Wrestling at Iowa comes with expectations.

The Hawkeyes boast a championship pedigree unlike that of any program in the NCAA. Iowa has won an unprecedented 23 national championships in its history. All 23 of those titles have come in the last 45 years.

“Our standards are high,” head coach Tom Brands said. “[Iowa fans] expect to win every year, year in and year out, and that’s because of a guy named Dan Gable, who took over from [former Iowa head coach Gary Kurdelmeier] and then brought it to maybe unimaginable heights, but not unimaginable for him or his team.”

Iowa’s championship culture is deeply ingrained into the minds of many. However, Hawkeye fans under the age of eleven have never seen Iowa win a title. The Hawkeyes have not won a national championship since 2010.

For most, nine years without a title is nothing alarming. For Iowa, it’s a dreadful drought.

Iowa’s nine-year championship drought is the longest the program has suffered since winning its first title in 1975.

“I’m just looking forward to winning a national title,” All-American Alex Marinelli said. “Not winning a national title is getting old. All the other teams placing above us are doing whatever, and it’s just getting old. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned or have any regrets.”

Last season, Iowa finished fourth in the NCAA Championships. Finishing fourth in the nation is a terrific finish for nearly any program. For the Hawkeyes and their fans, the impressive finish likely seems unsatisfactory.

“We’re accountable to perform,” Brands said. “Our guys know it. Our fans expect it. We love it. We love it as coaches. This isn’t about a paycheck for any of us. This is about waking up ready to fight every day, every comer, and not in an illegal way, in a wrestling way, in a legal, sportsmanship, Division I collegial atmosphere way.”

This season Iowa will be rested, reloaded, and ready to assert themselves at the top. Redshirt freshman Tony Cassioppi appears to be primed for a big first season as a Hawkeye. Cassioppi will be taking over at 285 for Iowa after the graduation of Sam Stoll last spring.

The Hawkeyes will also get a boost from the return of senior Michael Kemerer, who sat out all of 2018-19 with knee and shoulder injuries.

“Honestly, I’m really just looking forward to going out and putting the singlet on and wrestling to score a lot of points,” Kemerer said. “I really enjoy going out there and looking to dominate. I’m really excited to do that again.”

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For the last nine years, Iowa has lurked in the shadows of programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State. All the while, the Hawkeyes have been getting stronger, faster, better, and — most importantly — hungrier.

The Hawkeyes have been winding up their counterpunch at the NCAA’s elite programs for quite some time now. In 2019-20, Iowa will finally throw that powerful punch. After all the dust has settled, the Hawkeyes might find themselves in a familiar place atop the first-place pedestal.