In what is perhaps his most notable appearance on the mat since the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, Iowa’s Jaydin Eierman showed no signs of rust to open the 2020 USA Wrestling Senior Nationals event.

The three-time All-American blew by all of his first three opponents in the 65-kilogram men’s freestyle bracket, outscoring them 29-0.

The second-seeded Eierman defeated unranked Joey Jones by technical fall in one minute and 10 seconds in the Round of 64. He followed that performance with another win by technical fall in the Round of 32. That time, Eierman won in just 51 seconds.

Eierman capped his performance in the preliminary rounds with a second-period fall over No. 15 Ethan Lizak. With his Round of 16 win, Eierman secured a spot in the quarterfinals against NCAA All-American Matthew Kolodzik.

Eierman transferred to Iowa from Missouri, and this was his first opportunity to compete in front the Hawkeye wrestling faithful.

“If [this event] were anywhere else, I’d still be excited,” Eierman said. “I’m just grateful to be on the mat again. This has been such a weird time, and not being able to compete made me find a new love for the sport because it made me appreciate what we had and to not take anything for granted. So, to go out there and compete now for Iowa City and the Hawkeyes and the fan base is going to be unreal because it’s something I’ve dreamt of for a really long time.”

Former Hawkeye Jeremiah Moody is also competing in event in the 74-kilogram weight class of the men’s freestyle competition.

In his first matchup, Moody lost by technical fall to Jarret Jacques in one minute and 27 seconds. Moody then redeemed himself in his consolation bout, defeating Grant Henderson by 9-7 decision.

Other wrestlers from across the state of Iowa also got in on the action. Iowa State’s David Carr advanced to the quarterfinals of the 74-kilogram bracket after defeating his first three opponents by technical fall.

Carr’s fellow Cyclone Austin Gomez was upset in the 65-kilogram Round of 64 by the unranked Jaden Abas.

A number of Big Ten wrestlers also made a splash in Saturday’s opening session.

Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin extinguished his first three opponents by technical fall and will meet Carr in the quarterfinals.

Two former Buckeyes found their way to the quarterfinals in the 97-kilogram men’s freestyle bracket. Kollin Moore bested former Stanford Cardinal Nathan Traxler via technical fall to advance to the quarterfinals.

Olympic Gold Medalist Kyle Snyder defeated Jeremiah Castro by fall in the Round of 32. Snyder then extinguished William Baldwin by technical fall in the Round of 16 to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.

Moore will take on No. 6 Ty Walz in the quarterfinals while Snyder will be pitted against Oklahoma’s Jake Woodley.

Two Big Ten heavyweights made the 125-kilogram quarterfinals. Michigan’s Mason Parris won his first match by technical fall in 44 seconds. He made the quarterfinals via 9-4 decision over Christian Lance in the Round of 16. Parris will see former Lehigh Mountain Hawk Jordan Wood in the quarterfinals.

Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger also wrestled himself into the quarterfinals. He narrowly defeated Mauro Correnti by 4-3 decision in the Round of 16. Hillger will have his work cut out in the quarterfinals as he will find himself up against former Maryland Terrapin and NCAA All-American Youssif Hemida.

The quarterfinal round of the men’s freestyle discipline begins at 4 p.m. as part of Saturday’s second session of action. Semifinals will follow, and finals will be held on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.