The No. 3 Iowa men’s wrestling team has its first Big Ten dual on Friday against No. 6 Nebraska at 6:30 p.m. The Hawkeyes will have a quick turnaround after Friday’s dual, as they wrestle Minnesota at home on Monday at 7 p.m.

“We’ve known about this for a long time,” Iowa head Coach Tom Brands said about the Friday-Monday turnaround. “Originally, we were Friday, Sunday we go; if it’s Friday, Saturday we go; if it’s two on Friday, we go; if it’s Friday and Monday, we’re ready.”

With the football season over, highly touted heavyweight prospect Ben Kueter has joined the wrestling team, but Brands said there’s no rush to get him into the lineup. Brands added that Kueter is very “eager” to get started and appreciates Kueter’s attitude and preparation.

“We love everything about [Kueter],” Brands said. “I’m not really a prediction-making guy. But I’ll tell you what, I like what’s under the hood.”

Despite rumors of the Ferrari brothers joining the team, Brands said there aren’t any additions to the roster for the second semester “at this moment.” 

Probable lineups

All rankings come via Intermat. The Iowa wrestlers listed below are expected to compete against Minnesota on Monday. 

125 POUNDS: No. 5 Drake Ayala (IA) vs. No. 7 Caleb Smith (NE)

Ayala is coming off a great showing at the Soldier Salute, where he earned two ranked victories over Minnesota’s No. 18 Patrick McKee and Wyoming’s No. 6 Jore Volk, improving his record to 13-1 this season. 

After the Soldier Salute, Brands said he was pleased with how Ayala responded to an early season loss and how he has developed in the training room in the following months. 

133 POUNDS: No. 7 Brody Teske (IA) vs. No. 30 Jacob Van Dee (NE)

This is a rematch of the 133-pound final at the Soldier Salute, where Teske beat Van Dee, 5-4. With the title, Teske secured his spot in the lineup — at least to start the conference schedule. 

There have been some questions about who would be the main guy at 133 for the Hawkeyes, as four wrestlers weighed in for Iowa’s last dual against Columbia on Dec. 8. At that dual, Cullan Schriever got the nod, but Teske’s run at the Soldier Salute has vaulted him back into the lineup. 

141 POUNDS: No. 1 Real Woods (IA) vs. No. 7 Brock Hardy (NE)

149 POUNDS: No. 12 Caleb Rathjen (IA) vs. No. 1 Ridge Lovett (NE)

 This weight class also poses some question marks for the Hawkeyes. Like Teske, Rathjen got the nod after his performance at the Soldier Salute. 

Rathjen beat teammates Cade Seibrecht and Victor Voinovich before defeating Anothy Ferrari in the 149-pound final. Those wins culminated in Rathjen winning the Outstanding Wrestler award for the tournament. 

“This is a highly competitive level of wrestling,” Brands said about having teammates wrestle each other at tournaments. “ Nothing is handed; you have to earn it. It is very competitive to make the team. It’s not about making the team; it’s about being the best guy who can wrestle and compete for a national championship. It’s always been that way.”

157 POUNDS: No. 2 Jared Franek (IA) vs. No. 3 Peyton Robb (NE)

165 POUNDS: No. 7 Michael Caliendo (IA) vs. No. 19 Antrell Taylor

Brands said he thinks Caliedno “solidified himself at 165” after winning a Soldier Salute title. Caliendo beat teammate Patrick Kennedy via decision in the final. 

174 POUNDS: Patrick Kennedy (IA) vs. No. 30 Bubba Wilson (NE)

With the loss to Caliendo, Kennedy is projected to move back up to 174 for the Hawkeyes. There will likely be some changes in the lineup depending on the matchup at 174, so both Kennedy and true freshman standout Gabe Arnold will see action in the second semester. 

“We still have a great asset for our team. A great attitude, a great worker, a great teammate in Patrick Kennedy, and we also have Gabe Arnold at 174,” Brands said. “We have a lot of options there. We love all those guys.” 

184 POUNDS: Aiden Riggins (IA) vs. Elise Brown Ton (NE)

197 POUNDS: No. 16 Zach Glazier (IA) vs. No. 11 Silas Allred (NE)

HEAVYWEIGHT: Bradley Hill (IA) vs. Harley Andrews (NE) 

Despite Keuter’s arrival, Hill remains the starter at heavyweight for the Hawkeyes. Brands said he’ll figure out when the best time to “plug Keuter in” is, but the head coach remains confident in Hill.