It is official. The National Letter of Intents have been received and the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023 is in the books. This is nothing short of an incredible recruiting class. In my opinion the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling.

Ben Kueter of Iowa City, Iowa (City High HS) was the first recruit to commit to the Class of 2023 when he committed to Iowa Wrestling and Iowa Football in September of 2021. Kueter is a three-time undefeated state champion in wrestling and a highly ranked recruit at linebacker in football. Kueter is a Butkus Award semi-finalist  for the best high school linebacker in the country. This past summer Kueter won a U20 World freestyle title in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is currently ranked as the #2 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country by Flo.

Kueter is also a standout on the City High baseball team and has competed at a high level on the track team. I stated on this blog last year that Ben Kueter is the best all around athlete for an incoming Iowa wrestler that I have ever seen. He widened the gap for that distinction over the last year. This unique skill set reminds me of World freestyle champion and Super Bowl winning team member Stephen Neal. Kueter is projected to compete at Hwt.

Iowa had a huge recruiting weekend on October 9-10 in 2021. Elite recruit Nate Jesuroga of Pleasant Hill, Iowa was the first to commit that weekend. Jesuroga won a Bronze medal at the 2021 Cadet World Freestyle Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Jesuroga is a two-time state champion for powerhouse Southeast Polk and is ranked #1 in the country at 126 by Flo and #11 P4P by MatScouts. Jesuroga will start his career at 125 and possibly move up later in his career. Everything about Jesuroga make him just what you want to see in the Iowa lineup. Great future.

Ryder Block of Waverly-Shell Rock HS (Iowa) committed to the Hawks the week following the huge recruiting weekend in 2021. Block is a two-time state champion and state runner-up at WSR. This past summer Block shot up the recruiting rankings by winning a Junior National freestyle title in dominating fashion at 138 lbs. 

Block is currently ranked #2 at 138 lbs. nationally. I have stated for over a year that Block has been under rated in the national rankings. I believe this wrestler has some great years in the Black and Gold of the Hawks ahead of him.

Hawk fans got a great New Year’s Day present when elite recruit Gabe Arnold committed to Iowa. Arnold is originally from Kennesaw, Georgia and competed for national powerhouse Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. Arnold moved to Iowa City this summer and will be a teammate of Kueter at City High this season.

Arnold was a 14U and 16U freestyle and Greco-Roman national champion. Arnold is a powerful wrestler that has a ton of potential. Hawk fans are going to like this recruit and I see him becoming a fan favorite. Arnold has been ranked in the top six nationally and is projected to compete at 174/184.

Cody Chittum of Tennessee committed to the Hawkeye program in July. Chittum is ranked as the #1 overall recruit in the country in the Class of 2023 by FloWrestling and  #2 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country by MatScouts. Chittum won a Junior National Freestyle title in Fargo at 152 lbs. last summer in dominating fashion.

While competing for Blair Academy, Chittum faced the best competition in the country. Chittum is projected to compete at 149/157 for the Hawks. I look for Chittum to contend for the varsity spot at 149 next season as a true freshman. This guy is t-o-u-g-h.

This was an outstanding recruiting class with the first four commitments. The addition of Chittum in my opinion makes the Class of 2023 the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling. Four wrestlers ranked in the top 2 and one that has been ranked as high as #3. Factor in one is a World champion and another a World medalist. This is an amazing recruiting class.

As I have done for years I will be posting blogs with upcoming competitions and results for our incoming recruits throughout the upcoming high school season every week. These recruits are now officially Iowa Hawkeyes. I will keep you up to date on all of their matches.

I am looking forward to seeing these elite recruits make their way from “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world!” and through a tunnel to be met by yet another sellout crowd in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena. I will be one of those fans. I cannot wait.

The future looks great for Iowa Wrestling.

Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023

Nate Jesuroga – 125

Ryder Block – 141/149

Cody Chittum – 149/157

Gabe Arnold – 174/184

Ben Kueter – Hwt

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa Wrestling program released dates for their summer camps.  Last year was a sellout. The girls camp shattered any record of number of wrestlers by a long shot.

Register early to take part in these great wrestling camps.

Form Camp Director and Iowa Assistant Wrestling Coach Bobby Telford:

Hello.

It’s that time of year again! Our 2023 camp dates are set! Attached are two of our camp flyers. Please feel free to share with anyone interested in camp. Camp will be held June 18-29 and July 6-10. We have 12-day, 6-day and 4-day camps in June. We also have our Girl’s and Elite camp in July. Our camps will be held at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, IA. Our host hotels will be the Drury, Staybridge and Hyatt.

