattin (MICH) – #28
- Joseph Zargo (WIS) – #31
- Jordan Hamdan (MSU)
- Cayden Rooks (IND)
- Kal Miller (MD)
Real Woods vs. Big Ten opponents this season
#6 Frankie Tal-Sharar (Northwestern) W-TF 17-2
#4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) W-D 6-4
#26 Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) W-D 9-2
#8 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) W-D 4-1
#15 Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) W-D 8-1
Pat Nolan (Michigan) W-MD 15-1
Additional results of Iowa vs. Big Ten opponents at 141
Drew Bennett
Danny Pucino (Illinois) L-MD 20-8
Cullan Schriever
#16 Parker Filius (Purdue) L-D 6-2
Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 4
Session I – 9 AM
Session II
Consolations and Wrestlebacks – 4:30 PM
Semifinals – 6:30 PM
Sunday, March 5
Session III Consolation Semifinals and 7th place – Noon
Session IV 1st/3rd/5th place matches – 3:30 PM
*****All times listed are CST
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Pre-Seeds for Big Tens
The Big Ten Conference released Pre-Seeds for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The complete tournament brackets and official seeds will be released Friday afternoon following the Big Ten Conference coaches meeting.
I am sure there will be changes made from this list to the final seedings on Friday.
The Big Ten Championships will be this Saturday and Sunday (March 4-5) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
I will have a preview of each weight in upcoming blogs to be released later this week.
I have no doubt that Big Tens will be a great tournament once again.
2023 Big Ten Championships
Iowa Pre-Seeds
125 #1 Spencer Lee
133 #8 Brody Teske
141 #1 Real Woods
149 #4 Max Murin
157 #5 Cobe Siebrecht
165 #3 Patrick Kennedy
174 #7 Nelson Brands
184 #5 Abe Assad
197 #5 Jacob Warner
285 #3 Tony Cassioppi
125 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Spencer Lee (IOWA)
- Liam Cronin (NEB)
- Matt Ramos (PUR)
- Eric Barnett (WIS)
- Patrick McKee (MINN)
- Michael DeAugustino (NU)
- Malik Heinselman (OSU)
- Braxton Brown (MD)
- Dean Peterson (RU)
- Jack Medley (MICH)
- Gary Steen (PSU)
- Tristan Lujan (MSU)
- Jacob Moran (IND)
- Maximo Renteria (ILL)
133 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Roman Bravo-Young (PSU)
- Jesse Mendez (OSU)
- Lucas Byrd (ILL)
- Chris Cannon (NU)
- Dylan Ragusin (MICH)
- Aaron Nagao (MINN)
- Joe Heilmann (RU)
- Brody Teske (IOWA)
- RayVon Foley (MSU)
- Taylor LaMont (WIS)
- Henry Porter (IND)
- Kyle Burwick (NEB)
- Dustin Norris (PUR)
- Jackson Cockrell (MD)
141 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Real Woods (IOWA)
- Beau Bartlett (PSU)
- Brock Hardy (NEB)
- Frankie Tal Shahar (NU)
- Jakob Bergeland (MINN)
- Danny Pucino (ILL)
- Joseph Olivieri (RU)
- Parker Filius (PUR)
- Dylan D’Emilio (OSU)
- Cole Mattin (MICH)
- Joseph Zargo (WIS)
- Jordan Hamdan (MSU)
- Cayden Rooks (IND)
- Kal Miller (MD)
149 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Sammy Sasso (OSU)
- Austin Gomez (WIS)
- Yahya Thomas (NU)
- Max Murin (IOWA)
- Shayne Van Ness (PSU)
- Michael Blockhus (MINN)
- Graham Rooks (IND)
- Ethen Miller (MD)
- Chance Lamer (MICH)
- Tony White (RU)
- Dayne Morton (NEB)
- Jake Harrier (ILL)
- Peyton Omania (MSU)
- Jaden Reynolds (PUR)
157 lbs. (10 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Peyton Robb (NEB)
- Levi Haines (PSU)
- Kendall Coleman (PUR)
- Chase Saldate (MSU)
- Cobe Siebrecht (IOWA)
- Will Lewan (MICH)
- Michael Carr (ILL)
- Trevor Chumbley (NU)
- Garrett Model (WIS)
- Derek Gilcher (IND)
- Brayton Lee (MINN)
- Paddy Gallagher (OSU)
- Andrew Clark (RU)
- Michael North (MD)
165 lbs. (8 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Dean Hamiti (WIS)
- Cameron Amine (MICH)
- Patrick Kennedy (IOWA)
- Alex Facundo (PSU)
- Carson Kharchla (OSU)
- Caleb Fish (MSU)
- Maxx Mayfield (NU)
- Danny Braunagel (ILL)
- Andrew Sparks
- Bubba Wilson (NEB)
- Nick South (IND)
- Robert Kanniard (RU)
- Stony Buell (PUR)
- John Martin Best (MD)
174 lbs. (7 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Carter Starocci (PSU)
- Mikey Labriola (NEB)
- Ethan Smith (OSU)
- Bailee O’Reilly (MINN)
- Edmond Ruth (ILL)
- DJ Washington (IND)
- Nelson Brands (IOWA)
- Troy Fisher (NU)
- Max Maylor (MICH)
- Jackson Turley (RU)
- Ceasar Garza (MSU)
- Dominic Solis (MD)
- Josh Otto (WIS)
- Cooper Noehre (PUR)
184 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Aaron Brooks (PSU)
- Kaleb Romero (OSU)
- Isaiah Salazar (MINN)
- Matt Finesilver (MICH)
- Abe Assad (IOWA)
- Layne Malczewski (MSU)
- Lenny Pinto (NEB)
- Brian Soldano (RU)
- Dylan Connell (ILL)
- Tyler Dow (WIS)
