Iowa men’s wrestling picks up road victory at Chattanooga
The Hawkeyes continued their undefeated season and won six of 10 matches over the Mocs. Five of Iowa’s wins included bonus points, while the Hawkeyes’ four losses were each by two points or less.
Iowa assistant coach Terry Brands watches action during session three at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Friday, March 18, 2022. Iowa fell to fourth place after session three’s action, sitting at 37.5 points. Penn State leads with 73.
December 11, 2022
The No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling team defeated Chattanooga, 27-12, Saturday night at McKenzie Arena in Tennessee.
The Hawkeyes won six of the 10 matches on the night and all four of Iowa’s losses were decided by two points or less. Five of the Hawkeyes’ wins came with bonus points.
The Hawkeyes got into a hole early after consecutive losses at 125 and 133 pounds. Filling in for Spencer Lee, sophomore 125-pounder Charles Matthews was defeated, 1-0, by the Mocs’ Logan Ashton. Making his fifth consecutive start at 133 pounds, sophomore Cullan Schriever lost his match, 3-1, to 27th-ranked Brayden Palmer.
“You have to be able to come and not ever let it come down to them being able to control the strategy or pace or dictate scoring opportunities that come or go,” associate head coach Terry Brands said in a release.
Making his second start of the season, second-ranked senior 141-pounder Real Woods collected Iowa’s first victory of the dual in dominating fashion over Dayne Dalrymple. Woods earned a tech fall shutout win while compiling three four-point near falls.
After Iowa junior Cobe Siebrecht’s 6-2 victory at 157 pounds, 14th-ranked sophomore Patrick Kennedy put Iowa on top for good with his third technical fall of the season. In the 165-pound bout, Kennedy earned a 23-8 victory over sophomore Jackson Hurst.
Iowa finished the dual strong, with two consecutive major-decision victories and a pin in the final three weight classes.
Eighth-ranked 184-pound junior Abe Assad defeated 31st-ranked senior Matthew Waddell, 14-4, and sixth-ranked 197-pound redshirt senior Jacob Warner took down senior Jake Boyd, 10-1.
In the final match of the night, third-ranked senior Tony Cassioppi pinned sophomore Logan Andrew 1:15 into the heavyweight bout to remain undefeated on the season.
“I don’t feel like we were that ready to go. I feel like we have a lot of work to do,” Brands said.
True freshman makes Hawkeye debut
At 149 pounds, Iowa freshman Joel Jesuroga stepped on the collegiate mat for the first time Saturday night. The Pleasant Hill, Iowa, native was a state champion during his junior season at Southeast Polk High School and is listed at 141 pounds on Iowa’s roster.
Wrestling against 27th-ranked Noah Castillo, Jesugora forced overtime as the match was tied at two apiece after seven minutes. With neither wrestler able to earn a point in the extra period, Castillo claimed victory with a tiebreaking riding time point.
Big Picture
Iowa improves to 7-0 on the season, remaining one of the four undefeated teams in the Big Ten alongside Penn State, Ohio State, and Minnesota. All four teams are in the top 10 in the national rankings. The Hawkeyes extended their winning streak to 10 consecutive duals dating back to the 2021-22 season.
Up Next
On Dec. 29-30, the Hawkeyes will take part in the inaugural Soldier Salute tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The Hawkeyes will compete alongside Army, Ballarmie, Citadel, Columbia, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Virginia Military Institute, and Wyoming.
The Iowa women’s wrestling team will also compete unattached from the university.
The tournament will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
