Oklahoma State transfer Victor Voinovich III had his best match in an Iowa singlet during the Hawkeyes’ dual meet inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Purdue on Friday.

The 149-pounder got the green light in the lineup for the first time since Iowa’s dual against Penn on Dec. 1, 2023.  

Voinovich got the start in the Hawkeyes’ first four duals before Caleb Rathjen emerged as the starter and won the Soldier Salute title. Iowa head coach Tom Brands said Rathjen will get the start next weekend and was left out of the lineup today due to illness.

“I’m always ready to go. I was ready to make weight today,” Voinovich said. “I got the text this morning saying I was a go, so that’s kind of when I was like, okay, time to go get ready tonight.”

Despite having an up-and-down career so far at Iowa, Voinovich has enjoyed his time in Iowa City. He said his teammates, coaches, and the fans have made the transition from Stillwater, Oklahoma, easy. 

“He’s been eager, and he hasn’t sucked his thumb, and that’s important,” Brands said of Voinovich eyeing the 149 spot. “He lets me know from time to time that he’s still gunning for that title. Love it. Packed it up tonight.”

Voinovich went head-to-head with Marcus Polanco on Friday and earned a 19-4 tech fall after six minutes of action. 

Voinovich scored two takedowns in the first period to lead, 6-1. He followed that up with an escape and two more takedowns, leading 13-2 after the second period. He scored two more takedowns in the third to finish the match early and earn the tech fall.

“Wide gap, I love it,” Brands said. “Response, too. You know [Voinovich] probably wanted to lay on the guy for a little bit and responded to the corner; that’s what we need.”

Voinovich was pleased with his performance, specifically how he finished his takedowns and controlled the pace en route to one of Iowa’s six bonus point victories of the day. 

“It’s a competition in the room every day, and I just need to be ready when my opportunity comes and make the most of it,” Voinovich said. “Today, it was an opportunity to wrestle in front of the fans in Carver-Hawkeye [Arena]. So I felt like I needed to go out there and make the most of that opportunity.” 

Voinovich still has big goals this year and hopes to earn the 149 spot before March to compete for a national championship. He felt like his performance on Friday showed that he can score points and put his team in a position to win. 

“I have to show my coaches what I can do,” Voinovich said. “But in the end, I want to go out there and show my ability and prove that I’m one of the best guys in the country and I can be the national champion [at] Kansas City in March. I just need to go out there and prove it and show the coaches, show the fans, and show everyone.”