- Evan Bates (NU)
- Ben Vanadia (PUR)
- Clayton Fielden (IND)
- Kevin Makosy (MD)
197 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Max Dean (PSU)
- Silas Allred (NEB)
- Zac Braunagel (ILL)
- Cameron Caffey (MSU)
- Jacob Warner (IOWA)
- Jaxon Smith (MD)
- Gavin Hoffman (OSU)
- Braxton Amos (WIS)
- Michial Foy (MINN)
- Nick Willham (IND)
- Billy Janzer (RU)
- Andrew Davison (NU)
- Brendin Yatooma (MICH)
- Hayden Filipovich (PUR)
285 lbs. (9 NCAA Qualifiers)
- Mason Parris (MICH)
- Greg Kerkvliet (PSU)
- Tony Cassioppi (IOWA)
- Lucas Davison (NU)
- Trent Hillger (WIS)
- Boone McDermott (RU)
- Tate Orndoff (OSU)
- Jacob Bullock (IND)
- Jaron Smith (MD)
- Hayden Copass (PUR)
- Garrett Joles (MINN)
- Ryan Vasbinder (MSU)
- Matt Wroblewski (ILL)
- Austin Emerson (NEB)
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Chittum wins silver, DeSanto bronze in Egypt
Three members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club competed at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Event in Alexandria, Egypt today. Cody Chittum (70 kg) won the silver, Austin DeSanto (61 kg) a bronze and Pat Lugo (65 kg) did not place.
Chittum had three solid wins to make the finals. A tech fall over Agudamu of China, a 6-3 decision over Budak of Turkey and a 14-9 decision over Nykyforuk of Ukraine. In the finals Chittum dropped a 10-0 tech fall to Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan.
Chittum was the overall pound for pound #1 recruit in the country for the Class of 2022. He is taking a grey shirt year while training and competing for the HWC. He will enroll at Iowa in August with the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.
DeSanto started the tournament with a tech fall over wrestlers from Egypt and Kyrgyzstan. He lost in the semifinals to Markovych of Ukraine. DeSanto qualified for the bronze medal match when Markovych made the finals. In the bronze match DeSanto pinned Phartenadze of Georgia in 3:22.
Lugo started with a 10-3 win over Mukhtar of Kazakhstan and a 5-1 decision over Grigorev of Poland. He then dropped a 5-2 match to Jalolov of Uzbekistan. Jalolov did not make the finals and Lugo was eliminated from the tournament.
HWC coach Daniel Dennis was on the coaching staff.
This tournament scored points towards the UWW Ranking Series standings that determines the seeds for the 2023 Senior World Championships and provided prize money to the medalist.
Team USA won the team title by a large margin over 30 countries.
Men’s freestyle final team standings
No. 1 United States 155
No. 2 Ukraine 117
No. 3 Georgia 98
No. 4 Turkey 90
No. 5 Kazakhstan 78
61 kg: Austin DeSanto (HWC), BRONZE MEDAL
WIN Mahmoud Shorbaby (Egypt), 10-0, 0:48
WIN Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (Kyrgyzstan), 17-1, 2:04
LOSS Taras Markovych (Ukraine), 10-0, 2:31
WIN Shota Phartenadze (Georgia), fall, 3:22
65 kg: Pat Lugo (HWC), DNP/7th
WIN Sanzhar Mukhtar (Kazakhstan), 10-3
WIN Eduard Grigorev (Poland), 5-1
LOSS Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan), 5-2
70 kg: Cody Chittum (HWC), SILVER MEDAL
WIN Agudamu Agudamu (China), 11-0, 3:12
WIN Cuneyt Budak (Turkey), 6-3
WIN Ihor Nykyforuk (Ukraine), 14-9
LOSS Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan), 10-0, 4:57
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
HWC in the American Men’s Freestyle Rankings
InterMat released their American Men’s Freestyle Rankings. We are just a year out from the next Olympics. A good representation of former and current Iowa Hawkeyes are in the rankings.
American Men’s Freestyle Rankings – February 20
61 kg Austin DeSanto – #3
65 kg Pat Lugo – #7
74 kg Kaleb Young – #9
74 kg Patrick Kennedy – #10
79 kg Alex Marinelli – #5
125 kg Tony Cassioppi – #6
Pound for Pound
Alex Marinelli – #22
Austin DeSanto – #25
Complete rankings:
https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/26517
Three members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club will be competing at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Event in Alexandria, Egypt on Sunday, February 26. Austin DeSanto (61 kg), Pat Lugo (65 kg), and Cody Chittum (70 kg) of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club will be among the 21 men’s freestyle wrestlers representing Team USA in this major international tournament.
HWC coach Daniel Dennis will be on the coaching staff.
All of the wrestling will be streamed live on the premium service of FloWrestling.
I anticipate that all members of the HWC will compete at the 2023 U.S. Open for men’s freestyle on April 27-28 in Las Vegas.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!