AMES, Iowa — A familiar face returned to the Iowa men’s wrestling team’s lineup Sunday. Senior Max Murin hit the mat for the first time this season in the Hawkeyes’ 22-11 win over the Iowa State Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum.

Murin and sophomore Cobe Siebrecht’s names both appeared on Iowa’s pre-dual bout sheet. Siebrecht’s was nicely typed on the page, while Murin’s was scribbled in black ink.

The Hawkeyes’ bout sheet for tonight. It could be the first time fans see Spencer Lee grapple in the 2021-22 campaign. pic.twitter.com/dCoXweyvHH

— Daily Iowan Sports (@DISportsDesk) December 5, 2021

Siebrecht wrestled at 149 pounds in place of Murin in the Hawkeyes’ first two duals of the year against the Princeton Tigers and Army Black Knights.

Siebrecht went 1-1 in the two matches he wrestled for Murin. The sophomore from Lisbon, Iowa, beat Princeton’s Josh Breeding via technical fall. He fell to Army’s PJ Ogunsanya, 11-3.

With No. 6 Ian Parker slated to compete at 149 pounds for the Cyclones on Sunday, Iowa head coach Tom Brands sprung Murin — ranked ninth at his weight — into action instead of Siebrecht.

Brands’ decision paid off, as Murin downed Parker, 3-2.

“Max Murin, awesome, awesome,” Brands said post-match. “We need someone there. Siebrecht, we love him. The reason we went with Murin is because he’s ready to go, and you saw what happened against Army with Siebrecht, and we got to get consistent there.

“That’s not a knock on Cobe Siebrecht,” Brands added. “We love him, but you got to be consistent, you got to be tough, and you got to show you belong, every time out there. So, we have two good options there and we got another one, Bretli Reyna.”

When Iowa released its probable lineups five days ahead of Sunday’s Iowa-Iowa State dual, Murin wasn’t even listed as an option at 149 pounds.

Murin wasn’t the only Hawkeye to make a 2021-22 dual meet debut Sunday. Senior 197-pounder Jacob Warner also returned to the mat — though he didn’t perform as well as Murin did.

Warner was upset by No. 24 Yonger Basitda, 4-3. Warner didn’t score a single takedown against Bastida.

Bastida — who came to the U.S. from Cuba just 54 weeks ago — came out shooting against Warner, securing a takedown just 44 second into the match.

Bastida racked up two takedowns on the match, which was just good enough to outscore Warner’s three escapes.

“Warner’s got a lot more to give there,” Brands said.

Murin, Warner, and company will compete again in two weeks, as the Hawkeyes travel to Destin, Florida, for the Rokfin Duals Dec. 20-21.

Iowa will face a field in Florida that features the likes of No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 6 North Carolina State, No. 7 Missouri, No. 15 Virginia Tech, No. 19 Northern Iowa, No. 22 Central Michigan, and Lehigh.

After the Rokfin Duals, Iowa will participate in the 2021 Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

The Hawkeyes won’t wrestle in another dual until Jan. 7 when Iowa welcome Minnesota to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.