Iowa men’s wrestler Caleb Rathjen started the 2023-24 season on the sidelines, but he has since carved out his spot in the lineup after a strong showing in his recent matches.
The 149-pounder overtook Oklahoma State transfer Victor Voinovich III, who struggled at the beginning of the season with a loss against Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski and a one-point win against Penn State’s Andy Troczynski.
Rathjen got the call in Iowa’s final non-conference dual against Columbia and made the most of the opportunity, earning a 15-3 major decision win in his Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut.
He followed up that dominant performance with a great showing during the Soldier Salute, where he beat teammates Cade Siebrecht, 18-3, and Voinovich, 6-3, in the semifinals before beating Anthony Ferrari, 7-2, in the final to claim the 149 title.
After Rathjen placed first in the 149-pound bracket, he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Soldier Salute.
Iowa head coach Tom Brands said Iowa has always encouraged wrestlers to go head-to-head to earn their spots because it helps the staff find the best guy to help the team compete for a national championship.
Brands said he was impressed with Rathjen’s determination to “be the guy.”
“We will know more every week, every weekend, every competition.” Brands said of Rathjen’s role in the lineup. “This is a very unique year. There have been a lot of steps that have happened to get through, to get to this point.”
Brands added that it wasn’t just Rathjen’s wins themselves that have been impressive but how he had been winning with emphasis and determination.
“There’s no need to be uptight about this opportunity,” Brands said of his wrestlers earning spots in the lineup. “There’s no need to worry about, ‘What does the coaching staff think or what are the fans thinking?’ It doesn’t matter. Go out and do what you do best. Don’t look over your shoulder.”
Brands added that Rathjen and his wrestlers should simply go out onto the mat and have fun, get out of their heads, and wrestle freely.
Rathjen opened up the Big Ten schedule with his toughest test in Iowa’s dual against Nebraska on Jan. 12. He faced No. 1 Ridge Lovett and lost, 6-0, but avoided giving the Cornhuskers bonus points, holding Lovett to a decision win.
Brands thought Rathjen’s match against Lovett was a good experience because “he knows what the number one guy in the country feels like.”
Brands stuck with Rathjen after his loss, and Rathjen then took on No. 13 Drew Roberts in Iowa’s dual meet against Minnesota on Jan. 15 — and Rathjen responded by notching another ranked win for the Hawkeyes, beating Roberts, 7-3.
After the Minnesota dual, Rathjen was absent from the lineup with Voinovich getting the green light at 149 against Purdue on Jan. 19.
Voinovich impressed, earning a 19-4 tech fall, but Brands said Rathjen would be in the lineup at the next dual and was left out due to an illness that had gone around the wrestling room.
“We’re going to continue to do the right thing, the best thing for each individual and what’s best for the program,” Brands said. “Keep going forward. That’s how you do it. There’s no deviating from a basic, solid approach.”