If you’re interested in coming to camp this year, please register earlier. Camp is limited and will sell out! The hardest part of hosting camp is telling athletes we are full. Registration will begin in January. Athletes will have the option to register as a commuter or overnight camper. New this year, we will have an early registration discount. Please visit our website Iowawrestlingcamps.com for more details and information. You can sign up for our camp interest form on the website to be contacted with details, updates and more information on camp. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. We hope to see you at camp in 2023!

Go Hawks,

Bobby Telford

Ph: 319-335-9404

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Iowa Wrestling wrapped up their intrasquad matches on Friday in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex. 

The most noticeable match was at 157 where Cobe Siebrecht defeated Caleb Rathjen, 7-0. 157 is a wide open weight for the Hawks this year. I look for this weight to be contested throughout the season but this should make Siebrecht the starter for the season opener. Siebrecht is a junior out of Lisbon, Iowa and is moving up from competing at 149 last season.

Friday results:

Aidan Harris dec. Charles Matthews, 4-1

Brody Teske major dec. Jace Rhodes, 12-4

Cobe Siebrecht dec. Caleb Rathjen, 7-0

Patrick Kennedy major dec. Drake Rhodes, 16-5

Jude Link dec. Carson Martinson, 4-2

Abe Assad dec. Mickey Griffith, 4-1

Jacob Warner dec. Kolby Franklin, 4-2

Tony Cassioppi major dec. Bradley Hill, 10-2

Gage Marty dec. Easton Fleshman, 3-1

Thursday results:

Joel Jesuroga dec. Cade Siebrecht, 3-1

Carter Martinson dec. Sebastian Robles, 6-4

Tony Cassioppi pinned Gage Marty (1:12)

Joel Jesuroga won by injury default Leif Schroeder

Cobe Siebrecht tech. fall Carter Martinson, 19-3

Leif Schroeder dec. Bretli Reyna, 3-1

Drake Rhodes dec. Carson Martinson, 7-2

Bradley Hill major dec. Easton Fleshman, 20-7

Caleb Rathjen major dec. Joe Kelly, 12-3

Bretli Reyna dec. Cade Siebrecht, 5-4

It was announced last week that the home dual meets for the upcoming season in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena are a sellout of over 14,000 for the second consecutive year. Hawk fans are more than ready for the upcoming season.

I will keep you up to date should the Hawks enter wrestlers in any early season open tournaments. The college wrestling season kicks off this weekend.

The Hawks open the season Sunday, November 13 with a home dual meet in Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Cal Baptist.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa announced that the new wrestling facility will be named the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and the wrestling room will be named after Bob and Kathy Nicolls.

From HawkeyeSports.com:

Shortly after the Iowa men’s wrestling team claimed the 2021 NCAA team title, the Goschkes met Head Coach Tom Brands and Spencer Lee, a three-time NCAA individual champion. It was an experience the Goschkes, of Iowa City, have not forgotten and served as a catalyst for their $7 million gift commitment to the Carver Circle campaign.

“After we met with Coach Brands and Spencer, we immediately gained a greater appreciation of the philosophy of Iowa wrestling,” says Doug. “We saw many similarities between Iowa wrestling and how we raised our family and built our business. It took our passion for Iowa wrestling to a new level, and both Ann and I are thrilled to support Iowa’s wrestlers in this way.”

“Our vision was to build the best training facility in college wrestling,” says Brands. “As Doug and Ann Goschke’s relationship with Iowa athletics grew—and they started to understand our vision—they were 100% on board. They recognized why this project was a must for our program and were eager to get behind it. The Goschkes have helped us reach the finish line. They are great Hawks, and we are proud to have their name on this facility.”

The new 13,000 square foot wrestling room will double the amount of training space and will allow Iowa’s collegiate wrestlers and members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club to train at the highest level. That space will be named in honor of Bob Nicolls and Kathy Nicolls, of Franktown, Colorado.

Bob Nicolls has been a passionate Iowa wrestling fan since his time as a student, and the couple are generous supporters of Iowa’s track and field and wrestling teams, as well as the UI Department of Accounting. To honor the Nicolls’ $7 million gift to the Carver Circle campaign, the wrestling room will be named in their honor.

“Bob Nicolls got this campaign started,” says Brands. “He stepped up right away, brought others to the table, and never wavered in his commitment and drive to help us get this project done. He’s been the lead volunteer on this project and a great friend to our program and me. We are honored to have the Nicolls’ name on our wrestling room. It can’t be anyone else. That’s how important Bob Nicolls was to getting this campaign done.”

$31 million has been raised for the 38,500 square foot training facility and construction began in June.

