Iowa 174-pounder Michael Kemerer is scheduled to have surgery this week, forcing him to miss the rest of the 2018-19 season. He will seek a medical hardship waiver at the end of the season.

“I’m disappointed I won’t be on the mat with my teammates this season, but I am 100 percent committed to my rehab and recovery so I can return to the mat in 2019,” Kemerer said in a release. “I have complete faith in my teammates, coaches, and medical staff, and they have faith in me. I will continue to give them all the very best that I have, on and off the mat.”

Kemerer, who moved up to 174 pounds from 157 in the offseason, hasn’t seen action yet this season.

“We always do what’s best for our athletes and this is what is best for Kemerer,” Brands said in a release. “He is as good a wrestler as there is in the country, and that is a credit to him doing things the right way. I know he is driven to come back even stronger and we will do everything we can to help him along the way.”

Kemerer’s absence likely means Myles Wilson – who has taken the mat at 174 in recent weeks – will continue to see action.

Kemerer is a two-time All American who finished third at the NCAA Championships as a redshirt freshman and fourth as a sophomore last season.

The Murrysville, Pennsylvania, native was also the runner-up at the 2016-17 Big Ten Championships before placing sixth last season.

With Kemerer out, Iowa returns three All-Americans in Spencer Lee, Alex Marinelli, and Sam Stoll.