MADISON, Wisconsin — The No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling program is back in action on Sunday to begin its Big Ten dual meet slate with Wisconsin at Wisconsin Field House.
The dual meet will kick off with 125 pounds at 2 p.m., Iowa’s Joey Cruz set to start over Kale Petersen against Wisconsin’s No. 18 Nicolar Rivera. Jace Rhodes will get the nod for the Hawkeyes over Ryder Block at 141 pounds too — as will Miguel Estrada in place of the injured No. 1 157-pounder Jacori Teemer.
Iowa head coach Tom Brands will lean on No. 5 Patrick Kennedy over once-starter Nelson Brands at 174 pounds as the former is on a tear this season. And he will go to No. 5 Gabe Arnold at 184 pounds despite freshman Angelo Ferrari’s solid start to the season.
125 pounds — Iowa 3, Wisconsin 0
Rivera defended Cruz’s leg shots early on, even when the latter got a good grasp on his right three times in the scoreless first period alone. Rivera’s 1-0 advantage with an escape to start the second dissipated as Cruz persistently worked that right leg into a three-point takedown. Leading at 5-1 with a minute left, another shot at the leg pushed Cruz to an 8-1 lead and the 8-2 win.
133 pounds — Iowa 8, Wisconsin 0
A ranked matchup between Iowa’s No. 4 Drake Ayala and Wisconsin’s No. 24 Zan Fugitt got nerve-wracking for Ayala early on as he gave up his back to a Fugitt scramble into a three-point takedown. Fugitt’s strength made it tough for Ayala to escape, but when he did, a flawless slip and shoot put him up at 4-3 after one. Ayala’s speed dove into another three-point takedown to lead at 7-4 for the last period, in which a pair of athletic rolls into takedowns sealed the 21-6 tech fall.
141 pounds — Iowa 11, Wisconsin 0
Rhodes matched up with Wisconsin’s Brock Bobzien, and a hard spear from Rhodes put Bobzien on his behind and down 3-0 moving into the second period. But Bobzien reversed into two points on the board, after which Rhodes’ flexibility was not enough to escape. A stalling point evened this one up at three apiece for the third period, which went scoreless and into an overtime. There, Rhodes secured a leg, three-point takedown, and win.
149 pounds — Iowa 16, Wisconsin 0
So in came Iowa’s No. 4 Kyle Parco, who fell into a 3-0 deficit to Royce Nilo’s very early takedown. But Parco shot right back into his aggression and dominance for an 8-3 lead, locking Nilo into near-fall after near-fall and a quick tech fall win in the second period.
157 pounds — Iowa 19, Wisconsin 0
Estrada took a 3-0 Hawkeye lead early on against Luke Mechler in an otherwise uneventful first period, the freshman constantly searching for an open leg that produced a 7-2 lead for the final period. Again rather uneventful, the final minute of the match saw Mechler simply struggling to go and Estrada capitalizing on attacks. So Estrada won, 10-4.
At the break — Iowa 19, Wisconsin 0.
165 pounds — Iowa 24, Wisconsin 0
Iowa’s No. 2 Michael Caliendo made quick work of Wisconsin’s Gavin Model with a 9-2 lead after just one minute. Proving he’s a national title contender, Caliendo combined his speed and IQ into an even wider lead, although he narrowly ducked a position that could’ve easily had him pinned. He let Model up and took him down again and again, and the match was over by 21-6 tech fall before a single period could end.
174 pounds — Iowa 29, Wisconsin 0
Kennedy did much of the same with Wisconsin’s No. 31 Luke Condon, jumping out to a 6-1 lead a minute into the match and 12-3 lead after two minutes. Much more passive and patient through the blood on his mouth, Kennedy used his similar IQ to snag open shots and work the clearly weaker Condon. A 15-4 lead after one became a 19-4 tech fall victory for Kennedy, extending his record to 7-0 this season.
184 pounds — Iowa 35, Wisconsin 0
Arnold pinned Wisconsin’s Dylan Russo in the first period, moving this one forward to 197 pounds within the blink of an eye.
197 pounds — Iowa 41, Wisconsin 0
Iowa’s second-ranked Stephen Buchanan worked right into the same position, hooking Niccolo Colucci’s arm into a pin also in the first period — proving just how strong Brands’ back end of the lineup is.
285 pounds — Iowa 45, Wisconsin 0
Matching against the Badgers’ Gannon Rosenfeld, Iowa’s No. 12 Ben Kueter rounded the Hawkeyes out with a physical first period of wrestling that saw him take a 3-0 lead and a 4-0 lead with an escape being the sole point scored in the second. Kueter denied Rosenfeld and forced him frequently into defense. And despite coaches telling the former he’s “got to go” in an otherwise quiet arena, Rosenfeld found no opportunity to score as Kueter won, 8-0.
FINAL — Iowa 45, Wisconsin 0.
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