Despite a bevy of achievements in 2019-20, Iowa wrestling was left dissatisfied when the season came to an end.

The Hawkeyes were 13-0 in duals, Midlands Champions, and Big Ten Champions. However, Iowa never got its shot at a national title. The NCAA cancelled all of its postseason championships for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With nine wrestlers from 2019-20’s starting lineup returning, the Hawkeyes will have a chance to claim that coveted national title in next season

125 pounds– Spencer Lee (senior)

Short of taking an Olympic or medical redshirt, Lee will once again lead the way for the Hawkeyes in 2020-21. Lee is a two-time national champion, and he appeared to be on his way to a third before the 2019-20 NCAA Championships were cancelled.

After winning a Big Ten Title and the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year award, Lee earned a top seed at 125-pounds for NCAA Championships. Lee’s year of domination ended with a well-deserved Hodge Trophy.

133 pounds– Austin DeSanto (senior)

DeSanto burst out of the gate in 2019-20. The Exeter, Pennsylvania, native won four-straight bouts, including a victory over No. 1 Seth Gross on Dec. 1. When all was said and done, DeSanto finished his campaign, 17-4.

In a crowded 133-pound weight class, DeSanto earned a six seed for NCAAs. However, the class of the field is thinning out. Gross, No. 3 Chas Tucker of Cornell, and No. 7 Travis Piotrowski of Illinois are all graduating this spring. Remaining at 133-pounds are No. 1 Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern and No. 4 Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State.

141 pounds– Jaydin Eierman (senior)

Eierman is a senior transfer from the University of Missouri. As a Tiger, he was a three-time All-American at 141-pounds. Last November, Eierman announced that he would be wrestling the final year of his collegiate career in a black and gold singlet.

Eierman’s highest finish at NCAAs is third place. With the help of the Brands brothers, he may sit atop the podium at season’s end.

149 pounds– Max Murin (junior)

Murin has wrestled at 141-pounds for his entire career at Iowa. Next season, that trend may get bucked. With Eierman transferring in at 141-pounds, Murin may have to move up a weight class or move out of the lineup entirely. The 149-pound weight class will open up following the graduation of lineup mainstay Pat Lugo this spring.

Despite having a longer track record at Iowa than Eierman, Murin does not have the same resume at the weight. Murin has never been an All-American at 141-pounds. A fresh start at a new weight and a little push from competition like Eierman may elevate Murin to new heights.

157 pounds– Kaleb Young (senior)

Young did not earn an automatic berth for NCAAs in 2019-20. However, he did earn an eight seed as an at-large wrestler. Young finished the season 15-5 and a Midlands Champion. 2020-21 would mark Young’s third-straight year as Iowa’s anchor at 157-pounds.

165 pounds– Alex Marinelli (senior)

Marinelli won his second-straight Big Ten title last season and earned himself a top seed in his weight bracket for NCAAs.

Marinelli will enter 2020-21 without a national championship. His final campaign in a black and gold singlet will likely become an epic quest for a national championship to appropriately punctuate his collegiate career.

174 pounds– Michael Kemerer (senior)

Though Kemerer was listed as a senior in 2019-20, his final season as a Hawkeye will come next year. Kemerer lost out on a chance to wrestle in 2018-19 due to injury. As a result, an extra year of eligibility will be tacked on to the end of his career.

Last season, Kemermer went 15-1 and earned a two seed for NCAAs. He finished the Big Ten Tournament in second place, losing to Mark Hall. Kemerer went 1-1 against Hall on the year.

184 pounds– Abe Assad (sophomore)

Assad surprised the wrestling community when he finished in second place competing unattached from Iowa at the 2019 Midlands Championships. Head coach Tom Brands added to the shocking nature of Assad’s season by pulling the freshman’s redshirt ahead of a Jan. 10 dual with Indiana in Bloomington.

Despite a rotating cast at 184-pounds that included the likes of Cash Wilcke and Nelson Brands in 2019-20, expect Assad to take the starting role in 2020-21. Ultimately, it was Assad that Brands elected to take to NCAAs and Big Tens, cementing Assad’s role in the lineup. Assad finished his 2019-20 campaign as an 11-seed for NCAAs.

197 pounds– Jacob Warner (junior)

Warner was set to enter NCAA Championships as a five seed at last year’s end. The Tolono, Illinois, native finished his season 20-4. Warner has held down the 197-pound slot for Iowa since 2018-19, and he will likely continue to do so next season.

285 pounds Tony Cassioppi (sophomore)

Cassioppi was impressive in his debut season in Iowa’s lineup. The Roscoe, Illinois, native went 20-3, earning a three seed for NCAAs. Unfortunately for Cassioppi, his losses came to No. 2 Mason Parris of Michigan and No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota.

Both wrestlers defeated Cassioppi in dominating fashion. Additionally, neither of them will graduate before next season begins. Parris and Stevenson were both sophomores in 2019-20. If Cassioppi is to win a national title or a Big Ten title anytime soon, he’ll have to improve to get past Stevenson and Parris.