Six Iowa men's wrestlers advance to Big Ten Tournament semifinals, punch ticket to nationals

Six Iowa men’s wrestlers advance to Big Ten Tournament semifinals, punch ticket to nationals

Despite being the lowest seed in his weight class, 133-pounder Brody Teske advanced to the conference semifinals.

March 9, 2024

A referee holds up Iowa’s No. 14 133-pound Brody Teske’s hand after a match with No. 11 Purdue’s Dustin Norris during session one of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Xfinity Center in College Park, MD, on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Guts. That’s what it takes to win in March.

Walking back to the center of the mat to get his hand raised, hitting the part of his chest that’s inked with “FEAR NO EVIL PSALM 23:4,” Iowa men’s wrestler Brody Teske knew his Big Ten title hopes were still alive.

Teske, the No. 14 seed at 133 pounds, trailed 10-1 in his first-round match. But the fifth-year veteran wasn’t going down that easy.

Teske scored an escape, three-point takedown, and four near-fall points in the final 1:05 to clinch an upset 15-13 win over No. 3 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State.

He brought the same energy in his quarterfinal match, defeating No. 11 Dustin Norris from Purdue, 11-5. With the win, Teske advanced to the conference semifinals and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in Kansas City March 21-23.

Teske isn’t a traditional No. 14 seed. He finished the regular season 11-4, but his name was entered into the tournament past the deadline, so he received the lowest seed in his weight class.

“As far as the seating and all that stuff goes — it’s championship season for a reason. And nobody’s going to come and just lay down. Everyone’s coming to fight. So you got to be ready to bring the fight. If you’re not, you probably should stay home,” Teske said on March 5.

Five other Hawkeye wrestlers — Real Woods, Jared Franek, Michael Caliendo, Patrick Kennedy, and Zach Glazier — also each won their first two matches and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, automatically punching a ticket to nationals in two weeks.

Iowa’s Caleb Rathjen won his first-round bout but dropped a 7-6 decision to Maryland’s Ethen Miller in the quarterfinals. Aiden Riggins fell in his first-round match at 184 pounds but won in consolations, 2-1, to stay alive for third place. Heavyweight Bradley Hill prevailed in the first round but then lost by injury default in the quarterfinals after hurting his left knee. All three wrestlers are still in the running for third place in their respective weight classes.

The conference tournament semifinals will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Iowa (57.5 points) currently sits third in the team race behind Michigan (70.5) and Penn State (83.5). The Hawkeyes’ two losses in the regular season came to the Wolverines and Nittany Lions. Eight Michigan wrestlers advanced to the semis, while Penn State sent nine.

Iowa head coach Tom Brands will be available to the media following the semifinals.

Team Standings through Session I
1 Penn State 83.5
2 Michigan 70.5
3 Iowa 57.5
4 Nebraska 46.5
5 Minnesota 34.5
6 Rutgers 31.5
7 Ohio State 28.5
8 Maryland 20.5
9 Wisconsin 17.0
10 Indiana 16.0
11 Michigan St. 11.5
12 Illinois 10.5
13 Northwestern 7.5
14 Purdue 4.0

About the Contributors

Kenna Roering, Sports Editor

she/her/hers

Kenna Roering is The Daily Iowan's sports editor. She is a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism with a minor in sports and recreation management. Kenna previously worked as a sports reporter for men's wrestling and volleyball and was the summer sports editor in 2023. This is her second year with the DI.

Emily Nyberg, Visual Editor

(she/her/hers)

Emily Nyberg is a second-year student at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Cinematic arts. Prior to her role as a Visual Editor, Emily was a Photojournalist, and a News Reporter covering higher education.