I have called the new facility “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world!” since the beginning years ago. Once this facility is built I am confident it will indeed be just that.

Thank you to the Goschke family and Nicolls family for your support of Iowa Wrestling.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Iowa Wrestling program held intrasquad matches on Thursday in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex. A total of ten matches were contested. 

The Hawks will conclude intrasquad matches at 3:30 PM on Friday, November 4.

Mat 1

Joel Jesuroga dec. Cade Siebrecht, 3-1

Carter Martinson dec. Sebastian Robles, 6-4

Tony Cassioppi pinned Gage Marty (1:12)

Joel Jesuroga won by injury default Leif Schroeder

Cobe Siebrecht tech. fall Carter Martinson, 19-3

Mat 2

Leif Schroeder dec. Bretli Reyna, 3-1

Drake Rhodes dec. Carson Martinson, 7-2

Bradley Hill major dec. Easton Fleshman, 20-7

Caleb Rathjen major dec. Joe Kelly, 12-3

Bretli Reyna dec. Cade Siebrecht, 5-4

It was announced last week that the home dual meets for the upcoming season in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena are a sellout of over 14,000 for the second consecutive year. Hawk fans are more than ready for the upcoming season.

I will keep you up to date should the Hawks enter wrestlers in any early season open tournaments. The college wrestling season kicks off this weekend.

The Hawks open the season Sunday, November 13 with a home dual meet in Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Cal Baptist.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

What a great day to be a Hawkeye. Perfect weather, seeing old friends that I went to the University of Iowa with, a big win by the football team for Homecoming, and I sure like what I saw by the Hawks in the wrestling room. That is having it all.

It was great to see the advancement in construction on “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world!” I believe the large walls that are up is where the wrestling room will be. What an amazing facility. I cannot wait for this facility to be completed. A huge thank you to all of the boosters that are making this dream a reality.

I will state my customary disclaimer that just because I do not mention someone does NOT mean they were not at practice. I can only write about who I was able to see. With more than a dozen matches going at once it is challenging to keep up with. Also even though I have written quite a bit about our incoming recruits I still do not know all of them to see them.

The bleachers were full at 9 AM for the start of practice even though kickoff for the football game was at 2:35. That is impressive. Less than a half hour into practice and the mats were shiny with sweat and you saw coaches going around with a broom to wipe the sweat away. The boys were working hard and the sweat was pouring out of them for a practice in October. 

The best matchup of the day for me as a fan was Abe Assad-Alex Marinelli. We all know what Bull looks like. I am here to tell you Assad looks good. Real good. Abe Assad needs two things: Good health and confidence. Assad has definitely grown since last year and he sure looks healthy and ready to go. I will keep telling you in this blog that Assad has elite potential. To have him get off to a quick start for the season and build on that confidence would be great.

A guy that sticks out to me is Brody Teske. This guy is scrappy and a hustler. The matchup between former Sebolt teammates Teske and Cullan Schriever will be a good one to watch at 133. That may be a competition back and forth throughout the season. Whether it is Teske or Schriever taking the mats at Big Tens I will be confident that they will score some real good points for us at Nationals.

As a proud Lisbon, Iowa grad it was great to see two Siebrechts in the room with the addition of true freshman Cade. 157 is wide open and I like Cobe Siebrecht’s chances to make the lineup. Add in Assistant Coach Ryan Morningstar and that is a small farming community in Iowa being represented very well at the elite level.

Jacob Warner was wrestling true freshman Kolby Franklin. This is the best that I have ever seen Warner at this time of year. Actually I believe he looks better to me right now physically in October than he did heading into Big Tens last year. Warner looks to be in shape and ready to step on the mat at the NCAA Championships right now. I also see a swagger of confidence in the way that he carries himself that I have never seen before. Winning a national title is the front and center goal for this Hawk.

I caught a glimpse of Spencer Lee at the end of practice. He sure looks more muscular than the last time I saw him compete. His weight is spot on but I believe he will be noticeably stronger this year. Just what Hawk fans love to hear and it is indeed the truth. You will see.

The Iowa Wrestling room is stocked full of young heavyweights. Three true freshmen have made their way to the program and they look good. Easton Fleshman and Gage Marty are big fellows that move well. That is two big teenagers. I cannot believe how big Brad Hill is. He just won a Junior national title over teammate Kolby Franklin in July at 220. Hill has to be all of 235 lbs. and cut now. I look for him to be around 250 next year. This guy has the frame to be an absolute beast at Hwt. I sure liked what I saw from him today. Ton of potential.

Real Woods was going through an individual strength workout. He certainly looks the part. The addition of Woods sure changes the possibilities that this Hawk team has at Nationals.

