NCAA national championship win
It’d be easy to sit here and run you down each piece of top-ranked Penn State wrestling’s roster, from Carter Starocci at 184 to Greg Kerkvliet at 285. But by that point, you’re seriously ignoring the dog-eat-dog mentality Iowa head coach Tom Brands is instilling in his team.
After the Hawkeyes’ measly fifth-place finish at the NCAA championships last year, the reliance on legends of old such as Alex Marinelli and Spencer Lee became evidently, well, of old. This program easily could have become a sinking ship, and Brands needed to adapt — or die.
What he came out with for this season is arguably second-ranked Iowa wrestling’s deepest roster in a handful of years — headlined by the dominance of No. 2 Michael Caliendo coming into his own at 165 as well as the experience of No. 1 Jacori Teemer at 157, No. 1 Stephen Buchanan at 197, and No. 4 Kyle Parco at 149.
With some movement around and out of these weight classes, nothing remains in these wrestlers’ ways to a national title unless they’re upset by lower-ranked guys.
But that’s not going to win you a team championship alone, I know, and it won’t need to. The back-end of this starting 10 is one of the most underrated in college wrestling.
No. 6 Gabe Arnold at 184 will shoot up the rankings with his skill, IQ, and strength. No. 12 Ben Kueter will do the same at 285 as he looks the most fit and determined I’ve seen him in a Hawkeye singlet. These guys will make for very, very tough tests for the Nittany Lions, if not for some upset potential, too.
But the season is young — and not without hiccups. Should No. 7 Drake Ayala dial in a style and confidence at 133 and Brands nail down a starter at 174, which might look like Patrick Kennedy here soon, the Black and Gold have a complete lineup and a perfect recipe for a chip early in 2025.
Second-place at NCAA championships
It’s no secret Iowa men’s wrestling has a long-standing tradition of excellence, but top-ranked Penn State’s legacy can’t be ignored.
With 24 national championships and 34 Big Ten titles, Iowa has proven throughout the course of time that it is capable of winning an NCAA national championship. Consistently keeping Hawkeye wrestling as one of the top-ranked programs in the country, Tom and Terry Brands have created a historic program during their tenures as head and assistant coaches.
While this is an exceptionally good Iowa wrestling squad this season, too, there is one burden standing in the way of the Hawkeyes’ road to a national title this year.
To get to the Hawkeyes’ “achilles heel” to winning that prized championship, let’s take the roughly 12-hour drive east to Penn State — home of the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions have been the only other team in the nation in recent years to compete with Iowa wrestling for NCAA dominance — winning 11 NCAA National championships since 2011.
This year looks to be no different for Penn State, with Cael Sanderson entering his 16th season as head coach. His knowledge of the sport is near-unmatched, and it continues to attract some of the best wrestling talent in the world.
Just a season ago, Sanderson coached the program to an undefeated 12-0 season — defeating the No. 6 Hawkeyes, 29-6, in front of their home fans.
Entering the 2024-25 season, it could very well do the same as Penn State returns three NCAA national champions in their respective weight classes: Carter Stourocei at 184 pounds, Levi Haines at 174 pounds, and Greg Kerkvliet at 285 pounds.
With that Nittany Lion roster, Sanderson knows exactly how to take a loaded roster like this on a NCAA national championship run. This Iowa team is deep but one can only do so much against a team like this.
Unfortunately, for the Hawkeyes, Penn State’s depth and veteran leadership will likely aid in Penn State’s favor — giving Iowa wrestling a horrid flashback to the 2021 season, where they placed second to Penn State, or even worse should that fifth-place finish creep back into the picture.