Drake Ayala will not be undersized at 125 for the rest of his career. He has filled in and looks ornery in a great way.

Max Murin is shredded and ready to go at 149. This guy does not have an off season. Gotta love a grinder like Murin. This guy just never stops and is always pushing to get better. 

Thank you to Iowa Wrestling for opening the doors to the room for practice. As a fan it was great to see the boys in action.

Even though Iowa is ranked #2 in all of the team rankings that I have seen I still believe the potential is there for this team to be much better than people are expecting. I cannot wait for the season to begin.

The Hawks open the season Sunday, November 13 with a home dual meet in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Cal Baptist.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa has announced that the 2022-2023 Iowa Wrestling home dual meet season is a sellout. This marks the second straight year that Iowa has sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a capacity of 14,905. As I stated about last year’s sellout, this is amazing.

I am actually more impressed with the sellout this year. Iowa graduated a lot of seniors last season and Penn State is not at home this year. Also the sellout is a week sooner than last year as well.

That is over $1 million that the Wrestling team brought into the University of Iowa Athletic Department before the first match of the season. Impressive.

The home schedule is highlighted with the annual rivalry meet with Iowa State as well as highly ranked Michigan and Oklahoma State.

Iowa has led the nation in attendance every single year that Tom Brands has been the head coach starting with the 2006-2007 season.

I have stated in this blog for years that Iowa Wrestling has the biggest fan advantage over their competition of any sports team in America. Here is another reason to keep stating that. The Iowa Wrestling Nation is awesome.

The Hawks start their season at home in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Cal-Baptist at 1:30 on Sunday, November 13.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa will have wrestling practice open to the public at 9 AM on Saturday, October 29. Doors to the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena will open at 8:30. This will be a full and official practice as the season began for college wrestling on October 10. The bleachers will be pulled out and I am expecting the room will be filled with Iowa Wrestling fans anxious for the season to start.

Iowa football will face Northwestern for Homecoming with a 2:35 PM kickoff. Homecoming and great weather will provide a great day in Iowa City on Saturday. 

Attending a workout in the Iowa Wrestling room before a football game has been a game day tradition for Hawk fans for decades.

The Hawks open the season Sunday, November 13 with a home dual meet in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Cal Baptist at 1 PM.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

University of Iowa Hawkeye Tony Cassioppi won a Bronze medal at the U23 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain this weekend. This marks the second year in a row that Cassioppi has medaled at the U23 World Championships as he won a world title at Hwt last year.

After an opening round tech fall win over an opponent from Israel, Cassioppi dropped a match to Manashvili of Georgia. In repechage Cassioppi recorded a pin in just :33 over Japan to qualify for the medal round. In the Bronze medal match his opponent from Ukraine forfeited the match.

Cassioppi is a senior from Roscoe, IL (Hononegah HS) and a three time All American for the Hawks at Hwt. 

Team USA won a third place trophy to become the first American team to ever place in the top three at the U23 World Freestyle Championships.

Congratulations to Tony Cassioppi for bringing another medal home from the U23 World Freestyle Championships to our great country.

125 kg: Anthony Cassioppi, Roscoe, Ill. (Hawkeye WC), Bronze Medal

WIN Lior Altshuler (Israel), tech fall 10-0

LOSS Solomon Manashvili (Georgia), tech fall, 16-4

WIN Kai Shutto (Japan), pin 0:33

WIN Yurii Idzinskyi (Ukraine), forfeit

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

University of Iowa Hawkeye Tony Cassioppi won a Bronze medal at the U23 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain this weekend. This marks the second year in a row that Cassioppi has medaled at the U23 World Championships as he won a world title at Hwt last year.

After an opening round tech fall win over an opponent from Israel, Cassioppi dropped a match to Manashvili of Georgia. In repechage Cassioppi recorded a pin in just :33 over Japan to qualify for the medal round. In the Bronze medal match his opponent from Ukraine forfeited the match.

Cassioppi is a senior from Roscoe, IL (Hononegah HS) and a three time All American for the Hawks at Hwt. 

Team USA won a third place trophy to become the first American team to ever place in the top three at the U23 World Freestyle Championships.

Congratulations to Tony Cassioppi for bringing another medal home from the U23 World Freestyle Championships to our great country.

125 kg: Anthony Cassioppi, Roscoe, Ill. (Hawkeye WC), Bronze Medal

WIN Lior Altshuler (Israel), tech fall 10-0

LOSS Solomon Manashvili (Georgia), tech fall, 16-4

WIN Kai Shutto (Japan), pin 0:33

WIN Yurii Idzinskyi (Ukraine), forfeit

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!